At first, Berry watched with expectation, grabbing a can of little coca-cola from nearby, ready to enjoy the American blockbuster unfolding before her.
Time passed, and Berry watched the VR for a full hour.
Stott sat on the chair, and Arnold also sat on the chair. The two were silent, facing each other.
"Smoke?" Lighting a cigarette, perhaps finding the silent atmosphere awkward, Stott spoke.
Before Arnold could say "no," Stott had already placed the half-smoked cigarette into his mouth.
"What just happened, I shouldn't have to remind you, don't breathe a single word of it." Stott looked at Arnold's face, which had returned to its cold expression, her own complicated. She tried desperately to remain calm, but couldn't hide the flush on her cheeks.
Berry, who had just reconnected to Arnold, looked at Stott's strange appearance with curiosity.
This old auntie, she couldn't possibly be shy, right?
Berry didn't know it, but she had guessed correctly.
Bored while waiting for Stott to recover, Arnold sat idly, his eyes wandering, until he suddenly spotted the metal dog tag on the bedside table.
Two oval metal tags hung on a thin iron chain. They had originally been around Stott's neck, but Arnold, in automatic mode, perhaps found them bothersome and took them off, tossing them onto the table.
However, the curious Berry now manipulated Arnold to pick them up. "Meredith Stott, Captain rank, Protestant."
Berry looked at the tags and read the raised letters on the silver surface. "You were in the military?" Arnold looked at Stott curiously.
"Yeah, ancient history." Stott, wearing her suit jacket, had already lit another cigarette.
Glancing at the dog tags, Stott's eyes held a complex expression.
"Left over from the Unification War, when I fought for the NUSA government." Stott held up her cigarette, her gaze distant, seemingly lost in thought.
The Unification War. Berry knew about it.
The Unification War (sometimes called the Metal War) was a series of armed conflicts that occurred from January 2069 to June 2070. The belligerents were the New United States of America and the Free States, supported by Militech and Arasaka, respectively.
Both sides referred to the conflict differently. The New United States of America/Militech side called it the "Unification War," while the Arasaka Corporation and some Free States preferred the name "Metal War."
Northern California sided with the Free States, while Southern California supported the NUSA.
But later, due to fears of the war escalating and concerns about economic recession, both sides eventually negotiated a peace.
Although both sides claimed victory and achieving their operational goals, everyone with eyes knew that they had only made peace under duress, and given another chance, the two sides were destined to fight another major war.
"Then you must be proud of your service history, otherwise you wouldn't keep these dog tags."
Berry thought of the veterans under her command. On one hand, they hated the war, believing they had been deceived into fighting; on the other hand, they were proud of their service history.
Although it might seem contradictory, Berry could somewhat understand their reasoning. The pride stemmed from believing they had once pursued glory, while the hatred came from realizing that glory was fake. Rather than being proud of their service itself, those veterans were proud of the person they were back then—the one who dared to pursue honor.
"Proud?" But contrary to Berry's expectation, when Stott heard her mention the war, her brow furrowed and her face showed intense hatred. "Bullshit!" "Those high-and-mighty bureaucrats, one damned order and I had to lead an entire company to their deaths. And what was the result? Nothing but a pile of rotten meat, dying for absolutely nothing!"
Stott was clearly furious, the hand holding the cigarette trembling. "Do you know why I kept this damn thing? It's to remind myself not to be an idiot again, dying for the empty promises those politicians spew out." Stott's voice grew increasingly urgent. "Everything I want, I'm going to take it myself!"
Seeing the enraged Stott, Berry wisely remained silent.
Every one of these guys who survived the battlefield has their own story, or accident, and one wrong move could violate their taboos.
After venting, Stott quieted down, silently smoking for a while, her breathing barely stabilizing.
After a moment, shrouded in smoke, Stott sighed deeply, then suddenly reached out and handed a stack of money to Arnold.
"Here are fifteen thousand eurodollars. They're yours." Stott managed a slight smile for her recent bedmate. "You were very good. The extra is a bonus."
Uh... Berry was speechless. Did this count as selling Arnold's body for money? But even with mixed feelings, Arnold's large hand honestly accepted the thick stack of eurodollars.
The matter was settled; it would be foolish not to take the money.
Berry was always this optimistic. After taking the money, Arnold tried to return the dog tags, but Stott didn't reach out to take them.
"Just keep them then. They suit you quite well."
Stott stared at Arnold for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "You're quite suited for this kind of blood-licking life, you bastard. Cold, cruel, and ruthless, just like..."
Stott thought for a moment before continuing. "Just like a robot."
Hehe, right after saying it, Stott laughed at her own silly imagination.
Even a robot wouldn't do something like that.
Arnold, stuffing the money away and holding the dog tags, remained silent. What was this? He didn't get the Immortal Fujitsu Artifact; instead, he got a legendary accessory: "Stott's Dog Tags"?
If this weren't reality, Berry might have an achievement pop up over her head.
"Alright, you can go now. I need to stay here for a while longer."
Stott turned her face away and started ushering him out. Arnold shrugged indifferently. Although it had been a winding road, the job was finally completed safely.
"Oh, and if you have any more jobs, call me." Stott's voice came as Arnold was opening the door to leave.
Nodding silently, Arnold turned and closed the door behind him, leaving.
He finally left.
Stott was the only one left in the smoke-filled room. She let out a sigh, feeling both relieved and aware of the remaining silence in the air.
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