ChapatrapPapua City, Early in the Morning
Morning could not have come faster for Katashi, who's anxiety kept him from getting a good nights rest. Sluggishly, he got dressed and made his way outside, where a clunky machine was already waiting to take him to his new home. As he pulled himself up into the back of the truck, he saw a few other men, most of them displaced in some way, sleeping in the back of the truck. He made his way, as quietly as possible, to a seat across the only other man awake, and set his bag in his lap. As the truck coughed and jostled with life, Katashi watched as his old life slowly faded into the distance, and slowly began to nod off.
A short while later, Katashi awakened as bright sunlight flooded the back of the truck, and a large group of young men boarded the truck, filling the back with bodies and noise. Adjusting his glasses on his nose, Katashi looked around the truck, noticing the disgruntled looks of the other veterans who were awakened by the newcomers.
“Hey, you” said one of the older men closer to the front. “Do you have a cigarette on you? I get these excruciating headaches if I don't have a smoke when I wake up.”
Still too tired to talk, Katashi gave a nod, and rummaged through his bag, and pulled out a box of cigarettes, and a pack of matches, and handed them down the row.
“Well look at that.” said the man happily. “They made us give up ours this morning, something about it being hazardous. I guess the rumours where true. You folks in Papua City really were living in the lap of luxury.”
A hearty laugh filled the front end of the truck, rivaling the banter coming from the younger soldiers in the back. Katashi simply joined in the laughter, until he noticed everyone, not just the man who had asked, were helping themselves to his cigarettes. By the time the box made it's way back to him, there was only one and a half left. With a frown, he took the last full cigarette, and stuffed the broken one into his front pocket, deciding it was better to join in and not complain. After all, these men were going to be his new comrades. The company in the back definitely made the second half of the journey better for Katashi, and before he even knew it, they reached their destination.
Stepping down and out of the truck, Katashi was immediately herded to the front of the camp with everyone else. To the right of the entrance was a wooden board with the camps name scrawled across it in black paint.
“Heisha Shi”
Katashi gave the name an extra long look, puzzling at the way it was written. Instead of being written entirely in Kanji, like it normally would be, the “shi” was left in Hirigana. Looking to his left, Katashi noticed that the man who he had been sitting across from the entire trip, Tsuruya, was also puzzling over this oddity.
“It's weird.” said Katashi in a low voice. “Why purposefully write it out as shi? Do you think it's a scare tactic of Camp 4? Or do you think it means this might be... THAT kind of camp?”
Tsuruya stood there, hand to the beard on his chin, mulling over the sign in silence. Katashi tried repeating his question, but Tsuruya showed no indication that he was listening. Figuring it was best to let it go, Katashi went and joined the rest of the crowd, just as a man stepped of from behind the wooden gate.
“How many of you are ready?” the man asked, much to the confusion of the crowd in front of him. Of course, nobody answered. “I said, how many of you are ready?” Again, silence. Katashi noticed the grave look on the mans face, and spoke up, just before the man could.
“I'm sorry, sir, but... Are we ready for what?”
Smirking, the man held a hound out. “What's your name, soldier?”
“Minobe, sir. Minobe Katashi.” came Katashi's flustered and curt reply.
“Well, Minobe. The thing about this camp is once you agree to enter, you have to stay. You are put on a blacklist, unable to be moved around, and unable to leave. If you agree to join, then you're no longer a normal Kempeitai member. You become an elite.” Looking over the crowd with their confused looks, the officer grew more annoyed. “All of this, I assume, was not told to you when you enlisted?”
“Well sir.” replied Katashi once more. “We didn't sign up. We were just told we were being shipped off up here because of our skill and experience.”
The speed at which the officers hand connected to his face had to be record breaking, Katashi thought.
“Well. As was said. This camp is only meant for the most elite and trustworthy out there. I asume the rest of the details got lost down the chain, and your local commanders instead sent who they believed to be the best. Is that correct?”
The collective nod that followed the officers question is what he feared. Not a soul here had any clue what they were about to get into.
“Minobe” barked the officer. “Do you swear upon entering this camp, that you will not request to leave. That you will always work to the best of your ability, and that you will not share the secrets inside of these walls with anybody outside?”
Katashi, flustered by the sudden assault of questions, agreed absentmindedly, as he slowly repeated what was said to him in the back of his mind.
“Very good. Now, if you would please enter, we can get started.”
As he made his way behind the wooden gate, he found himself immediately being grabbed by a couple men, and led into a tent. They told him to remove his shirt, and to lean over a stool. When he stood there dumbstruck, they took it into their own hands, ripping his shirt off his back, and forcing him over the stool. They then handed him a black of wood, and told him to bite down on it hard. Now in a bit of a panic, he did as they said, just as he saw the reason why. Another man walked in with a hot branding iron, emblazoned with a modified Kempeitai symbol.
“As soon as this mark is on your flesh, it is a constant reminder that there is no going back, and a permanent brand of your service to the Emperor. Under the protection of the Kempeitai, and the Emperor himself, we will succeed where our predecessor, Unit 731, couldn't. Welcome to Camp 4, Sargent... Minobe.”
As Tsuruya shook the officer's hand outside the gate, all anybody heard was the pained scream of Katashi from within. Tsuruya instantly tried to pull his hand away, but the officer's grip tightened.
“With that, you have all officially been enlisted into this camp. Remember what I said. No going back. You're one of us, now.”
Morning could not have come faster for Katashi, who's anxiety kept him from getting a good nights rest. Sluggishly, he got dressed and made his way outside, where a clunky machine was already waiting to take him to his new home. As he pulled himself up into the back of the truck, he saw a few other men, most of them displaced in some way, sleeping in the back of the truck. He made his way, as quietly as possible, to a seat across the only other man awake, and set his bag in his lap. As the truck coughed and jostled with life, Katashi watched as his old life slowly faded into the distance, and slowly began to nod off.
A short while later, Katashi awakened as bright sunlight flooded the back of the truck, and a large group of young men boarded the truck, filling the back with bodies and noise. Adjusting his glasses on his nose, Katashi looked around the truck, noticing the disgruntled looks of the other veterans who were awakened by the newcomers.
“Hey, you” said one of the older men closer to the front. “Do you have a cigarette on you? I get these excruciating headaches if I don't have a smoke when I wake up.”
Still too tired to talk, Katashi gave a nod, and rummaged through his bag, and pulled out a box of cigarettes, and a pack of matches, and handed them down the row.
“Well look at that.” said the man happily. “They made us give up ours this morning, something about it being hazardous. I guess the rumours where true. You folks in Papua City really were living in the lap of luxury.”
A hearty laugh filled the front end of the truck, rivaling the banter coming from the younger soldiers in the back. Katashi simply joined in the laughter, until he noticed everyone, not just the man who had asked, were helping themselves to his cigarettes. By the time the box made it's way back to him, there was only one and a half left. With a frown, he took the last full cigarette, and stuffed the broken one into his front pocket, deciding it was better to join in and not complain. After all, these men were going to be his new comrades. The company in the back definitely made the second half of the journey better for Katashi, and before he even knew it, they reached their destination.
Stepping down and out of the truck, Katashi was immediately herded to the front of the camp with everyone else. To the right of the entrance was a wooden board with the camps name scrawled across it in black paint.
“Heisha Shi”
Katashi gave the name an extra long look, puzzling at the way it was written. Instead of being written entirely in Kanji, like it normally would be, the “shi” was left in Hirigana. Looking to his left, Katashi noticed that the man who he had been sitting across from the entire trip, Tsuruya, was also puzzling over this oddity.
“It's weird.” said Katashi in a low voice. “Why purposefully write it out as shi? Do you think it's a scare tactic of Camp 4? Or do you think it means this might be... THAT kind of camp?”
Tsuruya stood there, hand to the beard on his chin, mulling over the sign in silence. Katashi tried repeating his question, but Tsuruya showed no indication that he was listening. Figuring it was best to let it go, Katashi went and joined the rest of the crowd, just as a man stepped of from behind the wooden gate.
“How many of you are ready?” the man asked, much to the confusion of the crowd in front of him. Of course, nobody answered. “I said, how many of you are ready?” Again, silence. Katashi noticed the grave look on the mans face, and spoke up, just before the man could.
“I'm sorry, sir, but... Are we ready for what?”
Smirking, the man held a hound out. “What's your name, soldier?”
“Minobe, sir. Minobe Katashi.” came Katashi's flustered and curt reply.
“Well, Minobe. The thing about this camp is once you agree to enter, you have to stay. You are put on a blacklist, unable to be moved around, and unable to leave. If you agree to join, then you're no longer a normal Kempeitai member. You become an elite.” Looking over the crowd with their confused looks, the officer grew more annoyed. “All of this, I assume, was not told to you when you enlisted?”
“Well sir.” replied Katashi once more. “We didn't sign up. We were just told we were being shipped off up here because of our skill and experience.”
The speed at which the officers hand connected to his face had to be record breaking, Katashi thought.
“Well. As was said. This camp is only meant for the most elite and trustworthy out there. I asume the rest of the details got lost down the chain, and your local commanders instead sent who they believed to be the best. Is that correct?”
The collective nod that followed the officers question is what he feared. Not a soul here had any clue what they were about to get into.
“Minobe” barked the officer. “Do you swear upon entering this camp, that you will not request to leave. That you will always work to the best of your ability, and that you will not share the secrets inside of these walls with anybody outside?”
Katashi, flustered by the sudden assault of questions, agreed absentmindedly, as he slowly repeated what was said to him in the back of his mind.
“Very good. Now, if you would please enter, we can get started.”
As he made his way behind the wooden gate, he found himself immediately being grabbed by a couple men, and led into a tent. They told him to remove his shirt, and to lean over a stool. When he stood there dumbstruck, they took it into their own hands, ripping his shirt off his back, and forcing him over the stool. They then handed him a black of wood, and told him to bite down on it hard. Now in a bit of a panic, he did as they said, just as he saw the reason why. Another man walked in with a hot branding iron, emblazoned with a modified Kempeitai symbol.
“As soon as this mark is on your flesh, it is a constant reminder that there is no going back, and a permanent brand of your service to the Emperor. Under the protection of the Kempeitai, and the Emperor himself, we will succeed where our predecessor, Unit 731, couldn't. Welcome to Camp 4, Sargent... Minobe.”
As Tsuruya shook the officer's hand outside the gate, all anybody heard was the pained scream of Katashi from within. Tsuruya instantly tried to pull his hand away, but the officer's grip tightened.
“With that, you have all officially been enlisted into this camp. Remember what I said. No going back. You're one of us, now.”
