#sedating

After The Mission

Bruno checks the time on his watch, counting down when he has to go to his after-mission brief with General Kane. He has an idea of how it'll go this time, considering during the mission, things didn't go according to the plan. No... not one bit. His daughter - Lieutenant Marlow Stenberg- has been taken, and he must now answer as to why it happened.

He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, the stress of the unknown eating at his conscious. "Better go in before he has another reason to tear a new one into me." He pushes himself away from the desk, standing up and checking himself in the mirror. His uniform a pure reflection of himself, no loose ends or strings in sight, his rank dead center on his chest. He wants to climb the ranks and prove to himself, and his family, that he can go the distance. His obstinate behavior ensures that he always get the mission done in the safest way possible. However, his SEAL counterpart, Lieutenant Commander 'Richie' Richard Trembley, thinks the mission should come first, no matter the consequences. This has lead Bruno and Richie to clash in more ways than one, but Kane prefers Richie's mentality.

Though it doesn't matter. He's the actual leader of a Joint Command team. It's Bruno’s law over Richie's opinion. That being said, Bruno is on the hook for any mistakes made during missions, this one included. He should have been there and put a stop to anything. It's all his fault she's missing and probably suffering at the hands of her assailants.

He runs his hand across his stubble and averts his gaze from the mirror. What will happen in that office, he doesn't know. What he does know, is that he won't be coming out feeling like a million dollars. Kane is good about sending him out feeling like the muck on the sole of a shoe. That isn't a problem anyways; he already feels like the worst leader and father in the world.

"Enough delaying, idiot," he mutters to himself, clearing his throat. "Time to get it over with." He leaves the office and makes his way to Kane's in under 7 minutes, still 5 minutes early from the time he was given. The deeply rooted military part of him is beyond pleased by this, but then the looming danger hits him like a truck when General Kane rips open the door, glaring at Bruno.

"You're late. Get the fuck inside and stand at attention, you useless sack of shit." The look in his eyes were enough to tell Bruno he's about to undergo something he hasn't been through before in all his years.

Bruno nods curtly and enters the office, the door getting slammed behind him by General Kane. He stands in front of the desk, standing at attention and presenting a salute. "Sir, Lieutenant Colonel Stenberg reports as ordered."

Kane, now behind the desk, waves his hand. "Stand at Parade Rest. I don't have the respect for you to salute back. Now, you better start explaining to me what happened last night and why we are missing Tyrant, your own daughter. It had better be a good reason for it."

He swallows back his worries, knowing Kane isn't one to be fought with; not this time. "Sir, last night's mission was as follows: I had the help of Lieutenant Commander Trembley assess the fortification against us, set up by the targets. It was then determined Petty Officer Second Class Kieran Ashton, Strider, would keep watch with Second Lieutenant Marlow Stenberg, Tyrant. I was going in with Sergeant Valdemar Ackermann, Kevlar, to clear out the factory while Senior Airman Khrystyna Paszek, Patches, was disarming the alarm system. The mission was supposed to have taken a total of 7 hours, 13 minutes. At the 6 hour mark, Strider made note that Tyrant was not in her area of responsibility, and called for her in private comms. It was then determined upon extraction that she was now Missing in Action." His eyes shift to the floor, fighting away his own emotions. "I can only hope we can find her. I have Oscar on the job."

Kane is scribbling down on a notepad, shaking his head in disappointment and disbelief. "It was a simple mission, and yet we are missing an operative. We are supposed to be an example to our enemies that we are a task force that can get the job done, and they kidnapped your daughter. What kind of a leader are you?"

The question makes his own heart stop, his brain working on an answer, but not fast enough, because a fist meets his cheek, and he's tasting iron in his mouth. In shock, his eyes go up to meet Kane's, and he is once again hit in the face, pain flashing through him. "There's no excuse for my failure, S-Sir. None at all. I should have done more for her-"

"You should have been there. You should be the one taken. Now she's probably going to die because of you. Because you're weak!" Kane pulls Bruno hard by the tie and slams his head down on the desk, items shaking from the force. The General then takes the picture frame of himself from the desk and shatters it against Bruno’s head, blood splattering on both uniforms. "You just ruin everything you touch. Did you ever think that you should have died in that accident years ago? I do. I think about it all the time. You're going to leave this office with this mistake on your conscious forever. You better hope she's still alive, or else I will be doing worse. Got it? I asked you a question!" He pulls the tie back, effectively choking Bruno and making the man struggle in the broken glass.

All he knows is pain now, partly from losing his daughter, but the other from getting reprimanded, the glass cutting his face up and the inability to breathe. He's coughing and his training kicks in, grabbing Kane's hand instinctively. "Crystal. Clear."

Kane grins sadistically at Bruno. "Not clear enough. Let's see if this gets the message clear to you," he chuckles, bringing Bruno to the floor and stomping on his chest hard enough to knock the breath out of the man.

His eyes widen when the memories of the past swarm him, the metal shards protruding from his chest. He doesn't realize he's screaming and writhing on the floor, the burning sensation ripping throughout his body. "Get it out, get it out, GET IT OUT!" A sobbing mess, the Lieutenant Colonel, a proud and stoic man, is rendered to a puddle of blood and tarnished memories.

That is until a pitcher of cold water is tossed on his face, his eyes locked on the pitcher in Kane's hand. "Pathetic. Absolutely a shame to see such a man with potential on the floor like trash. You had so much promise, but I suppose you'll have to do for now. Go interview Kieran on what happened that night. Do it now or later, when you've regained some dignity. You're dismissed."

It's all a blur now, Bruno not even realizing he's upright, using the wall to walk and keep himself steady. The last one to see her was Kieran... the one that would have betrayed her was him. From sadness to complete and utter vitriol, it only takes a few delirious steps until he's in front of Kieran, hand wrapped around his throat and lifting the Navy SEAL up.

"What the fuck did you do to my daughter? Why wasn't she with you?!" Bruno roars, tears falling down his face. He feels just like Kane, but the words the General told him keep echoing. It's all his fault. It's always been his fault.

Kieran is using both hands to hold Bruno's wrist, legs kicking as he yells, "You're fucking crazy! I didn't hurt her! KHRYSTYNA!" For once, Bruno can see pure terror in Kieran’s eyes, and it makes him wonder if he's telling the truth. His daughter's life depends on it.

"What. Did. You. Do? She would have been with you the whole time!" Not in focus, his anger spurring him on, Bruno slams Kieran against the wall hard, the shelves falling and things shattering upon impact with the floor. "So what the fuck did you do to fuck over my kid, Kieran?"

Kieran’s kicking grows weaker by the second, Bruno's grip hardening. "J-just told her to let me h-handle the watch. She was ch-checking the perimeter. I swear!"

That…

That snaps most of the lines tethering Bruno to reality, and he throws the man across the room, breathing heavily. "You're the reason she could be dead. I trusted you with her life, and so did she! You bastard! I'll fucking kill you if she's dead!" He takes a few menacing steps towards Kieran when he feels hands on him, yanking him back hard.

"Bruno, calm down!" Valdemar shouts, using all of his strength to keep the large man from killing Kieran, looking to Miranda, who's on Bruno's other side.

"There's an explanation, Bruno, please! This isn't you! What happened? You're bloody and hurt," her voice comes in a shocked yet commanding tone. Miranda tries to make Bruno look at her, but all she can see is his glossed over eyes and she knows he's far too gone to save now. "Khrystyna! Get the syringe!"

The way Bruno tries to fight them off is almost similar to a bull relentlessly throwing off its rider, but it becomes pointless when a syringe is slammed into his chest. His eyes refocus, and he sees a young Khrystyna standing before him, plunging the sedatives into his system. A cold feeling washes over him and he crumples to his knees, his tears now falling freely. "My kid… Find my kid. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." The darkness creeps in fast and it's only thanks to his teammates that he doesn't crash hard against the floor, leaving everyone to wonder two things:

What the hell happened to the strong Lieutenant Colonel?