Foreign Touch - (Post-Tokyo Ghoul :re, OC-MC)
2020, Augsburg, Germany.
It's been 6 years since the paradigms of the world changed in regard to Ghouls. Albeit Japan had been one of the staunchest believers of a hardline to handle the threat, the sudden shift of their policies with the dissolution of the Commission of Counter Ghoul (CCG) has led many international experts to speculate the ramifications of such development.
Germany and the US were eyed with curiosity over any of their own interest to change their own policies before this radical development. Then again, Japan's radical turn was driven by a crisis without precedence - the 'Dragon War' had crippled Tokyo and had led many politicians to resign over their ties with the former CCG. When the news that the Washuu family had been Ghouls themselves, the entire 'facade' of proper anti-ghoul rhetoric was shredded to pieces.
Washington rebuked any interest to see new legislation anytime soon, but Germany was put on the spot due to what happened in 2016. As if ironically perking up from the grave, an associate of Dr. Kanou Akihiro led a 'revolt' against the government.
Dr. Reiner von Bayerlin, proclaiming himself the truest heir to the old 'Aogiri Tree' organization from Japan, created what has been labeled as the newest terrorist group known as 'The Church of Aogiri'.
With a document that preached the violent uprising of all Ghouls, a resurgence of the Ghoul Trouble unfolded within Europe and Russia. The Ghulforschungsgesellschaft (Ghoul Research Association, GFG) raised the alarm over the need to raise the budget, and this resulted in one of the biggest recruitment campaigns the group has ever sponsored.
From all over Europe, the best agents of various branches united within the newly-created Antighulkampfgruppe (Anti Ghoul Strike Force, AGSF) as a rapid intervention force to destroy the aggressive organization.
The Berlin government expanded the funds of the GFG and soon a civil war saw Germany riddled with tears and bites. For four long years, the AGSF saw losses, and with two leaders dying on the job, one of the latest additions to the group was soon forced to claim a temporary leadership within the organization.
Mario Balsamo was a vetted and well-trained agent. A tough opponent to any sort of threat, but he wasn't without his own quirks. After a few clumsy mistakes in his early tenure, Agent Balsamo succeeded in his goal - the Church of Aogiri's base was found and it was soon swarmed by all available units.
An abandoned complex of buildings in Augsburg.
That's where this hideous war was going to end. It took so long to see this menace properly quashed, but we were here now. Sitting in one of the APC hiding out from the sight of those held within the warehouse, I was only waiting for the rest of the men to be in the right spot to get the party started.
"Sir, all units are at ready. At your command."
I nodded, readying my clock and fixing my reinforced jacket. My modified MP5 was grasped tightly by my right hand as I looked at my left wrist. Time was ticking away, but this moment will be eternal for all of us -regardless of how long we have been fighting in comparison to one another, this was the day we have been waiting for. The End.
"Starting in three, two, one - GO!"
Explosive shells were hurled at the crude fortifications created around the building, and the vehicles were rolling out towards the targets' location. Officers armed to the teeth were soon deployed and a tight big group around me moved along my steps as we broke through the main gates.
As the familiar noises of the mutated ghouls created by Dr. Von Bayerlin started to echo through the rotten halls of the warehouse, gunshots returned the same intensity to the monsters' horrible screeches. The battle had began, but I was already hoping it would end soon.
Enough lives had been claimed by these bastards, and I refused to let this war go on beyond today.
As we were tearing through the mass of deformed Ghouls, their frames and their biology twisted by the mad scientist in charge of them, I heard the unsavory tunes of decimated officers all around as the clash was far too closer than I had predicted.
How many creatures did the bastard create?
The file we had on Reiner and his former 'teacher' was not too extensive. The GFG had played hardball on how much could be told to the public about their former researchers. Kanou had 'helped', Reiner had taken the helm of Advanced Ghoul Biology Research after the old man left for home.
The fact that the old smiling fucker was also a monster that died during the Dragon War further made this development even more so 'predictable'. I had so many angry questions, but I was aware that I wouldn't be getting any answers - even as the war ended, the GFG was just to corrupt in its bureaucracy to let go of the shady past it had been accused to have.
The disgusting smell of blood and bile rendered the already moldy location one akin to a genuine war, with corpses of twisted ghouls, their bodies already torn apart by the extensive mutations inflicted by their leader, stuffing the corners of the various halls.
Soon, the firefight drew to a temporary pause. It wasn't the end, however. No, it was the 'calm before the storm'.
We found him - Dr. Reiner Von Bayerlin was there. He was in the middle of his monstrosities. The oddest bit was that the man's own ghoulification was unnatural and no scientist on their side had any clue on what he did to himself.
All that was known was that the man had reached a point where he could 'control' the lesser ghouls. The fact he stood out in the middle of a horde of mindless monsters without any of them considering lashing out at him was a miracle.
He looked human - human-like at least. He had gone bald as he shaved off his shoulder-length blonde hair, his lab coat redesigned to appear like a priestly tunic - white, but sterile despite the filthy world around him. His round-lented glasses were untouched from the few firefights he was subjected to, the monster always having a way to get out of that trouble.
He smiled as he spotted me, almost amused by my arrival.
"Mario Balsamo. Welcome my... friend."
"This is the end, Reiner. I hope you're ready to meet the maker?"
"Perhaps," The man argued calmly, reaching with his open palm to the rest of his monsters. "But you have to fight it. You have to face the challenge and-"
"I think we all faced this fucking challenge of yours, bastard. Today you die - there is no way out of this one."
His smile didn't vanish at the harsh interjection, rather it widened.
"If you think so, then prove it. Let us rejoice within the brawl to see if this is the day the old world dies or... it survives for another day."
The delight in his throat sickened me. And I took a quick shot at him. The bullet slammed on his shoulder, grazing him as he shifted out of its trajectory before disappearing into that horde of enraged monsters. The last war was there in that enclosed space.
The horrible noises of the experiments was faced by the vicious roars of men and women that wanted this to be over at once. For themselves, for their friends, lovers and their families. How long had they gone through this meat grinder? Hours? Minutes? Has it been a day?
Time was unimportant as everyone gave their best, and I wasn't that far behind. At a certain point, I saw Reiner trying to cut his way out of this disastrous loss for him and, while I would have wanted to riddle him with bullets, I had lost my MP5 somewhere in that messy battle. I had my high-velocity Korth Combat revolver leveled at the target and took three well-aimed shots from close enough.
The first one hit him in the head from behind, causing a large chunk of his upper head to explode. The second shot struck him in the arm, cutting the limb entirely off and the third one I aimed at his butt, wrecking his lower body and forcing him to fall on the ground. The agents around had noticed this development, and they didn't stood idle.
Two RC-neutralizer grenades were hurled at the recovering corpse, the red gas stopping Reiner's healing factor while incendiary grenades were slammed onto its body. An explosive and fiery blast wrecked and incinerated the cause of this conflict, sending Reiner to hell for good. His passing seemed to cut the hivemind leading the monsters, having them pause for just enough seconds for the agents to successfully wreck all of them.
None of Reiner's vermins survived that decimation and the day was brought to the news as 'the End of the Ghoul Trouble'. The end of the cult meant that all those ghouls that caused troubles, even without allying with Reiner, were all now without cover for their 'minor crimes'.
Peace would take months if not years to fully settle in, but I was relieved as soon as I was given the news I was removed from the AGSF's command and returned to a lesser rank.
I was ready to make it back to good ol' paperwork and claim a few months away from action to recover but-
I should have known this wasn't going to be as simple as I really wanted.
"A consultant position? In Tokyo?"
My mind was having a bit of trouble trying to wrap up with what I had been told.
Theo Falkenberg, the CEO of the GFG, had asked to personally speak with me over some important matters. I thought it would have been about the upcoming ceremony for all officers deemed worthy of high medals from the Bundeswehr's command, but when I entered that room, I realized something was missing.
Someone was. The CEO's daughter and heiress to the GFG, Karlotta, was not there. The young woman had a tendency to be around to 'chat with me' after meetings regarding her father and I, and while some may suggest there was something going on between us, the truth was that we were just friends.
Still, her absence at this meeting was a first clue that this wasn't anything nice. My next worry was the chance that there was a new resurgence from potential copycats to the Church of Aogiri, but that wasn't the case. No, the old man offered a smile that was like 'everything is fine here, but it will not be fine for you very soon'.
"Mario, son, you are familiar with our relations with Tokyo, yes? We were close with the CCG, but we had taken a most neutral stance with their TSC. Two days ago, the board and I have decided to try and open up now that connection and try to salvage what got lost due to the Dragon War."
"But... why me?"
"You are our best agent on the field, Mario. Well, the most known amongst those, I mean. You are an exceptional leader and a 'popular choice' to some."
"...Is this why Karlotta is not here?"
He offered a tight smile. "My daughter is currently busy with a diplomatic effort with France after their parliament had tried to pass a law to detach their anti-ghoul forces from the GFG. That's equally worrisome."
But you could have sent someone more qualified. It is still an excuse.
Still, I could tell that it wasn't a 'offer', it was an order.
"When will I leave?"
"In a week from now."
I leaned back on my chair. "Isn't- isn't that too soon? It's just a day after the ceremony."
"I understand your worries, but it is best we get this little project unfolding at once, Mario. And..." He paused, leaning closer. "There's reasons to believe some of the remnants of the Church may have moved to find out about the old Aogiri Tree. If that's the case-"
"It's best to have someone familiar with the topic on the field."
The CEO clapped his hands once, smiling once more. "Yes. And that's also a reason why I want you there- you understand the subtlety of those politics. We can't have a fool to lead us as a representative in Tokyo."
I slowly nodded at this, still unsure if this was indeed a 'good thing' or an attempt to just remove me from 'being around' Karlotta. The girl sure had been a stiff one before we started to be friends a few years ago, so maybe the old man thought I was 'tainting' her or something like that.
...
Oh well, my only concern is that I may have to dust the old Italian-Japanese dictionary before it was time to make that trip.
AN
No one told Mario that things have gotten surprisingly 'nicer' towards ghouls and that will be quite a big culture shock. Pairings? Maybe. Life-changing 'Lil Kid' in the form of adorable hybrid? Definitely. Headpats? Confirmed!