So Chris and Sheva have met, and the story is kicking off…
"This is Kirk. Chris, Sheva can you read me?" the radio buzzed.
Sheva reached for the radio, but Chris shoved her away. "Chris here," he affirmed. He flicked his gaze to his partner. "Coming in loud. And. Clear." he added, pronouncing each word very precisely.
Sheva rolled her eyes before opening her mouth. "Yes, we read you." she slipped in and then grinned smugly.
Chris's head snapped up and he glowered at his partner. 'Shut up!' he mimed.
"There's a black market ice cream deal going on in a hard to pronounce place, that's where Backstabber Mc stabberface (i.e. Irving) will be. Alpha team beat you there," (at this, Chris punched a wall, to dust, in anger). "They've infiltrated this area and you'll be going in as backup." Kirk continued, unaware of Chris's rage issues.
"Back up?" Chris whined. He turned angrily to Sheva. "This is your fault." he hissed.
Sheva gazed at him, mouth agape. "How the heck is it m-"
Chris glowered at her for a moment before putting his finger to his lips. "Ssh, Kirk's speaking." he hushed her.
Biting her lip in disbelief, Sheva glared at the man.
"Can I continue…? Umm, ok; meet your contact at the butcher's shop. Watch your backs." and with that, Kirk was gone.
As soon as Kirk had finished, Chris stopped walking. Sheva, unaware, kept walking and was rewarded with a painful experience against Chris' back. Yelping in pain, the woman leapt back.
"What the hell?" she demanded, rubbing her nose in pain. "Chris, why did you stop?"
Instead of replying, Chris began scrabbling at his back. "Sheva," he growled. "What did he mean by watch your backs?"
Sheva watched him for a few moments, flabbergasted, before chuckling slightly. "Oh, that's nothing," she disregarded. "It's just; the people in this village are infamous for putting 'kick me' signs on people's backs."
Chris' eyes widened in horror and he turned to Sheva, grabbing her forcefully by the shoulders. "If I get even one 'kick me' sign on my back I will kill everyone. Okay Sheva? Everyone!"
Sheva gazed at him in fright; her wide eyes taking in the mad look within Chris' own orbs.
"O…ok," she garbled, wriggling out of the big man's grip. "Ok."
Apparently unaware of the horror he had just instilled within his young partner, Chris just nodded, dropping his hands off her shoulders as he did so.
"Good," he sniffed, looking to the sky. "Good."
Sheva would have said something, but she was soon distracted by the scenario of a few men beating at a sack. Chris simply walked past, apparently unfazed by this unusual –and quite frankly disturbing- behaviour, Sheva ran to catch up with him.
She glanced over her shoulder at the menacing men, still hitting at the sack, and then back to her partner. "D…don't you think we should investigate what was in that sack?" she pressed cautiously.
Chris rolled his eyes and exhaled air loudly. He flicked a quick look back over his shoulder at the men and their sack and then shrugged. "Nah, I can't be bothered. Besides, it's probably just potatoes or something,"
Sheva still looked unnerved. The big man obviously noticed this because he put a reassuring hand onto her shoulder. "Just potatoes Sheva," he reemphasised. "They're just making yummy mashed potato for dinner tonight,"
Sheva shook her head and opened her mouth to argue, looking quite disgruntled about how patronising Chris had just been to her, but the man interrupted her. He pointed one muscly finger forwards.
"The butcher shop!" he enthused, childish delight within his eyes. Despite this obvious enthusiasm, the man did not pick up the pace in anyway; opting to continue at –if anything- a slower pace of walking.
However, while Chris seemed like the happiest, carefree man in the world at that current moment in time, Sheva felt a building sense of unease. She turned only to see the village void of life. Not even the potato mashing men were there anymore. Confused, Sheva's eyes narrowed.
"Sheva,"
At the sound of her name, the woman whipped around.
"Stop trying to get all the screen time," Chris growled. "This is my game. Now shut up and follow me."
"I didn't say anything." Sheva mumbled moodily. She cast one more look over her shoulder, but this was met by an angry grunt from Chris, so she grumpily turned her head once more; eyes set on the little blue door that led to the butcher's shop.
Once they reached said door, a look of utter confusion became apparent upon Chris' face. He cast a confused smile onto Sheva. "How do we get this open eh?" he questioned.
"Well," Sheva began slowly, slightly unnerved by Chris' friendly attitude. "We could always just push the door open?"
Chris slowly shook his head at this suggestion and –as his own suggestion- slowly raised a rocket launcher.
"Chri-" Sheva began, but the man wasn't listening.
"All problems in life can be solved with a rocket launcher!" Chris roared through her warnings before blasting away the door in front of them, and taking half the wall away too.
"What the fuck!" screamed the butcher shop clerk jumping back in horror as half of his wall disintegrated.
Chris stepped through the rubble. "Give me all your money!" he roared, whipping out an AK-47 from nowhere.
"Chris! Chris! Put your gun down! We need his help remember?" Sheva shrieked, looking as horrified as the butcher shop clerk did.
Chris turned to her, his eyes wild. Then he glanced at the butcher shop clerk. Within seconds he had tucked the AK away.
"Oh right," he amended gruffly. He glanced at the butcher shop clerk. "Sorry." he apologised.
The butcher shop clerk just stared at him with wide eyes.
"You can continue now," Sheva encouraged. "We are sorry."
"Ahem," the butcher shop clerk slowly regained his composure before continuing. "Right," the man's nervous eyes flickered to Chris.
Chris who was breathing heavily and glaring at nothing in particular.
"You're…both here," he advanced. "Come." with another nervous glance, the butcher shop clerk led them through a doorway. Seemingly the man gained a little more momentum –and courage- as he began to explain the situation. "It may be because of the discontinued ice cream, but people around here are a little on edge," he informed them. "You should do what you came to do and go home."
Chris and Sheva exchanged a glance.
"Well…yeah," Chris agreed awkwardly. "That's…that's sorta what I was planning to do…"
"Yes," Sheva agreed. "And anyway, this is my home."
"Oh…" the butcher shop clerk said.
This was followed by an awkward silence. Chris decided to break this silence with a snappy comment.
"Yeah, they really roll out the red carpet to us Americans," he quipped before smiling around.
He was, however, only rewarded with a glare from Sheva.
"Shut up Chris." she snarled.
Feeling even more awkward than before, and not willing to watch the two partners fight, the butcher shop clerk cut in. "I have your weapons here. Check them."
"Don't tell me what to do." Chris retorted before going up close to the butcher shop clerk in an attempt to intimidate him.
"Check them please." Sheva grumbled in agreement with Chris' thoughts before she looked up at the clerk. "Destination coordinates?" she enquired.
The butcher shop clerk ducked out from behind Chris' massive bulk, relieved to have a distraction from imminent death. "Town Square's up ahead," he informed.
Sheva glowered at him for wrecking the efficiency of her statement. The butcher shop clerk persisted, apparently just wanting them out of the way.
"Alpha Team are waiting at the deal location." he continued.
"Good." nodded Sheva enthusiastically.
"So," the butcher shop clerk leaned forward slightly. "What do you two know about Uroboros?"
This question was met by blank looks courtesy of both Chris and Sheva.
"Right," the butcher shop clerk coughed, deeming that as pointless territory to cross. "Just find the man called Backstabber Mc Stabberface, he's our only lead…and be careful out there." with these parting words, the butcher shop clerk began to walk away.
"What an overdramatic jackass." Sheva announced loudly.
"Yes," Chris agreed pompously. "I wouldn't be surprised if his head was cut off by an executioner."
"Indeed." Sheva nodded.
The butcher shop clerk cried a little bit…he only wanted friends. But he didn't ever get any. The end of his story.
