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Chapter 13
Theme: 30 Seconds to Mars-The Mission
Briefing and Loadout
"What is your name?" A stiff English-accented voice asked him through the door.
"Captain Ethan Miller, SAS."
The door opened to reveal a fairly tall man, who looked like he was about 60. He had gray hair, a gray well-trimmed mustache, and wore large round glasses. His eyes were a drab gray, like everything else about him.
"Please come in. I am Watari, one of L's agents."
Watari gestured to a metal folding chair, indicating for Miller to sit there. There was another man sitting next to him. He had medium length jet-black hair, sharp brown eyes, light skin, a trim build, and a youthful face.
In front of the two chairs, there was a laptop, the letter L in an Old English font filling its display.
Miller eyed the younger man with slight suspicion. He didn't look quite like a civvy, but he certainly wasn't military. Possibly MI6, or maybe FBI or CIA.
"Hi." The younger man said nervously.
Miller sat down, leaning forwards, entirely ignoring the awkward kid sitting next to him, instead focusing his attention on the laptop sitting in front of them, which had begun to play a transmission from L.
"Hello, Mr. Miller. The man to your right will be your partner in this mission. He is called Ray Penber. Now...the task that the two of you, along with 10 other FBI agents, have been selected for, is the investigation and capture of Kira. If arrest is not an option, you do have the go-ahead to use lethal force. However...capture is preferred. We do not have enough material evidence at this moment to accuse Kira in a court of law. Shadowing the suspect and collecting evidence will be Penber's task. He will follow our main suspect: Light Yagami, age 18."
As L said this, images of a young man with auburn hair, a pleasant face, and a smiling expression appeared on the display.
"We know the way in which Kira kills. He uses a note on which he writes the name of the victim and the condition of death. He cannot kill without having the face of the victim in mind. Keep your identities to yourselves. Penber especially. Miller...you can afford to be less cautious. You won't be directly tailing Light. Your task will be to protect Penber, by any means possible. Do you remember the truck accident that occurred when you came here?"
"Yes, I do."
"I set that accident up. The driver was a convicted criminal, as you might know by now. The passenger was one of my agents. It was a test of your performance under pressure. I was very pleased with your actions; the agent survived with minimal injuries, and she has been released from the hospital. However, you will need to control your confrontational nature. The man whom you insulted was the Chief of Police, Shijuro Asahi. You may have to work with him later on; your negative attitude towards him in this early stage has made any cooperation with him near impossible for you. And as for you, Penber; you need to be more aggressive and alert. When you came here, one of my agents managed to take $5 and your ticket stubs from your pocket without you noticing. Each of you needs to work on a particular skill that the other one is experienced in. Miller, you need to work on your temper and social skills. Penber, you have to improve your alacrity and situational awareness. I hope that pairing the two of you will be beneficial for both parties."
The two men looked at each other, their eyes locking. Miller's camouflage gray-green, and Penber's soft woodland brown.
Penber turned away from the captain's piercing gaze. It felt like the man was looking into his soul, analyzing him for strengths and weaknesses and character traits.
Apparently satisfied, the SAS agent grunted and returned his attention to the laptop.
"Are there any questions with regards to your mission?"
"Who will be in command on this mission?" Miller asked.
"You, Mr. Miller. Penber will have some freedom to decide what course of action to take; however, the order to open fire belongs to you alone.
A bead of sweat began to form on the FBI agent's forehead.
The SAS captain nodded gravely. He knew the responsibility of this job well. Penber was his squad member now. He had to know him inside out. Like any other soldier he worked with.
"Any other questions?"
Silence.
"Good. Kevlar vests will be provided to both of you; wear them under your clothing at all times. Additionally, Watari will provide each of you with a small subcutaneous transceiver, which will be injected behind your right ear. It works by sending vibrations through your jawbone into your ear canal; only you will be able to hear it. To speak or answer, just press on the area of bone directly behind your right ear. By default, it will attempt to contact your partner, unless you change the selected frequency. Watari will provide modified cellphones to select the frequency to connect to; you will be able to contact me, Watari, or each other, along with any other frequencies you may discover. There is no concern in regards to security; these are AES-256 encrypted connections using burst transmission and a rotating key, which would take thousands of years to break with current computing power. My frequency is 140.85, and Watari's is 140.96. If you wish, you may also listen in on shortwave radio and walkie-talkie transmissions in the area. If the cellphone is lost or damaged, your transceiver will cease to function; this is because the cellphone boosts the standard 3-meter range of the implant to a practically unlimited distance if you have a cellular signal. Without the handset, your implants will be useless. Any further questions? No? Good. I hope to hear from you soon."
The laptop screen went blank.
Miller was mulling over these developments.
(So...L set up that car crash as a test, huh? He's pretty ruthless, for the world's greatest detective. He probably has no qualms about disposing of us if something goes awry. I'll have to protect Penber if that ends up happening. This transceiver will be invaluable as a communications tool...we didn't have tech toys like these in the SAS. Good thing these are secured links; wouldn't want Kira or anyone else listening in on us... Kira. How does that bastard kill with just a notebook? That's ridiculous... But if L says so, he must have very strong evidence that proves it. And...that means Kira's got every major world politician as a hostage. This'll have to be a perfect stealth op.)
"If you'll allow me to inject your transceiver..." Watari's gentle British voice was coming from immediately behind him; it startled Miller out of his train of thought.
"Yeah, go ahead."
The cold needle slipped under Miller's skin, dropping the tiny device right above the bone behind his ear.
He heard a digital ringing noise in his right ear. It was perfectly clear, sounding as if its source was right next to him. The soldier pushed on the spot where the implant was injected, and heard a beeping.
"Hello, Mr. Miller. Can you hear me clearly?" It was L. He sounded crystal clear, and his perception of other sounds wasn't muffled or muted in any way.
"You're coming through loud and clear, L."
"Good. In public, you can act as if you're speaking on your cellphones; please refer to me as Ryuuzaki, to reduce the possibility of detection."
"Got it."
"You can whisper, and I'll still hear you clearly, by the way. The device picks up the vibrations from your vocal cords, which travel through your jawbone to the receiver, allowing me to hear you even when you whisper."
"Mhm. Got it."
"Good luck, Mr. Miller. I expect a positive result soon."
"Yes, sir."
The transceiver beeped to indicate that the call had ended.
Miller looked at Ray Penber, his new teammate. They'd have to work together very closely. He needed to figure the man out, from top to bottom, recognize all of his quirks, what made him tick, how his attitude was, what words and actions pushed his mental buttons. He was already thinking about him not as a civilian, but as a squadmate. A person he deeply cared about, despite having known him for less than half an hour.
"Hey. Penber." The captain growled gently.
"Huh?" The young investigator turned his attention to the gruff Briton.
"You don't need to be so nervous around me, son. I won't bite." The bearlike captain's rough features showed a gentle smile.
"Oh...yeah, I know. It's just that...I get kinda nervous around...people..." The American stuttered.
"People like me, right? Don't be afraid of saying anything, no matter what. You have to trust me 110%. I won't get angry at you."
"Well...you scare me." The agent said quietly.
"I scare lots of people, son. You, however, shouldn't be scared of me. I will not hurt you in any way. My job is to protect you from threats. How can I do that if you perceive my presence as a threat?"
"Uhh...you have a point...sir..."
"Just call me Miller."
"Okay...Miller..."
"Now. What can I do to make you less scared?"
"Uhh...I don't know..."
The captain reached a hand out and planted it on the FBI agent's shoulder firmly, which shuddered slightly under his grip.
"You have to trust me, Ray. Every single soldier I've worked with has given me their full measure of trust. I will not let you get hurt in lieu of me. I will never ask you to do something I would not do myself." The squad captain's true personality had completely replaced the gruff, quarrelsome facade he displayed towards outsiders.
Ray stared into the depths of emotion that Miller's eyes revealed. He cared, didn't he?
His eyes didn't lie. They showed someone who, deep inside, valued every individual he'd fought with, bled with, struggled with. He was tough. He expected nothing less than excellence. But in return, he sacrificed every single comfort he had. If one of his men needed something, he would give it up to provide them with it. He was the one who went hungry so his boys could eat. Shivered in the cold so his boys could stay warm. Bled so his boys could survive. Would choose to get left behind so his boys could go home to their families. He always stood up for his squad. And he inspired absolute loyalty. If he went rogue, his men would not hesitate for a single instant to follow him, even to the edge of the earth.
Ray Penber began to trust his captain. Yes...he wouldn't let him get
"I trust you, Captain Miller. I trust you with my life."
"Good. Let's go, soldier. We've got a killer to catch." The athletic SAS agent stood up, his features solidifying into their normal expressionless shell.
"Good luck, men. Here are your phones. Do not hesitate to contact us with any information you may obtain."
The pair left, starting their mission to capture the most dangerous individual the world had known.
It would scare almost any sane human being out of their wits. Penber was certainly nervous. Miller...didn't seem that nervous. Maybe because he dealt out death to every enemy he met day in, day out. He just didn't find it that intimidating.
Over the next few days, Penber familiarized himself with Light's daily routine. Going to prep school, studying, occasionally going out with a girl. Following Light on his dates was the most difficult task he had to perform; but even that wasn't too daunting for an FBI agent. Penber and Miller were beginning to feel like there was nothing about Light that warranted him being Kira.
After about a week of observation, Light did something slightly out of the ordinary.
"Hey, Miller. Can you see me from the rooftop?"
"Yeah. Can't see the target, though. He's obscured by the bus stop."
"That's no problem. Listen, I need you to keep track of me. I'll be taking the next bus out of this station. It goes from here to Spaceland, an amusement park about 4 miles south from here. I'll keep my link open so you can hear me."
"Keeping my eyes on you will be tough..."
"I know. But...If I let Light out of my sight, he might do something that would reveal him as Kira."
"True. Go ahead and follow him. Just don't do anything rash. Keep your cool. Do not tell him your real name."
"Got it, Miller."
The bus pulled into the station, and the FBI agent followed Light and his girlfriend onto the bus.
The SAS captain observed from a nearby rooftop. He could commandeer a vehicle if anything got out of hand. For now, though, he relaxed a little. The bus turned the corner, and disappeared from his line of sight.
A moment later, he heard panicked screams and shouts in Japanese, and a rough voice that sounded as if it was threatening passengers.
"Penber...are you OK in there?"
"A bus jacking..." The agent whispered to Miller.
Damn. If he busted in and tried to rescue his agent, the hijacker would most likely fire on civilians, maybe even Penber himself. He couldn't afford that happening. And he couldn't snipe the hijacker through a window or building; his M1911 didn't have that level of range or accuracy, nor did it have a sonic or thermal scope. He should've taken a Barrett M107A1...but it was too late for that.
He had to wait.
The soldier heard some chatter between Penber and another passenger in Japanese. He couldn't understand a thing. Then...gunshots.
"Penber! Are you alright? Answer me! Just say something!"
"Oh my god...the hijacker just...jumped off and got hit by a car...I'm fine..."
He breathed again.
"Meet me back at the hotel, soldier. I need a report on what happened there."
"Yes, Captain Miller. I'm on it."
About 15 minutes later, the two had regrouped in the hotel room that L had provided them with.
The captain's face showed clear signs of stress and worry. He sighed, running a hand through his thinning light-brown hair nervously. The FBI agent seemed embarrassed, as if he'd done something wrong.
"Penber...what happened back there?"
"Well...I got on the bus, and about 5 minutes after it left the station, a criminal hijacked it. He was carrying a handgun, and threatening the driver. I was sitting right behind the Kira suspect. He was passing a note to his girlfriend, detailing how he'd overpower the hijacker. I told him it was a bad idea. He accused me of being an accomplice; I...showed him my ID to prove him wrong. Then...he dropped a note...when the criminal grabbed it, he saw a hallucination...and ran off the bus. I'm sorry, Captain. I...screwed up, didn't I?"
Miller was breathing heavily, and he looked up at Penber from his perch on the edge of the bed with tired eyes.
The SAS agent was crushed inside, because he knew. If Light was Kira, then Penber was good as dead. He was praying that Light wasn't Kira, begging the heavens for a chance to trade places with Penber if Light was Kira.
"Your mistake may have just cost you your life, mate. He knows your name and face."
"But...I'm not dead yet..."
"If Light is Kira, he will kill you sooner or later. He isn't stupid. He noticed you were tailing him, and that's why he asked for your ID. I'll try to protect you to the best of my abilities, but...I can no longer promise your safety. I'm only a man, not a saint."
"He won't just kill me. That'd raise too much suspicion. Who else would be able to kill me with just a heart attack? He'd set it up somehow."
"We can't contact Ryuuzaki about this. If there's a chance of us failing our mission...he probably won't let us go home alive." Miller said.
"How do you know?"
"That car accident I was in. He had no qualms about putting myself and others in extreme danger as a simple test of skill. The bloody car burst into flames. If I didn't wake up quickly enough, both the agent and I would be burnt to a crisp. What do you think he'd do to us if we pulled out now?"
"That's true... So we just have to...avoid Light?"
"Yes...we have to give him some breathing room. I forgot to ask you...is Ray Penber your real name?"
"Yes, it is."
"The card you showed him...it didn't have an alias, did it?"
"No..."
"God damn it."
"Yeah."
"Every man, Penber. Every man I've led has come back alive for the last five years. If you die now, I won't be able to look at myself in the mirror again." He put his head in his hands, and exhaled slowly.
"I...I'm sorry, Captain Miller."
"What do you have to apologize for? I'm not the person who's in danger. Don't say you're sorry. I'm the one who should be apologizing. It's entirely my fault that you got into this situation. I'm sorry, Penber; I was unworthy of your trust. I broke my promise to protect you."
"Miller...don't say things like that. There was nothing you could do..." The younger man sat down alongside his demolished captain, wrapping an arm around his back, leaning his head on the older man's shoulder.
"MacMillan, my commanding officer, taught me something important. I remember his very words till today, bless his heart. 'Don't let a single man die if you can help it.'
I admired the man's resolve and strength. He taught me everything I know. He saved my life a bunch of times...and I saved his once too...we're still the closest of friends. He was always my commanding officer. Like a father to me, that crazy old Scotsman. I'm not about to take his words for granted."
The captain stiffened abruptly as he heard a digital ringing, and pressed his index finger behind his right ear.
"Hello? Wha...? Who are you? You were...listening? Who the hell are you? Ryo? What do you mean, you're with that bastard Shijuro? What do you want with me? How'd you get my frequency? What do you mean, this isn't as secure as I think it is? Wait...How come you have information on Kira? How...? No! Don't hang up just yet, you wanker! Bloody hell!"
The soldier slammed his fist into the tabletop in frustration.
"Captain...who was it?"
"Some bloke who goes by the name of Ryo. He was listening in on us just now. Says he's working with the pompous arse of a police chief, Shijuro Asahi; somehow, he got our frequencies, and said the link isn't as secure as we think it is. He claims he has information on Kira. He told me I had to meet him alone in front of the Silver Dragonfly cafe at 19:00 sharp tonight if I wanted the information and his communications frequency, along with how he figured it out." The older man looked greatly stressed by this development.
"What do you think we should do, sir?"
"I'll meet him there. All I need you to do is set up some bugs beforehand, and observe the meeting from here. If anything happens, call the police. We're both wearing Kevlar, so small-arms fire should be no problem. If I say Cottonmouth at any point, that's code for a hostage situation involving civilians. Cobra indicates that one of us is under threat. Rattler, that's the code for a hostage situation involving a VIP. Remember, we're dealing with a Kira suspect here; he can hold any public figure, and most civilians, hostage. Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I'll set up a high-power sniper rifle with extra ammo on a nearby rooftop. If weapons are drawn inside the cafe, don't hesitate to go up there and provide me with cover fire. I'll get you something light, so if you need to get out of there in a hurry, you'll be able to take the gun with you in a duffel bag that I'll leave nearby. As long as the bobbies don't get nosy, you'll be good to go."
"Uhh...sir...? Where do you plan to get all this... stuff?"
The special-forces captain smirked slightly.
"Procure on site, L told me. And that's what I'll do. You've heard of the Yakuza, haven't you? Japanese equivalent of the Mafia. They have illegal weapons by the ton, locked away in storehouses in the rougher parts of town. And thanks to Kira's killing spree, those caches will be almost unguarded. So I can simply sneak past or incapacitate the few remaining guards. Even without proper stealth gear, I can manage with what I've got right now. And if it comes down to a firefight, I'll be in a weapons cache, so I can just use whatever I find."
"Isn't that...a little dangerous, sir?"
"Dangerous? If you call that dangerous, you clearly haven't been on a tanker in the Bering Sea, full of Russian ultranationalists who are dead-set on killing you, while attempting to plant Semtex on nonfissionable nuclear material, detonate it, and haul ass before the whole bloody thing goes to shit."
Penber's mouth was slightly open, and an expression of shock was plastered all over his face.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. You just plant those bugs. Got it, son?"
"Yeah-huh... I got it..."
"Good. You can go ahead now, I'll catch up with you later. Good luck."
"Same to you, sir...and...try to come back safely, please..."
"I will, don't worry."
The captain's olivine eyes met the agent's amber-brown eyes as the younger man left the room. They understood each other. The glance was one of trust; each trusted the other to do what was necessary in order to capture Kira.
The captain sighed, trudging over to his duffel bag full of clothing and equipment. He decided to wear a multicam-patterned combat jacket and cargo pants; these would be more effective at concealing his movements than his current clothing. The grayish concrete and metal pattern of the camouflage would fit perfectly with the urban environment he was in. He rummaged through his bag until he found the finishing touch he was looking for: a tan SAS beret. He pulled it over his short, graying hair, adjusting it in the mirror. He also slung his pistol holster and a large camouflage-patterned duffel bag on. Face paint wouldn't do him any good in this situation; his beard would entirely counteract the paint's effectiveness, and he sure as hell wasn't about to shave his bearlike facial hair off. He made sure he had plenty of ammunition in his camouflaged jacket's belt pockets, and exited the hotel room. This would be...a rush. He never felt quite as good as when he was on missions. The riskier, the better.