Hey guys! I find myself apologizing for updating late every single time I start a new chapter and I hate doing it but you guys gotta understand how...chaotic my family is. They just want me involved in every single thing and I have had barely any time to write for this story. I guess I also have a writer's block for this story since I've been writing with these characters for a long time but I'll never ever ever ever ever abandon a story. EVER. That's a promise. I'm gonna get it done whether I like it or not but I like this story so it's no biggie. Anyways, I would like to thank a reviewer, Blaze, for giving me some encouragement. It really helped dude! Thanks! I would also like to thank my bro CJ for helping me develop the story so far and MWSeraph for creating Burke, who will become an important character in the story. Please review or comment on the story and tell me what you think! Okay, enough talking, on with the story dudes!
Ch. 13
(Burke's POV)
They want me out into the field again? I'm interested and curious at the idea of going out again but I'm a little confused. The United States isn't really in a war right now so are they giving me an espionage mission? Haven't done one of those in a while...
"A man named Sugou Nobuyuki, who almost caused a second SAO situation, has just escaped his mental institution in Tokyo, Japan. The local law enforcement have reported they have checked every single public street and attraction which leaves them to believe that he had a back-up residence for when he did eventually escape. We believe that he is affiliated with the group known as Laughing Coffin. This group happens to have a large influence in the city of Tokyo, as well as every other major city in Asia, North America, and Europe."
My muscles tightened at the mention of the group's name. I knew who they were and what their purpose was. The pain they have caused me and my family were inhumane. Nowadays, I don't talk about it. If I do, those painful memories start fogging up my mind like helium in a balloon. My face gets red and my fists always tightened whenever I think about what happened a few years back...
"The group is known for killing hundreds of players in the SAO incident. Seeing as how the Japanese government never could identify a specific member, there are probably numerous survivors of the deadly clan; each one just begging to kill another person with their own bare hands. We...have records of you being familiar with this said group. We won't get into such personal things but we know how skilled and professional you are Captain. That is why you will be the first Marine acting upon this operation. Our decorated generals have codenamed it: Operation Solstice. Operation Solstice will be carried out to protect citizens from the group and stop the LC all together."
He told me as the other people in the room nodded. I sat there, cool as ice, as I listen attentively to him. It wasn't my job to make comments about what was given to me. My job was to listen to my orders, carry out those orders, and come home alive to repeat the process all over again. The general cleared his throat and continued the operation plan.
"Here is how you will do this. To protect citizens, the first step is to monitor and also protect the people who are making VRMMOs of their own. They do this by something called 'The Seed', which gives them the ability to make a VRMMO and release it to their intended audience. However, it takes a lot of money and time to do this so there are only a select few in developed countries. But the main ones are in the United States and Japan. Laughing Coffin wants to take over the internet in these countries so they can hack into our systems. By doing this, they could possibly destroy the grid, creating an extended period of power outage. As you may know, this would create chaos across the board. They will also steal people's vital information for their own benefit. Once they have done that, they can start their sadistic method of silent killing by using all of the information given to them. This is just the basic idea of their policies Burke. We do not have all of the information yet. But given this information, these...'gamemakers' should be the first target of the group. Now getting onto the main idea of the operation, we will be sending you to one of these groups so you can observe, protect, and help them with anything they need. If they turn out to be members of Laughing Coffin, you have permission to neutralize them. However, you will be given an alias for this special mission. You will be posing as a Zaskar employee, a popular game company here in America. The group should not have any problems with you since we have notified the CEO of that company. He will send them a notice of your arrival. Captain, you are not to reveal your true identity to these 'gamemakers'. You are to strictly stick with what we give you unless something forces you to disobey orders, such as an attack from Laughing Coffin themselves. The possibility of that is low, but you know to never assume anything."
I nodded my head in understanding.
"Yes sir. What information can you give me about the group I am to be observing?"
I asked him.
"Oh yes. The group you will be monitoring is based in Tokyo. The groups leader, Thorn Royer, is a Zaskar employee himself so he is not some random kid. We have chosen this group first because they are making the largest game as of yet. The game will expand outside America and Japan's borders to the rest of the world. They hope to bring better communication among people all over the Earth. They have been working on this for a long time now. The group consists of one American, one Russian, one female from United Kingdom, one male from France, and four Japanese citizens. Their ages are about the same at sixteen to eighteen so they are still fairly young. Now, we would just let you stay in a hotel nearby but that might take away some important info from you. You being around them for most of the day is crucial to the success of the operation. We do not have a set time at how long you will be staying with the group so we will let you know whenever we get those details. We suspect maybe a few weeks, but we are still unsure Captain."
I shifted in my chair a little and blinked maybe once or twice. I was already hating this mission from the start, but there was no sense in whining about it. I decided to ask him some more questions just so I could get the details of this operation perfectly. Some might think that that is annoying and that I should just stay silent the whole time but other people don't understand things like I do.
"So what exactly do you want me to do with them whenever I arrive in Tokyo? You said that I had to help them with whatever they needed me to do, am I correct?"
"Yes, your report tells us that you are sufficient in development and computer software so the assistance you give them should not be as difficult as one might think. If they need your help with the game, you help them. If they ask you a question about something, you answer it to your best ability. If you see any, and I mean any, activity of Laughing Coffin in the area you need to report it right away so that we may take action. With this group, there is no telling what could happen. They're not like ISIS who recruited publicly. They recruit members in secret and they do it so effectively that every country, except us, has no idea where they are. Would we say this is a religious war like it was back then? No. These are sadistic murderers who feast off the flesh of humanity's bone just because they feel like it. They are not to be played with."
The general said in response. I nodded at him but I could feel myself groan internally at the mention of helping those kids. I've...had a little problem with developers ever since the SAO incident and I promised myself to never associate myself with another one unless I had to. And...I guess I have to this time. And the fact that they are teens makes it even more difficult. Yes, a bunch of teens are mature and act right, but some are just plain idiotic and inappropriate for their own good. If they get smart with me, it's gonna take a lot to not fire back at them. And even though I'm only twenty-two, I highly doubt it that they will treat me like an 'adult'. I don't know, maybe I'm just making exaggerations about it...My bright blue eyes widened slightly as the general walked over to a door in the room and opened it. Behind the door stood a tall blonde-haired girl in a business suit and a skirt. Her hair was tied in a pony tail and she wore solid black high heels that matched the outfit overall. The general presented his hand to her at me and nodded his head.
"Burke, this is Brooke. She will be preparing you for your departure. She will give you the details for your alias so listen to every word...Well, the only thing left to say is good luck Captain. Make the Marines proud and God bless you sir."
"You as well general."
I said back to him as I walked over to Brooke. She gave me a light smile as she closed the door behind us and took the lead. We walked through a long hallway, the clicking of her heels being the only sound that was heard. Halfway through the hall, she started to speak. I was a little surprised to find that she was actually English; probably from London judging by the accent.
"Your name for the next few weeks will be Miles Layman. Remember that because that's who you are now. You are no longer Captain Chris Burke. You are Miles Layman, a twenty-two year old video game assistant at Zaskar."
We reached the end of the hall way and she pulled out a metal table from the wall that was hidden under a large gaped slit. On the table was a folder and an assortment of weapons. She picked up the folder and handed it to me. I opened it to find my information. Brooke read me what was in the folder to me by memory and I followed the words as she spoke them.
"You are a Protestant Christian from the city of Anchorage. You joined Zaskar in 2024 through a computer technology degree from Stanford. You now currently work in the east wing of the Zaskar skyscraper in Atlanta, one of it's biggest company buildings. Your hobbies include gaming, military history, hunting, journalism, photography, and languages and culture. You were born on May 5th, 2003. When you were a kid, you loved playing baseball and hunting with your father who died of cancer in 2018. You mother still lives in Anchorage with your younger sister Janine, who is eighteen years old..."
She kept on and on as I read with her. It may not seem like this information is important but you have to understand that anything could come up and you can never be too careful. As soon as she was done speaking every single word in the folder, she took a soft deep breath and turned her attention to the many weapons on the metal table.
"Alright, now that that's over with, we can get to the types of weapons you will be bringing with you for your own protection."
She said as she picked up the first gun.
"The weapons the U.S. has approved you of using on this operation include: A HK416A5 5.56mm assault rifle (14.5-in. barrel, 17 30-round magazines, Specter DR 1-4X magnification scope, removable Surefire Suppressor, Grippod (foregrip/bipod hybrid), side-mounted flashlight, AN/PEQ-16 infrared light/laser), a P226 9mm handgun (11 18-round magazines, removable suppressor), four flashbangs, two smoke grenades, an unmarked urban digital camouflage uniform (Rothco tactical vest/body armor with tactical magazine pouches, EXFIL lightweight combat helmet with four-tube night-vision goggles and secure radio set), a military-modified Amusphere hotwired to portable motion sensors, capable of sending a stimulating pulse to the user in the event of real-world intrusion, which will come in handy in case you do come to face with Laughing Coffin. You will also be given an electro-shockwave Claymore mine to stun real-world intruders, while doubling as motion sensors to buy time for mounting defenses, a military-modified touchpad capable of wireless interface, which can be used to hack target or enemy computer systems, or interface with drone support upon approved request, compact audio and camera bugs that can be planted to provide surveillance of a target location, one gasmask, one field medical kit, aerial drone support from Task Force 150 'Prometheus' facilities at the US Naval Air Station in Yokosuka (MQ-9C Reaper reconnaissance drone, High-Altitude Sniper Drone). You are only permitted to use this in absolute code red emergencies. Of course you will be taking a military plane over there so you can bring these weapons with you. It wouldn't be very useful if you were arrested right at security in an international airport...If you need to resupply or change load outs, there are pre-arranged safe-houses throughout Tokyo set up by the CIA and Japanese agents. However, these safe-houses are limited to the Tokyo area of operations."
She said in her soft English accent. I felt myself smile as I looked over the guns. Yeah, this was my thing. I could handle any gun you gave me. It didn't matter what type it was. There was no reason behind that fact other than me loving guns. When it came to sniping, I've almost reached the level that of Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in U.S. history. I would say anyone in my sights dreads me the most but I don't even give them time to think as I pull the trigger...I put the gun back down and looked back at Brooke. She had a smirk on her young face and I crossed my arms.
"I noticed you know a good bit about guns. Did too much research or are you a Marine yourself?"
I asked her. She flicked her hair behind her back and nodded her head up in the air.
"British SAS actually."
"Ah, Britain's Special Air Service."
I said in response.
"Indeed. I'm skilled in counter-espionage missions as well as airborne operations. Get me in a chopper and you can safely say that you're covered. That thirty-six hour interrogation they do at the end of our training didn't go so well for the interrogator. They put me in the program immediately when I broke his will in under twenty-four hours and he was supposed to be the one to break mine."
"That right? Then what are you doing in the states?"
I asked her. She smiled again and turned to another door in the hallway.
"Your government needed back-up for this operation so I was the first to receive the call. I hear they will be shipping me out next for this operation right after you."
"Hmmm..."
I hummed. The fact that she was in the SAS made me respect her completely as we walked through the door. The door led to a large hangar filled with military jets and helicopters. I, however, was going to fly in a smaller two-person sized plane. Before I left for the Japanese-American base in Yokosuka, outside of Tokyo, Brooke made sure to give me...the right clothes for a person of my profession...Sigh...Don't even get me started about what I had to wear. She kept giggling as I re-checked my cargo and given luggage.
"And also, here."
She told me as she handed me a card. I looked over it and realized that it was my fake Zaskar employee card. I nodded and stuffed it in my shirt pocket for safe-keeping. And with that, Brooke gave me a small salute with her gloved hands and smiled.
"Cheers Captain!"
I rolled my eyes at her and got inside the plane with my designated pilot. I felt myself smiling at the thought of it though. She would have to go through the same crap I'm about to go through if she really was the next one being shipped out for the operation. I felt my eyes close as we lifted off the runway and over the ocean of the Pacific. It would be a long flight so I had some time to catch up on my sleep. It would be the last day as Marine Captain Chris Burke for a while...
(Kazuto's POV)
Well, Asuna's Mom is being a bitch again. So I invited her over here so that she could hang out with me for a while and forget about that nasty woman. I only went over there once and she had me scanned and showered. SCANNED AND SHOWERED. Like I was some kind of lab rat. She also got a background check on me and by the time she was done, Asuna and I didn't even have time to hang out. I felt bad for her because she has to deal with that every single day and the fact that she was more embarrassed then I was. Asuna told her that she was sleeping over at a "girlfriends" house for a couple of days so she would even consider it. I'm shocked that she said yes but whatever. I love Asuna and I would spend every day with her if I could.
"Alright Kirito, I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Okay, I can't wait. I love you Asuna."
"Love you too hehe."
Asuna said back to me from her phone as she ended the call. I sighed happily as I pushed myself off the bed. It was about time I got off my fat butt today. All I've done is work on the game and eat...and sleep...and pee...You get the idea! Let's see, I had to change, at least brush a comb through my midnight hair once, put on cologne, and take a mint just in case. I walked over from my room into the bathroom to do all of these things and I noticed that in the kitchen, Thorn was sitting on the counter talking to somebody on the phone. His face showed all kinds of confusion and he kept asking questions. I shrugged and went on with my business. I did all of the things I said I would as I heard Thorn end the call. He came into the bathroom with an annoyed look on his face and I put the comb back down on the bathroom counter.
"What?"
I asked him in curiosity. He sighed and face-palmed.
"My boss, said that the company voted on a decision to send a...I don't know what the hell it was...assistant? Mentor? I don't know. SOMETHING, to every single Zaskar group who is making a VRMMO. I'm obviously in no position to argue with my boss but this is kind of stupid. We already have everything we need. In fact, we are almost done with the game anyway! What dumbass brought this up at the CEO meeting!? God...Whatever, I hope he isn't some jerk. If he's cool then it's okay, but if he isn't I won't treat him like one of our own!"
He yelled in frustration. I laid my hand on his shoulder and told him to calm down. He did and I gave him a smile.
"You know what will cheer you up about this whole thing? Kissing my cousin! So go find her Thorn because Asuna will be here in-"
Ring! Ring!
We both turned to the door as the doorbell rang throughout the home. Maverick, Arkady's husky, barked once but I'm pretty sure Arkady quieted him down as soon as he started barking. A bright grin appeared on my face as I raced for the door. I opened it and there was Asuna in a cute scarlet-red fur jacket. It complimented her hair well. Gosh she looked so cute. I took her hand and gave her a big hug as she giggled and hugged me back. I looked at Thorn and he was still agitated at that phone call. He was taking deep breaths as he looked for Suguha. Luckily, she walked in right at that moment.
"Oh hey Thorn, what's up?"
She asked before he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers. I don't think she cared as the two both back up inside her room and closed the door. Asuna looked at me with wide eyes and walked over to the kitchen table.
"What the heck was that?"
"Nothing."
I replied, cool as a cucumber. She rolled her eyes and set down her purse. She zipped it open and took out a box of Pocky sticks.
"I thought it would be fun if we played with these later so I picked them up on my way here. Kirito, I cannot tell you how annoyed I am at my Mother. She's such a...She's such a...ugh, nevermind. Enough of her, how have you been?"
"I'm okay. Just been working on the game. It's not as fun when you're not there though."
I said with a warm smile. She blushed and pecked my cheek as she gave me another hug. Yep, I'm liking this "couple" time already. I just wish that we could have more moments like this. And even though she will be here for only a couple of days, that doesn't mean we can't get a lot done. Know what I'm saying? No? Okay...
"Hey Kirito...Do you mind if we go to your room and...Well you know..."
"I don't mind at all haha."
I laughed as I took her to my room. The huge increase of happiness I felt whenever Asuna was with me was incredible, and yet, it never surprises me...
And that is the end of the chapter! Well you guys certainly got a military lesson in this one didn't you? haha I hope you guys liked it and I actually worked on and finished this on Christmas. I didn't think I would but I did because I want to start on my Hetalia chapter before the weekend ends. But please review and comment on the story and tell me what you thought of it. And did you guys have a good Christmas!? I did! It was the best, I got everything I wanted haha. Finally, thanks so much to the people on my team and to the reviewers for helping the story get out there and we will see you guys later! Review! Think of it as a Christmas gift to me! Do it now!
