Ice Cream Paint Job - Euge

\\10 July 2012 \\PBE East "The Chateau" "Earl Jr, please report to admin, Earl Jr. to admin." The loudspeaker sounding across the terrain caused the drill to come to a screeching halt.  "Aw man Earl, what kind of s*** did you get us into now?" lamented IEC, purposefully ignoring the cease fire command long enough to take down two more targets. "Hell if I know.  Maybe my master plan has come to fruition and I can finally meet HM in single combat armed with nothing but peanut butter." Euge deadpanned back to his study buddy.  Rifle secured and slung across his back, he set off at a jog for the building.  "This is probably just more witchcraft and insanity, but don't wait up for me." he hollered back to the team. Ten minutes of jogging put him at the front door of The Chateau.  Pushing it open, Euge found it to be the typical hustle and bustle of incoming and outgoing teams.  The lobby was almost shoulder to shoulder, but Euge was eventually able to shove his way through to the staircase leading up to the offices. "So it's settled then," spoke the man emerging from HM's office.  "This detachment will remain under my command until the contract expires." "Ok.  My people will draft it up and send it over." said HM, escorting his guest out.  "You wanted to meet Earl Jr., so here he is.  Earl, this fellow refuses to give a name, so we've dubbed him Mr. Tweed.  He asked for you specifically.  I'll leave the two of you to your business." Eugene raised a suspicious eyebrow at this statement.  From the sound of things, Mr. Tweed had been hiring PBE for a job.  What would he want with a lone grunt? "Mr. Grovington, I understand you have spent some time working with ACME."  Oh, that.  "I would like to offer you an opportunity, based on your knowledge of ACME's inner workings." Nope, this doesn't reek of double agent recruiting at all.  "Go on." "I represent a firm that intends to provide a more permanent solution to the problem of VILE.  We are hoping you can assist us with accessing information and systems vital to our mission." "I'm sure you are.  What's in it for me?" "We're willing to pay you handsomely for any results you produce." "Maybe my last question was too mired in subtley.  Why should I help out with your petty revenge scheme?" Mr. Tweed seemed to be caught off guard by this, and Euge pressed his advantage.  "You aren't an agent of anyone's government; they'd just as soon keep this sort of thing in house, so I'm forced to conclude this is someone's personal vendetta." "You're a mercenary.  This is all about money to you; why should you care about what my goals are?" "I told myself long ago that I would not fight someone else's battles.  I failed miserably on that, and I am drowning in their politics because of it.  Never again." "I don't care about your sob story of a personal life.  All I'm asking you to do is get me some information.  Why the f*** do you care where things go from there?" "I hope you already have your grave dug," Euge said as he turned away from Mr. Tweed.  "PBE doesn't provide burial details." "You've been subdued ever since coming back from your latest tour at ACME.  I don't think you were this solemn even when you sold your stake to me.  What happened?  Woman troubles?" Euge responded to HM with a mirthless laugh as he glanced at the engraving on the side of his rifle.  "Not on your life.  Mr. Tweed out there threw a little temper tantrum when I didn't jump at the idea of becoming a hextuple agent." "I heard.  What did you tell him; that he couldn't afford you?" "Something like that, yeah.  Whatever little fiesta he has planned, I don't want anything to do with and if I deluded myself into thinking you'd listen, I'd suggest cancelling all contracts with him." "You know our policy Earl.  Moral righteousness isn't good for the bottom line.  Now, don't you have some training to finish up?" "Figure I do." replied Euge as he headed for the door. "Eugene, wait.  I have one more thing." No one in PBE went by their given name; most of us didn't even know each other except by the nicknames we had bestowed upon ourselves.  Some were eccentric, some goofy, and some downright stupid, but they were all unique.  To address another operator by anything other than their nick was considered a cardinal sin, and usually handled with a good smack with whatever blunt instrument is at hand.  To hear Hotaru Maniac use my name, therefore, was shocking enough to stop me in my tracks. "Why are you still at ACME?  You gave up on bleeding stars and stripes long ago."  The question gave Euge pause, and he carefully metered out his answer. "ACME has become a vortex ever since their little incident, and I'm getting pulled further into a fight that isn't mine." "I can't pretend to be sympathetic Earl.  You willingly ditched us for ACME.  Some of us were talking about shooting you on sight for that one." "You fired me for not wearing a tophat." "It's company policy."