I don't own anything

I don't own anything.

Infantry

-Chapter Six:

"There it is," Chris stated.

"Yeah," Shinji agreed as he stared at the blue marble in the view port.

"There you are Blue!" Shinji spun to see Ford walking towards him.

"Come on sir, I already had to prep all those damn suits by myself," Shinji complained. "Get someone else to do it."

"Even if I was going to ask you to go to a party?" Ford asked.

"I partied enough on Sanctuary," Shinji groaned. "I'm going to relax. Besides, isn't asking me out fraternization?"

"Very funny," Ford stated. "Speaking of which, are you and that nurse an item?"

"No sir. No real point, you know? Although, we have been writing back and forth."

"Okay," Ford replied. "You're still coming to the party though. It's a big thank you from one of the major defense contractors. The brass says I need to come and I say our little TVM winner needs to come."

"If I end up giving a speech, I'm going to give you a set of lumps, commission or not."

"No speech, just shut up and look pretty."

"If you keep your mouth shut, everyone will stare at your uniform and not your ugly face," Chris pointed out helpfully.

"You're coming too," Shinji stated.

"Wait, what? I don't want to go to some boring ass formal thing!" Chris announced.

"I'm a scout and the O&A assistant, that means I'm a higher billet than you," Shinji stated.

"That's abuse of power, sir!" Chris protested. "He's only a PFC!"

"A PFC with a lot more responsibilities than you," Ford pointed out. "Should have kept your mouth shut."

"I haven't learned to yet sir," Chris replied. "I really, really do though."

"So, who's the contractor, sir?"

"Something called NERV," Ford stated. "They're the guys who were supposed to stop the Third Impact and fucked the pooch. After that they switched to a civilian company handling advanced military contracts."

"Oh," Shinji stated blankly. "Well, fuck."

(:ii:)

"Come on Blue, stop looking like you don't want to be here."

"I don't want to be here sir," Shinji stated as he tugged at his collar.

"Is there going to be booze?" Rotuno asked.

"How about skirts?" Chris added.

"Should be plenty of both," Ford answered. Shinji just stared out the window of the hover car. "Bet he'd rather be out getting more tattoos."

"I don't have that many," Shinji protested.

"Not compared to me and Rotuno. . .yet," Ford retorted.

"Fact still stands," Rotuno added, "you got six tattoos in a week. Big ones. That's got to be a record."

"Had some money to blow through Sarge," Shinji stated, touching his real forearm self consciously. Nobody had mentioned how addicting those damn things were. The hover car slowed and settled down gently.

"Talk to you Blue?" Shinji followed Ford as the older man led him a little aside. "You're from Tokyo-3, right?"

"Yes sir," Shinji answered.

"I have partial access to your record now," Ford stated. "It's very, very classified. You were doing something with NERV, right?"

"Yes sir," Shinji admitted. "I can't say any more than that."

"Alright," Ford replied. "I expect you to hook us up in there." Shinji sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, frowning as he saw the metal claw poking out of his sleeve. He absently reached into his pocket and pulled out his dress gloves. Ford led them back to the other two grunts. "Well boys, let's party!"

"I would be if I hadn't gotten dragged here," Chris grumbled.

"Stop your bitching and have fun trooper, that's an order."

"It'd have to be."

(:ii:)

"See? This isn't so bad."

"I suppose sir," Shinji replied as he looked around the formal banquet. He spotted a few people who looked familiar, but no one he knew by name. "I'm getting a drink. I'll be right back." He walked to the bar and got about half way before someone noticed him.

"Shinji Ikari?" Shinji turned and saw a cute brunette staring up at him. Shit. What was her name?

"Miss Ibuki?"

"It is you!" Shinji mentally patted himself on the back for his correct guess as the woman hugged him. "I can't believe it. Have you seen Doctor Akagi yet?"

"No," Shinji replied.

"She'd be thrilled to see you," Maya stated. She looked around. "There she is. Come on."

"Sure thing," Shinji replied as the slight woman grabbed his hand and led him away from the rest of the troopers.

(:ii:)

Chris watched as his best friend was dragged away from the bar. "How the hell does he do that? I mean, he just walks in and women come to him. How?"

"That's a good question," Ford stated. The brunette led Shinji up to a tall blond who seemed quite happy to see him as well. "Oh. Now that is just unfair." The blond led them to the bar and then out of the hall through a door in the back.

"Playboy," Rotuno commented. "I don't think he'll be making it back to the hover car tonight."

"I think someone needs to make a speech tonight," Ford growled.

"Blue doesn't do speeches sir," Chris stated. "And I'd probably have to bet on Blue when he decides you need lumps."

"He may be big, but I'm. . ."

"Clumsy," Rotuno interrupted.

"True, but I was going to say experienced," Ford stated. He glanced at Chris. "Didn't I tell you not to belittle me in front of the troopers?"

"Didn't I say don't give me a chance?" Rotuno asked.

(:ii:)

"So this is where you disappeared to, is it?" Ritsuko asked.

"Yes," Shinji answered. "It seemed like the least obvious place to go." Ritsuko and Maya laughed at that. "I don't suppose that Misato is around here, is she?"

"No," Ritsuko replied. "She quit a while ago and disappeared herself. I think she went looking for you." Shinji stared at the blond. That figured. When he was finally ready to talk to the woman, she disappeared. Oh the irony.

"Great and you have no idea where she is?"

"No," Ritsuko replied. "She left shortly after Asuka signed up with the Navy. She didn't bother to tell us where she was going."

"Huh." Shinji took out one of his cigars and lit it.

"You always hated fighting." Shinji glanced at the brunette, but she was staring off into space slightly. "Why did you enlist, Shinji?" Shinji leaned back in his seat and puffed at his cigar for a moment. That was a good question. Was it out of spite for his roommates? Perhaps, at least at first it might have been, but what about now?

"I'm not sure," he answered finally. "Reasons change."

"Was it worth it?" Maya pressed.

"Yes." That was the truth. "Everything I've given so far has been worth it."

"That's good." Maya sipped her drink.

"What brought that around?" Shinji asked.

"It destroyed Misato when you left," Maya stated. "I've never seen her in such bad shape. Asuka was too; at least, in her own way." Shinji felt a stab of guilt at that, but he shook it off quickly. He had had a lot of practice doing that lately.

"It had to be done," he stated after a moment more of reflection.

"Why?"

"Because I needed to make something of myself," Shinji stated firmly. "I'm done with people deciding everything for me."

"You're in the military now," Ritsuko commented with a dry chuckle. "You'll never stop being told what to do."

"Different things and you know it," Shinji countered. "At least in the MI there's a bond. These guys are my family. For once in my life, I actually feel comfortable with being who I am."

"Good for you," Ritsuko stated. "Do you regret any of it?" Shinji's left arm throbbed and he resisted the urge to rub at the phantom pain. It wasn't so much regret for his arm, but for living when others should have.

"I have a few regrets." He finally rubbed his arm, the gesture chasing away the pain for some reason. "But that's just part of being human."

"You've changed a lot Shinji," the blond commented.

"Everybody does."

(:ii:)

"I'm back." Chris glanced up and saw Shinji strolling towards them.

"We all thought you'd found a place to shack up for the night," Ford commented as he sipped his drink.

"The blonde's a little old, but that brunette. . ." Shinji trailed off and they all began to laugh. "Where's Sarge?"

"He's around here somewhere flirting with some cute little thing," Ford answered.

"Can we leave yet sir?" Ford eyed the younger trooper.

"Why would you want to leave?" he asked suspiciously. "Got yet another girl waiting for you somewhere around here?"

"No sir, I just have an early flight tomorrow." Now Chris's interest was piqued as well.

"Where you heading Blue?"

"Down to Australia," Shinji answered.

"What's in Australia?" Ford pressed. Shinji looked faintly uncomfortable.

"There's just something I've got to do there sir," he stated. "I need another drink." Chris watched as he wondered over towards the bar.

"What do you think sir?"

"Klack."

"What?"

"Klack," Ford repeated. "PFC Klackiewicz, the guy Blue was buddied up with on Big K. He was from Australia and I think he has a sister."

"Oh." Chris sipped his drink. "He's really hung up on that sir."

"I know," Ford replied. "I think I might send him for a chat with the ship's shrink. It isn't affecting his work, so I can't make it an order really, but I can make a suggestion. If you don't deal with these kinds of things the right way, they'll just eat you up inside. I already gave him my thoughts on it, but it looks like he can't just keep going."

"Does that happen a lot sir?"

"Yeah," Ford grunted. "Dying is what soldiers do. It's no surprise when we buy the farm, but it's still hard on those left behind. We're family. It's worse when someone dies to save you, especially when you think you don't have anything to loose like Blue does. Knowing that Klack left behind family who's grieving right now must be killing him. Hopefully, whatever he does tomorrow helps put him at rest."

"Do you think I should go with him sir?"

"No. There are just some things a guy needs to do by himself."

(:The Next Day:)

Shinji stared blankly at the headstone in front of him. It was a simply affair really, one of hundreds of identical graves in Australia's military cemetery. Klack had been buried with full honors, a soldier who had died in war, not a committed geriatric. The flowers leaning up against the grave looked fresh, only a day or two old. "Can I help you?" Shinji turned and noted the dark-haired woman standing a few feet away with a bouquet in her hands. She looked so young.

"Melissa Klackiewicz?"

"Yes," the woman stated with a smile as she stepped forward and replaced the older flowers. "Did you know my brother?" Shinji wasn't in uniform, having decided that she had seen far too many uniforms lately, but he still had the appearance of a MI grunt.

"I'm the reason he's dead." She froze and stared at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"Oh," she managed. "Oh."

"Yeah," Shinji agreed, at a loss for words as well.

"I suppose we should talk," she offered. "I don't live very far away; it's only about ten minutes by foot."

"I'd like that," Shinji answered. She smiled faintly and turned to lead the way. Shinji walked beside her, unconsciously moving to her left side to keep his prosthetic out of view.

"Is that for my brother?"

"What?"

"That," Melissa said, pointing to one of the tattoos on his forearms. It was a very retro dagger with a long banner declaring 'REVENGE' winding around it on the outside on his forearm.

"Him among others," Shinji admitted. "A lot of others."

"I see."

-End

(:ii:)

-Author's notes. Oh my God! I live! No; seriously guys, sorry about the apparent miscommunication. I've been in Ft. Lee for what feels like forever. I could have sworn that I mentioned that. Well, I'm back now for a while.

Thanks for showing some love with the "What the fuck, Mister C?" e-mails. Although, it was rather intimidating to come home and find two hundred some e-mails awaiting me.