Raegan

Camp Slayer

1446 HRS } May 30, 2003

Hello friend. Hello friend, that... no, that doesn't feel like the right thing to say. Do you want a different name? That's a slippery slope though, because we have to remember that you've been in my head for a long time now. I... Please don't take this the wrong way, but I can't believe I'm about to tell you my side of the story...!

I never told you much about myself, did I? Well to start with, people saw me as your normal geeky nerd. But honestly, I'm nowhere near normal, because I'm on the autistic spectrum and I suffer from social anxiety. This affects how I function in everyday life, such as socialising with people. Sure, some of them were willing to give me a chance and I appreciated that. But...they didn't work out, they never did and that's made my anxiety worse over the years.

Well, at least I have my family and a few friends to help me cope.

On a different note, everyone has media productions, topics and people that they are interested in; favourite movie, television show or cute band, you get the idea. My interests were similar, but they were a lot different than the stereotypical ones a teenager would have in the 90s and 2000s. Since I was around... seven, I've been a huge fan of Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog. I've played the games I was able to get my hands on, I watched some of the television shows and I bought the merchandise that I could. Yes, they have been considered rivals and honestly, I still don't understand why that is. Then again, that's just me. But, you know, I also don't see a problem with being a fan of both mascots.

I mean - they're great characters, after all.

In any case, I imagine you must be wanting some context as to why I used to be a CIA Field Officer? Well, I'll try to spare you the gory details - but long story short, I spent most of my childhood at an institution (or orphanage, if you prefer) and despite what I've had to put up with, I did the best I could with my education. Once I turned eighteen, I was off to the Academy and three months later, along came my first deployment in Iraq! Now, I'm not gonna lie, my first impressions of Camp Slayer were surprisingly positive, given the circumstances. I mean, it looked really fancy for a military installation and... I could have sworn that it was like, I don't know, a modern-day version of a Renaissance palace?

I'm probably wrong, but hey ho.

One of the aspects I remember having to adjust to was the knowledge that I had to have frequent conversations with my allies. That was...! That was something I initially dreaded, because the orphanage I grew up in was pretty much the best setting for teenage drama and... And on top of that, I wasn't brave enough to strike up a conversation with the other kids because of the bullying I went through. People would often think of me as anti-social and to some extent, that could be the case. But the truth was that I was merely shy. I still am, come to think of it.

I remember repeatedly telling myself to be more outgoing and sometimes, I've tried to approach a stranger - but... my attempts mostly fell on deaf ears, unfortunately. With that being said however, I was glad that Camp Slayer had a couple of pros unlike the institution. One: my supervisor and dear friend, James, was willing to understand my autism and two: I was lucky enough to find some people who see me for me!

My deployment became more bearable after I met them, too. Everything would be okay as long as we stuck together.

"Damn, Joey! They got you sitting behind a desk?" Another friend, Jason Kolchek's surprised voice caught my attention. "You want me to make a call?"

"Nah, I'm all good," My best friend countered casually, as he scrolled away on his laptop. "People who sit behind desks don't tend to catch so many bullets, you know?" Cue a brief glance at our new acquaintance, and... "So, this must be the one and only satellite guy?"

"Hm, sounds accurate," I commented with an innocent shrug, which prompted Joey to smile brightly. Well, hello there. Don't take this the wrong way, but I hear you're quite the ex-husband! Or at least, that's what our Queen here thinks.

Despite knowing about Rachel's complaints, he... he didn't seem all that bad. But—! But with that being said and I regret this even now, I was surprised to see the black necklace with his wedding ring intact. Uuuuh - why do you still have that, when you're divorced?

"The one and only satellite guy," The man chuckled amusedly, before he decided to introduce himself. "Lieutenant King. Lieutenant Colonel Eric King," We're aware, sir. "I think I caught your name was Joey, Lance Corporal?"

"Yes, sir," Joey confirmed as he gave me a friendly nudge. "This is my best friend, Raegan. She's one of the CIA field officers,"

"Hello, sir," I politely greeted the infamous ex-husband, offering my hand for him to shake.

"It's nice to meet you, Raegan," He accepted my gesture. "I trust you're in good hands with Rachel?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but Jason unfortunately beat me to it. "Nah, James has been helping her out,"

"Right, I see," Our acquaintance said whilst I shot the Marine an annoyed glower. Dude, I appreciate you interrupting! Not!

"Speaking of," He continued rambling, whilst my best friend gave me a card which was required to give Eric full-site access. Thanks, Joe... "When the Queen B*tch finds about this," Cue him to refer to a piece of paper in his hand. "She's gonna flip her sh*t!" Oooooooh!

The Colonel's eyes hardened with anger. "That's my wife you're talking about!" Within seconds, he was storming off. Woah - easy with the aggression, sir!

Surprisingly, Jason looked just as taken aback as Joey and I were. "I-I'm, I'm sorry,"

"Well done, Kolchek," I heard James scowl under his breath. Annnnnd Miller's off too.

"Yeah," A young woman, clad in a black tank-top with a tan plate carrier strapped over her chest, dark cargo pants and a pair of brown boots, agreed as she tagged along with the two guys. Oh? Hello? "Nice work, hotshot," I wonder who that is?

After exchanging an interested look with my friend, I took a quick glance at the card he had handed over before taking a quick walk in Eric's direction. Darn it! I'll be right back, Joe! "Excuse me? Colonel?"

"Yes?" He turned his head towards me, just as James flashed a relieved smile.

"I think this is supposed to give you full-site access?" I offered him the aforementioned object, which he took appreciatively. "Also, please don't take this the wrong way but I was under the impression you and Rachel were divorced?"

"Yeah, she never said she was married," An apologetic Jason chimed in.

"We've been working apart this last year," Okay, so separated. Gotcha. "So she's the Queen B*tch now?" An unimpressed scoff. "She's gone up in the world,"

"Well, if it helps?" A small smirk spread across his face. "We like to think of it as a term of endearment," Pfft, speak for yourself man.

"And by we, Kolchek obviously means himself," James unknowingly echoed my thoughts with an amused smirk, influencing me to stifle a chuckle. Ooooh, Miller's got you there! Yes! He then gestured for the Colonel to follow him. "Anyway, shall we?"

"Sure,"

Uhm...! I don't know if I'm speaking for everyone here? But, uh, let's hope that Rachel's looking forward to seeing you, sir.