This is a spin-off from Reactionist's Re: Watching him die again and again. (WHDAA)
The cast reacts to Subaru replacing Soap in the Modern Warfare trilogy after finishing arc 3.
There will bit a sizable amount of changes in terms of dialogue and in-game events to make it more interesting and believable.
This is my first fanfic ever, please leave a reiview!
The dark screen suddenly came to life with static before blacking out just as abruptly.
"!?"
Insignia of the SAS appears, spinning.
The cast looked up with confusion barring the one-armed man in the back.
"What is...that?" Asked a silver-bell voice
"That's the Special Air Service, Special Forces, some of the best eh...warriors in our world." The one-armed man spoke.
"Special...Forces?" Many of the viewers repeated the words, obviously not understanding the meaning of it.
"Beatrice-sama, has Subaru told you about the 'Special Forces' before ?" The Greatest Knight inquired with a voice showing considerable interest.
"Betty is not required to answer, I suppose" The proud spirit pouted.
"I reaaaaally want to know too, Beako. '' the half-elf insisted.
"Only my contractor is allowed to call me that, in fact. But fine, Special Forces are a type of military organization containing the most skilled and well-equipped soldiers. They are tasked with resolving situations that otherwise cannot be dealt with using brute force or conventional means, namely hostage rescue, sabotage or reconnaissance behind enemy lines, kidnapping and even assasination, in fact." Explained 'Beako'
"Now I can see why they are called 'Special'" An old butler commented, all the other knights in the theater and even a certain duchess nodded in agreement. Sure they had specialized units within the Royal Guard and Royal Army, but never to such extent.
"They sound fucking awesome!" A young tiger barely able to contain his excitement.
Meanwhile, a purple-haired merchant thought to herself.
'Having such a versatile force could be profitable, I must try to create one. I have been planning to expand and reorganize the Iron Fang for some time now…'
"Rem fails to see how this is related to Subaru-kun" An azure-haired maid spoke her mind. Well, it's not like there is much going around in her mind beside the thoughts of her beloved hero anyway.
"Leeeet's keep watching theeeen." Said maid's master voiced, in his ever ridiculous clown attire, wanting to know more about the fierce young man who burned away his centuries of scheming.
A satellite map shows the world map.
"Wow what is all that?" The tiny orange cat Mimi asked in excitement.
"That is the map of our world" The one-armed man, Al, answered.
"That is big bro's world? It's so different from ours! Look at all the water !"
"Subaru's world…" The half-elf mumbled silently as the thoughts of her knight being ripped away from his normal everyday life and thrown into the wretched hellhole that is Lugnica slowly overtook her mind. Out of habit, she squeezed her knight's hand yet again despite the various warnings beforehand by her so-called 'warden'.
"So we are seeing his world afterall ? Julius, Ricardo. Memorize everything and note down everything you see that is even slightly different from what we have." The purple-haired merchant ordered.
"Yes, my lady."
"Got it, boss."
Everyone else present can only sigh at the Western opportunist.
The Middle East and Russia are analyzed as war breaks out in the two areas.
Gaz: Good news first: the world's in great shape. We've got a civil war in Russia, government loyalists against Ultranationalist rebels, and 15000 nukes at stake.
"Russia ? Nukes ?" Many of the cast shot confused glances at the helmeted man and the blond little girl.
"Eh, kinda tiring explaining this one, you go little girl"
"What an annoying bunch you are, I suppose. Subaru told me that in his world, Russia is the largest nation geographically and is also a powerful nation. Nukes are a type of weapon with devastating power - one of which is more than capable of wiping an entire city out of existence in an instant, in fact."
Eyes widened at the blond loli's words. Even with their most technologically advanced weaponry, it could only pierce through a few stone walls at most. Even the clown, the most powerful mage to exist, frowned at the revelation. He would have trouble causing destruction on such a scale, even on a good day.
"Suuuuuuch marvelous inventions" He smirked, earning himself a few disgusted stares in his direction. However, the two living lie detectors close by were surprised to see wind blowing around the clown.
"Entire cities...in an instant…" Felix, the resident healer/catboy mused over the words he heard. Such devastation means that no one will even be left to bury, much less heal. And for any healer, especially one of Felix's capabilities, it would be hard pressed to even imagine any tragedy worse than that.
The old butler, Wilhelm, closed his eyes as memories of his past skirmishes during the civil war flashed in his mind. He was no stranger to the horrors of battle - the towns and villages scorched ablaze, the bloodied battlefields littered with mangled corpses, the haunting screams of agony and madness that would leave even the most hardened of men traumatized. Even then, living with such experiences the old man still struggled to even fathom the level of destruction described by the Great Spirit.
Reinhard van Astrea, the Sword Saint, was baffled at the information he heard. He had hoped that Subaru's world was a peaceful one, at least that is what he imagined from what he had heard from Subaru and Al. He wanted their world to be an example for his own to learn from.
But how can a peaceful world produce a monstrous creation like that?
"That's...kinda scary" Garfiel, the young tiger warrior, murmured - clearly losing his enthusiasm from moments prior. The Shield of Sanctuary would waste no chance in seeing what strange weapons his Captain's world holds but perhaps he was second guessing himself at the new information.
"There are 15000 of those 'at stakes'? How is that even remotely 'good news'?" The blond ex-thief shouted, oblivious to the sarcasm that is always familiar to those serving in any armed organization, even Reinhard.
"I believe the man was being sarcastic, Felt-sama." Explained the Sword Saint.
Felt looked at her knight, surprised.
"Rein, you can detect sarcasm? Is it some random Divine Protection of Sarcasm Detection that you have in your head or something?"
"No Felt-sama, I do not have such a Divine Protection"
"Rein…"
"Yes, Felt-sama?"
"I was being sarcastic."
"I'm sorr-"
"Shut it"
Many chuckles were heard at the interaction.
Price: Just another day at the office.
Al snorted amusingly, knowing how screwed up his own world is sometimes, or rather, most of the time.
Khaled Al-Asad's profile is shown.
"Ha, that man looks even funnier than Barusu, a feat I never thought feasible."
A certain fiery Princess snorted in agreement.
Gaz: Khaled Al-Asad. Currently the second most powerful man in the Middle East. Now word on the street is he's got the minerals to be top dog down there. Intel's keeping an eye on him.
"How is it that they are getting such clear and detailed paintings of their world?, it's even alive!" Crusch, the verdant-haired duchess wondered at the moving images on-screen.
"Mineself a bit interested too. Al, explain."
"Alright Princess... I guess these are images from 'satellites'...eh...special metias that we launch into the sky that orbit around the world for many purposes. One of which is to record the map of the world, great for spying actually."
At this point the people watching should be used to the wonders of Subaru's strange world, yet somehow their understanding of what is possible kept getting deconstructed at every revelation without fail.
"The possibilities are endless…" Anastasia, a fairly elegant lady and merchant, was then a drooling mess despite the attempts of her Knight trying to save her image.
The other merchant in the room, however, was uncharacteristically silent. He was concerned and understandably so, the viewings so far had only brought about rather discomforting experiences. There was no reason to expect otherwise from what was being shown on the screen. Otto was trying to find the connection between the information he was seeing to his sleeping friend and brother below.
He didn't need to think for long.
Price: And the bad news?
Gaz: We've got a new guy joining us today fresh out of Selection. His name's Barusu.
"The name is what?"
Eyes were widened, jaws were dropped and ears were flinched. People suspected that their favourite mean-eyed boy would be related to this somehow, yet this was something completely out of the blue. Well, considering what they had been seeing in the past couple of days, nothing should be a surprise anymore when it comes to the strange entity that is Natsuki Subaru.
Still, questions came pouring into the audience's minds.
Is this his future?
What happened?
How did he get back to his world?
Did he...leave them behind?
And why calling himself using a certain maid's nickname for him?
"Hmmp, of course Barusu would steal my creation, such is the creatively-bankrupt man he is" Said maid sneered, concealing her worries for the boy.
"Nee-sama, please don't say so about Subaru-kun, he is wonderful." Her twin sister was quick to defend her hero.
"Subaru you dunderhead... What did you do?" The silver-bell voice laced with concern was barely audible. Emilia was scared that her Knight was about to do something foolish again, risking his life as he always does.
"Betty's Subaru did say that he dreamed of being in one of those, I suppose." Beatrice recalled the outlandish tales her lovably idiotic contractor used to tell her.
The satellite tracks Sgt. Subaru "Barusu" Natsuki in Credenhill, U.K.
["F.N.G."]
[Day 1 - 06:30:12]
[Credenhill, UK]
[Sergeant. "Barusu" Natsuki]
[22nd SAS Regiment]
The camera zooms down to a familiar man in his early 30s, wearing a type of dark uniform and a special vest exiting a warehouse. Even without the signature haircut, the sharp eyes are impossible to miss.
"That is…"
"There is no mistaking it."
"Subaru?"
"Subaru-kun?"
"Big bro?"
"Subaru-sama?"
"
Why the hell is the cap'n so old?"
"This is going to be amusing."
"What an interestiiiiing developmeeeent."
A familiar voice then rang through the theater, albeit slightly different from the one the viewers were used to hearing.
'Sigh, today's the day. Hopefully this fabled Captain Price isn't a stuck-up stick-in-the-mud like some Greatest Knight I used to know. Heh, can't believe I'm thinking this but I miss that son of a bitch…'
"He remembers me? So...does that mean he...was transported back to his world?" The aforementioned Greatest Knight was shocked.
Such a thought was unbearable to most of the people present, none more so to the lovely ladies the sleeping Knight has managed to charm, intentional or not.
As if by instinct, all of them rushed to the unconscious boy like homing missiles and hugged him. While it is rare for any person to be surrounded by such caring and beautiful maidens, it was also a miracle that the poor boy wasn't torn apart by the inhuman strength of a half-elf, an oni, a Great Spirit, a Duchess and various others in-between. Many sobs and jumbled words were heard, but the common denominator was :
'Please don't leave us'
"Tch, disgusting commoners." Pricilla sneered at the scene, as she often does.
"Dayum bro, normally I'd envy you but knowing the price you paid I'm no-" was the last thing Al managed to mumble before finding his face on the soft, carefully vacuumed carpet yet again.
As Subaru leaves the warehouse, an MBT can be seen driving on the road while a transport helicopter can be seen hovering in the background.
'Special Forces DO get the good stuff'
"Before any of you ask, no, it's not a car, in fact. It is what Subaru described as a tank, I suppose."
"A...tenk?" A little maid was visibly confused.
"A tank. It is the ultimate vehicle of warfare with the perfect balance between protection, armament and mobility, I suppose."
"That thing is so awesome, can my amazing self ge-" Garfiel's eyes shone with childish glee. Let's be honest, who wouldn't want their own MBT.
"No, Garf" As always, Frederica, his older sister would be there to shut down his wishes.
"But-"
"No"
"What about the strange flying thing far away ?" Questioned Tivey, one of Anastasia's adorable mercs.
"Tch, why don't you ask the carpet-loving pervert behind you, I suppose." Beatrice deflected the question out of annoyance, yes, definitely not because she can't fully recognize the thing that looks like a helicopter but not.
"Speak, Aldebaran." Said carpet-lover's master ordered.
"Eh...well, that is a helicopter, a type of vehicle that allows people to fly in the air with great maneuverability. That one is a specialized type, a transport helicopter, able to carry a great amount of cargo or people."
The Great Spirit sighed, accepting her defeat this one time.
Subaru started walking along the street, passing some trucks (or "big cars" as the audience would call them, displaying great creativity) before seeing some men doing push-ups or just minding their own business. Both sides gave each other some friendly nods before returning to their own duties.
As he walks on, two fighter jets can be seen rapidly approaching from afar and disappear just as quickly.
"Whaaaaat were those?" Roswaal asked, veiling his irritation as he estimated that those 'things' were leagues faster than his own flying capabilities.
"Those were what would be classified as 'Fighter Jets', I suppose. They are war machines that rule the skies above with devastating firepower and their speed unparalleled - often twice or thrice the speed of sound, in fact."
As expected, gasps of disbelief rang, such feats were not even inside the realm of imagination for them. And none was more dumbfounded than the so-called Court Mage of the Dragon Kingdom Lugnica. Over four centuries of training, research and experiment yet his prowess was being spat and trampled on like a dirty ragdoll from the streets by these soulless contraptions.
"So Subaru-dono's world has mastered both ground and air combat ?" The old soldier thought out-loud.
"Actually, warfare in our world is developed to such an extent that there is virtually no place where we can't wage wars effectively. Land, air, naval, underground or underwater and everything in-between, we can still have very fun ways to kill each other."
"What barbaric mongrels." Priscilla jeered, seeing the similarities between the other world and her Vollachian heritage.
Arriving at the last warehouse, Subaru sees a man in similar attire as him but with a mask on. Spotting Subaru, the man signals him to come in and open the large sliding door.
Inside, the man joins a group of others with the exact same uniforms, all have some sort of face covering except for the man in the middle. The legend John Price himself.
SAS Operator : It's the F.N.G. sir. Go easy on him sir, it's his first day in the regiment.
"What's an 'eff-en-gee' and why are they referring to Natsuki-sama as such ?"
"Hmmm, it has been a long time but I remembered watching a movie that had the same words...ah right, it stands for 'Fucking New Guy'. A lovely nickname for replacements or reinforcements to a unit, many of whom tend to screw things up because they haven't spent time within the unit or just lack experience in general." Al explained, remembering one of those Vietnam War movies he watched back in his old world.
"I believe our equivalent would be junior Knights?" Julius added.
Cpt. Price: Right. What the hell kind of name is Barusu, eh?
Subaru: The blinding curse kind, sir.
'Sorry Nee-sama, hope you haven't copyrighted the curse'Giggles and laughters rang throughout the room while the inventor of said curse just stared at the screen with a deadpan expression.
Cpt. Price: Smart mouth, eh? How'd a clown like you pass Selection?
'
I haveeee no ideeaaaaa, sir.'
"You wouunnnd me Subaru-kuuuuun."
If pride wasn't a thing, many of the usually composed viewers would have been rolling on the floor already. Actually, a big wolfman, his two lieutenants and a tiger boy already were - unaware of the heated gaze of a certain pink satan. The youngest Queen candidate was about to follow suit if it wasn't for her knight preventing that from happening.
Cpt. Price: Well then, it's your turn for the C.Q.B. test. Everyone else heads to observation. For this test you'll have to run the cargo-ship solo in less than 60 seconds. Gaz holds the current squadron record at 19 seconds. Good luck. Climb the ladder over there.
"It seems to be some sort of training drill." Reinhard noted.
"See-kiu-bee, what's that?" Petra innocently asked Frederica.
"I believe it stands for Close-Quarter Battle, Petra-chan. It is used to refer to battles that occur in close range and limited environments." Frederica answered as she recalled her combat training accompanied with her maid duties.
"Like that time back in the mansion?"
"Well...yes. But we should not talk about it now."
Subaru: Yes sir.
Barusu climbs the ladder to the top of the course. Seeing a table with an HK MP5, an HK USP .45, ammunition and flashbangs.
"That would be a 'gun', I suppose. It is a type of weapon that releases metal projectiles at great speed and precision. Flashbangs are what their names imply, throwable devices that blinds and disorientate our senses, I suppose."
"What are you signing up for Subaru-kun?" Rem asked worriedly, knowing her hero's habit of getting into troubles, many of which are usually fatal.
Cpt. Price: Pick up your weapons and four flashbangs.
Subaru equips the MP5, performing standard safety inspections and then loads a magazine in. He checks and loads his pistol and hooked the flashbangs onto his vests.
'Man, these are leagues better than those PM-9s they gave me back in the SDF. German quality indeed.'
While many wanted to understand what Subaru was thinking, they figured it wasn't important enough to bother the Great Spirit and the poor abused Knight.
Cpt. Price: On my go, I want you to rope down to the deck and rush to position 1. After that you will storm down the stairs to position 2. Then hit positions 3 and 4, following my precise instructions at each position. Grab the rope when you're ready.
Subaru reaches into one of his pockets, taking out a small handmade doll resembling a certain proud spirit with drills for hair with utmost care.
'Wish me luck Beako... I miss you so much.'
The proud Librarian was no more. Instead, there was only a scared little girl who could barely string together a coherent sentence through her ever increasingly loud sobs, trying to cling on to her contractor in a desperate attempt to prevent him from being taken away.
"S-Subaru, please d-don't l-l-leave Betty behind..."
While many wanted to comfort the poor crying spirit, they themselves did not fare better than her. The mere thought that their hero, savior, friend, brother and love interest being out of their lives seemed like an impossibility and at the same time a nightmare beyond comparison.
Of course, the half-elf is terrified of such a reality more than anyone else. The mean-eyed boy was the world to her, not that she was able to realize that prior to the viewing.
Because she was too busy being naive.
Daydreaming of a happy little world while blissfully unaware of the soul-crushing costs tolling on her knight just for the Queen candidate to stay alive and regret her ignorance.
She considered the thought that maybe it's for the best that Subaru is away from her, for she was the catalyst of all his pain.
Yet, a selfish part of her resented that idea. Her heart threatened to crumble at the prospect of waking up in a world without him, without her Subaru.
And so, while knowing it is selfish of her to say so, she whispered.
"Please...stay with me my knight."
Returning the doll back to its pocket, Subaru takes a deep breath. Setting his MP5 to semi-automatic.
He grabs the rope, slides down, and begins the course.
Cpt. Price: Go, go, go!
Inside the room, three wooden targets turned up.
Cpt. Price: Hit the targets!
Subaru draws his weapon and makes three quick precise shots to the head region of the targets.
Cpt. Price: Position 2 go!
Subaru follows the red arrows and continues through the course in a quick sprint to a downward staircase. Subaru runs down the stairs with his gun ready.
Cpt. Price: Hit the targets!
The wooden target is put down the moments it goes up with a new hole in its head.
Subaru then reaches for one of his flashbangs, passes a door and another door with Mess painted on it. He then unpins his grenade.
Cpt. Price: Flashbang through the door!
Barusu tosses the flashbang and covers as it explodes.
Cpt. Price: Position 4! Hit the targets!
Wasting no time after hearing a loud bang, he steps into the room and accurately dispatches another two wooden planks.
Cpt. Price: Position 5, go!
Subaru runs to the next room, switching to his USP .45 and knife. Two targets pop up.
Cpt. Price: Hit the targets!
Subaru takes down the one in front of him with his pistol while directing his knife to the other. He then switches back to his MP5 without stopping his movement.
Cpt. Price: Six, go!
Subaru arrives at a door which is exactly the same as the other that was passed before, he readies another flashbang.
Cpt. Price: Flashbang, through the door!
He throws the flashbang, a loud boom and two targets pop up, only to be quickly shot down like their comrades moments prior.
Cpt. Price: Final position go! Sprint to the finish!
Subaru then breaks into a sprint to a red circle painted on the floor. The timer stops at 18.7s, making Subaru the fastest in the squadron.
"Since when did Natsuki-san move like THAT?" Otto shouted out, showing his shock at the display of skill.
"What do ya mean? Cap'n has always been awesome!"
"Yea, big bro rocks!"
"It is only natural *sobs* that my contractor is the best, I suppose."
"Subaru-kun is amazing!"
"Subaru kyun never fails to surprise us."
"Hmmph, if only Barusu were half as competent while working with us." Ram scoffed with her usual criticism of the black-haired boy, but somehow this particular line sounded proud.
"It seems that he has trained and honed his skill to an extensive degree." Commented the elegant Spirit Knight, while not forgetting his lady's orders to note everything he saw.
"Indeed, I spotted no wasteful movement in Subaru-dono's actions. All of his moves were executed with great certainty and precision." The Sword Demon also offered his thoughts.
While equipment and methods can be different, a seasoned warrior can always tell whether another person is his kind or not at a glimpse. And Wilhelm can tell that the warrior on-screen was a man to be feared.
Cpt. Price: Hmm...for a trashcan you are quite something eh? First day on the job and you are already making Gaz cry.
Subaru: It is an honor sir.
'Something tells me this guy will get along well with Nee-sama'
"You can say that again!" Ricardo laughed in agreement which intensified the many giggles inside the room.
Alright Barusu, that's enough. You'll do for now, come over to the monitors for debrief.
Subaru: Yes sir.
Eyeing one of his pockets, Subaru released a soft smile.
'We did it Beako!'
"What a hopeless contractor you are, in fact." Beatrice smiled back at the screen.
Barusu walks to the monitors, joining the rest of the team.
Cpt. Price: Gentlemen, the cargo-ship mission is a go. Get yourselves sorted out. Wheels up at 0200. Dismissed.
The entire team nods and begins to walk away. The screen fades into darkness.
'Emilia-tan is going to scold me if she ever sees me taking this job.'
"That's right Subaru you nicompoop! I'm soooo going to scold you." Emilia declared, her mood somewhat improved as she saw her knight still remembering the half-elf.
The screen suddenly came back to life, showing a countdown.
2 hours until auto-play.
"Well that was surely somethin'." Anastasia was the first to comment, her greedy brain still trying to shuffle through all the visuals she just witnessed.
"Seems like we'll have to witness another one of Natsuki-san's crazy adventures." Otto slumped down on his seat, not sure if he was ready for another viewing.
"Still, how did-or perhaps will- Subaru return to his world?" Reinhard said, his voice laced with concern.
"He did look much older." Felt added.
"While all of us here have questions and such, I think we should wait for the Warden to provide answers. I doubt speculations will lead us anywhere." Wilhelm advised, attempting to ease the worries of the people around.
"I agree, it could be a false future. While the past is set in stone, the future is always up to us to decide." Crusch agreed with her butler in a confident tone.
"Perhaps it is better for us to rest for a bit before resuming the viewing, I suspect we will need the energy." Frederica concluded, everyone else nodded in agreement and began to move back into their designated rooms.