Venom Coursing
Disclaimers: Same as before I do not own Evangelion or for that matter the character of Mana Kirishima from the Evangelion game Girlfriend of Steel.
Chapter 7 – Another assignment for you Venom
It had been over 2 months since Michael, Garland, Greg, Linn, Riku, and James had last worked as a team and after what happened in the aftermath of the mission, Michael was not sure if he really trusted Campbell as he felt that the colonel had really overstepped himself in dealing with Garland.
Aside from that, Michael was able to get along with practically everyone in FOXHOUND, but there was one recruit that really got on Michael's nerves. A young Chinese recruit by the name of Han Zu Kang, whom Michael soon found many of his fellow recruits disliked and with good reason. As soon as he met him, Michael found that the boy was an arrogant ass whose lectures about individualism were annoying to say the least and best tuned out. Another factor in this particular recruit's behaviour that Michael disapproved of was how obvious it was that Han Zu didn't care anything at all about his comrades. This was especially shown in Han Zu's last assignment in which he got an operative named Carlos Santiago killed simply because it would contradict an order given by Reese.
Michael still remembered that exchange he had afterwards, after Michael harshly rebuked him, Han Zu tried countering by giving one of his lectures when Michael silenced him with a harsh glare and said to him "You tell all that to his family."
Michael still remembered how Carlos had a wife and two young children and had taken it upon himself to write the letter to his family, but what disgusted Michael the most was that neither Reese nor Han Zu were disciplined for the incident especially since the mission could have easily been completed without Santiago having to die at all.
Michael sighed as he suddenly found himself comparing Han Zu to Campbell, part of him wanted to think that was a ridiculous comparison, that Campbell could be counted on as a leader, but there was a part of him that knew better especially at the fact that Campbell never ever punished Reese for any offences he committed they varied from dereliction of duty, gross incompetence…the list went on and on and Campbell never punished him for any of them.
Nevertheless Michael tried to be confident in Campbell's leadership, but his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a call from one of the FOXHOUND technicians to report to the briefing room for a mission.
FOXHOUND Briefing Room:
Michael, Garland, and Maggie were standing in the briefing room, as Lieutenant Matthew Reese briefed them on the situation. The three weren't all that happy at having the lieutenant in command of the operation, but there wasn't much choice as Roy Campbell was currently overseeing a different FOXHOUND mission.
"Your mission is to take out a group of terrorists at this warehouse." Reese spoke as he gestured to a marked area on a map. "According to our information, these terrorists have had special forces training and are connected to an arms smuggling operation."
"Alright, we know the objective, now what about the man power our enemies have?" Michael asked.
"Nothing you lot can't handle, I'm sure." Reese answered simply. "Now with that out of the way…"
"Now hold on, I'd like to hear some actual figures first." Michael said. "Even an estimation would be useful."
"This terrorist cell is a small one, according to reports." Reese replied smugly. "I'm sure it's something any 'competent' soldiers can handle."
"Hey, even small groups can be dangerous." Garland spoke. "We're a small group too you know."
"That's why I'm going to be adding another member to your team for this mission." Reese replied, and then suddenly there was a knock at the room's door. "That should be him now. Kang, you may come in."
The door opened and Han Zu Kang entered.
"I've decided adding Kang to your team should help insure the success of the mission and that nothing else goes wrong." Reese said.
"Lieutenant, I'm afraid I have to object." Michael spoke. "Adding in a new team member at the last minute like this…"
"I can assure you that I can perform a mission at least as well as you can." Han Zu spoke arrogantly. "If anything, I also intend to make sure that all orders are carried out, unlike some recruits…"
Under other circumstances, Michael would have had a sharp retort to that obvious insult to him and his fellow recruits, however he knew there wasn't any time for this. He then looked and saw that from the looks on both Maggie and Garland's faces, they did not want to have someone like Han Zu on their team. Michael was about to voice some more objections, but Reese, probably sensing this, spoke first.
"Regardless of your objections, Kang will be included in this mission." Reese said firmly. "That is all, now get your equipment and be ready to move out."
Hours Later:
Almost from the very start, the mission had gone badly due to Han Zu going in before any of them could thoroughly survey the place and find out the enemy's position. Also because of Reese's bad intelligence, it turned out that there were a lot more men in the terrorist cell than just a few.
As a result of both of these, the group had been forced to fight against a large number of well trained former soldiers. The fighting dragged on for hours in a series of fierce gunfights, which afterwards it seemed like a miracle that none of the group had been killed.
Finally, after the last of the terrorist unit had been eliminated, Michael and Garland were attempting to find both Han Zu and Maggie from who they got separated. Both men were carefully searching the area, as well as the bodies of the dead, for their missing companions, when suddenly they heard a gun shot echo further down. The two immediately ran in that direction until they came to a stairway that led up to a steel platform overlooking some active machinery, and ran up them, their guns drawn and ready. What they saw was the last thing either of them expected.
Maggie was lying on the floor of the platform, clutching an injury to her arm, and Han Zu was standing in front of her, a handgun pointed at her head. Smoke coming from out of the gun clearly indicating that Han Zu had used the gun to shoot Maggie.
"You will obey your orders." Han Zu said coldly.
But before Maggie could respond both noticed Michael and Garland, both men now had their guns pointed at Han Zu.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Michael asked, his tone of voice filled with rage at what he saw.
"For your sake this had better be a misunderstanding." Garland said angrily, he looked almost like he was ready to go berserk any second.
"Eden has chosen not to follow the orders we were given." Han Zu answered simply. "I'm merely seeing to it that orders are followed, and those that do not follow orders must be dealt with accordingly."
"There's going to be one operative dealt with accordingly." Garland spoke threateningly. "That is if he doesn't lower his weapon now…"
"I see…" Han Zu said and then proceeded to lower his gun, but suddenly made a sudden and quick twist around in their direction, bringing his gun back up. "It seems you're the same as all the rest!"
"Bad move." Michael said, as he and Garland had both anticipated this.
Before Han Zu could even aim at either Michael or Garland, both men pulled the triggers for their guns and shot Han Zu at the same time, the force of the combined impacts of the bullets sending him hurtling into the gears of the active machinery and the last thing they ever heard of the treacherous Chinese recruit was a sharp and agonized scream followed by a loud and wet crunch of bones and flesh as his corpse was crushed in the gears of the machine.
Paying no further heed, to Han Zu's fate, Michael and Garland quickly ran over to their injured comrade.
"Maggie?" Garland asked with concern in his voice as he helped her up.
"Don't worry about it, its just a minor wound." Maggie reassured him with a smile, despite the pain from the wound.
"Minor or not, you're still wounded." Garland reminded her.
"Worried about me?" Maggie asked with a smile.
"Well…yeah, of course." Garland answered.
They both then smiled at each other and then Michael cut in looking serious.
"I hate to break this up, but we have to get out of here." He said seriously. "Just before we went looking for you, Garland and I planted some explosives and I already lured the rest of the enemy in, so they'll be here in a minute. We've managed to find another escape route, though."
"What should we do about…" Maggie gestured at where Han Zu had met his demise.
"A recovery team will take care of that." Michael replied.
"As far as I'm concerned, if Reese has any problem with it, he can go and scrape what's left of his favourite recruit out of that machine himself." Garland said grimly.
"Actually, since we're going to blow this place up, there probably won't be very much left to scrape out." Michael spoke. "Anyway let's get going now."
"Well then, let's go." Maggie said, and with that, they headed towards a window, where Michael launched a cable out through it and secured the line. They then slid down on it on the roof of a dockside office, where Michael looked in as the rest of the terrorists entered the warehouse using his binoculars. When he was sure all the terrorists had gone inside, he detonated the C4…
Michael, Garland, and Maggie stood in Campbell's Office as they finished their report to both Campbell and Reese. They had already gave a full report of what had happened during the mission, and they even told them about what happened to Han Zu.
"…And that's what happened, Colonel." Michael concluded for his comrades
"So you admit you not only disobeyed direct orders , but you also murdered a fellow operative?" Reese shouted.
"Murder? No it wasn't; we were simply defending our comrade." Michael replied coldly. "Something I don't expect someone like you to understand."
"How dare you!" Reese shouted in outrage.
"That's enough!" Campbell cut in, turning to Michael. "Venom, while it's true that you were defending Eden, you still disobeyed orders and therefore…"
They were interrupted as the door slammed open and the figure of General Drake came in.
"Hold it right there!" Drake said, a firm and serious expression on his face.
"General Drake, sir!" Campbell began, getting up to salute, as did Reese. "Currently we are…"
"I am well aware of what happened." Drake replied, cutting him off. "Now I would like to hear how you plan to deal with this. But I sincerely hope you are not planning to punish these three."
"But sir, regardless of what happened they still disobeyed orders." Campbell tried to explain.
"Orders which would have gotten them killed, I personally find no reason for disciplinary action here." The look on Drake's face was one of obvious disappointment. "I therefore clear them of any wrong doing in this matter. Are there any objections, Colonel?"
"No sir." Campbell replied simply.
"Any from you Lieutenant?" Drake turned to Reese.
"No sir." Reese replied quickly, though it sounded quite forced.
"Good, Venom, Beserker Demon and Dark Eden you may go now, also you may go Lt. Reese." Drake dismissed them. "Colonel, I would like a word with you."
Michael, Garland, and Maggie nodded and then left the room. Reese then grumbled something under his breath before departing as well.
When they were gone Drake turned to Campbell with a glare.
"Have I not made myself clear about how I expected you to do your job when you took command of FOXHOUND again. Roy?" He asked.
"Sir, I am carrying out my duties to the best of my ability and I feel rules should be enforced." Roy answered.
"I don't give a damn! In case you haven't realized it by now, those operatives would have been killed if they obeyed those orders!" Drake said with harshness in his voice. "While it is important that rules be obeyed, there are limits for God's sake! And on that note I hope for both your sake and the sake of your career that you won't repeat that incident two months ago in the aftermath of that mission where those recruits worked as a team for the first time."
"But sir, Durev disobeyed orders, direct orders from high command." Campbell began. "There wasn't any…"
"Which you should have contacted me about." Drake interrupted him. "I should have been the one to decide and I will remind you that anything concerning high command is my business. What you should have done was in the very least contacted me, instead you made no report at all. In fact, I only found out about that incident three days ago! Why, pray tell, was I not informed sooner?"
"I just filed the report as standard procedure." Campbell answered him. "I apologize for not reporting about the said incident but there were other priorities at the time."
"That has got to be…" Drake sighed and shook his head. "Let me make this perfectly clear to you, colonel. If you keep screwing up like this, I will find someone more qualified to command this group. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir." Campbell replied.
"Good." Drake said simply and then turned to leave.
Campbell sighed wearily as Drake left his office.
It had been a few days since that mission and Campbell just announced a funeral and from what Michael had determined no one was coming. Which was hardly surprising.
Riku, who wasn't going to the funeral either, had his own comments of a way to pay tribute to the deceased recruit.
"I have a bit of an idea as to flowers to send to the funeral." Riku said. "There's a certain weed I know of that stinks to high heaven. That should be appropriate, right?"
Michael found he couldn't argue with him on that point, in fact no one did not even Campbell.
Michael didn't all together find Riku's idea surprising, since the young ninja had despised Han Zu ever since he had been recruited, and the Chinese recruit had hated the ninja just as much. Riku had even started a physical fight with Han Zu when he found out about Han Zu's being responsible for Carlos Santiago's death, as the young ninja had been a friend of the man and was saddened by his death. That was one fight between recruits that practically everyone in FOXHOUND was reluctant to break up.
A Few Days Later:
Colonel Campbell rolled his eyes at the sight he was seeing at the funeral he had to arrange on his own, one because Han Zu's brother refused to take the body (or what was left of it) and the man's response was something along the lines 'keep him and do whatever the hell you want', and two, because FOXHOUND had to pay for the funeral since Han Zu had died practically broke, and his brother also refused to pay as much as a cent for the funeral.
(Looks like the boy wasn't popular even with his next of kin.) Campbell thought to himself as he looked around, he'd seen some pathetic sights in his day but this was among them no one but him attended the funeral and the truth was he only came as some kind of courtesy.
But Campbell couldn't blame them for it. When he first heard about Kang's attitudes he tried to tell himself that the kid was only trying to be a good soldier, but in the end Campbell just knew better and there was no excuse for what he had done.
A thought that reminded him to have words Reese when he got back to FOXHOUND HQ. After the procession ended, and rather quickly at that, Roy decided to head back to headquarters now…
Two Weeks Later:
It had been two weeks since the occurrence of the incident, and both Garland and Maggie had been given new assignments. Now Michael was about be given his own.
"Venom reporting." Michael spoke as he entered Campbell's office and sat down.
"Venom, your next assignment is in Japan." Campbell said as he handed Michael a file containing some papers. "Actually, you assignment is more of an investigation than your typical mission."
"I see…" Michael spoke as he opened the file and began to read the contents. He then looked up towards Campbell. "Could you fill me in some more on the details of the assignment?"
"Of course." Campbell nodded and began to explain the details of Michael's next mission
Meanwhile: Somewhere in Japan:
At an unknown building a tall, middle aged man regarded a maroon haired young girl, who looked to be in her teens. The man in front of her was tall, in his early forties with a moustache and a beard and he was wearing a finely tailored suit.
"Mana, I have an assignment for you." The man said coldly. "I trust that you will carry it out to the best of your abilities."
"Yes, uncle." The young girl, Mana Kirishima, said to the man who stood before her, who was the director of this agency and her uncle Tomoyuki Kirishima.