Reborn
Chapter 1: Buried Memories
Leaving everything in his past behind him, he face the day ahead of him just like he faced them each day. Strange enough for him, flashbacks kept on haunting him day by day whenever he holds his weapons. He didn't know why, but every bit of those memories relates to what happened to him before he joined the ranks of the Agency's best and most vicious.
"Aim a little higher…" orders Mercutio towards his partner, Boris during training
"Remember: Potshot-Point and Shoot. So don't miss!"
Every time the gun flashes it reminds him of something. Every time he pulls the trigger, an unknown image appears in his head and somehow played with him. He didn't care at first; but the more he pulls the trigger, the clearer the image become.
"In the field, remember to always reload your weapon. NEVER reload your weapon in the open; whether there's cover fire from someone, or not."
"What if there's no solid cover?" he ask
"I suggest asking the person covering you to cover you while you retreat to a safe distance; or to a solid cover before you proceed."
Sadly, no one would actually be there to save him.
The agency somehow declares a strict rule for male and female agents to not be working together. They say it'll 'disrupt' the conditioning processes, and eventually causes either one of them to stop working for their handler; becoming independent agents. Boris works alone with his handler. Boris works alone forever. Boris has a past that is yet to be uncovered. Yet Boris is alien to his own past. Boris met only 3 female agents. Henrietta, Triela, and Petrushka; three of them met with their handlers. Yet those are not the one that will re-surface his entire past.
Nothing changes him during missions; except recent flashbacks of mysterious images whenever he saw the blood red color of his victims; especially when he/she was assassinated in a hotel. The feeling of buttoning the hotel porter's uniform, to placing the rectangular shaped hat on him feels familiar to him; very familiar.
"I've requested grenades as part of your standard issue equipments." Said Mercutio "…know how to use em'?"
"Yes sir. Pull the pin, and throw." Mercutio chuckles and shook his head
"That's not the only way, kid. Victims would run for cover when they notice a grenade landed nearby; unless you 'cook' them to explode on impact."
"Then…what's wrong with that, sir?"
"Grenades aren't just for 'pull and throw', kid. They can act as a canister."
"Canister…?"
"Watch." Mercutio tags one of the Mk1 Frag and throws them towards the range. Switching to his pistol fast, he takes aim and fires a single round towards the falling object; obliterating it in midair, sending fragmentation showers towards the target below and/or around the explosion.
"It takes practice, kid. Remember: This is very dangerous if applied in a nearby target as you will hurt yourself from the flying shards. Use it on medium, to long range distances. Pistols works best to destroy the grenade as you can switch it fast. Now, aiming it requires practice. Just be sure to be in good cover when you do that kid; or else it's either the grenade, or the enemy who would zap you."
The back alleys became one of his favorite spots when he's outside the agency. The silence that envelope him brings back faint images of a pleasant conversations between a boy and a girl. The girl carries an AMATI instrument case and is very quite. As for the boy, he talks a lot about whatever things he had in his head. He seemed to know the girl, but he couldn't remember. The boy too, seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember who the boy is. 'Could it be…?' he once asked himself; but shook his head as it is seemingly impossible for the boy to be him.
"Listen kid. I've given you a selection of U.S Marines' standard weapons for your missions ahead. Weapon effectiveness differs with its round, and barrel length." he stop and point at one of the displayed weapons
"The MP5 is a submachine gun. It offers fast fire rate, and a medium to short range. It uses 9mm Parabellum rounds, so you need to rely on the range and fire rate to take down foe as submachine guns are almost rendered 'useless' from medium to long range. A magazine holds 30 rounds of 9mm." Again he stops and move towards the next
"The M16A2 rifle is an assault rifle. It offers a medium to fast fire rate, and is capable of long range shots up to 3600 m; but is mostly effective in 550 m. It uses 5.56 x 45 rounds, so don't question this weapon's capabilities. Fire in short, three shots burst to maintain recoil and accuracy kid. It uses 30 round magazines." He continue his explanation towards the next weapon
"The M4 Carbine is a compact assault rifle. It offers a fast fire rate, but a medium to short range. More likely, this is the shortened version of the M16 rifle, so this uses the same round as the M16. Don't get too excited with this one kid; the range doesn't differ from the M16 at 300 m. But at 500 m…you'll see for yourself, kid. The shortened barrel became its drawback at range. Just like the M16, it uses 30 round magazines." Once again, he move to the next weapon in display
"This is your secondary weapon kid. The M92F Beretta is an Italian made handgun made famous and has became a favorite weapon for the U.S Marines. It replaces the M1911, and uses 9mm Parabellum rounds. It has 15 rounds in each magazine, so count your shots! You'll be using this often during assassinations or escort missions due to its small size which makes it easy for concealment. Of course, it has a short to medium range that comes along with it." He move to the last weapon in display, concluding his training.
"Here's the all-time favorite, kid. The M1911A1 pistol is a pure U.S made handgun, more known as the .45 pistol. Just like its name, it uses .45-in rounds. The .45 has an all-round excellent stopping power; better than the Beretta's 9mm. It is still a deadly weapon to the end. This can be your alternative weapon, replacing the M92F; but take note that the magazine holds 7 rounds, so you really have to count your shots kid. This has a short to medium range as well, so it's good for finishing victims left alive in your missions." He finishes his speech, taking a deep breath and a look at his partner
"Now remember kid. Everything has a weak point; you just need to find out where! For us, humans, always aim at the head. One shot at the temple kills your victim instantly. As for you cyborg, watch your eyes. It's your weak point, so keep it guarded at all cost! The neck is also a good point that let your victim die a slow, painful death of suffocation. Also, when in the field, ammunition is scarce; very scarce and can be considered non-existent, so conserve your ammo by giving one-shot kills to your victims. This works with all weapons kid. Lastly, whatever's happening around you, always keep your eyes on the target! Because diverting your attention once from your victim could cause your life! Any questions so far?"
"Sir…" Boris start "The weapon one of the girls's using; the M1897…"
"Kid, that weapon is an outdated shotgun. Don't even mention it. It replaces its range for powerful one-shot kills. You'll need to pump every one shot, giving it a very slow fire rate. The weapon is deadly at close range. I recommend staying away from its blast range to avoid getting yourself killed. Remember this when you're facing an opponent equipped with a shotgun…unless you're in a tight corridor, might as well you shot him first; or pray that you're still breathing." He sighs for a second
"Lastly, there's the sniper rifle. I had the feeling you're gonna' ask this question sooner or later. The sniper rifle is a weapon especially made for long distance shots. It is equipped with a variety of long-range scopes to assist your aim. There are two types of sniper rifles: One that has semi-automatic capabilities, and the other a bolt-action required. The bolt-action type is far more powerful than the semi-automatic, but has a slow fire rate. Its shots must count as a one-shot kill. The semi-automatic one, however, has a medium fire rate. Its semi-automatic capabilities can make sure you hit your victim for the 2nd time if you didn't manage to kill him or her with your first shot. Rico uses the SVD Dragunov as her main weapon."
"…Rico…" Boris pause for a second
"Something wrong kid?"
"No sir. The name is just…somewhat…familiar."
"Really? Well, she's…"
"It's a she…?"
"…I thought you met her…?"
Boris hasn't met her…yet. Her name rings in his head for a couple of times that day. But whatever effort he takes to remember where he had heard her name is vain. Heck, he couldn't even remember his own past-name! But little did he, and/or the Agency knew that when Boris finally met this specific female agent and regain all his lost memories…
…It will be the end of the Social Welfare Agency.
Author's Note:
CRAP! I didn't notice there's another similar title to this one! (Col. Marksman's Rebirth). Ok, this has happened once back when I'm still writing Reason to Live. Apologies Colonel! salutes
Anyways, changed the title to Reborn (since I think it fits more now after looking at the dictionary). Now that 1st chapter I done, I think there's still 2-3 more chapter to go before it could link the 'Bittersweet Revenge'. So here's the 1st chapter! Leave a review (or flames) if you feel like it! Enjoy ;)