So, yeah… it's not as long as usual, sadly, but it took me long enough to get this written as is. I rewrote this shit like 7 times before it finally went in a direction I'm sorta satisfied with. See, I write in a way where I make shit up as I go, which causes me to sometimes write myself into a corner. Also, it takes me a lot of writing and rewriting before something is halfway worthy of being called a chapter. This combined with college, my lack of motivation for it and general student life have rarely given me time/ the drive to write. It's a filler, but I promise I will try to make the next one so action packed y'all shit yourselves.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this thing I wrote and have an awesome day/night. And remember: in space, nobody can hear you scream!
Also, review, favorite, follow and all that stuff.
~Chapter 6 ~
~Till Death Do Us Part 2~
Grimm looked at the large sign above the doors to the hospital. St. Thomas' Hospital… yeah, that's the right place. He quickly stepped aside as two paramedics rushed past him, a stretcher with a young pregnant woman on top of it in between them. He was almost bowled over by the father to be, but luckily, he fazed right through him. Grimm hated having to work during Christmas, but, as they say; Death stops for no one. Not like he had any people to celebrate it with, anyway.
He sighed and followed the paramedics inside, walking to a map on the wall and producing an agenda from his sleeve. He leafed through it until he found the person he was looking for: Alice Green, St. Thomas' Hospital, second floor, room… 18 B, 12:38 hours. Alrighty then.
Creator, did he hate hospitals. He spent way too much time in them for his liking. He missed the middle ages, when there weren't any hospitals around and he could just go door-to-door. Then again there'd been a lot of work with all the plague and war… Yeah, now that he'd thought about it, present time was way better.
The elevator ride up was uneventful. Death incarnate quickly stepped out and started looking for the right room, which took him a little longer than absolutely necessary, as he couldn't simply ask a nurse for directions. He met one of his copies, though, who showed him the way (the other robed skeleton was done with his shift).
He could hear screams coming from the room and looked at his pocket watch. 12:35, I'm three minutes early. Oh well, it happens. He fazed through the door to see a bed surrounded by doctor and nurses and… the father to be. Oh, motherfucking shitstained fucking Creator on a fucking unicycle! I thought I'd told the Overseer I didn't want these appointments anymore!
If he'd had any flesh, his knuckles would have turned white as he clenched his scythe. A minute passed as he saw the energy slowly leaving the woman. Two more minutes isn't enough for her to give birth. He knew he couldn't save her, but he wasn't here to take them both away. He quickly grabbed his agenda and looked beneath Alice's name: Unnamed child, second floor, room 18 B, 12:38, 25-12-2016 hours. "FUCK!" he yelled in anger.
Apparently, he was… But could he… he couldn't, could he? Maybe, just maybe he could save the child. He quickly procured a pen and did something that in his millennia of existence, he'd never done before. He broke the rules.
Alice Green, St. Thomas Hospital, second floor, room 18 B, 12:45 hours, 25-12-2016. 10 minutes should do it.
The ten minutes slowly ticked by as the Soul Gatherer anxiously looked at his pocket watch. The screams only got worse and worse before they finally stopped, to be replaced with the wail of a new-born baby.
Still holding the old leather-bound agenda, Grimm looked to see that the "unnamed child" had disappeared from the page, no doubt it would reappear somewhere in the future. He shook his head and slowly walked over to the side of the bed, where Alice was holding her child with a peaceful, tired smile gracing her lips.
She closed her eyes and her head started slumping. Another look at the pocket watch told Grimm all he needed to know. A quarter to one. Time for her to go.
The bright orb leaving her body floated to the side of the bed, where it transformed into the mirror image of the corpse on the bed. She looked around like a startled deer before confusion set on her face. "Who- who are you? What's going on?"
Reaper put a hand on her back, guiding her to the door, "Let's go outside, shall we? It's awfully depressing here." Before the soul could utter a word, the Gatherer had teleported them both to a nearby park and sat her down on a bench.
"Wh- What's happening? Who are you?!" she looked slightly panicked. Oh well, the two-meter tall skeleton shrugged, I might as well.
"You, my dear Alice, are dead." He raised a bony hand to stop her from saying anything, "However, I can't bring you to the afterlife. There's been some… complications, caused by me breaking a rule or fifty trying to save your son."
The woman looked baffled, "You saved my baby? B-but you're Death!"
"No, I'm not Death, I'm the Reaper. I only help people who've died get to the afterlife. I swear, fucking myths giving me a bad rep. And no, I'm not heartless. Well, I am, but figuratively I'm not."
She only looked more confused at that. "B-but my baby- "
"Listen, I put my non-existent ass on the line for you to save the little stool factory," Alice suddenly seemed to grasp what was happening and, out of nowhere, hugged the two-meter-tall skeleton. "Yeah, yeah, enough of that already." He removed Alice (or her soul, anyway) from the hug and sighed.
"Now, since I cannot bring you to the afterlife or the recycler, I am going to have to do something I had hoped I did not have to do for quite some time."
She looked up at him, fear in her eyes, "W-what are you going to do?"
"I…" he sighed, "I am going to have to call in a favour."
I shook my head as the elevator doors opened. What am I even doing? I asked myself. I had picked up some random Asari from the lobby, why? Because I found her interesting? Was it something else that pushed me to do it?
My question was answered when the jovial tone of the Interdimensional Deity - Overseer, I quickly reminded myself - greeted me. He was sitting, legs crossed and laid back in one of the uncomfortable designer chairs.
"Mr. Bridger, how nice to see you again! And you brought a friend, I see." The completely forgettable face smiled. I glanced at the door of the closet in which I had locked up the Turian, "Don't worry, your… other friend is still very much unconscious."
I motioned the Asari to take a seat as I took off my jacket, throwing it over one of the chairs. "So, Overseer, what can I do for you today? There's hardly anything you'd have to be here in person for that you couldn't let Threes or me do, right? And shouldn't you be worried she's here?"
He chuckled, "Au contraire, mon ami! I am here because of her, actually. See, I owed a friend of mine a favor in exchange for your life. He got in a bit of a jiffy with the rules, so he decided to cash it in." He was hiding something… Or at least not telling me something.
"So, why's she so special?" I shot a look at the blue space lady. Now, I am no expert on Asari in any way, but she looked rather young. A maiden, I think they called it.
"Why, because she's dead of course!" I shot him an incredulous look, "Listen, all you need to know is that she's from your world and I need her to not die in the first few days that she's here. Say hi to your new roommate; Alice. Oh, and do help her integrate a bit, will you? I'm sure Silent Traveler can forge some documents and create a backstory for her."
My brow raised and eyes widened. "You've got to be fucking kiddin' me, right?! I don't have time to babysit! Let alone help her-"
"Mr. Bridger,"
"-fucking "integrate"! I'm a goddamn intergalactic-"
"Mr. Bridger,"
"-assassin, I have shit to do, people to-"
"MR. BRIDGER!" The Overseer's voice thundered, "you can and you will do what I ask you to do in this case. I have provided you with a new life, equipped you for it, hell, I even came down here to tell you this personally. So stop being childish and accept this responsibility!"
"Fine," I bit back before sending a glare at the interdimensional being, "I'll make sure she doesn't die, but if you don't mind, I've got a certain Turian to interrogate." I stood up and looked at the… what was she, actually? Asari? Human? Whatever.
I looked at Alice and sighed, "Threes will get you situated. Don't bother me for…" I looked at the clock on my omni-tool "Half an hour to an hour from now, depending on how cooperative Mr. Proditor is." With that I left the Overseer and the dead girl in the living room to go attend to my guest.
"Do keep the volume down, Mr. Bridger. The walls are thick, but not that thick." I simply flipped him the bird as I disappeared around the corner.
Now, I will spare you the gory details, but you can be sure that he didn't crack easily. It took quite a bit of convincing for him to give up the information, but after a bit of plate cracking, sand rubbing, talon breaking, fringe pulling and threatening to break off his spurs, I finally got the information I was looking for.
The question was; how to act on it. I could hardly do it by myself. I mean, I'm good, but I'm not that good. I needed reinforcements. Of the not-quite-criminal kind, to be precise.
That was what brought me to this shady bar in Nos Astra, waiting for a contact I had Threes dig up for me. The Žandameria PMC was a perfectly legal private military company hailing from Eastern Europe- when you looked at the known activities, that is. It was actually one I had worked with in the past (in my own universe, I mean) when we went on less than legal missions with Hades.
It wasn't often that a PMC survived for so long, but Žandameria had somehow survived the creation the Systems Alliance and the first contact with the Turians on Shanxi. It was a purely human company, most of their operatives coming from Eastern Europe or Russia (or colonies mostly populated by people of those ethnicities) and (legally) specialised in protection and security consultancy contracts.
It wasn't the legal side I was interested in, though. No, if that were the case, I wouldn't be waiting for someone to meet me in a shady bar. The part of Žandameria I was trying to hire was the SPARTA Unit; some of their best field operatives, I had been told. Also, the unit technically didn't exist, but with a super AI by your side, everything is possible.
"You must be Hades," A Russian-accented voice said to my right. I nodded, motioning for him to sit down across from me in the booth. He extended his hand for a shake, and after a short hesitation, shook it. He looked about middle aged, although I couldn't tell very easily, as he had quite a few scars.
"That I am." I wasn't wearing my armour, but it didn't matter much. After all, being from another universe brought the perk of not existing with it.
"A little ptica told me you were looking to hire some Spartans to hit some Four-eyes, am I correct?" he said in a conspiratorial tone.
"Yes, that would be correct." I answered.
"Wonderful! Call me Felix, by the way, I forgot to introduce myself." He smiled widely, wrinkles and scars folding into a pleasant mask which I was sure he practiced often.
"Alright, Felix," I tested the name on my tongue, "I assume your team is ready for this contract?"
The man laughed merrily, "Oh my, most certainly, although it isn't my team, per say. I simply represent the company." he turned serious, "Now, to business. You have the payment?"
I opened my omni-tool and transferred half of the credits to the designated account, "Half up front, as agreed upon earlier." Felix nodded and smiled, "Also, there will be a significant bonus if all the cargo remains intact."
"Of course, Mr. Hades. Pleasure doing business with you." He stood up and we shook hands before he left the bar. I finished my drink and went back to the penthouse. Tomorrow I would meet with SPARTA Unit to discuss the plan and then I could finally round up something I had wanted to do since the start of me coming here.
[Searching STG databanks…]
[File found, access denied.]
[********* security override code accepted]
[Access granted]
Žandameria PMC
Founded: 4 May, 1995
Type: military combatant company/military consultancy firm*
Notable contracts (current):
- several trainers in the Alliance Marine bootcamps/special forces [Systems Alliance Military]
- providing bodyguard services for multiple rich individuals including but not limited to Owen Garett, Maila Becker and Christof Johansson
- providing security services to several compounds, warehouses, factories and R&D labs owned by Hahne-Kedar
- providing security services to freighters belonging to VolkerWessels Mining&Construction CO.
- providing security services to the independent colony of New Lyons in the Turminus Systems
Current manpower (not counting black-ops): 7,432
Combat-trained Contractors: 6,740
Miscellaneous personnel: 708
Motorpool:
-126 M35 Mako APCs
-53 Supply vehicles
-31 UT-47 Kodiak Drop Shuttles
-7 A-61 Mantis Gunships
Shipyard:
-1 Medium retrofitted and upgraded freighter
-2 Small retrofitted and upgraded freighters
The services and expertise offered by Žandarmeria are typically similar to those of governmental security, military or police forces, most often on a smaller scale. While PMCs often provide services to train or supplement official armed forces in service of governments, they can also be employed by private companies to provide bodyguards for key staff or protection of company premises, especially in hostile territories. The PMC first appeared in an official conflict during the Second Chechen War, and has existed ever since.
SPARTA**(СПАРТА) as described by Žandameria CEO Leonid Tarkov:
"A unit composed by the most battle efficient and f*cked up "security contractors" employed by the Žandameria PMC… The unit has a history of operating in The Second Chechen War, The War of Dagestan, the whole business in the Middle East and even Shanxi and the Terminus."
Sparta Unit's Members***:
-Artyom [REDACTED] (Leader)
-Vladimir [REDACTED] (Demolitions expert)
-Ivan [REDACTED] (CQC)
-Pyotr [REDACTED] (Support)
-Pavel [REDACTED] (Engineer)
-Eric [REDACTED] (Marksman)
-Khan [REDACTED] (?)
-Syga [REDACTED] (Linguist)
-Vadim [REDACTED] (Rifleman)
*provides combat ready contractors for field work and personal security, as well as training and advisory services.
**The SPARTA Unit has been deemed useful as an alternative to sending our own operatives in for wet work. Therefore, all actions to be taken against SPARTA Unit must be cleared by authorities of clearance level 12 or higher.
***Current SPARTA roster is not up to date and is under revision. Further information on SPARTA members can be found in the attached files.
[Closing file…]
