I don't own anything.

An Assassin's Memories

Twenty-Fourth Shot: Preparations

Michael examined the competition style Glock laid out in front of him and frowned. It was well maintained, but he didn't like the caliber. He never trusted his life to a 9mm unless it was an automatic or he was ordered to. "Hey Mike!" Michael spun, leveling his Colt. "Right," Doc said, "no surprising."

"That's right," Michael said as he de-cocked the pistol and laid it on the desk next to the disassembled one. "Do you need something?"

"Right to the point," Doc commented. "I just came by to see how your wounds held up to a field test."

"Remarkably well," Michael answered. "You are exceptional at suturing wounds."

"I'm also a whiz at setting bones," Doc added with a self-deriding snort. "The Colonel wants me to tell you to get ready. A flight of UN VTOLs left on a training run from an airbase in Okinawa."

"What's the estimated time of a arrival?" Michael asked as he began to reassemble his pistol.

"If this is their destination then they will arrive later today," Doc answered. "However, its more likely that they're heading to the JSSDF base in Kyoto to hook up with elements of the Second Armored Division."

"Wonderful," Michael commented dryly.

"I heard that you talked with the Colonel about going to NERV," Doc began, "you told him not to. Why?"

"NERV is operating on its own," Shinji said. "They aren't a part of the free UN, or good UN, or whatever you call yourselves. They'll listen to us and then kill us. It's simpler for them that way. They probably don't think that thirty men could sway the direction of a battle anyway."

"So fuck them because they would fuck us?" Doc asked.

"Crude," Michael deadpanned, "but effective. I like that."

(:ii:)

Marshal stared at the reports covering his desk and frowned. He really needed someone to read and summarize these damn things. "What's it look like sir?"

"French Foreign Legion," Marshal replied. "A whole lot of them."

"The UN's shock troopers," Ryan spat.

"Yeah," Marshal agreed. "French soldiers with Japanese air and armored groups. This is going to be bad."

"Can they really do this?" Ryan asked. "I mean, attack a civilian city. Wouldn't that cause an uproar?"

"Before the Second Impact it would have," Marshal answered. "Since then the UN has grown into a vast militaristic beast. Obviously the big five don't even really have a say in how things are run."

"I wonder if they ever did," Ryan said quietly. "Why the fuck do the few always believe that they can rule the many?"

"Because no one has proven them wrong," Marshal answered. "Once this is over we'll take care of them, don't worry about that."

"Good."

(:ii:)

Marlene looked around the small apartment and frowned. When her husband had said that he got a job as an advisor she had been thrilled at the thought that he wouldn't be fighting any more. "Hand me that RPG."

"You want the PG-7VR warhead or the OG-7V warhead?" Ginji asked. Marlene sighed. So much for that hope.

"You really think that we'll run into anything requiring a tandem warhead anti-tank charge?" Yuji asked.

"Better safe then sorry," Ginji said.

"Eh," Yuji grunted with a shrug. Marlene frowned.

"Are you really going to believe what this mystery caller said?" she demanded. The room fell dead quiet.

"Yes," Yuji answered.

"How can you be so willing to believe?" Marlene asked. "This could be a damn kid playing a prank for all we know!"

"Since I came to this damn city I've seen some strange things," Yuji explained after a moment. "After all that, I've come to the simple conclusion. When things are confusing, just get ready for a fight."

"Yeah," Ginji agreed. "Did you see that M25 grenade launcher?"

"Its here somewhere," Yuji replied. "Where the hell did you get that thing anyway?"

"From the Chinese."

"Where did they get it?"

"I didn't want to ask," Ginji answered.

"Smart man." Marlene stared at them and finally sat down. She picked up a heavy belt of .30-caliber rounds and began to tuck it into a heavy metal box. There really was no use in arguing.

(:ii:)

"Where are you going?" Michael glanced up at Marshal and finished adjusting his NERV uniform.

"NERV."

"And you're taking Ryan with you?" Michael glanced to his left at the older man.

"Yeah."

"So what are you two planning on doing in NERV?" Marshal asked. "It's a risk for you to be running around there. You're supposed to be dead."

"They won't noticed," Michael replied, running a hand through his golden crew-cut hair.

"Well that explains that," Marshal deadpanned. "Now why are you going to NERV?"

"We're planting a remote entry," Ryan explained. "That way we can trigger a code red in the city."

"Why?"

"Your men want all civilians to be safe during the raid," Michael answered as he tucked his Colt under his uniform jacket. "We're going in."

"Is that a good idea?"

"No," Ryan answered. "We'll see you soon."

(:ii:)

"What I don't understand is why NERV isn't on high alert." Yuji glanced at the young man walking beside him. "Wouldn't it be smart for your mystery buddy to talk to them too?" Ginji continued.

"Well he obviously doesn't care for NERV," Yuji answered. "I suggest you don't mention this around anyone else."

"We'd be better off with their help and cooperation," Ginji argued. Yuji sighed.

"They're the enemy."

"What?" Ginji demanded.

"NERV is the enemy too," Yuji hissed as he looked around the halls of the Geo-Front. "We can't really trust Ikari and most of the people here are mercenaries willing to do whatever he says as long as they're paid."

"I guess you're right," Ginji replied. "I still think this would be easier with their help."

"That's a given."

"Yeah. Damn it!" Yuji watched as Ginji tumbled to the floor.

"You should watch where you're walking," Yuji commented. He glanced at the man his young partner had walked into. "Sorry about that."

"Not a problem," the man replied as he continued on his way with his partner.

"Odd guy," Ginji commented.

"Get off the God damned floor," Yuji said in exasperation. Ginji quickly climbed to his feet.

(:ii:)

"Maybe you could try not walking into people who could recognize me," Michael suggested.

"He walked into me," Ryan argued. "Not my fault the kid's a klutz." Michael nodded in agreement. "What if the alert center is full of people."

"We take them out and clear out a few other departments," Michael explained. "We just wanted to avoid leaving a body trail to show them what we were after."

"So instead we're just going to give them a bunch of body trails," Ryan summarized.

"Pretty much," Michael explained as he tugged a small detonator out of his pocket.

"What's that?"

"This is a detonator for several charges I planted a month or so ago," Michael explained. "Upon detonation those charges will temporarily interrupt the video surveillance system."

"Oh." Michael pushed the button on top and stuck the detonator in his pocket. "So its done?"

"Yeah," Michael answered as he pulled his Colt out from under his coat.

"Kind of anti-climatic."

"Not for the former people in the video surveillance center," Michael replied.

"Former people?"

"The explosives were also wired to several compact claymores," Michael replied. "I'd be shocked if they were still alive."

"Oh."

-End

(:ii:)

-Author's notes. Yeah its short. The next one will be longer. It will probably be the last chapter after all.