Spriggan: Solitary Trooper - The Redux
By: Ominae
Rating: T
NOTE:
All characters of Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige, Ryoji Minagawa and FROM SOFTWARE. Characters from the original Solitary Trooper are from rx79guntank, who also gave permission to rewrite it. All others are under yours truly.
Summary:
A rewrite of the original Solitary Trooper story by rx79guntank with permission granted to align it with manga canon. ARCAM is under siege by mysterious enemies and their newest Spriggan from their American branch is recalled to undergo a top secret mission. As the might of their enemies grows tighter, the Spriggans are in for the fight of their lives.
Chapter 1: Priors
Lobby, Clover Heavy Industries Building, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
A black-haired Caucasian man with a black jacket that resembled an ordinary leather jacket alongside black pants, gloves and a dark blue windbreaker walked inside an office building in downtown Anchorage. Inside the lobby, most of the employees went home for the day as it was evening, except for those who either are in meetings later at night or are doing overtime to ensure that their work was really done.
The said building, however, belonged to Clover Heavy Industries, Inc. In particular, it houses most of its Alaskan-based sales and marketing divisions with some floors occupied for its R&D and research divisions.
Like Campbell Plc and Takasumi Corporation Ltd., the latter known informally in Japan as Takasumi Zaibatsu, even though the name is no longer used, it was one of the few corporations in the world that made the decision of having its own personal security division. They have never outsourced their security needs to various private security companies that specialized in using static or mobile protection due to "security concerns" that they would not publicly discuss.
"Hey you!" A CHI security guard of African-American origin walked away from the security desk and approached the unknown individual. "The office is closed except for those who are CHI employees and official visitors." He saw the young man wore his hood on so that his face and head can be concealed.
The young man stared at the security guard in front of him, his face concealed with the jacket hood. The guard, on the other hand, as the standard uniform with the patch of the CHI security division sewn on the shirt's arms with the patch illustrating the British archipelago. The words CLOVER HEAVY INDUSTRIES on the upper portion and SECURITY on the lower portion.
Looks like they're armed with a pistol, pepper spray, retractable baton and cuffs with a vest. Has an earpiece on his left ear with a radio shoulder microphone. Just like the briefing mentioned from intelligence.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm here to escort Dr. Harry Palmer from the vicinity ASAP. I've been told that he's greatly distressed," The young man replied.
The guard eyed the strange visitor very carefully. "I'm afraid Dr. Palmer is not here, sir. You probably got the wrong place."
Not bothered by the reply, the young man continued to answer the guard. "Nah... I'm sure I got the right place. I was told by concerned parties that the scientist was brought here. Some of them have mentioned that the scientist was brought here against his will while yelling that he was being kidnapped."
Dammit.
The guard decided to press the PTT button on the radio shoulder microphone clipped on his shoulder epaulette. But before he could use it, the young man grabbed the guard and executed a shoulder throw.
"Why you...!" The downed guard was about to reach for his sidearm. But before he could do that, the intruder quickly punched him in the face to render him out cold.
A surveillance camera picked up the action at the lobby as the guard was disarmed for his baton, pepper spray and radio. On the other hand, he took the pistol and unloaded the magazine before the guard was cuffed with his arms behind his back. After the intruder kept the magazine and the cuff key, he picked up the pistol and disassembled it by removing the slide and throwing it to the nearest trash can so that the weapon won't be used.
Security Room, Clover Heavy Industries Building, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
CHI guards saw the intruder take out one of their own at the lobby, which resulted in the rapid mobilization of its security personnel. All entrances and exits were sealed off with shutters and armed security to prevent the intruder from escaping. Three of them were inside the room to monitor the feeds with the others deployed throughout the premises.
"That guy has to be one of those Spriggan agents sent from ARCAM." One of the guards, an East Asian man in his mid 30s, commented after the intruder went inside on the elevators leading to the 30th floor, where the main area for the company's R&D division is located. The camera feeds didn't show what happened next, other than the intruder's casual walk towards the elevator.
"But where did he go? If only we had camera feeds from the elevator cars," The second guard of Caucasian origin with brown hair replied. As they were aware, elevator cars currently don't have security cameras inside due to being made in 2000 with additional budget problems from a delay, which meant that replacements were due for another year.
"He's probably using the blind spots to hide from us."
The third guard, also of East Asian background, was about to reply to a transmission when he was knocked out due to a silent chokehold from the rear, which lasted for a couple of minutes. The two guards didn't notice what was happening until they heard something drop violently from behind.
"Looking for me, guys?"
The intruder had shown up in the security room, which nearly surprised the guards inside. They decided to charge towards him with their batons drawn out.
"This won't do," The intruder calmly said as he used the pepper spray to blind the guards as the non-lethal weapon was sprayed at their eyes.
"AAGH!" The guards were blinded by the spray, forcing them to drop their weapons.
With that done, the intruder extended the baton and used to strike the guards by their legs. This forced them to kneel down. That was followed with strong blows to the back of their heads to knock them out.
Let's go. Looking at the camera feeds, they show armed CHI guards taking a terrified African-American man through the corridors of the building.
"They can be trying to take him upstairs or downstairs." Listening to the earpiece, the general frequency for all CHI security forces was tapped into from the stolen radio. He took advantage of this to get the professor's location by waiting for a location while he took out surveillance tapes out of the security room in order to leave CHI with no clues to who the intruder is.
When the intruder zipped up his black jacket up to the collar, the sleeves started to bulge out a bit to the point that they slightly look like muscles. He took advantage of this by crushing the tapes with his gloved hands until they can't be easily reassembled to extract the data. Afterwards, he executed rapid punches to take out the security equipment. The artificial strength gave him enough strength to wreck them out of commission.
Corridor, Clover Heavy Industries Building, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
"I demand to know where I'm going!" The worried Dr. Palmer had yelled to the four CHI guards, all of them Caucasians with a mix of blonde and brown hair, armed with Heckler & Koch MP5K submachine guns outfitted with assault slings. They escorted him away from the 30th floor after they received word that contact was lost with the security room.
"Quiet, doc," One of the MP5K-armed guards replied while he dragged the scientist by his arm. "We're moving out from this floor for your own protection."
"Well it would have been better if your employers didn't abduct me in the first place!"
"Doc, I suggest that you shut your yapping before we bring out the..."
A pistol magazine was seen hurled towards the guard at high speed, trying to utter a threat to the helpless scientist. This made the guard trip, since the hurled magazine was traveling more than the equivalent speed of a Shinkansen.
"Who's there?" The two guards surrounded the doctor as they aimed their weapons all over after one of them saw the discarded magazine on the floor.
"A knocker!" The intruder shouted at the top of his voice when he ran towards them from the back before he executed a jump. He then used a flying kick to kick one of them at the back of his head.
"Aargh!" The first guard crashed towards a few chairs placed on the side.
"Shit!" The close range forced the other two guards to use their retractable batons with their MP5Ks slung on their side.
A knee attack was used to take out the second guard, which struck his stomach. The intruder grabbed his head and brought it at full force to the wall. This rendered him out cold.
The third guard brought his baton up to strike the intruder's head. Instead, the latter used his right arm to block the strike.
"Don't underestimate the suit, buster." The intruder used his gloved left hand to grab the baton and crush it with all of his strength, thanking the stars that the artificial strength was giving him an advantage.
"What the hell are you?" The third guard panicked as he reached out to grab his pepper spray. An elbow thrust, a strong punch and kick to his chest sent him flying down the corridor.
"I'm with the ARCAM Corporation's security department." The intruder helped Dr. Palmer up since he was down on the ground covering his head. "Your old friends back at MIT were worried when you didn't show up for your annual reunion."
"Thank you. I thought ARCAM wouldn't be able to find me." The scientist thanked his savior. "How can I thank you, Mr..."
"Harker. Jonathan Harker." The Spriggan agent nodded at the scientist before he executed a kick to bring down the door, which led to the fire escape.
The professor could only stare at him. He was confused on how he has the power to kick a door down without any equipment with him.
"You can gawk later. We need to leave before more security personnel arrive."
Rooftop, Clover Heavy Industries Building, Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America
Jonathan kicked the door down leading to the rooftop from the fire escape staircase, having no time to be polite since CHI security was still in pursuit. He slammed the door and twisted the handle to delay incoming pursued.
"There's our ticket out of here!" Jonathan shouted to Dr. Palmer as they ran towards the helipad. Coming in was an unmarked AgustaWestland AW 119 Ke helicopter in service with ARCAM. Inside was an armed plainclothes agent from the ARCAM Private Army, a part of the ARCAM under the company's security department alongside the Spriggans. He was of Southeast Asian origin, particularly of Filipino background.
For this operation, the APA agent wore a green windbreaker with a hood, brown tactical pants, black tactical gloves and black Oakley SF boots with a balaclava worn to cover his head. He was armed with a Colt M933 carbine outfitted with an ARMS SIRS railed handguard, which had a Surefire M900 weaponlight foregrip and an EOTech 553 holographic sight attached on the handguard. A brass catcher was attached as well to make sure empty brass doesn't fall onto the cabin floor or anywhere else for covert and safety reasons.
"Cover me!" The Spriggan shouted to the APA agent.
"Get inside!" The masked APA agent shouted back, his Californian accent made known, as he leaped out of the chopper to help Dr. Palmer get inside.
Jonathan moved in with the APA agent, being the last person to get in the chopper. As it began to take off, an explosion was heard from the direction of the fire escape door. The APA agent shouldered his M933 and opened fire on CHI guards as the chopper continued to ascend in an effort to keep them pinned down despite having their pistols drawn out.
"Won't this be in the news?" Dr. Palmer asked Jonathan as he closed the cabin door since they were out of the range for their pistols' effective range.
"Don't worry, doc. You'll be fine," Jonathan assured the doctor as removed the hood from his head. "You'll still be able to make it to San Francisco and present your report on the OOPArt you found in the Yukon. CHI won't try to publicize the attack since they want to keep their involvement as a secret."
The APA agent finished reloading his weapon when he got a folded piece of paper from his jacket and handed it to Jonathan. "You got some stuff to do once we arrive back at base."
The Spriggan raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"
"Said something about heading to Tokyo."
"All right. I'll have a look."
"I'll keep watch on the doc while you do that."
He unfolded the papers read the contents quickly, obviously written in English. He leaned back on the chair, trying to relax since the mission was over.
You're moving to Tokyo ASAP. Got a new case handed to you by New York.
He mused on the message as he crumpled the paper in his hands. Ever since he got to ARCAM after leaving on an honorable discharge from the American military, Jonathan was swamped with either missing VIPs the company deem important to be rescued/protected, engage armed groups on OOPArt artifact sites and support fellow Spriggans in areas where they can only rely on their own forces. This includes armed assaults against a well-equipped mercenary force, which he later found out that the name was Trident.
If I recall, I need to trail some college student and protect her from whoever wants to kidnap her. I wonder who wants her anyway? This mission should be easy enough than those days back in Force Recon and in MSOR back in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Passenger Cabin, ARCAM Airlines Boeing 747-400ER
Jonathan found himself in the First Class section of an ARCAM Airlines flight bound from Anchorage to Narita, having time to freshen up before he changed clothes again in ARCAM's Anchorage office. This time, he wore a black softshell jacket with a hood, brown tactical pants and a pair of 6" black Altama Ortho-TacX boots.
ARCAM Airlines was a newcomer to the airline industry when it first debuted in 1997, as part of a series of attempts by the ARCAM Corporation to branch out to viable industries aside from conducting archaeological researches, lectures and exhibits. So far, it has some moderate success since it also used its airline business as a cargo service. Lately, the airline experienced a boost in customers patronizing it due to competitive fares that were affordable and better from other airlines. Sometimes, there were sold at lower prices.
Looks like I'm alone in this class aside from the usual passengers on board.
While the airline is used to transport passengers to various destinations, it is also used to transport ARCAM personnel, gear and their immediate families at a discount. Because of this, the ARCAM security department used the airline as a method of transporting their agents and their gear without arousing too much suspicion thanks to the influence of the New York main branch in making sure their "things" aren't seized at arrival by local authorities as much as possible.
The ex-US Marine decided to sit back and relax after an African-American steward informed him that six persons were now seated in the same section, all of them high-ranking ARCAM executives either flying back home to Japan or are going to Japan in order to transit to another country that has an ARCAM branch.
"Okay. That's not a problem. Thanks a lot for going out of your way to tell me about this," Jonathan thanked the steward for relaying the information to him.
The steward smiled. "Not at all, sir. Just let me know if you need help with anything else," He walked to another part of the plane to attend to the new arrivals.
The Spriggan sighed and fastened the seat belt around his waist as the PA system announced that the aircraft was about to taxi towards the runway for its flight to Japan. He had hoped that things would go well.
"I better get busy." Jonathan took the Manila envelope he placed at the seat pocket in front of him. Inside were some documents that detailed the personal history of a college student attending school in Tokyo.
He flipped through the pages as the aircraft was now taking off from AIA. What the heck does a college girl have to do with ARCAM's latest black ops mission?
Jonathan buckled his seat belt when the pilot announced on the PA system that cabin crew should get ready for take off.
After all, he decided to take advantage of his bosses paying the fees for him to get a first class seat by ordering whatever good food was going to be offered.
Haven't eaten really good food aside from the ones that I can get from a Safeway. Let's see what this airline has to offer before I hit the sack during the flight.
Mention Japan to anyone and you'd probably get admiration or to an extent, loathing and revulsion. Indeed, nobody can dispute the success that Japan has experienced. Japanese culture, products, language, even the name itself was the rage nowadays. Mention Japan to any teenagers and they'll start waxing lyrical about how they wish they were Japanese, how they wish they were living in Japan, etc… The hub of it all was in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The massive forest of futuristic skyscrapers was the center of all that was Tokyo, housing the main entertainment, shopping and business districts. Not surprisingly, it's a big hit with tourists and the young crowd…
The Shinjuku Park Tower was one such building which represented the image of Shinjuku. One of the most modern skyscrapers, It was the perfect equation of style tranquility, a prime piece of modern architecture designed by the legendary Kenzo Tange himself. Unlike most office buildings, it was home to Tokyo's most exclusive hotel; the Park Hyatt, situated strategically on the upper floors and below were the offices of various multinational companies… including the ARCAM Corporation.
Yamamoto's Office, ARCAM Corporation Japan Office, 37th Floor, Shinjuku Park Tower, Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
"Excuse me, Kaicho." A woman in her late 20s with long black hair in a ponytail, came inside the director's office after she knocked twice. She was wearing a gray dress shirt, a black pencil skirt, pantyhose and high heels. "The SUV that picked up Mr. Harker has already arrived just now from Narita International."
"Thank you, Yukari," Yamamoto thanked his secretary before the latter showed the American Spriggan inside and left the two of them alone. He frowned a bit for a brief moment.
The first Spriggan to be assigned by New York in our new office ever since we relocated from our old office in Yoyogi 2-Chome thanks to the COSMOS aftermath when they raided the place for the Mappa mundi. I hope that doesn't happen again in the near future.
The man knew that New York wanted a change until the board of directors can decide on an alternate location. For now, the building should give ARCAM Japan the strategic advantage in someone has bright lights about attacking the place.
Yamamoto was all smiles when he made the introductions to the Spriggan after the latter entered his office. "Welcome to Tokyo. I'm Chairman Yamamoto, in charge of ARCAM's operations in Japan. I trust you've had a pleasant trip?"
The portly middle-aged man was well known among his peers as a firm, just, and caring individual, fond of drink and smoke, hardly looking like the example of the director of field operations for ARCAM Japan. But yet he was, one of the high executives responsible for supervising the movements of ARCAM's special operatives in the East Asian region.
Opposite of him, his guest sat down in front of his desk with his legs up on his desk, in a clear display of arrogance. But Yamamoto didn't mind. For him, it was just a regular detraction that came with his job.
"Beats Alaska." The gruff reply of Jonathan came out from his mouth.
"Of course." Yamamoto laughed. "I forgot you're just back from your last mission." He lighted up a cigarette. "We've gotten a place ready for you. We can start tomorrow-"
"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to begin the mission now."
Yamamoto arched an eyebrow. He was just like what the head office said…
"I had a feeling you say that," Yamamoto replied, taking out a dossier and tossing over to the mysterious individual. "Are you sure you can find your way around here, agent Harker?"
"I'll manage." The individual replied, examining the file with its myriad warnings of secrecy on the cover once more. It was the same copy provided to him back in Anchorage. As he opened it, he noticed a photo of a girl flying loose of the file…
Somewhere in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Like many major cities and that famous line from that credit card advertisement, Tokyo never really slept. Even if it was past midnight, numerous shops would be open; catering for the insomniacs, late-shift workers and even the odd salaryman out for a late night walk. One such place where these forsaken souls would hang out was the 24-hour game arcade.
In one particular one located in the trendier section of Shinjuku, a battle was raging on. Crowded around a large arcade console, were two groups of girls standing across from each other, exchanging hostile glances. It might have seemed like a normal staredown between gangs, but what set it apart were the girls themselves. The group on the left was bedecked in elegant, spectacular frilled dresses. They wore their hair and lipstick in bizarre colors, with pastel, white makeup to complete their 19th century gothic Lolita look.
The other group sported chocolate-dark tans, bleached hair and skimpier clothing, with garish neon makeup and accessories and massive platform boots to represent the popular Ganguro-style fashion trend of Tokyo. to match. On the massive arcade machine itself stood two of the challengers; a chosen one from each group. The game and object of the challenge was the famous dancing simulation game, Dance Dance Revolution.
The method of playing the game was simple. Players would follow the directions or rather the arrows, displayed on the screen by hitting the corresponding buttons with their feet. By using myriad combinations and fast-paced catchy dance tunes, the game duplicated the very sensation of dancing in a club.
As always, a crowd gathered to watch the intense battle. They stood transfixed as the two players pulled off incredible, even acrobatic moves, trying to outdo each other. But even as hard as they tried, it was apparent who the winner was. With a flourish, the player in the black, elegant gothic dress ended her routine with her opponent, a darkly tanned girl in a pink midriff-baring top and miniskirt who was visibly exhausted.
The Gothic Lolitas erupted in cheers as the scores were shown. The Lolita dancer had scored a triple A, the highest score possible in the game, while the Ganguro dancer could only manage two As after fouling up on a complicated combination earlier. Seeing this, the Lolita dancer sauntered over to gloat over their defeat.
"It looks like you girls lost… again. Now as you were saying, the loser has to leave…"
With a scowl and a rude gesture, the losers left, fulfilling their end of the challenge. And so once again they had managed to reassert their authority. The gothic dancer, was none other than one of the most popular and skilled DDR players in Shinjuku, Mai Shinomari. As her gang celebrates their recent victory against their bitter rivals, the Ganguro girls, she wandered off to her sling bag in search of a drink, exhausted from her battle against the rival gang leader. But then she knew that they'll be waiting to get back even at school…
Bending over for the bottle, she stopped when she heard the polyphonic melody of her handphone. Fumbling through the tresses of her dress, she uncovers it only to find it was just an important alarm she programmed earlier. Grumbling at her reminder, she got ready to leave.
"You going already, Mai? It's still early you know!" asked Erika, Mai's best friend as she peered out from behind another Dance Dance Revolution machine she was sharing with some other member of the gang.
"Ah, Gomen! For some reason that old fool Uchiyamada wants me at class early tomorrow… I'll see you guys later!" With a bubbly smile and a twirl of her long, black hair, she quickly bid a hasty farewell. Mai lived quite a distance away, and she hurried through the late-night crowd to catch the last bus service.
Since Shinjuku was a popular tourist destination, it wasn't uncommon to see foreigners strolling around, doing what tourists would do. But for the two Caucasian men keeping a distance behind Mai, they were about as conspicuous as they could get as one of them communicated via microphone clipped on his shirt.
"Ziel in Sicht," One of the men spoke on the microphone with some hint of a North Upper Saxon accent.
"Verstanden," The reply came from the other line, obviously to whoever was leading this mission.
Blonde, blue-eyed, barrel-chested, and tall, they could be mistaken for male models if not for their determined looks and gaudy Hawaiian shirts; an attempt to blend in with the tourist population. Meanwhile, Mai grumbled at the prospect of her morning class as she fiddled with her black Apple IPhone 3GS in order to listen to music.
She vowed she'd get back at the lecturer for proposing something as preposterous as this and depriving her of her lovely sleep, but all thoughts of vengeance vanished as her favorite J-pop tune trickled from her smartphone and into her ear.
With one of her senses blind from the outside world, the two men advanced nearer… But first they had to pass by a dark alley. As the man in the trailing position passed the dark abyss, a pair of arms lashed out in a chokehold around his neck and chest, pulling him into the darkness where a muffled beating followed…
It was some time before the lead stalker discovered that his partner was missing. He nearly panicked, but he knew that the mission had to be completed. Following Mai to a road crossing, he waited, and kept a discreet distance. They were alone at the crossing, but there was no use capturing her now; that would come later when she was alone and vulnerable, such as her home, which was currently his objective to discover wherever in hell in Tokyo it was.
He looked at his watch in an attempt to disguise his movements, which proved to be his undoing. As he looked down, he heard a whistling sound, like an object cutting through the wind…
But before he could look back up, a metallic ball hit him on the head with such force that he fell to the pavement unconscious. From another dark alley beside them, a mysterious individual appeared and dragged the body to dispose of it. Mai however, still remained unaware, even with the action behind her…
It wasn't long before the people responsible for sending the tail realized their agents weren't responding. Another group went after her, intercepting Mai as she walked along the large and busy road crossing at Nishi-Shinjuku. Despite the crowds, the seasoned agents picked up her trail easily, following her closely. But in the massive miasma of people in the crossing, another important factor in the night's events lurked.
Mai's unknown savior; the person that had so casually eliminated her trained stalkers pushed through the crowd, closing in on her new trails. Dressed in an open leather jacket, jeans and white sneakers, he could have easily been mistaken for just any normal fashion-savvy youngster. But his determined eyes and arrogant, youthful looks belied his true character. Once again, the agent trailing the girl became his first target. He went up to him and prodded his back.
"Don't move."
Shocked, the agent didn't wait to see if it was a real gun muzzle or a bluff. He had no choice but to follow his orders…
"Don't say a word. Keep on walking wherever I point you to."
Wordlessly, he let the individual lead him off the street and into an alley, where the individual silenced him with a sharp chop to the neck. With one done, he headed off to another direction in the alley. He had a hunch where Mai would be heading.
The bus stop where Mai was heading for was filled with mostly workers, both drunken and sober. Mai groaned heavily at the idea of being pushed into a can of alcohol-smelling black-suited sardines, but at least she knew to her relief that bus wasn't here yet. Or else it would be a long and annoying walk back home…
The lead stalker noticed his friend was gone, but kept on pushing. If he could only get onto the bus with her and found out where she lived, his mission would be complete. Quietly, he spoke into the microphone clipped on his collar, showing off a trace of a Northern Bavarian accent.
"Ziel Punkt erreicht. In Betrieb nehmen."
Before he could finish, a punch rang out from beside him, knocking him unconscious while in the distance, Mai boarded her long awaited bus home. As soon as it left, the mysterious individual stepped out from behind a vending machine where he had watched her leave.
At least with the stalkers gone, she was safe for the time being… but the real threat still remained. It was time to stir up the hornet's nest… Turning, he gave a swift kick to the fallen agent as he searched for his next target.
Inside Nissan Civilian TX Bus, somewhere in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Hans Müller was furious. The two teams he had sent out to tail a harmless little girl had failed and weren't responding. How could that be? They were some of the most skilled men he had met and more importantly; of pure Aryan stock when they were chosen for the job. What could have eliminated them?
The former Oberst and head of the Militärischer Abschirmdienst's 2nd Department cursed loudly as the other agents manning the surveillance equipment in the cramped bus, converted secretly to serve as a mobile electronics surveillance vehicle, looked on.
The Moroha family had assured him that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, particularly the Public Security Bureau, and the Public Security Intelligence Agency would not interfere.
Haben sie zurück auf ihr wort?
But Hans thought against it. They were needed now as their sponsors needed them. The ex-MAD officer drew out and pulled the slide of his Walther P99QA pistol after he motioned to the two agents nearest to the door to follow him. If his agents couldn't get the job done, he was going to do it himself. Before he could touch the doors of the bus, it inexplicably opened…
"So this is where you bastards are at…"
Standing in the doorway, was the individual that tormented them for so long. Hans reached for his gun, and panicked as he noticed his unmistakable gear and realized who it was…
"Y-You're a Spriggan!" The Oberst was surprised to see the intruder enter their mobile surveillance bus.
The individual smiled. He liked it when they realized they were in trouble.
"Damn right you are," He said, zipping up his jacket. "And now you're going to find out why it sucks when you pick on little girls…"
Han's scowl grew tighter. He would not be insulted. "Tötet ihn!"
Immediately, the agents in the bus whipped out their Eickhorn KM2000 combat knives and lunged at him. The individual caught one of them by the arm as he tried to stab the intruder at his chest. To counter the stab attempt, the intruder lifted up his knee to break the agent's arm while he was struck at the head with an elbow attack.
Still holding onto the agent, the individual blocked another attack with his free arm at the second agent and gave him a vicious turning back kick to the abdomen. This made him fly to the rear of the bus, which resulted in a dent.
Outside Nissan Civilian TX Bus, somewhere in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
A lone passerby on the sidewalk, carrying two shopping bags from a nearby 7-Eleven, noticed the parked Nissan Civilian rocking violently. But due to his better judgement, he decides to leave it alone…
"Must be some karaoke party or something…"
Other people who passed by the rocking bus also came to the same conclusion that there probably was some kind of party going on inside the parked Civilian TX.
If only they knew of the true story behind it.
Back inside Nissan Civilian TX Bus, somewhere in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Hans watched as his agents were ripped apart by the individual. The stories about the Spriggan were true… He moved to the radio set to warn about the danger that lurked here, when suddenly, the flying body of an agent slammed into him, knocking him out and destroying the radio as well.
The fourth agent the intruder grappled with was met with several jabs to the face, followed by an uppercut.
The last agent received a double consecutive kick, which consisted of a front kick to the chest with a downward roundhouse kick aimed at his leg before it ended with a palm thrust. The last attack made him fly towards the rear of the bus. This knocked out the second agent again after he recovered from the initial attack.
All five agents in the bus were neutralized, including the driver, who had been knocked out earlier when the intruder caught him off guard by chocking him from the back when he was smoking a Malboro cigarette.
"You know, you're lucky that Yamamoto told me not to make a mess… If it was up to me, you all would be taking eternal naps by now." With those parting words, the individual exited the trailer and onto the street.
But Hans wasn't done yet. Lifting himself up painfully, Hans aimed his sidearm at the individual as he walked away.
"You've think you've won Spriggan? There will be more of us! The Neo-Nazis will prevail!"
Neo-Nazis… The individual stopped dead in his tracks. "So that explains things… So tell me, what the hell do you outdated asshole fanatics want with a harmless girl anyway?"
"Like the hell I would!" As Hans touched the trigger, the individual heard it all; the pulling of the levers, the creak of the spring being primed…
Due to reflex, the individual reached for his side holster and spun around before he raised his sidearm, a Beretta 93R machine pistol. Blinded by the speed, Hans hesitated, then fired, as did the individual…
The sound of their shots rang in concert in the dead of the night. For the individual, it had only been a breeze past his face. But for Hans, he felt a dull impact in his sternum, throwing him back a distance.
"Y-you…"
He had barely had time to contemplate the feeling that began to spread across his chest when another impact hit him in his forehead. In a blinding flash of pain, everything turned white and he died there, in a futile display of defiance. For the individual, it had been an unremarkable takedown shot.
A head shot would be easier at that distance, and would been less painful for the victim. But then again, the individual had no love for his type or the organization he belonged to. If what he read in the file was true, there would be more serious shit happening in these few days.
The individual first holstered his sidearm before he took out his black IPhone 3GS with a protective anti-shock bumper from the right pants pocket.
Good thing I fired in single shot mode or else I'd have to worry about more casings to collect.
"Hey, it's Harker." Jonathan made an immediate call on his smartphone. "Listen, I got some interesting things that may complicate the situation. I'll try and gather some evidence."
He then ended the call and used the 3GS' built-in camera to take photos of Hans and the other unconscious Neo-Nazis inside the bus.
Let's see how good ARCAM's intelligence network is after I showed them their faces. Ought to get some matches in.
Jonathan was able to obtain a small ziplock-type plastic bag from the floor, clear of anything inside. The ex-Marine worked with the bag by immediately reversing the interior inside out after he took the bag in his hands. He used it to grab the empty 9mm Parabellum bullet casing fired from his 93R from the floor.
Got it. Now to keep it so that they can't link me with this attack. He reversed the ziplock bag again to its original position so that the empty casing was now inside it.
Taking it with him, Jonathan exited from the bus and blended in with the crowd. No one seemed to notice him leave. If there was no witness that can give a credible statement to the police, then so much the better. It would just make the American's work much easier in conducting covert work.
If things are gonna be more FUBAR than this, then it's a good opportunity to bring out those MCMAP memories again.
He has a lot of work to do in the Land of the Rising Sun. And it was only his first day here.
"This ought to be fun." Jonathan smirked as he went inside the nearest taxi to take him back to the Park Hyatt Hotel.
Lobby, Philippine Bank of Communications Tower, Makati, Philippines
As most employees of the Philippine Bank of Communications or PBCOM went home for the night, there shouldn't be anyone loitering around except for the hired security guards. Their job was to make sure anyone still working overtime is safe and to check on the premises to ensure no intruders were seen.
Well, except for a couple of teenagers of Chinese origin seen waiting at the main lobby of the PBCOM Tower, who appear to be identical twins based on their physical features. They wore white shirts and jeans with one of them wearing sneakers and the other wearing military-type boots. The latter also has a leather jacket tied up at his waist via sleeves.
"Let's go." The teenagers moved in towards the direction of the male restroom, walking at a normal pace with their hands at the pockets of their jeans.
One of them waited outside the male restroom, positioning himself by sitting down on the nearest guard to check in case of roaming guards would try and check inside the toilet.
"I'll head inside now," The boots-wearing teenager spoke to the sneakers-wearing teenager. "Keep an eye outside, bro."
"Right. Good luck," The sneakers-wearing teenager answered.
Male Toilet, Lobby, Philippine Bank of Communications Tower, Makati, Philippines
When the boots-wearing teen got inside the male toilet, he saw no one inside. He wore the jacket and the gloves on his hands.
"Time to get things started," He murmured after he donned his gloves. At the time, he noted a businessman in his early 40s wearing a black business suit, red necktie, white dress shirt and black Oxford-type shoes walk outside one of the toilet stalls, the door being closed behind him.
"Excuse me, are you Marco Lim, head of Takasumi Corporation Philippines' Financial Department?"
The man stared at him before he replied. "That's right. Who wants to know?"
"I heard rumors that you financially support a mercenary group called Trident."
"If you're one of those young reporters trying to get an easy scoop from me, I'll have you know that I'm denying all allegations regarding my links to that group. Not to mention that what you're doing is an invasion of my privacy."
"I think I have a right to know, especially when your photo was taken with a man known to have ties to Trident."
The teen showed off a colored photo of the Chinese-Filipino businessman shaking hands with a Caucasian man in his mid 30s with a brown business suit, blue necktie and white dress shirt in a restaurant. It appeared that the photo was taken while they were eating in a VIP-type room.
"So if you got nothing to hide, then mind explaining why you two were meeting in a VIP place?"
Marco cursed under his breath that a photo was taken despite his best to keep the meeting from being publicly known.
"If my tracks are so easily revealed, then you're probably one of those Spriggan agents I heard about."
Before the Takasumi businessman could make a call from his mobile phone, the teen snatched it from his hands.
"Too bad for you, mate." The young Filipino Spriggan smirked before he moved to the man's back to squeeze some nerves on his neck. "Your financial support for the mercenary group has been making ARCAM very jittery to the point that a contract was specially arranged just for little old you."
Marco couldn't make up a reply as the nerves of his neck was pinched heavily with his left thumb and index finger. This rendered him out cold.
"Now what to do?" The teen noted the belt worn around the waist as the door to the bathroom was opened with the door being locked afterwards.
"Come on, Mark," The sneakers-wearing teen called out after he locked the door behind him. "I don't know how much longer can we do this before the guards come checking around the corner in an hour or two."
"I know, Michael," Mark replied while he dragged the executive's unconscious body, checking to see if the pants were being dragged onto the floor. "We brothers do need to stick together with this kind of work."
"I trust that the work was done?" Michael asked his twin brother while he helped bring the body to an empty toilet stall.
"Yeah, it should be now." The body was now brought to the an empty stall. "Just be careful that his pants and shoes aren't tangled with anything there."
"Okay, okay..." With the body inside, the shoes were checked with Mark patting it down with his gloved hands that held a white cloth to make sure Michael's fingerprints aren't left behind.
"How do we do this? We need to make sure it looks like he had an unfortunate brush with death."
The twins looked up at the ceiling of the male toilet to see a water pipe that was seen on top of the stalls.
"Makes sense." Mark got the belt and removed it from the executive's pants. "This oughta be easy. Now we need to take care of the rest."
"You just make it sound that easy, bro." Michael wore the same leather gloves for good measure as he began to secure the belt around the executive's neck.
"I'll go and remove the necktie as a backup just in case." Mark untied the necktie as well before he got a call from his IPhone 3GS.
"Whoever this is, we're kind of busy..." Mark got the phone and quickly answered the call. He noted that the number shown on the phone was not registered.
"I trust that things were taken care of, agent Uy?" The electronically distorted voice questioned Mark on the progress of his mission.
"Almost done. Just make sure you got our transport ready."
"It'll be waiting outside the building when you're done."
"Understood."
"Okay, brah. Let's make this look good." Mark ended the call on his smartphone before they proceeded with their business.
Yamamoto's Office, ARCAM Corporation Japan Office, 37th Floor, Shinjuku Park Tower, Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
"What did you say!"
The hallways of the ARCAM Foundation's Japan office resonated with a voice of protest on that sunny morning. New employees cringed, old ones yawned in boredom… Yup, it was just the beginning of a new day… Especially when the passionate Yu Ominae, ARCAM's top Japanese Spriggan agent was in. He paced the floor of Yamamoto's office in exasperation at the recent events, and especially what had happened last night.
"I can't believe it, Yamamoto! What was New York thinking! Did they have to bring him here! He's just bad news!"
"Calm down, Ominae… Just because that he's around doesn't mean the end of the world does it?" replied Yamamoto as he lit a cigarette, his first of the day. "Besides, with Jean missing, we're understaffed as it is…"
Jean Jacquemonde, a French national and another of ARCAM's top Spriggans had been missing for weeks. A month ago, ARCAM had received news from their contacts in the underworld that a new OOPArt has been discovered in an archaeological dig by accident. ARCAM quickly sent its agents, including Jean to recover and seal the artifact, but no news had been heard from them since. Even more recently, ARCAM facilities all around the world were being targeted in random attacks that seemed to be aimed at reducing their military strength.
"Until we know who is responsible for the recent attacks, HQ have ordered all units to stand down in case of further incidents…"
"And you want me to hang around Tokyo while my friends get killed! No way, Yamamoto! I'm going to hunt those bastards down to the ends of the Earth!" Yu shouted, slamming his fist on the table.
They were indiscriminate, robbing the lives of both civilians and soldiers alike. Yu lost a lot of comrades in those attacks, and he swore there would be hell to pay.
He remembered the day when the Machiner's Platoon conducted a blitzkrieg on the ARCAM Mt. Ararat research site in Turkey. To Yu, it was just as expected. People and organizations with dark motives would certainly want to take them out in the quckest way possible.
That was exactly what headquarters was afraid of… Yamamoto sighed, rubbing his forehead. "But still, we need you to take care of Professor Mayzel's visit. He's in Tokyo for the Annual World Physics Meet and I want you in charge of his security detail." Better keep him busy. A little more and he would be off the fringe…
Yu groaned. "Does that old man have to come now!" Babysitting; Yu's most hated type of mission. And taking care of an eccentric old man was the worst of it.
Nice try, Yamamoto, Yu reasoned. With his hands now newly tied, revenge would have to wait.
"Fine, fine, Yamamoto. I see what you're getting at…" Yu said as he slumped down onto the guest couch. "But after this, they're mincemeat!"
Looking at Yu's devilish grin as he said those words, Director Yamamoto sighed once again. It was not like he could compete with a hot-blooded headstrong teenager anyways… And it seemed that the Spriggans was just full of them.
People like Yu… It was their life, their choice to take the path they had led now. Would they all die young, unloved and unacknowledged? Yamamoto wondered.
"Hey Yamamoto!"
Yu's voice broke his trance. "H-huh? Sorry Ominae, I got lost in my thoughts there…" Yamamoto replied with a slight reddening of his face as he was caught off guard. "What is it?" He asked, trying to regain his composure.
"So how's he doing? You know, the new guy who just came in from Alaska?"
"Oh, he's following up on another lead right now… It's bit like your current assignment, really." Yamamoto answered as he stubbed out his cigarette. "Also on orders from New York."
"Him? Doing babysitting? That would be something I wouldn't see in this lifetime." Yu snorted in contempt, folding his arms.
"Well we really can't debate his experience in urban warfare for this one…"
Yu was about to fire off another wisecrack when he happened a glance at his watch. It was 9AM. School started at 8AM. As soon as he saw it, Yu's face expression ran the gamut from downright bewilderment to pure horror.
Grabbing his bag, He sprung out from the couch and bolted from the office and down the hallway and scaring the secretaries.
"Damnit! It's the third time this week! Catch you later, Yamamoto!" Yamamoto could have sworn that the entire action couldn't have been more than 5 seconds…
With Yu gone, Chief Yamamoto reflected on his earlier thought. Experience in urban warfare… If the rumors are true, He'll need them…
Yukari came inside the office minutes after the delinquent left and handed to Yamamoto a copy of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
"This just came in from one of our employees when he arrived from Narita."
"Thank you, Yukari. I'll take this," Yamamoto thanked the secretary. "See if my coffee is around. Otherwise, I'll go down and buy one from the nearest Starbucks."
Yukari bowed and left the office.
Just what happened in Manila that one of our employees brought this to our attention...
The semi-bald man took the newspaper and read the frontpage for the latest headlines in the country.
LOCAL TAKASUMI CORP. EXECUTIVE FOUND DEAD!
SUICIDE?
No comment from the Philippine National Police nor from the Takasumi Corp. Manila office.
Yamamoto sighed when he read it. Better make sure... He pressed the intercom button on his desk to call up Yukari.
"Yes, Kaicho?" The reply came to Yukari when she heard the intercom buzz from her desk.
"If I get calls or visits from anyone in the afternoon, tell them I'm going to be in my office later all afternoon to make a call to the Manila office with their security head."
"Understood, Kaicho. What should I tell them?"
"Tell them it's... a very delicate meeting that I need some time alone in the office."
"Very well."
Somewhere in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Somewhere in the back streets of the ward, a lone motorcycle roared down the morning streets. The rider rode helmetless, his hair and jacket billowing in the wind. The bike, a 2007 black Honda CBR1000RR with Nerima-registered license plates, produced a pleasing rattling sound as it sped around corners, its inline four-cylinder engine hammering away mightily, its pistons enduring the controlled explosions that worked in concert with the rest of the other engine mechanisms to produce a harmony of horsepower that formed the lifeblood of the bike itself.
But in the covered pedestrian lanes nearby, a pair of panicked legs ran, as the bushes behind them rustled violently. At a traffic light, the motorcycle and its rider stopped as it turned red. Noticing that an identification tag he was wearing was sticking out; he quickly put it back within the folds of his jacket. However, one could clearly make out the words 'ARCAM' as he stuffed in his left pocket…
Better hide this. Don't want to paint a target on my back.
He glanced at his watch as he waited there. The green light should be turning soon. He got his foot oh the throttle, ready to accelerate when the unexpected happened…
Suddenly, a massive weight impacted at the back of his bike, throwing it up a bit. Instinctively, he reached for his side holster and turned around-only to come face to face with an anguished-looking girl…
"Hey! What-"
"JUST GO!"
The ear-shattering shriek from the girl propelled the rider to kick into gear and speed off. At the place where the girl got on, the bushes rustled and parted, to reveal a… cat.
"Uh… What do you think you're doing…?"
"What does it look like I'm doing! I'm taking a ride on your bike, that's what!"
Her ear-splitting reply threatened to send the bike spinning. However, the rider was annoyed, yet amused. He'd been expecting to look for her, not having her suddenly popping in front or rather, behind him. At least it made my job easier…
"You don't have to shout you know… Besides, who were you running away from?"
The girl hesitated for a while. "Well, it was a… a… cat."
The rider nearly face-faulted. "A-a cat? You were running away from a cat! You're not for real, aren't you?"
"How dare you say that!" The girl shouted back, obviously offended. "I don't even know who you are yet!"
I should be asking you that… "You can call me Ta- I mean, Jonathan if you want. And no, I don't have a last name." Damnit, that sounds so cliché. But then again…
"Jonathan? That has got to be one of the strangest names I've ever heard…"
I knew it.
"Whatever…"
"Anyway, I'm Mai…"
"Mai? That's even stranger."
"Yeah? But not at strange as yours…" Mai ended with a mischievous tone in her voice.
Jonathan smiled at that as he did a sharp turn. So far the information had been spot-on; fear of cats, attitude, name, her flaring pink hairstyle… The job now was to keep her in one piece, something he knew that as mundane as it sounded, was going to be very interesting indeed…
For Mai, she lost count of the number of times she was nearly thrown off the bike as he sped through the streets. She agreed that suddenly jumping onto an unknown person's bike was a bad call, but what could she do? She extremely hated cats… She had been expecting him to be a good samaritan, but now, she wasn't so sure…
"Don't you wear a helmet…? The police are going to go after you, you know…"
"A helmet?" Jonathan scoffed. "Helmets are for pussies and the police can go to hell for all I care."
At Jonathan's reply, Mai's eyes opened wide with fear. "Don't tell me you're a… Bosozoku! Though you look more handsome than one…" said Mai, drifting off.
"Boso-wha? What the hell is that?" Jonathan deadpanned in reply. I really need to get a dictionary on Japanese terms that I haven't heard of yet.
This time, it was Mai's turn to almost face-fault. "What do you mean by that! Don't tell me you've been living under a rock for all these years!"
"For your information, I'm not-"
Mai was about to give him a sharp one in the ribs for being so simplistic when the bike came to an abrupt halt. Looking up, she found that they were at the entrance of Tokai University.
"Hey, how did you know where I was going?"
"I didn't." Jonathan replied as he parked his bike in the designated lot for motorcycles. "This is my stop."
Wait, that means… Her thought trailed off as a sinking feeling set in. Gingerly, she felt she could do nothing but to just walk to class… which somehow happened to be the same direction that Jonathan was now walking along. By the time they had reached the lecture hall her class was in, her head was already swimming in denial. Having him as a classmate was the last thing she wanted.
Chapter 1 END
PS - Like I said, this is a rewrite of the original Solitary Trooper story written years ago by rx79guntank. I approached him online years ago and asked if I continue this in some way and he told me that it's okay for me to do so. Although he granted me permission to do so, I chose to start this all over from the start to give more background to Jonathan and his time with the USMC, as well as to make it more aligned to manga canon.
The story takes place after the raid on the ARCAM Japan building by COSMOS (Which by this point has been acquired by Trident Corporation from the US Army) and the mystery of the forgotten Island (An island which teleports between dimensions once a few years... thanks to the pyramids). Other than that, which I won't spoil for those who didn't read their translated versions of the manga outside of the Japanese version.
It's an AU in the sense that it takes place in 2012, taking into account the War on Terror launched prior to the Afghan war/occupation by the Coalition.
