Sorry for the wait guys, work and writer's block got in the way. Anyways, this chapter's a bit shorter than the previous one, but expect every chapter after this be around 3000 words or so.
So yeah, I'm officially making this a full story detailing the events leading up to Faceless Soldier and the end of the game, focusing on Bandog.
Let's get started.
o-o-o-o-o
Location: 444 Air Base, Zapland
Time: 2000 July 14, 2019
Bandog was currently in his office typing up reports.
Well, office was what it was technically. In reality it was just a maintenance closet with a little desk, a lawn chair, and an old 2007 PC. They made sure to give Bandog the bare minimum required since he was prisoner and that pissed him off.
Case and point: Bandog had been staring at his computer screen for almost 10 minutes now, waiting for his word processor to load. His computer was agonizingly slow, even when doing simple tasks like typing.
He had to go through crap like this everyday and could do nothing about it. Everytime he tried to complain to McKinsey, the colonel would threaten him with Tanamagalo Bay. Bandog just had to suck it up and get through it. And it was infuriating.
"For the love of God, just load already!" Bandog groaned. After what felt like an eternity, Word finally opened. "Thank you…"
His "job" was straightforward, just write reports on the various missions he partook in and write up reviews on each member of Spare. He did his job decently enough, though he did half-ass his reports sometimes.
For example his report on the Roca Roja mission literally just said "It went well" and "Trigger did alright". And sometimes when he actually wrote a longer report, he would go out of his way to say the word "fuck" as much as possible:
"So the fucking mission went fucking well. Fucking Spare squadron did a damn good fucking job killing those little fucking bandits…"
This was Bandog's form of entertainment, but this of course pissed of McKinsey to no end and resulted in him getting an earful of the Colonel's rage. Bandog didn't care though. McKinsey getting all pissy was entertaining. At least when it didn't result in him getting solitary.
That was how it normally went anyway. The second Bandog walked into the main building, McKinsey yelled in his face. He told him that if he doesn't get a proper report in the next 6 hours, Bandog's ass will be digging ditches at Tanamagalo.
So here Bandog was, actually having to work for once.
"Well, let's get this shit started" Bandog sighed and began to type:
OPERATION NAME: Two Pairs.
DATE OF OP: 12 JULY 2019
SQUADRON: 444th Fighter Squadron, AKA Spare Squadron.
REPORT
"Crap. How do I start these things?" Bandog contemplated.
The mission was a success. The squadron lead the by Ace pilot known as Wiseman were safely lead out of Vinsly Valley, sustaining zero casualties in the process.
"Eh. It's decent, maybe I should go a little more in depth..."
Spare Squadron successfully destroyed all the enemies radar facilities and anti aircraft weaponry before Wiseman's crew arrived. They managed to overcome the thunderstorm that was raging in the area with light Damage to the aircraft
That was total bullshit. The planes were wrecked. Dents everywhere, cracked glass, damaged engines, even the radar systems were shot. McKinsey didn't care of course. He never checked the planes to see if they were safe. He'd often ordered Spare members to go on missions despite knowing full well the planes were getting repairs. At least 3 guys died as a result. Jerk.
Drones began to attack shortly after the Strider Squadron arrived, so Spare assisted. They managed to take them down, with Spare 15 doing most of the work while the others slacked
Bandog didn't really know why he was giving Trigger that credit. He could've just said Spare took them down and not even mention Trigger, but he did.
Once they were done, a bandit target known as Mister X entered the battlefield. The dumb-fuck known as Champ ignorantly tried to take him on died as a result.
Miraculously, Trigger took the bandit head on and managed to survive, protecting the squadron and getting everyone home safely with no casualties.
"Miraculously? God I sound like a fucking preacher" Babdo shook his head and replaced Miraculously with Luckily. "Alright, time for squadron review".
This part was pretty easy, everyone not named Full Band, Tabloid, Trigger, Count or Champ got reviews along the lines of "This guy got shot down and died" or "This guy shot some targets and missed".
Bandog honestly couldn't even remember the Squadron members names aside from the main Five. It was almost as if they were the main characters or something, well, Trigger at least.
Champ:
Champ had been loud, obnoxious, uncooperative and got what was coming to him. I've said it in my last reports and I'll say it again, Champ was scum.
Bandog was really glad Champ was gone. It was certainly a terrible thought, but he couldn't help it. Champ was annoying as hell. He had it coming for being an idiot.
Full Band:
Full Band has been cooperative. Doesn't complain much, though when he does it can get irritating as shit. He also has a tampering with things he's not supposed to.
Bandog could have gone into more detail on what Full Band had, but decided against it. While he didn't really care what happened to Full Band, he didn't want throw a guy under the bus like that.
Despite what he's attitude might imply, Bandog rarely ever tells McKinsey about insubordination. If he did, Champ, Count and probably everyone else would be in solitary 24/7. Bandog never was the one for snitching. Plus he'd have no one to play cards with.
Tabloid:
Never had a problem with him. Simple as that.
Tabloid was surprisingly good at taking orders and following them. Even Bandog will admit that he can be a hardass will being AWACS controller, so it was surprising that someone followed orders so well. Maybe Tabloid had a death wish or something.
Count:
Almost as bad as Champ, almost. This man is constantly lying about his kill count and complains a lot. He's cocky despite having no skill. A terrible leader. His only saving Grace is that he'll follow orders MOST of the time.
Something about Count got under his skin and he couldn't figure out why. Count had this extra layer of sliminess that Bandog found despicable, even though he himself, honestly, was no better.
"God. I'm such a fucking hypocrite" Bandog reached into his pocket and took out some pills and little flask of whiskey. He consumed two pills and took a large gulp of whiskey before succumbing to a fit of coughs. "Urgh".
Bandog grimaced at his work so far. He'd barely wrote anything worth while for any of the members. He just hoped that McKinsey would cut him some slack and just be satisfied that he managed to right more. He looked at his list and realized that he was finally on Trigger.
Trigger:
Since he's been here I've never had a single instance of insubordination from him. He follows orders accordingly, and sometimes goes the extra mile. He tends to making everyone around him look lazy and unprofessional (which they are).
He almost never talks while flying and has this strange, tight focus on whatever he's doing that makes him complete objectives with remarkable efficiency.
He's easily the most skilled pilot in the penal unit, and unlike Count, this is confirmed by my IFF readings and other squadron members compliments.
While he's not necessarily cocky, but he is is pretty stupid and is prone to making reckless decisions while in combat. But since this squadron IS expendable, I think Trigger is making the best out of this crappy situation to best of his ability. Plus, the idiot somehow manages to survive, so I believe he's a valuable asset to the team.
He's not like the usual brand of scum everybody else at this base brings to the-
Bandog stop writing when he realized how much he wrote on Trigger's entry "Damn. I guess had a lot to say".
He brushed it off and sent his report to McKinsey and got up from his seat to go to the mess hall for dinner. Bandog hadn't eaten all day, so he not going to miss a chance at food. Even if it's crappy.
o-o-o-o-o
As soon as Bandog walked into the Mess Hall he was greeted by a bunch of prisoners huddled around an old CRT. He got a little closer and saw that they were all watching a movie.
"The fuck are you guys watching?" Bandog asked, mildly curious.
One of the prisoners turned his head to answer "Cruel Intentions".
"Never heard of it. Is it any good?"
"No fucking clue" the prisoner grinned. "We're all waiting for the scene where Sarah Michelle Gellar and Cecile Caldwell make-out".
Bandog looked at them with disgust. With no easy access to porn the prisoners used anything they could get their grimy hands on for pleasure. Workout videos, beauty magazines, shoes, you name it.
"You lowlifes make me sick" Bandog shook his head and began to walk away.
"And who are you to get all high and mighty?" The prisoner rolled his eyes "Your just as much of scumbag as the rest of us".
Bandog didn't bother to reply to guy, he knew he was right. He Just didn't want to admit it. You see, Bandog wasn't a prisoner in the traditional sense. Yes, he stuck here like the other convicts, but because he acted as AWACS controller for Spare, slowly over time he was given more and more freedoms. With the eventual pardon if he gave into McKinsey's demands.
This of course led to Bandog acting more important than he actually was. Ya know to make himself feel better, be it mocking the other Spare members, or making empty threats.
Bandog got his food and looked around the mess hall some more until he spotted Count and Trigger at a different table. Bandog tried to convince himself not to go over there and just go outside to smoke and eat. But, to his dismay, he realized he out of cigarettes.
Bandog got cranky when he couldn't have a cigarette.
"Fuck it" Bandog growled as he walked over to Count and Trigger's table. Bandog approached them as Trigger was in the middle of telling a story.
"-and I was all like 'No your anus!'" , Trigger explained to a disgusted looking Count.
"...What the hell is wrong with you?" Count grimaced.
"Yeah" Bandog dog announced as he took a seat next to Trigger "What is wrong with you".
Trigger grinned "Sup bud! Gimme five" Trigger stupidly held up his bandage hand. Bandog smirked.
"Sure thing" Bandog proceed to smack Trigger's hand as hard as possible, causing the idiot pilot to fall of his seat in pain.
"Argh! Shit, what the hell man!" Trigger exclaimed in pain.
"You set yourself up for it, Dumbass" Bandog told him.
Count nodded in agreement "He's got a point".
"Shut up" Trigger said as he got up.
Count turned his attention to Bandog "Why are you over here?"
"I don't fucking know" Bandog stated.
"Lies".
"Hmph. I was bored".
"See Bandog, you gave a proper answer. Was that so hard?" Count mocked.
"Fuck off" Bandog started down at his tray. He had corn, a boiled egg, some stale bread, and small bowl of soup. "Some fucking dinner".
"Oh man, what I wouldn't give for some Italian food right about now" Trigger said as he laid his head on the table.
"What the hell even is Italian?" Count asked openly.
"It's named after Italia Bianchi" Bandog stated as he began to eat his food.
"And that is….?".
"He's a famous Emmerian chef, dipshit. The key is in the name".
Count rolled his eyes "Well sooorry, Mr. Smartass".
Bandog flipped him off and continued to eat. As he ate he noticed out the corner of his eye that Trigger was starting at him. Bandog tried to ignore it, but after five whole minutes, he'd had enough.
"Trigger" Bandog put his utensils down "Why the fuck are you staring at me".
"I wanted to ask you a question" Trigger replied.
"Then why didn't you ask a few minutes ago?".
"You were eating".
Bandog resisted the urge to face palm and just scowled at the pilot "Just ask your fucking question already".
"What's your favorite food".
"What?" Bandog asked confused.
"You favorite food. What is it?".
"Uh, I don't know?".
Trigger sat up "Come on! That's not an answer! What, you're telling me there wasn't something that tickled your taste buds".
Count raised an eyebrow "Tickle your taste buds?".
Trigger turned to Count "What's your favorite food Count? Mine's Chicken Parmesan".
Count smirked "Lobster. With a some buttered baked potatoes and avocados".
Tigger nodded, satisfied with that answer "You know, I've never actually had lobster before".
"You're missing out man. Lobster is good, especially when you have some mac and cheese as a side dish. That shit fills you up".
"Mmm, Mac and cheese. My sister would make it with some black pepper and steamed broccoli".
"That sounds so good…".
"It was bomb man. Then those double cookies she'd make for desert…"
That caught Count's attention "Double cookies…?"
"Get this okay. What she'd do is make a chocolate chip cookie and stuffed inside of it would be a fucking Oreo".
"Oh my God".
"I know!"
Listening to Count and Trigger talk about food made Bandog start to really despise the food in front of him. Trigger looked at him again, and he already knew what the pilot was about to say…
"So what's your favorite food".
Bandog groaned "Trigger, what the fuck did I just tell you".
Trigger shook his head "Everyone has a favorite food. Don't bullshit me".
"Why do you want to know so badly?"
"Cause we're friends! Friends share that kind of stuff with each other".
Bandog growled and looked Trigger in the eyes "Listen to me you fuck. You and and I are not friends. We just know each other and nothing more".
Trigger was unfazed "Then why'd you come over here and sit with us?".
"There were no other places to fucking sit".
"You sure about that?" Trigger motioned Bandog to look around the Mess Hall. Literally 90% of the tables were empty, with most of convicts situated at one table watching that movie. Trigger then gave Bandog a cheeky expression, pissing the AWACS off even more.
Bandog said nothing and tried to go back to eating but Trigger, once again began to ask "So what's your favor-"
"FUCKING SPAGHETTI ALRIGHT?! MOTHERFUCKING SPAGHETTI!" Bandog yelled, causing everyone in Mess Hall to look at their table. Count and Trigger chuckled as Bandog started to look unconformable.
Bandog coughed "So...yeah. Spaghetti".
Trigger started to to succumb to a fit of laughter " Bwahaha! Jesus Christ Bandog! It was a simple question!"
"Shut the hell up!" Bandog gritted his teeth. " You were pressuring me!".
"Sure I was Bandog. Sure I was. Saying 'Spaghetti is my favorite food' or "I need time to think about it that" is such a complex answer".
"Hmph".
"Spaghetti is an Emmerian dish right?".
"Oh my god, would you shut the fuck up?"
"That would explain why you like it. I know Emmerian cuisine is some if the best in the world. Right up there with Erusean".
"Ugh".
"Makes sense too since they both start 'E' which is also the first letter in 'Eat'!"
"Trigger have you made it your mission to annoy me forever".
"Hehe maybe…" Trigger reached into his pocket and grabbed something. "Lighten up Bandog. I got something for ya"
Trigger took Bandog's arm and before he could react, Trigger put something in his hand. Bandog looked at it and was stunned. In his hand was a pack of Marlboro cigarettes.
"Where the hell did you get these?!" Bandog exclaimed.
"That's classified" Trigger joked.
"Very funny douchebag" Bandog immediately took out his match and lit one of the cigarettes. He took a long puff and leaned back in his chair, finally calm. "Thanks for this".
Count gasped "Bandog saying thanks? Holy shit, Trigger, I think he needs a doctor!".
Bandog flipped him off once more and continued to to smoke his cigarette while the two of them laughed.
"Oh shit!" one of the prisoners watching the movie yelled. "It's the scene! They're about to makeout!".
Count looked at Trigger "Wanna go watch? Heard it's pretty hot".
"Definitely" Trigger said. Him and Count got up to go watch while Bandog stayed behind.
"Heh" Bandog smirked "Perverts".
o-o-o-o-o
Everybody dispersed out of the mess hall to go back to their cells. Trigger and Bandog were the last to leave and as they left out the door, Trigger tapped on Bandog's shoulder.
"Well, see ya later bud" Trigger told him.
"We're not friends Trigger" Bandog stated again, but more calmly than before.
"Even after I gave you those cigarettes?"
"Yes".
"You suck".
"So I've been told" Bandog chuckled. "I want you to remember something Trigger…"
"What?".
"I decide when you die. Remember that the next time you call me your friend".
All that did was make Trigger smile "You and I are gonna be friends one day man. Just you wait".
Bandog smirked "We'll see".
The two then went their separate ways.