February 26, 2050 - 19:01
Da Nang, Vietnam - Nova Oriental Nightclub
It was a crowded and lively night.
Lights from all the clubs near the Han River pierced the night sky, outshining the stars and the moon hanging above.
The sounds of motorcycles and cars filled the street, while the sounds of various songs competed to be the loudest on the Bach Dang riverside street.
Nearby, the view of the iconic Dragon Bridge connecting the two sides of the Han River could be seen. The golden-colored dragon hovering just above the water occasionally spewed fire and flame from its mouth.
The squad – most of them never had the chance to travel abroad – took in the sights to their fullest capacity as they waited in line for the bouncers to let people into the club.
The club that they were currently waiting in line to get into, the Nova Oriental Nightclub, had a long-standing reputation to be one of the best nightclubs in the entirety of Vietnam, not just in Da Nang.
While the others were busy being tourists and admiring the sights around them, Harrison wasn't as excited as his juniors. He was nearing his forties already, and his partying spirit never had the chance to blossom, not when he enlisted as a Marine two years into the world's most catastrophic war.
His mind dwelt on the past, going over what could have been and what wasn't. It was bad for him, Harry knew that, but it was also something he couldn't fix, no matter how many therapists had tried before. It was just something he had to live with.
"Harry…"
His brain slowly dragged itself back to reality. A familiar voice brought him back to the spiraling depth. His sense of audio slowly crept back in as he finally registered his surroundings.
He turned toward the direction of the voice by his side.
It was My, his adoptive daughter.
"Did… I do it again?"
"Yeah, you're doing it again." Her voice was just loud enough for him to be able to hear despite of the nightclub's music. She did have to lean down slightly to say it right to his ears, though.
"Hah. Sorry about that, My."
"Didn't you say we're here to have fun and get to know each other?" My pouted. Harry finally smiled, not because he made his daughter angry at him, but because, for the first time in a long time, he could see some genuine happiness from the girl, or an illusion of one.
"So focus on the present. No point in dwelling on the past. You can't change it anyway," My continued as she thrust her fist playfully into his abdomen.
"Owww!" Harry pretended to be in pain. 'Yeah, she's right… just focus on the now.' he left a note for himself.
A few steps away, Chisato was the only one who noticed the interactions between the captain and her strange – but sexy – squadmate. She wasn't close enough to hear what they were talking about, and they only fueled her curiosity even more.
February 26, 2050 - 19:28
"Fucking hell, finally got past that long ass line!" My complained as she led the squad past the crowded entrance and into the nightclub.
The whole interior was filled with lights and lasers, as well as some limited pyrotechnics being used here and there. The main dance floor was decorated with light panels, illuminated and reactive to the music.
It was filled to the brim with people, all of whom were dancing to the loud and bombastic EDM remixes of whatever song was currently trending, Vietnamese or otherwise. Men and women dancing and grinding their bodies against each other, filling the whole party vibe with enthusiasm and a good mix of lewdness.
People were wearing all sorts of clothing, anywhere from decently-brimmed and proper, to something that edged on the line between nudity and barely clothed.
My knew all of this beforehand. She took her time researching on the internet for the best nightclub in town, and she was not disappointed at all. Excitement, adrenaline, and a bit of horniness, just what she wanted.
She led the group to their own VIP stall, involuntarily sponsored by the leader of the PMC, and sat them down.
A waitress, who was dressing very provocatively in a skimpy modified traditional dress, gave them menus and took notes of their drinks before leaving.
"You know, I've gotta say, the Vietnamese sure know how to party!" Maximilian voiced his opinion as he flopped back against the sofa
"I told you! How is it compared to your country?" My replied, a grin visible on her face
"Oh, no offense, but I still think the techno clubs in Germany are better!" his reply sounded slightly condescending, but there wasn't any malice behind it, not intentionally.
"I'm more surprised that the Captain was the one who invited us to go to a club," Enzi spoke up. "You don't look like the type of person to go to a club."
Harrison glanced over to Enzi, his eyebrows raised.
"What the fuck was that supposed to mean, cadet? Are you saying that I'm old?"
"No no, captain, I did not mean it like that." Enzi panicked and reflexively raised his arms in a gesture of surrender.
Harrison stared at him for a bit longer before letting out a chuckle.
"You're not wrong, my partying time had passed already. Never had the chance to go to one before, so I thought I might." Harrison explained as he relaxed his pose. "Plus, alcohol is a social lubricant."
Enzi let out a breath he was holding and relaxed.
Not long after, the waitresses arrived to deliver the drinks they ordered. They placed the drinks down in front of each person. Soon, the table in front of them was filled with cups of various shapes, sizes, and drink types.
Harrison picked up his mug of local beer and lifted it. Everyone else also grabbed their drinks and waited for the captain's speech.
"I'll just keep it simple. You guys chose a tough career to follow, one that, albeit popular nowadays, still put your lives on the line. But from what I've seen in the past week, you're strong, tough, and have what it takes to be even better. So, let have a toast, to your health, your safety, and then party like your lives are on the line! Cheers. Live hard, play hard, fight harder!" It was a short and atypical toast, straight to the point, no sugar coating or softening the point.
However, no one seemed to mind. In fact, their spirits seemed to be even higher than before. Everyone here knew they signed up for a lucrative job that could end their lives at anytime. Despite that, they still signed up anyway, one reason or another.
Everyone lifted their drinks high, and their spirits even higher.
"CHEERS!"
February 26, 2050 - 20:06
Everyone was in a great mood.
Good alcohol, bombastic music, even some fantastic food they ordered afterward to compliment with the alcohol.
Some of them were exchanging stories to each other, getting to know each other better. The alcohol did in fact do its job with loosening some tight-lipped people, most of them anyway.
Everyone was talking about their situations before they enlisted the PMC, with the exception of Katya's already introverted and antisocial and was just sitting at one end of the long sofa, simply enjoying her drinks and listening to the music.
My was sitting between Katya and Chisato, her face seemed even brighter and more shining than the lightshow in the club house. Her arms wrapped around Chisato's back while her other hand held a half-consumed Rum and Coke.
Chisato held onto her Mojito, a visible blush on her face, though Chisato herself was unsure whether it was due to her lower alcohol tolerance or the fact that My was getting way closer and more aggressive with her skinship with Chisato. Despite that, Chisato didn't object to the pretty girl getting close to her; they've already done something way more lewd before.
"So, Chisato-san, for what reason does a pretty girl like you choose to enlist in a PMC~?" My asked, her tone had a hint of flirtiness.
"Didn't I tell you before?" Chisato replied before she took a sip of her drink.
"Yeah, you did, but you see, I have quite a talent for reading people. Something told me that you weren't exactly looking for a fun, harmless adventure."
"Well, it's… complicated, and I'm not exactly comfortable sharing it."
My noticed the complex mixture of emotions shown on Chisato's face.
"Well, whatever it was, it doesn't matter much now, does it? What's important is now."
Chisato gave a subtle nod. Her head was facing down toward her legs. Taking the chance, My decided to try a trick she saw online.
My brought her hand underneath Chisato's chin and turned her face toward My while she lowered herself toward Chisato. Both of them faced each other, both with varying expressions on their faces. One was seductive and confident, the other was experiencing a lesbian nervous breakdown.
"And I'm glad that your decisions have brought you here into my arms~!"
"E…Eh?" Chisato blushed heavily, stuttering her speech, her eyes darting around wildly as she couldn't keep eye contact with My. If one looked close enough, they could see steam blowing out of her ears and a loading symbol spinning on top of her head.
"That's… kinda gay," Katya commented.
"Why are you gae?" Enzi asked in a fake heavy African accent, clearly referencing a certain famous meme.
"What's wrong with being gay? It's the big 2050." Maximilian defended, clearly showing his lack of knowledge of meme culture.
"That's kind of hot though," Long commented, and a slightly perverted smile appeared on his face.
The rest of the squad could only chuckle at the over-the-top performance from My and Chisato's reaction. Harrison shook his head at the scene happening in front of him, but a corner of his lips did go up.
"God, I'm such a good rizzler." My commented jokingly while Chisato was still processing, and the others cringed at My's joke.
Just then, the current song finished, and the DJ quickly put on a different song, one that was different from the previous remixes, but instead, it was one of the classics from the 2020s. The song's name was "A Good Song Never Dies."
It was one of My's favorite songs, and quite a coincidence that it was put on right now. Feeling the mood was right and the alcohol already seeped well into her body, My got up from her seat while dragging Chisato along with her.
"Wait…Where are we going?" Chisato snapped out of her stupor and asked as she was dragged out.
"To the dance floor dummy, this is a club, we gotta have fun!"
"But I don't know how to dance…" Chisato's voice faded into the background as she was dragged onto the dance floor.
Witnessing the strange duo/couple that just disappeared into the sea of dancing people, the majority of the squad also decided to get down on the dance floor.
"Have fun, lads!" Harrison saw them off, then relaxed back onto the sofa, leaving him alone in the room with Katya.
"Not going to go?" He asked Katya as he sipped on his beer mug.
"Hmm… no thanks, captain."
"To each their own."
He placed his mug down and watched the crowd dance to the beat of the song. A chaotic scene, but somehow, there was still order within that chaos.
"Captain, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" Katya asked while her elbow rested on her knees and her chin on her hands.
"As long as it's reasonable."
"I've noticed through the past week that you're quite familiar with My… Are you perhaps related to her?"
Harrison let out a single chuckle. It seemed like, while Katya's an anti-social introvert, she was still quite perceptive of her teammates and surroundings.
"Yeah, she's my daughter."