Note about military time: Many of you are familiar with the "24 hour" format used by the military, but incase you don't… Just take the first two numbers, subtract 12, and you get your hour. Times past 1200 hours are in the PM, and times before 1200 hours are AM. Example: 2155 hours would be the equivalent of 9:55PM. Got it? Great! On to chapter 1!
REMEMBER: Always assume that all characters are speaking fluent Italian unless stated otherwise.
Life, Liberty, And…
A Gunslinger Girl fan fiction by:
Sintendo
Chapter One: The General
Rome Fiumicino Leonardo Da Vinci Airport, Rome, Italy; 1920 hours, June 13, 2005
The traffic in and around the airport was surprisingly light; moving to and fro from the parking lot to the arrivals gate was relatively fast, especially considering that it was near vacation time for most Italians and Europeans.
The sharply dressed Jose checked his watch for the seventh time while sitting at a café table in the waiting area for the arrivals.
He wiped his forehead with the back of his black gloved hand.
"Is something wrong, Jose?" The little girl sitting across the table asked him. She casually sipped on a small glass of iced tea that Jose had bought her earlier.
He studied her face with a rare look of which had no emotion. "Nothing's wrong, Henrietta," He assured her, "I'm just wondering what type of man Major General Nowell is. Not to mention that their flight is running a little bit late."
"Percy said he was very nice."
"Percy?" Jose asked, raising an eyebrow.
Henrietta nearly spat out her tea, "I-I mean, Lt. Nowell." She recovered. "Lt. Nowell said to call him 'Percy' though, so I thought…"
"Well," Jose said, "If he says it's ok to call him by that name, then you're free to do so, Henrietta."
"Yes sir." She wiped her mouth with a paper napkin.
"I know what Lt. Percival said about The General, and I even took it upon myself to research his background," Jose explained, "but that was just reports on paper, and a son talking about his father; both descriptions are nothing compared to the real thing…"
Henrietta nodded, not fully understanding what Jose was talking about, but still grasping the concept of his words.
"Look," Jose pointed with his thumb to his direct left, "Here they come."
Henrietta turned to her right. Past the crowds and various kiosks, she spotted a thin and slender woman, dressed in a U.S. Army Officer's uniform. Her Olive skirt was perfectly trimmed at three inches above the floor. Her gold belt buckle was superbly polished, almost appearing like a small mirror. On her blouse, she carried several medals and a few ribbons. On both ends of her collar were silver bars with 3 black squares lined up within the bars, indicating her rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3rd class. Henrietta took a closer look at her face. She was Japanese, her face having that soft oriental complexion; the shape of her head was near almond or teardrop. Her hair, covered mostly by the regulation Officer's cap, was as dark black as Jose's suit. It was solid, but every strand could still be seen. Almost perfect, in Henrietta's eyes.
Henrietta then studied the man to the woman's left. In a brisk pace walked a tall, heavy-middle built man, fully dressed in U.S. Army Officers uniform. On both sides of his olive-drab collar were two silver stars, indicating the distinguished rank of Major General. His hat carried the same number of stars. The abundance of medals and ribbons on the left breast of his uniform almost made Henrietta feel uneasy; the man had clearly accomplished much more than Jose and she put together. His face was clean shaven, the hair peeking out from the sides of his hat was dark brown with scattered strands of silver. His strong chin gave him an aggressive look, yet his facial expression appeared as soft and delicate as Jose's, if not more so. It was no wonder her Jose was a little withdrawn today. The way this man carried himself, as well as his bags, had pride written all over. He held his head high, not straining to hold his bags up, not looking around like a lost tourist. It was as if he was ready for business.
There was also one more thing that stood out about the man; his eyes were an intense emerald in color, not like the faded green that Percy has. It was almost hypnotic to Henrietta; never had she seen a color so pure that wasn't artificial. She felt that she could stand there all day just gazing upon those eyes…
"Let's go, Henrietta." Jose interrupted her little daydream.
They both stood from their seats and walked over to the two officers. Jose greeted them, already knowing that both Officer's spoke Italian fluently.
"Good evening, Major General. Good Evening, Ma'am. My name is Jose, and I shall be your escort today." He extended his had out to the General. "We hope the airport security gave you no trouble about your firearms."
The General put his bags down and shook Jose's hand rather fiercely. He smiled as he did so.
"No trouble at all," The man said, "I'm Major General Bradley Nowell, and this is my secretary and assistant, Chief Warrant Officer Rei Ayanami."
Jose took The Female Officer's hand, and shook it lightly.
"Nice to meet you ma'am." He said. "My name is Jose."
Rei received Jose's hand, but did not give a warm reply, but instead a soft grunt of acknowledgement.
"And who's this little one?" Bradley asked, rubbing the top of Henrietta's head.
"Her name's 'Henrietta'," Jose said. He then lowered his voice to a slight whisper, "She's my…'partner'."
"I see." The General said, "Nice to meet you, Henrietta."
"It's nice to meet you too, sir." Henrietta replied.
"Well then," Jose said, satisfied with the introductions, "Shall we head on to the Agency?"
"Yes," Bradley agreed, "We're running late."
On the road to
the Social Welfare Agency
The evening Italian atmosphere was one that General Nowell was accustomed to. He had been to Rome countless times, not to mention he spent part of his honey-moon here. For him, it was the usual, almost as if he had lived here before.
Famous landmarks and tourist attractions such as the Coliseum and the Pantheon and various nightclubs and bars near the urban area were all ablaze with activity; a great example of the contrast between ancient Rome and modern day Italy.
Rei had never been to Italy before, so every sight was something to behold. There she sat, next to Henrietta, in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter; looking out the window like a child about to enter an amusement park for the first time.
"Is this your first time in Italy, Officer?" Jose asked, noticing the look of wonder painted on her face.
"Yes it is." She replied in a soft sigh.
"I'm sure you're going to love it here. Rome is absolutely beautiful during the summer."
"I'm sure it is." She sighed.
"Maybe after your business here is done, I could show you around?" Henrietta's ears burned and Jose said this. Her eye's narrowed as she turned to face the female Officer, almost as if to challenge her. Rei paid no attention; instead, she kept her eyes on the glowing lights that passed by.
"That would be nice." Rei said in a near whisper.
"Unfortunately, we have no time for that." Bradley butted in, "Are you not aware of the SWA's situation, Agent?"
Jose was taken aback by The General's sudden change in mood. "No, sir, that's classified information to me. I haven't the authorization to-,"
"Well I'll be damed…," The General interrupted, "Are you saying that Chief Lorenzo hasn't briefed you on ANYTHING that's going on?"
Jose nervously cleared his throat, "No, General, I wasn't told anything except that you are my charge until I get you back to the Agency."
"So nobody told you about the condition that the SWA is in? Do you not know that, as of last Monday, the SWA has no means of support?"
"Sir?" Jose questioned.
"Agent, let me explain something to you." The General said, "And I am authorizing this leak of information." He signaled toward Rei, who in turn, retrieved various sheets of paper from within her briefcase and began to write. "About a year ago, Chief Lorenzo sent a message to the Italian government, asking for an increase in the Social Welfare Agency's yearly funding; it is expensive technology you people are dealing with, after all. Unfortunately, Lorenzo was denied."
Jose sat still, trying to concentrate on the road as the old man spoke.
"Not only was he denied," The General continued, "But he was given an ultimatum: to either prove to the Italian Government that the Social Welfare Agency, namely Section Two, was worth the financial backing, or to have financial support cut off from the Government. He was given one year."
Jose did not move his head, but instead gripped the steering wheel tighter; he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"This is where we come in." The General continued, "Lorenzo sent out a plea to the U.S.P. for help exactly six days ago; one day after the Italian Government deemed the SWA too expensive to keep in operation, and all funding from the Italian Government was cut. We at the U.S.P., on the other hand, have been interested in the SWA since its formation, and after reviewing several records of successful missions that you and other agents and cyborgs have accomplished, we decided to send inspectors over to witness firsthand what goes on within the SWA. If you hadn't guessed by now, those inspectors are my son, Officer Ayanami, and myself."
Jose cleared his throat, "So what you're saying is… is that if we don't live up to your standards, we're on our own? What'll happen then?"
"That's not my problem." Bradley shrugged his shoulders, "If you pass inspection, all technology and property of the Social Welfare Agency will become U.S. Government property, and all personnel can become citizens of the U.S. if they choose to. Fail the inspection, and the SWA dissolves and disappears from the face of the earth, unless Lorenzo can garner up some sort of alternate funding."
Jose cleared his throat once again, not knowing how else to respond to what he just heard. The Social Welfare Agency, his reason for being, was in trouble. Most importantly, the future of Henrietta and the other cyborgs was unknown.
"I'll need to you sign these release forms, Agent," Officer Ayanami said from the back seat, waving several sheets of papers next to Jose's head, "Failure to do so will result in your immediate termination."
Social Welfare Agency, Near Rome, Italy; 2000 hours, same day
"So what should I expect from The General?" Jean asked as he, Percival and Rico stood in the parking lot of the SWA.
"As long as you treat him with respect, you won't get into too much trouble." Percival checked his pocket watch. "Remember: with him, respect is earned, not given." He then adjusted the sleeves of his uniform.
During the past two days, Jean and Percival grew to become the best of friends; it was as if they had known each other for their entire lives. Since Percival was off duty during the past two days, Jean had shown him around Rome, going sight-seeing and bar hopping. Like old college friends, they nearly painted the town red. But due to Jean and Percival's strict discipline, they stopped themselves early before anything serious had happened. They also found that they both had many things in common: cars, music, clothes, sunglasses, they had many things to talk about during their free time.
Rico, Henrietta and the other cyborgs at the Agency also took a liking to Percival. Usually, during lunchtime, Percival would tell them stories of the various antics that he and his brothers and sisters were involved in when he was at a younger age. It was almost as though Percival had become an uncle to the cyborgs, something that he was already used to with his real nephews and nieces. He even allowed the cyborgs the use of his nickname "Percy", which only close family and friends were allowed to use.
"Anything else I should know about?" Jean asked, adjusting his tie and his sunglasses as he asked.
"He doesn't like brown-nosing." Percival smiled, "So try to keep off that for a while."
"Not funny."
"He also doesn't like people who wear sunglasses at night. He says it makes them look like no-good thugs." Percival laughed out loud as Jean pocketed his thousand dollar pair of sunglasses.
"Now, now you two," Lorenzo emerged from the shadows and into the dim streetlamp that Jean, Percival and Rico stood underneath, "This certainly isn't the time to be joking around."
"Yes sir!" Both Jean and Percival stated.
"I'm sure Major General Nowell will be a fair and just man." Lorenzo said, "If he is as how you describe him, Lieutenant."
"My father didn't raise a liar, Chief." Percival retorted.
"I think they're here." Rico interrupted, using her keen hearing abilities to pinpoint the location of the incoming van.
Just around the corner of the parking-lot archway entered the silver Mercedes-Benz Sprinter minivan. The halogen headlights momentarily blinded Jean and Percival, forcing them to shield their eyes.
As the van pulled up next to where the four were standing; Percival immediately stood at perfect attention. His heart raced as the passenger door slid open, revealing the man he had been expecting for the past two days.
"Attention!" Percival exclaimed, repositioning his stance and saluting, while Jean and Rico did the same. Lorenzo hesitated for a split-second; it had been a while since he had saluted to a higher ranking officer, so it was natural for him to have to think about his actions. Needless to say, The General had caught that mistake.
"Chief Lorenzo, I presume?" The General asked as he stepped out of the vehicle. He towered over the Chief, standing a good three or four inches above him.
"Yes, General!" Lorenzo shouted.
"Take it easy, Lorenzo, I can hear you." Bradley smiled and saluted to Lorenzo, Percival, Jean and Rico, enabling them to return their hands to their sides.
"I thank you for taking the time to come here, General." Lorenzo extended his hand.
"We'll see if this Agency is worth my time." He received his hand and gave a firm handshake. He then signaled for Officer Ayanami, who was busy collecting documents that Jose had just signed, to stand by his side. "This is Chief Warrant Officer Rei Ayanami, my assistant."
"Sir!" Rei saluted to Lorenzo, who returned the salute.
"Nice to meet you Officer." Lorenzo said, shaking her hand as he did so. Like with Jose, Rei only responded by making a soft "mmm" sound of acknowledgement. Lorenzo turned his attention to the man standing beside him. "This is Agent Jean, and his cyborg 'Rico'. They're one of the best Fratello in the Agency."
"Siblings, huh?" Bradley scratched his chin, "An odd name for such a team."
"But it definitely fits the situation." Jean extended his hand to The General.
"Indeed it does," Bradley received Jean's hand, "Interesting name for a little girl. I'm sure you get criticized a lot about your choice for her name."
"Actually, I do." Jean was surprised that The General had known that little fact.
Bradley turned his attention to the man standing next to Jean.
"And how have you been?" The General asked his son, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"2 years and counting." Percival said, "It has been a long time, General." He looked over his father's shoulders and gazed at Rei. "Too long…" Percival became silent as his eyes came in contact with hers. Almost immediately, they both blushed like school children kissing for the first time.
"Ahem," Bradley interrupted. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get some R & R. You know… jet lag and all…"
"Oh, I'm sorry." Percival snapped out of his trance.
"Henrietta and I will show you Officer Ayanami's and your quarters, General." Jose Interrupted.
"Rico and I will accompany you as well." Jean said, "Rico, get The General's and The Officer's bags."
"Yes sir." She obeyed. Immediately she approached the van and retrieved all eight of Bradley's and Rei's suitcases and duffel bags without any sort of struggle.
"Impressive." Bradley commented, "So this is the handy work of the Italian Government…."
"If you'll excuse me, General," Lorenzo spoke, "I have paperwork I need to attend to. I'll report back to you in the morning."
"Inspection starts at 0700 hours, Lorenzo," Bradley said, "Have Chief Dragi and all of Section One, as well as Section Two and yourself assembled and ready. Remember what we're here for."
"Yes, General." Lorenzo saluted and then made his way into a distant building to the north.
"Henrietta," Jose called out to the girl, "Lead the way."
"Yes sir." Henrietta motioned for Bradley and Rei, "This way please."
As she led the way through the winding halls and court yards of The Social Welfare Agency, she couldn't help but notice that Percy and Rei were always close together, oftentimes whispering in each other's ear's and laughing amongst themselves. What was odd was that it seemed as though The General were allowing this to happen; he certainly wasn't acting like the gruff man he was when they were in the car.
Upon reaching Officer Ayanami's room, which was the building west of the cyborg dormitory, she interrupted Percy and Rei's "petting".
"Excuse me, ma'am," She said, "This is your quarters." She pointed towards a door to her left.
"P.T. begins at 0500 hours." Bradley said to both Rei and Percival.
"Yes, General!" They responded.
"I can take these from here, Rico." Percival said, taking four of the bags from Rico's shoulders.
"Yes sir." She acknowledged.
"Now then," The General smiled, "Henrietta, please lead me to my room."
Although Henrietta wondered why Percy was acting the way he was, not to mention why he was not returning to his own quarters but instead was entering Rei's, she thought it best not to question the actions of her superiors.
"This way, General." She said, leading him a little further down the hall. She then stopped in front of a set of double doors, elaborately decorated with carvings of Roman gods and goddesses. "This is your room, General."
"Rico, put The General's belongings inside." Jean commanded.
"Yes sir." Rico replied.
"Just set them anywhere," Bradley said, "I'll handle everything else."
"Yes sir."
"Permission to speak freely, General?" Jose asked.
"Granted." Bradley said.
"I have a question to ask before you rest, General."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Why did you allow Lt. Percival, your son, to… enter Officer Rei's quarters?" Jose asked, "Isn't that sort of… against the rules? Taboo?"
The General laughed, "I must have neglected to mention this," He wiped a tear from his eye, "Rei is Percival's fiancée. They haven't seen each other in two years. Rei and I were in Afghanistan and Israel, while Percival was in Korea and Taiwan."
"I see." Jose said. Henrietta breathed a gigantic sigh of relief. In her mind, she saw Rei as a threat to Jose's and her relationship, but now that she knew that Rei was dedicated to another man, that threat was no longer there.
"Put two and two together, Agents." Bradley whispered to Jose and Jean, "They're young, they haven't seen each other in years, and they're in Rome. What do you think will happen?"
The two brothers simply looked at each other as if to say "What the hell?". They found The General's casual attitude toward this specific subject a bit out of place.
"I'm not heartless, Agents, I know what it's like to be seperated from a loved one for a long time. Just let them be for now."
"Yes, General" The brothers responded.
"Inspection begins at 0700." Bradley changed the subject, "Gentlemen. Ladies. Goodnight."
With that said, Major General Nowell shut the door behind him as Jean and Jose escorted their partners to their room.
End Chapter One
Coming soon:
Chapter Two: Inspections (Part 1)