Chapter 12: The beginning of a harsh journey...
"Say...Gabriel...?"
Vignette turned her head so that the blonde loli was in her field of vision. She was busying herself with a single player game, considering very few people were playing the MMO she was addicted to. She lazily licked her fingers clean of potato chip dust and gave Vignette a quick glance, not daring to break her stare at the laptop screen.
"Hmm?," she hummed, articulated by furious mouse and keyboard clicks.
"Don't you feel kinda useless right now?," Vignette asked. She let her feet dangle off the windowsill she was sitting on.
"Not really," Gabriel replied. "Ignorance is bliss I suppose."
Vignette looked out the window, letting the acid rain pour down the glass. The effects of a nuclear winter were very real and dear, Vignette getting increasingly worried for the future, as she does.
"Besides. We're injured."
Vignette narrowed her eyes, noticing a hint of a smile on Gabriel's face when she said that remark.
"Oi. I know you're happy about this. I know you can still do stuff. Lazy NEET."
"I. Don't. Know. What. You're...oh what?! How'd he kill me?!"
Gabriel growled at her laptop and shut the lid in frustration. She threw the laptop on the ground (the laptop was a military-style rugged laptop so it was fine) and collapsed backwards on the bed she was sitting on.
"Fine then. Wanna play a board game or something..."
"Gaaaaab. You're seriously gonna stay indoors all day?"
"Yup."
Gabriel laid down on her belly with her chin resting on her palms and her legs angled in the air. She was facing directly at the demon girl, who Gabriel noticed was shuffling a little. Her arms were crossed and she was nervously chewing her fingernail.
"Hm. Are you bored?," Gabriel asked nonchalantly.
"No, I-"
"...wanna have sex?"
"W-W-What?!"
Gabriel smiled at her friend's reaction. She never grew tired of the classic 'flustered Vignette' look.
"Kiddding. Sorta...," Gabriel muttered, much to Vignette's relief. "You wanna be productive. Right?"
"You got me," Vignette responded. "I-I mean...Gab...nuclear winter. We've gotta do something! I dunno what- stock food or...reload some ammo- anything! And I know you can move! Jumping around and running for ramen..."
"Ah! My...stomach!," Gabriel feigned as she rolled on her back and held her gut. "I think my stiches-"
"Gabriel. Tenma. White. I am not going to let you do nothing all day."
"Geez...you really are a mother huh..."
"Only to you. You...barely functioning creature."
Gabriel let out a long groan before getting up and stumbling to the bathroom. Vignette followed behind her.
"I was having a good time, by the way."
"Right. You were never going to beat that level."
"I totally could!"
"Not."
"Could!"
"Mm hm. Mm hm. Suuure you could."
It didn't take long for the duo to brush their teeth and get dressed in their winter attire, and they were soon out the clinic doors and on the wet streets of Spirit base. It calmed Vignette somewhat, the violent rain bouncing off their raincoats, and the sound of wet splashes as they moved forward. As if every wet splash from their boots was a step forward in them securing a path in the not-too-distant future, which was hopefully free from the horrors Vignette imagined. She still replayed her vibrant dream from time to time, because it was so idyllic. She wondered if it was such a far-fetched idea, for it to manifest in their current conflict-riddled reality. Has she even seen a single tree in the past month? One that wasn't dead or dying?
"Vignette."
"...huh?"
"You okay?"
Vignette blinked and shook herself awake from her thoughts. "Yeah. Yeah, better now that we're outside. So where're we going?"
"Thought you knew. Weeell...I suppose we can help out at the mess hall. Heard they needed cooks."
"Last time you handled food...it didn't go so well."
"He-hey...! It was that stupid fish Satania brought from Hell that was the issue!"
They passed by multiple civilians and a group of jogging soldiers. She followed the shorter girl bob into an alleyway between two crumbled buildings, stepping over debris which fell over in the wind. There were trash bags and large, rectangular bins lined up against the buildings; rodents and flies scattered as the two walked deeper. Vignette held her breath, trying to ignore the smell of rotting meat and composting matter. It was obvious that this was the back alley of the mess hall: a repurposed restaurant building.
"After you," Gabriel politely said as she opened the creaky wooden door.
"I take it you've been here before?," Vignette asked as she walked into the kitchen. There were three or four people hastily rushing station to station, struggling to keep up.
"Yup. While you were out with your drills."
Gabriel handed Vignette a spare apron and hairnet as a blue-haired girl noticed their presence.
"Gabriel!," she called, hastily chopping up onions. "Glad you're here!"
They yelled over the sound of cutlery and metallic clangs.
"Hensky!," Gabriel waved as she put her hairnet on. "This is Vignette. You owe us big time."
"Never in a million years!," she laughed. "Vignette, nice to meet you! Private Preobrazhensky, your roommate!"
"Its a pleasure!," she yelled back as they shook hands. "How can we help?"
"Dishwashing!"
Both Vignette and Gabriel groaned simultaneously before unenthusiastically walking to the sink.
"Whew! Thanks you two. Made breakfast a helluva lot quicker," Hensky said appreciatively with a mouthful of rice. "You'd think they'd have a machine or something like that..."
"You'd think. Why'd you get to do the fun stuff anyway...?," Gabriel muttered under her breath. She shovelled a spoonful of curry into her mouth.
"You can cook Gab?"
"She couldn't cook to save her life," Vignette teased, inciting a glare from the blonde.
Gabriel remained silent as the two of them chatted up a storm, making sure to chew her food thoroughly and with lots of water. Her intestines were healed, but could still rupture if she ate too much solid food.
"So, I wonder what my new roommate does?," Hensky asked cheerfully. "Medic? Sniper?"
"Uh...linguist," Vignette hesitantly replied. "I-I know its kind of embarrassing...but...but-"
Hensky's face lit up.
"(Do you speak Russian?)," she excitedly yelped, leaning towards Vignette over the table. The words spewed from her mouth fluently, and her accent disappeared.
"Huh? Oh! I...(yes...just a little bit?)," Vignette stuttered. "(But I'm fluent in...English, Mandarin and...what's the word...Cantonese. For military interpretation!)"
"Oi oi. Can't understand," Gabriel deadpanned, causing a giggle from the two girls.
"(Isn't she cute...I can't believe Gabriel saved all those people! She looks so unassuming!)"
"W-What...(un...assuming?)...what does that mean?"
"You know, she doesn't look the part. But I've seen the footage of her! Incredible!"
"Yeah...you are incredible. I ever tell you that?," Vignette affirmed, looking over at the girl with pride and admiration. She met her look with her usual deadpan face, shrugged, and got up to get seconds.
"Wow...I admire her. Spring Angel..."
"What do you do Hensky-san?," Vignette asked politely.
"Call me Anna. You Japanese do first names right?"
The Russian finished the last bits of rice on her plate and pushed it aside, leaning in to chat with her new friend.
"I'm a comms specialist. Working with radar, sonar, all sorts. Feeding our troops on the field intel. I wish I could be a linguist though. Sounds...inspiring."
"Inspiring? How?"
"I guess...being from Russia and all. Knowing multiple languages? (I could make so many friends! Learn their side of the story, you know?)"
"(Right. You're the first person to not laugh at my occupation, you know that?)"
"(Why would I laugh? It's an important job! Especially when you're trying to make peace with Ares and all!)"
Vignette felt the need to get up and hug the blue-haired girl right then and there, being the first to ever praise her occupation. When she finally admitted to Gabriel about her job, she sorta shrugged it off, casting her usual deadpan expression on her, and continued doing whatever she was doing.
Gabriel returned to her seat with a plateful of food, and continued eating while reading a manga on her phone.
"Gabriel!," Vignette whispered excitedly, shaking Gabriel's shoulder. "See! At least one person appreciates my job!"
"Huh? What now?"
"My job! She appreciates it!"
"Ooook...?," Gabriel looked at her puzzled. "I appreciate what you do."
"Huh? Do you? When I told you, you looked kinda...dismissive..."
"I appreciate you're not on the front lines at least. Other than that...seems kind of...boring."
"Less boring than stitching up bullet wounds?"
Gabriel shrugged and returned to her manga.
"(Hey hey...)," Anna whispered, covering her mouth. "(Are you two a thing?)"
"(What? You mean are we working together?)"
"(No no...like...dating. Doing the dirty. You know.)"
Vignette choked on her own breath and stumbled backwards, almost falling over in her chair.
"(W-W-What? What makes you think that?!)"
"(Oh come on...you're looking at her all lovey dovey. Now and when you were washing dishes with her. Like you wanna run your hands all over her and caress her little-)"
"(Woah woah...speak slower. Lovey dovey?)"
Vignette nervously looked at the blonde loli who tuned out of their foreign conversation a long time ago.
"(Yes. Love. Sex. Her?)"
"(A-A-Anna!)"
"(What? You two seem close...and I encourage it! I endorse it!)"
Gabriel burped and shoved the phone in her pocket.
"Alllright guys. Off to be productive. Vignette?," Gabriel yawned as she stood up.
"(What?) Right! Right...productive! You coming Anna?," Vignette blurted.
"I think I'll stay back to clean. Thanks though. See you at our room or...?"
"Sorry. Gotta stay at the clinic for a few days. We'll...continue this conversation another time."
Anna gave Vignette a not-so-subtle wink before they parted ways. Gabriel and Vignette putting on their raincoats as they walked past the line of soldiers waiting for their breakfast.
"Hm. I like her," Vignette chirped as they walked outside into the rain. "Pretty too."
"Man...they really change when you speak their language huh..."
"It's what I love about this job."
"Remember that guy who shot me in the gut? When you spoke Mandarin to him?"
"Clear as day. Maybe we'll run into him again Gab!"
"I guess he'll die a second time then."
Gabriel noticed that Vignette was walking a little differently in her peripheral vision.
"Enjoying yourself little missy?," Gabriel quipped, a small smile forming on her face.
"Huh? What...gotta enjoy the moment while we can!," Vignette replied, slightly embarrassed. She covered her chest with one arm and stopped skipping, much to Gabriel's disappointment. "I mean...your wounds are healing nicely...we're not under attack..."
"I'll enjoy myself when this all ends," Gabriel stated. "Maybe we can go on that picnic you dreamt about?"
"Erase that memory."
"Never."
Vignette chuckled. "So. What now, commander White?"
"Now, we-"
"Private White! Private Tsukinose!"
The duo turned around and faced a young soldier running up to them.
"What is it?," Gabriel asked.
"Lieutenant wants to see you two! Said something about a mission!"
"Right. Vignette?"
"I'm right behind you."
AN: And so begins the start of Gab and Vignette's journey! Below is a removed beginning to this chapter which I couldn't bring myself to delete for some reason. Also, sorry for the late updates, been real busy lately. I have no intention of abandoning this fic anytime soon! I'll try and update every week or so, but a review, a follow and some feedback would seriously encourage me to post more frequently. I dunno, I feel like my writing has been going downhill lately, I find it difficult to reread my own fics- some parts are boring and some dialogue doesn't sound very natural or fitting to the character. Anyway, next chapter will be about the introduction to a new villain, the fate of Spirit Base and more Gab / Vignette fluff with new characters!
Gabriel and Vignette were playing a board game together when they heard a slow knock at the door. They were hospitalised for the moment, as the higher-ups didn't want them fighting or doing anything intensive with the chance of them leaking oil everywhere. So, their timetables consisted of watch duty, ammo reloading and other menial jobs, but they still had a lot of free time.
"Who is it?," Vignette asked, still moving her piece across the board.
"Luca," was all they heard. The duo looked at each other like deer caught in headlights, and sprang up to open the door: not before Vignette hid a loaded Glock 19 behind her back of course.
Gabriel looked up and met eye contact with the gruntled, middle-aged man. "Luca."
It seemed as if they didn't know what to say. They both communicated with their faces, Gabriel's eyes telling him that she was sorry and that she understood how he felt. Luca, on the other hand, looked as if he had accepted Max's death. Like he had vigorously mulled over the last moments leading up to the accident.
"Come in," Vignette said, breaking the silence. "Have some tea."
Gabriel shook herself out of her trance, and moved the dining table to the middle of the room, placing the board game on her bed. She pulled up three chairs while Vignette filled the kettle with water. Luca sat down with a grunt, and placed his hat on the table.
"Gabriel," he grunted with a hoarse voice. "It wasn't your fault."
She simply looked into the worn soldier's colourless eyes.
"Heh...you know what his final words were?," he chuckled, clasping his hands on the table. "It was...wasn't that fun, Lucas?"
Gabriel nodded. Vignette placed three cups of green tea around the table and sat down gingerly, resting the handgun on her lap.
"And yeah. I've had a lot of time to think eh? The fucker knew what he was getting himself into. We all did. At least I got to say goodbye."
"A lot of people don't have that luxury," Gabriel softly spoke, sympathizing with Luca.
"Right. Right...so...what I'm tryna say is it wasn't your fault lass. Any of you," he assured, taking a sip of the tea.
Gabriel did the same and looked down. "So...what now? What happens to you? Will you go back to the company...?"
"You know...I was thinking about retiring. I'm pretty old, lost a lot of people...I guess I'll just use...enjoy my money now."
"Have you been paid?," Vignette asked. "And uh..."
"Yeah. After you had that talk with the lieutenant, I had two million in my account. I'm gonna send the other million to Max's family. If they're still here that is."
"Well I...we, hope that you live comfortably and uhm...do what is it you would like to do," Vignette finished, shaking his hand like they had completed a business deal. "Gabriel?"
Gabriel looked down at her lap, gritting her teeth. "So...that's it...? After all this, you're just gonna...leave quietly? Disappear like you never even existed?"
"When you put it like that, it sounds fuckin' bleak," Luca replied, crossing his arms. "But yeah."
"What the fuck did Max even die for...?! So that you can...sit in a chair, smoking a cigar?!"
Luca winced a little, imagining Max coming back to life and judging him. Imagining his parents, wife and kids coming back and staring at him in disappointment.
"Gabriel!," Vignette hissed, standing up.
"...we should be justifying our existence," Gabriel muttered, looking at the floor.
"Justifying eh?," Luca said flatly. "How'd ya suppose we do that?"
"I want to kill the ones who attacked my home. Gassed my friends. Robbed me of my future. You said you had people you lost. What would they want you to do? Certainly not...to accept this dog-shit world we live in...!," Gabriel yelled. "Not just...making your life easier while people around you starve and die!"
Luca stared at the blonde girl for a while, leaning back in the chair with his arms crossed. He analysed her face for any signs of sarcasm or irony, but only saw sheer determination. A burning flame in her eyes for revenge.
"You're a medic?," Luca thought. "You sound more like a commander to me."
"You know...," Luca sighed. "...why I didn't kill you that day? Why I didn't just put a bullet in your skull?"
Gabriel stayed silent.
"Because you remind me of my daughter. Little girl she was. Around 'this' tall."
Gabriel and Vignette looked at each other.
"She would've been around your age by now. I couldn't bring myself to do it. To watch my daughter die in front of my own eyes again."
Gabriel felt her bottom lip quiver as she saw Luca look at her with a sombre smile. She tried to hold back tears.
Luca chugged down the tea before putting his hat on and standing up to leave. His eyes were pointed towards the ground, like he was contemplating what happened in his life.
"You know Gabriel," Luca said opening the door. "I think I have a pretty good idea of what the dead want me to do. Have a good day now."
Gabriel noticed a hint of a smile on his face as he shut the door behind him. She collapsed back down on the chair, burying her face in her arms.
"Let's hope he isn't going to kill himself," Gabriel muttered. "God...that was so STUPID! WHY DID I SAY THAT?! I SHOULD'VE JUST LET HIM BE!"
She started sobbing in her arms, and Vignette sat on the table to console her, holding her hand and petting her hair.
"I just killed someone. He's gonna fucking...kill himself now..."
Vignette closed her eyes and smiled. "I don't think so."
Gabriel looked up with red eyes.
"It didn't look like a...sad smile. Like he had accepted his death or something. It looked like a fire was lit inside him."
"How...how could you tell?"
"I don't know...I could just feel it. But to be safe, I'll call up Cooper and Isaac, make sure Luca doesn't do the unthinkable."
"Yeah. Better be sure," Gabriel sniffled, hugging Vignette's belly tightly. "Thanks...Vignette."
"Don't get all sappy on me now," Vignette teased quietly. "That's my job, remember?"