The Business of War

Orchestrated By C.M. Rich (Magnetman)

RPD War Journals 4

By Makenshi

---

Takes place during Ascendant Izhevsk

Izhevsk, Russia

Makenshi awoke. He had been laying unconscious in the snow for god knows how long, and it was freezing cold. He looked around him, and only saw a vast stretch of tundra before him. "Captain?" he managed to say, but there was no response. His communications were jammed.

He recalled his confrontation with Mesmerman. Had all of it really taken place, or was at all a dream? And what the hell was he doing in the middle of nowhere?

Willing his feet to move, he began to walk. Striding across a barren plane, like he had done so many times before....

And then he stopped dead in his tracks, certain that he was seeing things. Before him was a young man, a few inches shorter than he was. He had a light complexion with pale blue eyes placed above an all-too-familiar smirk. His long, black hair was spiked into a fauxhawk, and he wore the same long, brown coat that Makenshi usually wore.

Was this another of Mesmerman's tricks. Was he still trapped in the confines of his own dark and twisted psyche?

"Who are you?"

It was the black-haired man who spoke. His voice was exactly the same as Makenshi's, though the words that came out of his mouth were colder.

"My name.... Is Shiken Max."

The black-haired man frowned, and all of a sudden his cool composure descended into a fit of frustration. "Wrong. You, my friend, are a fake. A joke! The title Shiken Max belongs to me!"

Is this guy for real? Makenshi thought, taken aback by the mysterious man's outburst. It was evident that this person was... him, from the past, yet such a thing couldn't be possible.

"Nonsense," he replied with a smirk, and he displayed his RPD badge that bore his name. "There can only be one Shiken Max in this world."

"Exactly," the black-haired man growled. "And that is why you must die!"

A shot rang out, but there was no one around to hear it, save for two people.

--------------------

It was an agonizingly long duel. Makenshi's past counterpart had gotten the first shot, which grazed Makenshi's cheek. They darted about the snowy desert, firing their bullet's and evading the other's.

The black-haired man moved with inhuman speed. Makenshi struggled to keep his aim locked onto him, but the man was already yards away when he pulled the trigger. Meanwhile, the black-haired man, though he had more of a sloppy aim, had his shots closer to Makenshi.

Then, the man realized that his hand and arms had holes in them, with his revolvers lying a couple meters away. Somehow, he had been hit multiple times by a flurry of bullets. He glared at Makenshi with hate-filled eyes.

That was easy, Makenshi thought. Aim one gun where he is, aim the other where he's going to be.

But his opponent didn't give up there. He suddenly charged at Makenshi, letting out an inhuman scream that sent chills down his spine and made him tense up. Before he could raise his gun and fire, the man was right in front of him and threw a hook punch at his lower jaw. Makenshi ducked and delivered a side thrust kick to the man's abdomen, causing him to reel back. The man went in again, his movements becoming more and more feral. Makenshi blocked, but the man's blows were becoming more savage and rapid, coming in all directions. He was surprisingly powerful, too powerful to be human, as the impact went right through Makenshi's body armor. The man went down for a three-sixty degree sweep kick, tripping Makenshi. Upon landing he broke his fall by rolling back and getting up to his feet a few yards away from the man. However, the man was already dashing towards him, leaping up into the air, his leg outstretched to home in one Makenshi's face....

And Makenshi retaliated with a crescent kick that collided into him. The force caused him to spin in midair before slamming into the ground. Without hesitation Makenshi fired his pistols, the bullets smacking into the man's body. However, the man still persisted, trudging, then crawling towards his enemy before finally collapsing onto one knee. But Makenshi didn't cease his fire, intending only to stop when the monster finally fell over and died. But he didn't, remaining in a kneeling position, and after what seemed like an eternity both of his guns clicked. All 80 of his bullets had been expended into the man's body.

He was a gory mess, yet still alive. Blood was pouring out of his wounds like mini waterfalls.....

No. That wasn't blood.

Makenshi finally understood. It was really him....

"So... you are the demon of my past. No, you ARE me from the past."

"Way to catch on," the man growled mockingly.

Makenshi advanced slowly towards him. "All this time, I have wondered what had happened to you. Both of us should have died back then, but...."

"We had quite the knack for cheating death, didn't we?" the man sneered.

"Unfortunately, we did. So, not a trace of me- pardon, I meant not a trace of MAKENSHI is in there, right?" Makenshi asked, pointing at the man.

The man shook his head. "Nope. You've been.... Written out a long time ago."

"That's a little bit reassuring," Makenshi stated grimly, and then added, "And now that I've figured you all out... Lose the facade."

There was utter silence. Then, all of a sudden the man changed. His eyes widened in madness he bore an insane, sinister grin. Makenshi was surprised at this sudden transformation. He was like a completely different person now. No, he WAS a completely different person. The man let out a soft yet hysterical chuckle, but his laughter soon escalated into a thunderous, manic cackle.

"Hmhmhmhmhmhehe.... Ahahahahahahaha..... KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

When the laughter finally died down, the man slowly rose to his feet. "That's right..... I am Waveman."

The man's face erupted with a substance that burst out of the eyes and mouth. Makenshi could only stare at the sight of his own image being decapitated as the fluid continued to pour out its shell. The liquid reformed to have a head and arms that plopped to the ground. Once it had completely exited the body it formed its legs and stood up. The body of Makenshi's "twin" crumpled to the ground, and pieces of armor flew and attached themselves to the entity before him. Finally, the same maniacal face appeared, staring hungrily at Makenshi.

"I am Waveman of the Ascendant Androids! And you, my friend, are MINCE MEAT!" the thing declared.

Makenshi examined the Gamma version of his former alter ego and gritted his teeth. "So this is what has become of the Wave armor...I've.... You've..... Become a monster...."

"Monster?!" Waveman shrieked. "Humans use that label for things they don't understand. They fear it, and thus they demonize it and hate it. And you go so far as to call your own kind a monster! Look at the tragedies before you! Look at the endless wars you have fought amongst eachother! I say that mankind are the monsters in this world! And that is why they must be eradicated! That is why all of life must be eradicated, so the world can start anew and ensure that beasts like you never exist!"

"So you label us as monsters, demonize us, hate us, then start a war with us and cause a tragedy that outweighs any other?"

"The ultimate world requires the ultimate sacrifice."

"The ultimate world can never exist no matter what you sacrifice. Even God, if he even exists, failed to maintain a perfect world."

"Enough. This will end now!"

Makenshi didn't know where they came from. The three giant tridents appeared from their hiding place in the air and crashed down towards him. He tumbled out of the way just in time as the three weapons lodged themselves at the point where he was standing. Gallons of water splashed into the snow.

"Tsk, my only shot down the crapper," Wave murmured.

Water-constructed serpents emerged from Waveman's chest, snarling and lunging at Makenshi. Makenshi quickly reloaded his guns, placing an ice cartridge in one pistol and a yellow cartridge in the other. He fired his ice gun, and the bullets effectively froze the serpents in their place. He then fired his volt gun, and Waveman yelped in surprise as he felt surges of electricity course through his body.

"Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?" Makenshi jeered.

"Kyahahahaha! Are you kidding me?! Pain is pleasure!" Waveman shrieked hysterically.

Disgusted by this new revelation about his evil counterpart, Makenshi could only unleash more of his volt bullets. Even if it.... Invigorated Wave, it was no doubt causing damage to whatever was keeping his liquid form bound together.

Waveman charged, lashing out with watery tentacles. Makenshi strafed left and right, then jumped to dodge ones that were swinging below him. He froze one of the tentacles, then jumped on top of it, running along it while shooting at a downward angle to freeze the rest of the tentacle and create a surface for him to advance. He then replaced his cartridges, and he was right in front of Waveman. He jumped past the aquatic demon, swiveling his arm back and firing at the back of the SA officer's head. The Explosion round blew off Waveman's head, with water splattering everywhere.

Waveman's face reformed, turning to Makenshi with a murderous glare. Makenshi stared back with contempt. "It's cold. You're at a disadvantage, aren't you?" he said. "The only way you can stop yourself from becoming an ice cube is to vibrate your own molecules and to generate heat. But that interferes with your ability to control water, and so your attacks are much more slower and weakened down.

Face it. Even I have the upper hand against you."

A bullet smacked into Waveman's body, and a mini tempest erupted from it, the whirlwind tearing Waveman apart.

Waveman had had enough. As he was strewn about by Makenshi's Wind bullets, he concentrated all of his willpower into action. He wasn't going to let Makenshi, of all people, to beat him.

And then, all of the snow around them liquefied, rising into the air under his control. Grinning with glee, he swept Makenshi over in a tidal wave, forcefully carrying him across the tundra. He followed the tidal wave and continued to push it forward, until finally, he saw what he wanted to see.

After what seemed like an eternity of tumbling about, the water rushed passed, but didn't carry him with it, and he found himself right at the edge of a valley. The water pouring into the chasm, which had to be hundreds of feet down. He got up to his feet and realized he had lost his Fenrirs. Waveman was now right in front of him with a look of victory plastered on his face.

"Any last words?" Waveman inquired.

"Yeah, go to hell," Makenshi growled.

"Hell is already here."

Waveman thrust his hand forth into Makenshi, causing the man to topple off of the cliff and into the void. How he would have loved to watch him fall to his death, but Wave knew he had to regroup with his fellow Androids. 'Palmy was certainly going to bust a cap, and wouldn't hesitate to punish the insubordinate Waveman.

Pain is pleasure, Wave thought with a chuckle.

--------------------

Makenshi screamed not only out of fear, but because he hated the lightweight feeling in his stomach from falling.

His mind raced as his body only accelerated to his imminent doom.

Then, he checked his holsters. The Fenrirs were still gone, but... Yes!

He had always brought a second pair of guns with him in case something were to happen to his primary pistols, and this precaution now spelled out the possibility of survival. He had named these secondary white revolvers the Icarus, which at the moment was quite an ironic name.

His coat was thrashing about violently in the wind. He seized one side and quickly scanned its inside coat pockets. His heart sank as he saw that many of his cartridges had been swept away by Waveman's flood. Standard, Explosion, Virus... No, nothing useful here. He checked the other side. Standard, Volt, Ice.... and he felt a shimmer of hope as his eyes fell upon a single white object. It was his last Wind cartridge.

With one hand he grabbed the Wind cartridge, and with the other he took out an Icarus from its holster. Swiftly but carefully he slipped the cartridge into its place. The ground was approaching fast. He had to time it just right.....

Makenshi fired all 7 bullets. Each hit the same spot, combining into a larger whirlwind that pushed upward fifteen feet in the air with immense force. He passed through it the moment it was at full power, feeling the deceleration immediately, but it didn't seem to be enough as he hit the ground hard, reflexively rolling to break his fall. His left forearm touched the ground first, and he instantly felt a sharp pain. However, he resisted the instinct to cry out, and he stayed perfectly still, in case Waveman was still watching.

He was alive.

But all he could think of was pretending to be dead. He didn't dare to move a muscle for an excruciatingly long time in that dismal valley, and he tensed up when he heard footsteps approaching. There was more than one, but not many, and they seemed to be very large in size.

Makenshi gripped his Icarus and closed his eyes halfway, ready to take down whoever was coming to him. But he didn't expect those people to be his SF bodyguards.

"Sir!" he heard Dan yell, but there was something different about his voice. It was strange, for the Special Forces were as cold and mechanical as any elite unit, but in that single word, Makenshi heard emotion. It was concern. But not the kind of concern of not being able to complete a mission, but concern over the wellbeing of another individual.

Or was it all just his imagination, a result from the delirium of his harrowing experience, and the SF units unexpected appearance?

Makenshi got up, relieved to see his rescuers. But how did they find him? He looked down at his coat...

"Looking for this, sir?" Tyler asked, raising an RPD badge in his massive hands. "We found it not too far from here. The tracker only recently started sending its signal again, sir."

"I see," Makenshi said. That probably meant that Waveman was the one disrupting the signal, and now he was gone.

--------------------

"He's WHAT?!"

"His position is static, and our forces are too occupied to get him."

"And Crorq isn't doing anything about it?"

"Crorq is... busy."

"Damn it!"

"Where are you think you're going?"

"Where do YOU think I'm going?"

"You still need to be examined in the medical bay!"

"Yeah, while Starman is just a sitting duck?"

"Shiken! SHIKEN! Ah, goddamnit. Vatnick, make sure he NEVER touches a donut again."

"Wait, what?"

"I honestly can't think of another punishment right now. Just do what I say."

"Wow, Captain. You're treating Shiken like he's a little kid. That's a sign of getting old, you know."

"Shut up, Beeson. You do know I'm the youngest high-ranking officer in the RPD, right? And you're the one that's older than me, too!"

"Don't forget that you're also the SHORTEST high-ranking officer in the RPD."

"What are you anyway, Captain? 5'9''?"

"Aren't you two supposed to be doing your work?!"

"Et tu, capitan?"

"Yeah, you're 10 feet away from your own console, Captain."

"Grrrr... I hate you both."

"Hahahaha!"

--------------------

After Makenshi and his bodyguards had rescued Starman, all five of them were quickly brought to the medical bay due to still having to undergo repairs. Makenshi's checkup revealed that he had partially fractured various bones along his limbs. Thanks to the latest technology in medical science he would be able to make a speedy recovery, though the extra strain he had put from going to retrieve Vulcan had taken its toll, extending his time in the hospital.

It was midnight. Makenshi lay once more in the corner at the end of the row of beds, and beside him were Donald, Tyler, Dan, and then Starman. All was silent except for the humble ticking of a clock. Makenshi reflected upon the events that had occurred. His haunting encounter with Mesmerman, his duel with Waveman, and then confronting the SA Androids. It was quite a lot to handle in a single run, but he had survived with naught but a few cracks in his bones. He knew that he had gotten off lucky. He wouldn't last long in the war.... Not with this body....

And then, he began to sing softly to himself.

"Sometimes I feel
Like I dont have a partner
Sometimes I feel
Like my only friend
Is the city I live in
The city of angel
Lonely as I am
Together we cry

I drive on her streets
cause shes my companion
I walk through her hills
cause she knows who I am
She sees my good deeds
And she kisses me windy
I never worry
Now that is a lie

I dont ever want to feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way..."

"Sir?" Donald interrupted suddenly.

"Hm?"

"Please stop, sir."

Makenshi felt embarrassed at first, but then he smiled and chuckled. "Alright, fine."

--------------------

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