"Alright guys, come on, up you get," Jason Ryan stood in the doorway of the den with his hands on his hips, looking into the room. Gloria was curled up on the sofa, a controller in her hands as she focused on shooting zombies down with a virtual rifle. Steve was in the kitchen with a white apron that looked absurd on his massive frame reading 'Don't poke the Rhino-Chef-eros' cutting up some vegetables. Erwin was sitting in the corner of the den on a cushioned chair with a lamp over him, lighting up the current murder mystery novel he was reading. Jason looked at each of them in turn. "Or just don't budge at all. Come on guys, I want to introduce you to someone. C'mon in, I didn't take you for the nervous type."
Gareth Griffiths walked into the room, clutching his rifle to his chest as if it were a teddy bear. He did not look particularly nervous, but was clearly fidgeting, glancing at each of the people in the room. "I'm not nervous," he said. "…Just wary."
"Don't be wary," Jason smiled. "And you can put that down, you know?"
"I'll keep hold of it for now," Gareth said, clutching the rifle tighter.
"So guys, this is Gareth Griffiths. You may have heard of him, and how he helped us during the raid. He is going to be the fifth member of our squad. C'mon, up and say hello." Jason beckoned for the others to come over.
Steve was first, wiping his hands on his apron before offering it to Gareth. "Hey. Name's Steve. Happy to meet you. Heard all about your shooting during the raid. Hell of a job, saved a lot of our lives."
Gareth gripped the hand and hesitantly shook it. "Happy to help…"
"Yeah, not too bad for a mercenary," Gloria paused her game and hopped over the sofa. She offered her hand as well. "Gloria. It's good to have a fresh face. Haven't had once since this guy's ugly mug came into our lives." Gloria smirked at Jason.
"I wouldn't call myself ugly…" Jason stroked his chin. "Maybe I should bring back the stubble, give me a bit of an edge?"
Gareth shook Gloria's hand as well. "Hello."
"Ah, c'mon man, don't be so stiff. Grab a controller in a sec, come blow some zombie's brains out."
"What?" Gareth narrowed his eyes.
"Ah, it's not like they're the real things anymore. All virtual. Besides, seeing them on the screen like after what we've all been through makes me laugh." Gloria chuckled and leaned on the back of the sofa.
"Erwin Beck," Erwin's handshake was the firmest of them all. "Brilliant work out there, soldier. I can see why they fast-tracked you through to us. We're in need of arms, and why put you through what you clearly do not need?"
The three soldiers all looked at Gareth and Gareth looked back at them. "This… This isn't what I expected when she put me here."
"What were you expecting?" Jason asked, meandering over to the kitchen and grabbing a slice of mushroom, popping it into his mouth. Steve slapped his arm. "Ow."
"…I was expecting… I dunno, bunkbeds? Lockers? Military stuff. This is… This is…"
"This is just like before," Gloria said. "Not just before the Apocalypse, but before we were soldiers. It is important for us to unwind. To remind ourselves that there are humans behind the badge."
"It's a place to relax, play games, cook, read books, find yourself a hobby that doesn't include killing people," Steve said. "A place to be the person behind the codename."
"Because outside of this room, we are soldiers of the Department of Human Protection," Erwin said stoically. Unlike Gloria and Steve, who were wearing relaxed smiles, Erwin's face was stern.
"Trust me, he is having fun in here, honest," Jason said, clapping Gareth on the back. "But we're not kidding. Rebuilding the world is a harsh job. It's a tough job. It's a stressful job. It will get back the way it was but it will take a lot of effort. So much has changed. We cannot hide the supernatural anymore. It's why we became public. Why we changed our name. And why we are happy to invite outsiders in, who we may not have before." Jason looked to Steve. "Grab us out some glasses, get the Glenfiddich out."
"Coming right up, boss!" Steve started fishing in the cupboards.
"Oh-ho, it is a special occasion," Gloria grinned.
"Okay," Jason clapped his hands together as Steve handed glasses over and started pouring from a dusty old bottle. Gareth hesitantly held his cup, holding his rifle with one arm. "So you know how it works, Gareth. We usually get to choose our own nicknames. I was once known as Quebec, although now my position has changed Jason is fine. Part of the transparency to 'humankind' as Lisa puts it. Takes some getting used to. But if you hear someone referring to Quebec, that's me." Jason pointed at Steve. "If the apron didn't give it away, this is Rhino."
"'Cause he can't help but be horny!" Gloria guffawed.
"Nice and mature Gloria," Steve rolled his eyes.
"And that is Wasp. Her fists might sting, but it's her words which will get ya," Jason smirked.
"And likes buzzing around like a nuisance," Steve retorted. Gloria slapped him playfully on the arm.
"And Erwin goes by the name Berlin," Jason said.
"What's the story behind that?" Gareth asked.
"I grew up in Berlin." Erwin said pointedly.
"…Fair." The drinks were all poured. Gareth finally put down his rifle on a nearby drawers, slipping his free hand into his pocket, the other holding the whiskey.
"Which means we need to christen you," Jason said. "Got a codename in mind?"
Gareth looked at the rifle on the drawers, already knowing his answer. "I'd like to go by Barrett."
"Figured you would," Jason said. "Well then, a toast! To new faces! To rebuilding the world! To Barrett!" The remaining four echoed the sentiment, and clinked their glasses together. "Welcome to the family!"
Through his sights with his well-trained eye, Gareth Griffiths focused in on that corner. The opportunity presented itself quicker than he realised when Conner Shepherd and Charlotte Hayes came tumbling behind the corner. While Gareth fully expected this to be a selfish action by Charlotte, he was happy for the assist. However he was surprised to see the two big hands reach out to try and grab the duo out of his line of sight. That just wouldn't do at all.
Gareth was pleased watching the bullet tear into Rhino's hand and he watched the big man recoil back behind the corner. He swung his rifle back towards Conner, took a second to take a breath, another second to aim, and fire directly at the point between Conner's eyes. What he hadn't expected was the glint of the knife right as he pulled the trigger. He watched the knife get shorn in two and the bullet going off-course into Conner's shoulder.
Frowning, Gareth aimed at Conner again as he scrambled to his feet. Conner leaped towards Charlotte and Gareth was forced to quickly turn his aim again, his bullet tearing right through Conner's left knee. It wasn't an instant death but it was at least a good wound. Had it been up to Gareth, he would have shot straight through Charlotte to get to Conner, but Irae was insistent on keeping Charlotte alive. He supposed Purgatory didn't want to set a standard of killing its own members. Charlotte and Conner both disappeared back behind the corner with only bright splashes of blood evidence of Gareth's shots.
Gareth stayed in his position, wondering what the plan was now. Would they try and leave the administration building elsewhere? They could try but every entrance other than the medical bay went directly into Gareth's sights. The entrance they were at now was the only one that at least gave them an opportunity to leave the doors, although they still had to round the corners. Gareth had them pinned down. He was pleased with the injuries to Conner Shepherd. That killer likely wouldn't survive long bleeding out like he was. All Gareth would have to do once he caught Penelope in his sights would be to go and check the body. Of course there was the clean-up for Rhino, Wasp, and Berlin as well. Knowing them as he did, Gareth expected that Wasp and Rhino were trying to formulate a plan against him from somewhere inside of the administrative building. They always were slow to plan without Jason's help. Taking out Jason proved effective in cutting whatever plans they had in two.
As Gareth mused on his former allies, he caught a glint at the corner and had already pulled the trigger out of pure instinct before he had truly registered that it was a pistol. His bullet tore the pistol straight out of the hand which whipped back behind the corner.
With the eleventh shot spent, Gareth automatically released the magazine of his rifle, reaching to his waist for another. Counting the bullets of his eleven shot rifle was nothing but pure instinct and muscle memory at this point and Gareth rarely had to think about it. With his hand on his waist and the magazine still in the air, Gareth suddenly heard the rush of footsteps.
He spun around on his knee with wide eyes and had reactions not been trained into him he would likely have frozen at the sight of Berlin and Wasp sprinting directly at him. Gareth desperately pulled free the magazine from his pocket while swinging his rifle up.
Wasp got there first before the barrel could even aim between her goggles and she jumped into the air, quick as her namesake, kicking the barrel of his rifle with her boot.
Gareth winced as the rifle wrenched his arm trying to force itself from his grip but he wasn't about to let go of his baby. With his other hand he went to throw a punch at Wasp, no hesitation for attacking his former ally. Wasp easily batted his hand away and twisted her body low before springing up to throw her entire weight into an uppercut right into Gareth's jaw.
Yeah, that's a bit more than a sting… Gareth took a step backwards, groggy with bright speckles flying in front of his eyes. …That's alright, let her have it, she got the upper hand. Get back on top of it Griffiths. Gareth's heel hit the edge of the building and he finally cleared the grogginess, intent on replying back in force to Wasp. Yet Wasp was not in front of him anymore.
Gareth had less than a second to comprehend the fact that Berlin was swinging an elbow directly at his nose, before it caught Gareth directly in the bridge. Hot pain flared up and dizziness engulfed him once again. He stepped backwards again – straight into open air. As he started to fall, Gareth had enough time to understand that he never had a hope fighting his allies fist-to-fist. He was the sharpshooter for a reason and had always been weak in training. Match that with Wasp, who was the fastest of them, and Berlin, who was the most trained off them, Gareth realised that any chance was just wishful thinking.
Berlin grabbed the scruff of Gareth's collar, stopping him from falling backwards. Fully expecting it was time for a conversation, Gareth smirked. "Hello, Be-"
Crunch! Gareth's eyes shot open in surprise as Berlin buried his fist into his already broken nose. He let out an yell of pain, still being held up by Berlin. Crunch! Gareth nearly lost consciousness as the nasal bones shattered under Berlin's fists. Berlin finally threw Gareth back on top of the rooftop where he bounced like a ragdoll, still holding his rifle with one hand. Gareth pulled the rifle into his chest, hugging it tightly, and started to laugh. He wasn't certain whether he was laughing out of pain or relief of the pain being halted, but either way his cackles echoed over the rooftop. Gareth managed to focus his vision on Berlin and his laughter stuck in his throat.
Berlin was a man who was highly respected within the soldiers of the DHP and was the perfect representation of what was expected of a soldier of the organization. Emotion cites weakness. Weakness can be exploited. It was a phrase coined by Berlin and had carried through the thousands of members since he had first been recruited. Berlin would occasionally show sparks of emotions and usually through his eyes, or perhaps a twitch of the eyebrows, or flinch of the lips.
The Berlin glaring at Gareth was not a Berlin he had ever seen before. It was a face of pure and utter rage, worse than any demon of the Apocalypse.
Berlin reached down and took the loaded magazine that had fallen from Gareth's grip and walked towards Gareth, his boots pounding on the rooftop. With his other hand he reached down and gripped the rifle that Gareth was still clutching to him. Gareth held on for dear life but was unable to fight the pull of Berlin. Berlin pulled the rifle into his own arms, slickly inserted the magazine, and stepped forward again. Gareth started to pull himself backwards towards the other end of the rooftop. Irae would be waiting with the getaway vehicle. He just had to—
Berlin stomped his boot on Gareth's chest, pinning him against the roof.
"…So that's that, huh?" Gareth asked, his thick Welsh accent disguised by his fractured nose. "We both know you're not gonna do anything. You want me alive. Right, Wasp?" Gareth looked over to Wasp who was standing with her arms crossed, her features as dark as her skin. He couldn't read her eyes past those yellow goggles.
Berlin placed the rifle underneath Gareth's throat, pressing it hard under the throat.
"…Erwin…"
"Why?" The word was simple and cold.
"…What matter is the truth?" Gareth asked.
"I want to hear it from your lips," Berlin said. "I want to hear why you betrayed us. Why you betrayed Jason. Why you murdered him." Berlin stared down at Gareth.
"…I always work for the highest bidder…" Gareth said. "…It's just how I live my life."
Berlin's expression faded from one of anger to one of pity. He cast the rifle aside and let it skitter across the rooftop. "Pathetic." Berlin shook his head. He reached down towards Gareth.
"What are you going to do now, Erwin?" Gareth asked.
In answer, Berlin grabbed Gareth's arm with both hands and sharply twisted, snapping the elbow joint in one smooth, brutal motion. Gareth yelled out loud, bloody spittle coming from his lips. With those same eyes of pity Berlin moved to the other side, grabbed Gareth's left arm, and wrenched it exactly the same way. With a pop the arm tore at the elbow. Gareth screamed in pain. Berlin grabbed him by the collar again and lifted him up. Gareth's arms hung awkwardly and loosely at his sides. "I am not going to kill you, Gareth. Not today."
"…You… You broke my bloody arms… You…" Gareth panted.
Erwin put his face in front of Gareth's. "I am disgusted by you, you cretin. Jason took you into our home. Made you one of us. I hope you chose the correct family, boy." Erwin pulled away and half-dragged, half-pushed Gareth to the edge of the rooftop looking out on the other side of Hearthome's fence. "It looks like your escape is here. You will be a message to this Purgatory of yours. Let them know that Erwin Beck declares war."
With that, Berlin dropped Gareth over the edge of the building where he landed with a harsh thump on the bonnet of a waiting jeep. Gareth bounced, his arms rubbery and loose, falling against the dirt. From the driver's seat of the jeep, a hulking figure slowly got out, wearing a mask.
Irae looked up at Berlin and Berlin locked his gaze. Finally Irae looked away and roughly grabbed the groaning Gareth. He threw the Welshman into the passenger's seat of the keep like a toy and looked back up to Berlin. The two men exchanged no words. All that needed to be said was said with their gazes alone. Finally Irae got back into the jeep and drove off.
Berlin turned around and walked back towards Wasp. "I could not kill him. I.. know not whether Jason would have wanted me to. At least I will make him… serve a purpose. This Purgatory… will be ended. I will ensure that is our mission, whether or not Valentine wishes it from us..."
Wasp pulled up her goggles and looked at Berlin's face, her features twisting in sadness. "Erwin…"
"Emotion… cites weakness." Berlin's voice cracked as he spoke, tears running down the crags of his face. For the first time in Berlin's life, he looked exhausted and weary. "Weakness can be… exploited." Berlin sucked in a shaking breath. "We have lost two brothers today, Gloria." He pulled Wasp into a deep hug, the privacy of the rooftop allowing the always stoic agent to relieve all his pent-up emotions. Wasp gently patted his back, with no words needed to be spoken, sharing a moment not as Berlin and Wasp of the Department of Human Protection, but as Erwin and Gloria; family.