Disclaimer: Vandread belongs to Gonzo. All music copyright to their original owners.

Vandread: The Unknown Soldier

Chapter Fourteen: Memories, Part Two

Location: Infirmary, Nirvana

Still unconscious, Aidan seemed to struggle against a pain that racked him. It was not a physical pain, although he had plenty of that, it was something else. Emotional.

Age: 19

(BGM: Darkness-Disturbed)

Aidan stood at attention in full blue and black dress uniform. Along with all the other soldiers, they were here to honor the dead that were killed in a cowardly terrorist attack. He stared blankly as they lowered the caskets of many of the soldiers that died a few days ago. His eyes were focused on one of them, the one that contained Sakura’s body. He promised himself that whoever did this would die a slow, horrible death.

The silence was shattered by several rifles firing in unison, and a man giving the orders to fire. After the rifle salute was finished, the assemble soldiers, as one, snapped a sharp salute. Yes, whoever did this would pay.

Age: 20

“Sir, I request to be transferred to special operations,” Aidan asked his superior officer as he stood at ease.

“Is this because you would like to take revenge for the deaths of many in your unit?” the Colonel asked.

“No, sir, I’d just like to put my skills to a better use to serve the Federation,” he said.

After a painfully long silence, the Colonel finally came to a decision. “Since most of your unit was killed in that terrorist incident, I formally accept your request for transfer.”

“Thank you, sir,” Aidan said.

“Don’t get too eager, the tests for special ops can be difficult,” the Colonel countered.

“I know sir,” was all Aidan said.

“This is your final test, Mercer,” the instructor said. “You objective will be to kill or subdue all eight of the filthy criminals that we set loose in the dome.” Inside the dome was an artificial jungle, ideal for ambushes and sneak attacks. “You will be inserted without any weapons, although the criminals were given weapons. They were told that if they killed you, they would be set free.”

Aidan scoffed at that idea, because even if they did manage to kill him, like they actually could, they’d probably just be executed afterwards. He was ready, and he had no qualms against killing them, for they were just filthy murderers and rapists.

Sitting in his pre-selected hide, Aidan watched as they split into four groups, and one of them was nearing his position. They both were armed with a pistol, from what he could tell. After the second one passed, he snaked his arms out and grabbed the him. With a quick motion, he snapped his neck. The other one turned around, and fired. The shot hit the man he was using as a shield. Aidan grabbed the other’s gun and shot him. The guy fell to the ground, a smoking hole in his chest. He grabbed a knife one of them had on them as well as both of their guns. He moved quickly out of the area, knowing that others would have heard the shots.

With patience and efficiency, Aidan dispatched four more. That left two of them, and they both decided to split up. Bad idea. Aidan crept behind one of them and opened his throat with a knife. The other proved a little more difficult, he seemed to be a little smarter than the others. When Aidan ambushed him, he proved he knew how to fight. They were locked in a hand-to-hand fight, with neither if them getting the better of each other, until the final convict knocked Aidan down. He made a grab for the gun that was on the ground as Aidan got to his feet. After he picked up the gun, he aimed it in where he thought Aidan was. Aidan managed to get to the side of him. He grabbed the convict’s gun arm and wrenched it back. Aidan heard a satisfying crack, which meant he bent that guy’s elbow the wrong way. The man released his grip on the gun, and it fell away from them. Aidan brought his down and kneed him in the stomach. The convict doubled over in pain. Aidan picked up the gun, walked over to the convict, put it to his head, and pulled the trigger.

“Very well done,” the instructor said as he walked up to Aidan, “Welcome to the Solaris Special Forces.”

Age: 21

Aidan didn’t like his commanding officer, he didn’t like from the first day they met, and things were made worse when Aidan had been assigned to eliminate the doctor known as Geoffrey Hoskins. He and his superior officer had gotten into a heated argument about the execution of the late doctor’s wife and child. The man didn’t even look like a soldier. He had pretty big size gut, and his blunt, ugly face sickened Aidan, as well as his balding head. This ass looked more like a politician than a soldier.

“You are out of line, Captain!” the commander shouted.

“For damn good reason! The doctor’s family didn’t have to die! It was a mother and child,” Aidan countered.

“If you keep this up, I’ll have you demoted,” the commander warned, his face red.

“Like I give a damn, sir,” he mocked.

“If you don’t stop this, I’ll have you court-martialed!” the commander yelled. “Besides, they were filth just like the doctor.”

That last comment got to Aidan, he balled his right fist and slammed it into his commander’s face. He was positive that he heard his jaw break, and several teeth came loose. He definitely wasn’t a soldier. The commander collapsed to the ground. Aidan stepped over him and walked to the door.

“You had that coming, you bastard,” was Aidan’s parting shot as he walked out of the office.

(BGM: Sick of Life- Godsmack)

Aidan stood there with his arms tied to a rope that hung from the ceiling. He lacked a shirt, as he was in the middle of “disciplinary action” for insubordination and striking a commanding officer. The lash struck his back again, and winced in pain.

“This is what you get for striking me!” the commander said as he struck his back again with the whip. Aidan winced in pain as he struck again and again, drawing blood each time the lash contacted his skin.

“Do you give in? If you do and you will have to get on your knees and beg forgiveness,” he said with a nasty grin.

“Like hell I will, you bastard,” Aidan said in defiance. If there was one thing, he would not give in to this sadistic, poor excuse for a soldier, no, poor excuse for a human being.

“How dare you!” he said as he struck Aidan in the face. Aidan responded by spitting blood on the man’s face and smiling a mocking grin.

With that, the poor excuse for a man drew a knife and put it close to Aidan’s face. The man drew two cuts on Aidan’s left cheek in the shape of a cross. Blood from the cuts trickled down his chin and onto the floor.

“Let this be a reminder that this is what happens when you defy me,” the ugly bastard said.

Aidan stared at him with contempt. He hated this man, in fact he was the second person that Aidan hated with such intensity. The person that reserved the honor of most of his hatred was whoever was responsible for Sakura’s death. If it weren’t for these damn restraints, he’d go and break that goddamned bastard’s neck like the twig it was. He would not give in. He would not!

There was something wrong, definitely wrong. Appearing to be fine a minute ago, Aidan’s condition was now starting to take a turn for the worse. Meia started to worry, for the pain which had went away for a awhile seemed to have come back full force. It appeared to increase in intensity until Aidan let out a cry of pain. From what it looked like, his life was starting fade away.

“Don’t give up, stay alive,” she softly whispered.

“Aidan, wake up.”

Aidan woke up, and it appeared to him that he was looking up into a clear, blue sky. He was lying on his back, and he noticed that he was lying in a green field, he got up into a sitting position he noticed a familiar someone sitting next to him. It was Sakura.

“Good, you’re awake. You’ve been asleep for quite a while now,” she said.

“Where am I?” he said, not believing in what he was seeing. “A dream?”

“Perhaps,” she replied, smiling.

He stared at her for a moment, she was different somehow. Her hair was as long as she had it when her first met her.

“There are people back there that care about you,” she said, looking up into the sky.

“But I think I would like to stay here,” Aidan protested.

“No, it is not your time,” she said. “There is someone who cares for you, but she is not one who shows her feelings.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, until he figured out what she meant.

Any further of Aidan’s protests went unsaid as Sakura leaned in and kissed him. He returned it and when they were finished, she said a simple but strong phrase. “I love you…”

Finally, he knew what her final words were before she died. She tried to tell him, but couldn’t, because she couldn’t muster the strength to speak. As he pondered that, his vision of her faded to black. When he opened his eyes, he say that he was staring straight up at the ceiling of the infirmary. He turned his head and saw that Meia was sitting next to him.

Next chapter up sometime before next week, hopefully.