I don't own anything.
Intelligence
-Chapter Fifteen: When it all goes wrong
Shinji stared down at the sub-machinegun in his hand. He had never used an MP7 before, but he had seen them in action often enough to be impressed. "Not bad."
"Germany is one of the leading producers of military and civilian weapons," Manfred replied. "How did you get these?"
"A German direct action team," Shinji explained. "We were supposed to turn in everything we took, but I didn't."
"Well, aren't you the perfect subordinate?" Manfred commented. Shinji closed the trunk of his car and tucked the MP7 into its holster under his jacket. The Mk. 23 was riding in the small of his back this time. "So, what is this code twelve?"
"Emergency measures," Shinji stated as he climbed into the car. Manfred climbed into the driver seat and started the sedan's V6. "Nobody in the ISDF likes us, so we've kind of been expecting an attack."
"An attack from your own people?" Manfred asked.
"You Europeans are a bad influence," Shinji stated. "We know that we'd make perfect scapegoats, only, most of us have already been fucked over. We know how things work, so the ISDF isn't going to catch us by surprise."
"Can you fight them?" Manfred asked.
"Sure."
"Can you win?"
"Define win."
"Beat them and live," Manfred stated.
"No chance, but we can certainly kill a lot of them."
"You're Black, aren't you?" Shinji glanced at the German out of corner of his eye. "Wait, don't tell me. You have no idea what I'm talking about."
"Not a clue," Shinji replied. "If I did, do you think it's that obvious?"
"Other than your lack of regard for collateral damage and your love of the burnt earth policy, nope."
"Nobody likes a smart ass."
(:ii:)
Rei glanced up as her office door opened and her superior officer walked in. "You've been gone a while, ma'am," she commented.
"Shinji had something important to talk to me about," Misato stated. Rei glanced at her watch. "What?"
"Your lunch break has been over for two hours, ma'am." Misato frowned.
"What are you, my secretary?"
"No and on that topic, your secretary quit."
"Another one?"
"Maybe you shouldn't insist that they used your system of organization," Rei commented.
"What's wrong with my system of organization?" Misato demanded.
"Nothing," Rei replied. Some arguments just weren't worth having. She glanced back at Kimi. "He doesn't spend much time with her."
"He's working right now," Misato stated.
"Still, he should try to spend time with her."
"He does the best he can," Misato stated.
"It worries me how she could see his absence as so normal." Kimi turned to them.
"Do you know when dad's getting back?"
"Sometime tonight," Misato replied. Kimi nodded and turned back to her game.
"You shouldn't lie to her," Rei stated.
"I'm not," Misato protested. "Shinji's assignment is over for now. He has some time before his next one so he's going to stay here for a while."
"Where is he then?"
"He's just out meeting some friends," Misato stated.
(:ii:)
Shinji pushed the door to the bar open and smiled as he spotted his old friend. "Evening, Shinji."
"Evening," Shinji returned. "Get your stuff back?"
"Oh yeah," Naota stated. "Dan got in a bit of a scrap with that HQ dickhead, though." Shinji glanced at the younger man and he grinned.
"No problem at all," Dan stated, popping his knuckles. "They aren't very strong, are they?"
"They're pencil pushers," Shinji stated as he sat. "Have you to heard from Kita, yet?"
"Yeah," Naota replied. "He didn't want to explain everything over the phone. What's up?"
"We're getting ready for a code twelve," Shinji stated. Naota's face paled.
"I'm too old for this shit."
"Come on," Shinji replied. "This won't be so bad. They'd have to stretch their forces all over Japan to chase all of us."
"There are two teams in this city," Naota stated. "You're Kita's best field officer. They'll come here first." Shinji scratched his chin as he considered this.
"Good point. You two want to go?"
"Might as well stick around here," Naota replied. "The safest place in a firefight is behind you."
"Unless I get my hands on something with major back blast," Shinji replied. Naota looked at his watch and rose to his feet.
"I want to get to the apartment and run an inventory," he stated. "We might be here for a while and we might have to engage in a bigger fight than we anticipated."
"Alright," Shinji replied. "Be careful. You don't want to miss the party."
"Your party," Naota replied. He turned and led Dan to the front door. Shinji watch it close and cursed.
"I forgot to ask him if he wanted a MP7," Shinji climbed to his feet and ran to the door. "Hey Naota!"
"Yeah?" the man asked, pausing with his door open.
"You want an MP7?" Shinji asked. Then Dan started the car and everything turned into a fireball.
(:ii:)
"How's it going?" Misato asked as she pulled out three sodas from the fridge.
"Its good," Asuka called from the bathroom. "I just finished lightening her hair."
"This I've got to see." Misato set down the sodas and made her way to the bathroom. Kimi sat on the toilet with a towel around her shoulders. "Oh my."
"Why did you have to bleach my hair?" Kimi whined.
"Its not bleach," Asuka explained. "It's hard to dye bleach hair because it destroys the part of the hair that holds color. I think."
"You think?" Misato asked.
"Well, I've never dyed my hair." Misato did not like the younger woman's tone. "This just preps the hair by lightening the color to make the dye more vivid. Did you grab the soda?"
"Its out on the table," Misato replied. Asuka peeled off her gloves and threw them in the garbage bin.
"Thanks."
(:ii:)
Asuka picked up her soda and popped the top. This was actually kind of fun. She had always wondered what it would be like to have a younger sister. "How long before you dye her hair red?"
"The prep stuff is still working," Asuka replied. She took a drink. "Trust me."
"As far as I can throw you," Misato replied cheerfully. Asuka put down her soda and considered that response. It could be a flippant comment, or she could know something. Asuka pondered this until the front door burst open and men in black SWAT gear stormed into the room.
"Don't move!" one of them yelled in Russian-accent Japanese. Asuka glanced at the suppressed assault rifle in his hands and decided not to move.
"What's wrong?" Asuka saw the muzzle sway as the men turned to look at Misato. "Oh my God!"
"Don't. . ." Asuka drew the tiny subcompact 9mm from her waistband and fired before he could finish. The twin 9mm hollow points hit his chest dead center and the man stumbled back, but didn't go down. Asuka was diving for cover as he turned. She hit the floor behind the couch and rolled into a kneeling position.
She peaked over the back of the couch in time to hear a much louder gunshot. The round impacted the left side of the leader's helmet and tore through it with only the barest vibration. Blood poured down his head onto his shoulders. He toppled to his knees and fell flat of his face.
"Asuka!"
"What?" Asuka shouted. She swung her pistol up and fired again, aiming at their faces. Her first target caught two rounds in the face, just below his helmet.
"Get to my bedroom!" Misato screamed. "Behind my dresser." Asuka sprang to her feet and retreated towards the aforementioned room while Misato distracted the team. Whatever she had was making the heavily armed and armored men dive for cover.
Asuka kicked the door open and cursed as she nearly tripped over a skateboard lying on the ground. She grabbed the dressed and ripped it away from the wall. "Holy shit." She snatched up the assault rifle and pulled the charging handle back a little. She saw the gleam of a brass case and let the bolt carrier slam forward again. She smacked the forward assist and thumbed the safety.
Asuka pivoted back into the living room. The men had taken cover to hide from Misato, but not from Asuka. She raised the rifle and fired. Not even considered conserving her ammo or the possibility collateral damage, she lay on the trigger and felt the weapon thrum to life. The soldiers didn't stand a chance.
"Cease fire!" Asuka's finger jerked off the trigger more out of a deep rooted instinct than understanding. Misato came into view with a tiny black pistol in her hand. Asuka stepped into the room as well. She stared at one man whose arm had been torn off.
"What the hell were you shooting?"
"Something Shinji gave me," Misato replied shakily. Asuka noticed a soft sobbing in the background.
"Kimi. . ."
"She's terrified, but she's fine," Misato replied. "We're leaving."
"What?"
"Shinji made me promise to leave if something happened," Misato stated.
"He knew something was happening?" Asuka demanded.
"He was worried," Misato admitted. "He set up a plan."
"Sounds like him," Asuka commented. She looked at the men. Two out of twelve were still breathing. She turned back to Misato. "Are you okay? You seem pretty calm."
"I'm a soldier," Misato stated. "For now I'm pushing away emotions for cold, calm thinking."
"Good," Asuka replied. She walked into Shinji's room and pulled his bug out bag out of the bed. She found it attached the webbing on the pack's hip support belt. She opened the little pouch and pulled out the Gerber multi-tool inside.
"What are you doing?" Misato asked.
"I'm getting answers," Asuka stated as she pushed the bag back under the bed and walked out of the room. "Get Kimi and leave."
"What are you going to do?" Misato asked. Asuka flicked her wrist so the pliers slid into place and looked at the two survivors to see who was more conscious.
"You don't want to know," she stated. She had seen interrogations, hell, she had been given classes on it. Was she really going to do this? "Just go."
(:ii:)
Shinji jerked awake and looked around the inside of the car, feeling for his weapons as he did. "Relax." Shinji looked to his right and saw Manfred behind the wheel.
"What happened?"
"Naota's car was booby trapped," Manfred stated, sounding fuzzy and distant. "They're both gone." Shinji reached up and felt bandages covering his face.
"I feel kind of good."
"Good," Manfred replied. "I wasn't sure exactly how much of that stuff to shoot you up with, but I guess I used enough."
"Stuff?" Shinji asked.
"I got rid of the bomb on our car and found your first aid kit," Manfred stated. "I patched you up as best I could. Looks like it was my turn to give you permanent damage."
"Permanent damage?" Shinji asked. Manfred sighed.
"You're right eye is fucked," he stated flatly. "I don't know what trained paramedics could have done, but we needed to get out of there. You caught light frag in the face and some heavier frag in the right shoulder. There was blood coming from your right ear, but your pupils aren't dilated, so I think it's a shattered eardrum. You must have had something between you and the bomb."
"I think there was a mailbox," Shinji replied as his fingers explored the bandages on his shoulder. It was a sloppy job, but showed good knowledge.
"What are we going to do now?"
"Use a lifeline," Shinji replied as he dug out his cell phone. His first call was Misato's apartment.
"Hello?"
"Asuka?"
"Yeah," the German replied. "Are you okay?"
"Not really, why?" Shinji asked with a growing sense of dread.
"We were attacked," Asuka stated. "Russian mercenaries. Misato grabbed Kimi and she's gone. She said something about a plan you had." Shinji sank back in his seat, feeling relief, or possibly the drugs, wash over him and set him more at ease.
"Is everyone okay?"
"We are, they aren't," Asuka stated flatly. "I tried to question them, but they didn't know who hired them. I was trying to get the name of their company, but I think I pushed them too hard. What happened to you?"
"I got blown up," Shinji replied.
"Oh my god."
"I'm fine," Shinji stated. "I just got a little banged up. Get to NERV. You should be safe there, even at this time of night they have a good security system set up."
"Alright."
"Contact your embassy and get out of country," Shinji added. "Something's going down and you don't want to be in the middle of it."
"Okay." Shinji stated to reach for the end call button, "Shinji?"
"Yeah?"
"Take care of yourself."
"I always do." Shinji pushed the button. He brought the phone down and punched in a second number. Now that the personal business was out of the way, it was time to find out what he should do.
(:ii:)
Nagao jerked as his phone began to vibrate wildly. He pulled it out and flicked it open. "Kita."
"I got blown up."
"Ah." Nagao considered this carefully. "How many pieces are you in?"
"Still just one," Shinji replied. Nagao pushed the button on his desk and Nanasawa peeked his head into the office.
"Get somebody to meet Ikari," Nagao ordered. "He needs to be brought it."
"Yes, sir," Nanasawa replied.
"What happened?"
"Somebody hooked a bomb into Naota and Dan's car."
"Are they. . ."
"Yeah." Nagao leaned back in his seat and began to feel his age, not a good thing. "Somebody tried to go after my daughter."
"Is she okay?"
"She's fine," Shinji replied. "I wouldn't leave her with someone who couldn't handle tough situations." Nanasawa reappeared.
"The armory officer is still down there, sir," he explained. "He says to tell Ikari to meet him at the last place they saw each other." Nagao nodded.
"Your buddy from the armory is waiting for you at the last place you met," he repeated. "He'll bring you in."
"Do you think coming in is the right idea?" Shinji asked.
"I don't know," Nagao replied. "You're hurt. Ask your buddy to get you to a hospital, but stay off the drugs and keep your guns."
"Roger." Nagao flipped his phone shut and stood up. He needed to get some sleep. He hadn't slept in days and things were starting to go a little strange on him. He had spent days on the battlefield going and going on adrenaline alone. Behind a desk it wasn't nearly that easy.
"I'm going home.
"Get some rest, sir," Nanasawa replied. Nagao nodded and made his way down the hall to the elevator. He took it to the sub-basement's parking garage and started for his car.
"Mister Kita?" Nagao turned and saw two men in black suits. One of them was going for a gun. It was laughably clumsy, only the gun coming up towards his face made it a whole lot less funny. Nagao decided it was time to use his ace in the hole. The two men stared at the grenade in his hand and then at the pin falling to the ground. Their hesitation gave Nagao just enough time to pull his pistol and fire.
"Well," Nagao began as he stared at the corpses, "I hope they didn't pay you two too much." He carefully wedged the pin back in place and pulled out his cell phone. He stuck the grenade back in his coat and punched in Nanasawa's number.
"Sir?"
"Two idiots just tried to kill me in the parking lot," Nagao stated. The lights flickered. "Oh shit." The lights snapped off. Than a klaxon began to wail.
"All personnel, this is a code twelve situation! All personnel, this is a code twelve situation!"
"Did you sound the alarms?" Naota asked.
"Yes sir," Nanasawa replied. Then static filled the phone as someone began scrambling the signals. Nagao cursed. He needed to get back to his office and warn his people!
(:ii:)
"Here we are." Shinji climbed slowly out of the car and looked around the shipyard. The drugs were starting to fade and his whole body hurt. "Where's your friend?"
"Over here!" Shinji turned and saw Kensuke waving at him as he walked towards them. "You look like hamburger."
"Thanks," Shinji replied.
"Where's Takeo?"
"He's dead," Shinji replied. He leaned back against the car. "Did you get a standard operating procedure for this with drawl?"
"Yeah," Kensuke replied as he kneeled by the car's rear wheel and opened the case he was carrying. "We'll rig a bomb to the car and get out."
"Why blow up the car?"
"We're traveling light," Kensuke stated. "We aren't bringing all the weapons, so we're going to blow them up so no one else can have them."
"This is why government agencies are always in debt," Shinji grumbled.
"No kidding," Manfred stated. Shinji phone vibrated and he fished it out. The front screen showed Nagao's number. He flipped it open. Instead of a call it was a text message. Shinji stared at the message barely long enough to comprehend it before he dropped the phone and went for his Mk. 23. There was a gunshot and Manfred tumbled to the ground.
The split second difficulty Shinji had in drawing his Mk. 23 with his left hand bought him a slug in the chest as he pivoted towards Kensuke. The good news was; the slug wasn't blended metal. The bad news was; it was still a bullet and knocked Shinji on his ass. He landed hard and he back slammed into the side of the car. "You fucker."
"You don't understand," Kensuke replied with his twitchy smile. "They said I could be a field officer if I proved I could kill you both."
"You just killed an unsuspecting man," Shinji stated. "That's. . ."
"You've done it!" Kensuke shrieked.
"As I was saying," Shinji hissed, fighting the black spots as the edge of his vision. "That's easy. Real officers can get close and stare a man in the eyes as they kill him."
"I can do that!" Kensuke stepped forward and pressed the muzzle of his suppressed pistol against Shinji's forehead. Shinji smirked. There was simply no way that human reflexes could react fast enough at that range. Shinji jerked his head to the left and Kensuke fired. The round bit into the car and Shinji was sure the gunshot would have deafened him if his right ear wasn't already deaf. Kensuke tried to follow Shinji, but it was too late. Shinji was on his feet, one hand blocking Kensuke's arm and the other driving a knife into his friend's chest. Shinji really only had the strength for the one strike. He fell back down as Kensuke grabbed for the knife, still buried to the hilt in his chest.
Shinji could see the panic in the man's eyes as blood course out of his mouth and down his chin. Shinji could hear air whistling out of Kensuke's punctured lung. It was fatal, but slow. If Kensuke managed to get his head back together, he might just finish the job. Shinji doubted it would happen. Apparently, so did someone else.
For the second time that night and approximately the fifth time in his life, everything turned into a massive fireball.
-End
(:ii:)
-Author's notes. Too much? I thought it might be for one chapter, but. . .well. . .I'm not too bright I guess. Maybe its just me thinking that. Maybe you'll like it.