Chapter 2 Rehabilitation

a dark world that surrounds Gabriel as he didn't know how long he was out, it was yesterday but it felt like days, weeks, or even months. a door that leads him to an empty road with a desert setting, kinda like Nevada but he already feels the blistering heat.

he went walking for half a mile without knowing where is he going until he suddenly becomes tired that he found a bus stop with signs of minimal rust while flyers are deemed too illegible to read due to heat, not even a single clue what's on the flyer.

a grey bus pulled up and opened the doors for Gabriel to get in and move in, he took a ticket from the dispenser, paid the driver with the exact amount, and sit down near the window. he pulled out his phone and played a little music to cure his boredom. it's a classic hit called "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, the song was used for funerals, and movies like Good Morning Vietnam was featured yet a timeless classic that was still relevant today

"I see trees of green, red roses too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world"

Gabriel looked through the window seeing a desert landscape with cactus, rock formations, and an occasional skull of a dead animal from long ago, then he looked up to the skies with clouds that are white as his current get up

"I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day and the dark sacred night

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world"

the rain poured upon the dry land while the driver kept his cool like it wasn't raining, then the sky stops raining while the bright light from the sun introduced a rainbow, which reminds him of good times with friends in New York City, he even got the chance to see his best friend reveal his feelings to the girl of his dreams.

"The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people goin' by

I see friends shakin' hands, sayin', "How do you do?

They're sayin', "I love you"

Gabriel heard a loud cry from a small infant, which most people would be annoyed yet it was calmed to sleep while kids are chatting with their friends, teenagers are playing/texting with their phones, a young couple from the back slept together during the trip, and an elderly man who reminiscent of the good days where he and his wife were together

"I hear babies crying, I watch them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll ever know

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Oh yeah..."

Gabriel then switched off his cellphone once he reached his stop. it went bright as he stepped out of the bus until he woke up in a room with a modern Japanese setting, a scent of vanilla caramel that made the Filo's head spun as he felt like he was asleep for a decade except he slept for five days after surgery, the intubation tube was removed during the third day as he tried to regain consciousness but ultimately failed due to anesthesia

there's a gift basket filled with snacks such as a bottle of sparkling wine, a can of potato chips, a pack of Meiji Chocolate of both red and black, a tin can of roasted salted almonds, etc. a fruit basket was also next to him and he's desperately tried to grab a banana yet Akane grabbed it for him as he was recently awakened.

"I heard about your father-"

"I don't wanna hear that bastard ever again" he grumbled while eating the banana

"Okay, the Kurosawa clan wanted to give you this, they tried numerous attempts to deliver this to you but ultimately failed. It's an heirloom from the clan for generations. you're will be the heir to the clan, and lastly, after you complete your therapy here. we will grab a refresher in the United Kingdom and then we will train about the techniques of using the katana" Akane said

"sure thing, I'll try my best to complete the therapy here," Gabriel said with enthusiasm

"that's the spirit!" she replied

"When would I start?"

"right after you finished physical therapy, it's time for training with Ayumi and Shiro in Okinawa, don't let us down, Gabriel."

Akane left while leaving Gabriel finished eating the banana, he wanted to get up and walk, then a surge of nausea earned his ticket to the bathroom where he puked the toilet bowl like he woke up from a hangover from last night's party

the Polish agent rushed to his room as Gabriel heaved audibly that Nicholas heard him from the other side.

"dude! dude! are you alright?!"Nicholas said while patting his back

" water... I need water" Gabriel croaked

Nicholas looked through the mini-fridge for a bottle of water as Gabriel was nearly finished puking. the Filo swept his mouth after a bombshell of vomit while Nicholas and Louisa looked after him while Gabriel came back to bed as he's prepared for physical therapy. it was hard at first as his ankles were bent long ago from a basketball game.

he kept doing his best from simple stand up and follow the instructions by his therapist, Gabriel did mingle with fellow patients, there's a young patient from Dubai, not only he's rich, he's the nephew of a famous oil sheik and surprisingly, he doesn't act like a spoiled brat, unlike the stereotype. his name was Ahmed, they chat about how did they got here, their lives back home, etc.

Ahmed asked the bodyguard to surrender the necklace to Gabriel, a silver necklace with the initial C.S was present in the front, it's a military dog tag necklace for the members of the Black Berets, it seems someone lost it during their previous mission in Dubai or leaving it to think their target is buried in the sand.

"if you met Mr. Simmons, tell him that we say hello. I found this in the desert near the oil fields that my father work before the incident, I thought I was dead at the moment until the Silver Eagle swoop in and save us from danger, well, only a few died in the shootout. and this is how I came with a wheelchair" Ahmed said

"damn, I wonder if Simmons was out there and alive, that dude deserves a hit with a shisha and a good dinner"

"you could say that again, I gotta go, my appointment is ready, a nice meeting with you!"

Ahmed disappeared from the hallway as his wheelchair was delivered by the doctor to attend physical therapy while Gabriel came back to his room with a hefty sigh, he didn't know who the Simmons character was, not until asked Nicholas about it, which he had connections to Simmons, apparently he was stationed in Dubai due to a job opportunity after he was discharged in the military five years ago. sad thing was, his wife cheated on another man while he's on service while the custody of his children was surrender to the grandparents, they still on good terms despite they are separated from each other

it doesn't stop there to send money to the grandparents or came home unexpectedly to surprise his three children named Amelia, Dean, and Samuel. the last time they communicated was before the Sierra Alpha Oil Field Incident, the Crimson Dawn paired up with the militia group called Desert Cobras decided to capture the Oil field to attract the attention of the Dubai government to lend a few Dirhams to release the hostages yet they did not follow their word as they killed three workers in the process.

Simmons was in the bathroom at the time as he urged to take a leak which the guards allowed him to do so, each of the hostages' worn zip ties to their arms and legs to avoid getting away while the American had his removed because who would take a leak if his arms and legs are restrained? while he's occupied, he pressed the silent distress signal to the Black Berets Abu Dhabi Chapter. which they showed up an hour later.

he and Adrian were present at the time where they confirmed that Agent Calvin Simmons was declared M.I.A because his last location was a few miles west of the oil field. currently, he's been doing okay in Istanbul, Turkey for the past two years. once the two are done talking, they are going to the restaurant as dinner time was announced ten minutes later

the restaurant served nutritional yet filling meals for everyone from vegan, kosher, halal, pescetarian, and allergen-free meals at an affordable price. Nicholas has a plate of Salmon Coulibiac with Mashed Potatoes while Gabriel had a bowl of Oyakodon and s a piping hot bowl of miso soup with side dishes such as a grilled bean sprout salad, dried sardines, and chawanmushi. he donned headphones to continue to learn Japanese while eating his meal.

shortly after, a platter of freshly prepared sushi of any kind was served with dark soy sauce and wasabi, there is a plate of clear slices of fish that was prepared neatly in order, turns out its tiger pufferfish, only chefs with a special license that took two to three years in apprenticeship. which the chef was taught how to prepare a plate of fugu while identifying which parts of the fish is poisonous or not, it's like defuse the explosive without the need for demolition classes in military training but the bomb is the poison called tetrodotoxin

the chef that prepared the dish took him so long as he screwed up the first pufferfish and deemed it inedible due to the tainted meat. the platter that they got isn't laced with tetrodotoxin unlike the poor soul named Banduro Mitsugoro the VIII.

the therapy went pretty well while his fluency in Japanese was so good that he was able to communicate with the hospital staff. each soldier must be fluent in five languages or more if necessary. languages can vary from each recruit like Spanish, Japanese, French, Russian, German, Mandarin, Arabic, Afrikaans, etc. Gabriel finished with Japanese while he's planning to learn French and Russian.

once he regained the ability to walk, it's time to head to Tokyo as he's going to meet Akane and his clan, who knows what's in mind for them once the Filipino arrived at the capital city. he wore the official uniform of the Black Berets which consists of a black suit with UN Blue necktie, the pin of the said organization (a knife with a black beret on the hilt) was placed on the left collar, and a standard issue combat boots.

the uniform was similar to the Secret Service with the combination of the VIP Protection Division and Interpol. it was lined with a special kevlar that was capable of taking both high caliber and small arms to sharp objects, and its lightweight while the fabric was so flexible, someone reenacted the Epic Split by Jean Claude Van Damme instead of using two trailer trucks, they used two APC's with a hidden harness as the stunt was deemed too dangerous but the durability test was seen as a success

the harsh winter breeze kissed the half-blood recruit as the long black jacket make him warm while combat boots of the same color kept him stable from slip-ups. the black private jet with golden trim was about to lift off right after the passengers are boarded the aircraft without realizing they made a huge mistake: who had the right mind to use the jet during bad weather? It's suicide to fly out even if experienced pilots have to endure such obstacles like this, but they aren't going to risk it

they decided to stay in the hotel until the weather became clear in the morning or another day just in case, the snow on the runway will be cleared in the morning.