Mercenary Black Mamba

Bonipas had always envied the technological expertise of the United States' Ministry of Defense. The weapon development system of the United States is the result of a collaboration between the government and the private sector. Some would criticize such a partnership but to Bonipas, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

Most of the United State's latest military technologies came from Silicon Valley. Most people think venture capital was what popularised and built up Silicon Valley but it was not. The Ministry of Defense helped birth and nursed Silicon Valley to what it is today.

The current success of Silicon Valley can be attributed to 1948 when Ministry-backed private companies gathered in the area. The Ministry was keenly interested in the development of radar technology so there were a lot of companies that researched microwave waves. Then, it was dubbed Microwave Valley.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a research organization established in 1958 under the Ministry of Defense, led the collaboration of industries and universities in the area and brought forth an industrial complex that worked on the latest technology.

The semiconductor was developed with DARPA's ample financial support. High tech companies like Intel and Hewlett-Packard appeared. The semiconductors, radar, and GPS are the representative of technologies backed by the Ministry. The French armory is nothing but a shed compared to the DARPA. If they did not overhaul the armory, even an increase in the military budget would not be sufficient.

The interphone rang. Bonipas, deep in thought, was startled by the sudden noise.

"What?"

"Chairman Zabert of the Areva Corporation is here."

Durendal, the secretary, was careful not to cross Serfund. Bonipas looked up at a wall clock. He had forgotten about the meeting.

"I will see him in five minutes."

"I see."

"Mekisi, you shall rebuild the HUMINT network in eastern Zaire. Ariba, you shall send agents from the operations department to Mambasa to investigate the Americans and Mai Mai insurgents."

After Mekisi and Ariba left his office, Bonipas tapped his table with his bony fingers. He could almost smell the blood and money in Ituri and Lewenzori due to Black Mamba's actions.

"Oh, even the slush fund is going to be used this time. I cannot be stingy after he came to me with such an offer."

Bonipas pulled a report from his aluminium file case. On the first page were entries.

[Basic Data For Calculation of Reward for Call Name]

1. Rescued three GIGN survivors

2. Collected 64 bodies from the GIGN rescue team and Harpas anti-terrorism squad along with their belongings.

3. Rescued 14 hostages, collected three bodies of victims

4. Killed 694 Damballah zealots, captured six

5. Collected the biological human weapon Mechanic Hunter and its control chip

6. Collected the computer that controls the ADS system

7. Collected three machine guns and the laser-synced firing control system

8. Eliminated three chimaera biological weapons and collected their control chips

9. Collected 350 gene-manipulation research equipment and relevant data

10. Eliminated the Chinese spies

…

Bonipas added "Eliminated Ocelot" at the end of the list and let out a sigh of relief.

"Whoa! Indeed both a national treasure and a natural disaster in human form. Wait, the title "Roc of the North Sea" would be more fitting, as he said so himself." Bonipas exclaimed.

When Call Name moved, massive positive outcomes poured in. Black Mamba was not called Call Name simply because of his combat power. When he moved, the main operative goal seemed like a minor gain. Operation Fist of Justice was the event in which Black Mamba showed his true value as the one-of-a-kind, top-tier consultant that he was.

During the haute cuisine dinner, Black Mamba had told him about an ancient Eastern philosopher Zhuangzi. [In the dark waters of the North, there is a big fish named Gon whose size is thousands of kilometers. When the time comes, Gon transforms into a bird named Roc. The Roc's wingspan is thousands of kilometers. With a bat of its wings, the Roc can soar tens of thousands of kilometers into the sky.]

Bonipas had pointed out the absurdity of the myth.

"Black, the diameter of Earth is only 6,400 kilometers. No ocean can house a fish that big. If the Roc beats its wings, all living organisms on Earth will become extinct. Even Greek mythology is more realistic than that."

"Isn't such a creature much greater than a pathetic god that cheats on his wife with human women? Someone who only cares about himself is not a real man. A man should have a great dream."

"Was it not your dream to build a traditional Korean house and lie down on the wooden floor as you eat fermented bean paste soup?"

"You remembered it accurately. And that is harder than nation-building."

Black Mamba seemed sad as he answered Bonipas' cheeky question. Could someone like him, with unlimited strength, feel sadness? Bonipas felt a strong sympathy towards him and felt the desire to protect his dream.

The interphone rang. Bonipas, awoken from his reminiscence, pressed the Call button.

"Sir, one minute until you meet with the chairman of Areva."

"I see."

Bonipas nipped the tip of his cigar with a cutter and opened the window. The wind from the Seine cleared the cigar smoke. Areva employs 120,000 French citizens. Zabert is a businessman paying taxes and he is a public worker who is paid by the taxes. Bonipas was obligated to treat him well.

A man with salt-and-pepper hair wearing a corduroy hat entered the office. He was Jacques Zabert, the chairman who led Areva Corporation, the top company in the construction and maintenance of nuclear power plants. Durendal exited the office and closed the door.

"I am honoured to meet you. I have been waiting for this opportunity sincerely."

Bonipas, who had forgotten about the meeting, greeted Zabert with a wide grin.

"I have no excuse. Due to my mistake, I have harmed my country. I pray that the lost lives of the precious young people may rest by God's side."

Zabert bowed deeply.

"Seven talented people were sacrificed because of the government's mistake. I have no excuse. I feel sorry for the sacrificed hostages."

Bonipas closed his eyes and mourned. Black Mamba completed Operation Fist of Justice but not without any losses. Including the three GIGN strike squads, there were 397 casualties.

The DGSE also lost 38 of its agents. The jungle of Ituri nourished itself with the corpses of over 1,000 people. Zabert and Bonipas suffered a bitter loss that could not be washed away even with the sweet chocolate of Domaine de Bequignol. They exchanged pleasantries and entered a serious discussion.

"A chairman wouldn't be here himself just because of a bounty. What brings you here?"

"I asked to see you because of this."

Zabert placed a piece of paper on the table. It was Balisari's article.

'Wretched wench!'

The curse of Balisari was still haunting him. Bonipas, like Serfund, tried to keep a cool countenance. But at that moment, he almost spat out a curse word.

"What is this?"

Bonipas feigned ignorance.

"I am not interested in anything else but Call Name."

"It's fiction written by a traitor, inspired by the Nazi admirers. She was located and arrested by the gendarmes. She's in jail."

"Sir, I am Areva's chairman."

Zabert said the single sentence and shut his mouth. Bonipas could feel the pride and patriotism in his words. Zabert was too important of a figurehead to dismiss.

"I wouldn't say the entirety of the article is fiction. Continue."

Zabert smiled at Bonipas's display of honesty.

"The bounty I promised is a deposit of 30,000,000 francs and 1,000,000 francs per hostage. There were 14 survivors and including the bodies, it's 17 in total. That is 47,000,000 francs. I will throw 53,000,000 francs on top of that. Please introduce me to Call Name."

"What?"

Bonipas, who is usually calm, jumped. His head hurt at the unexpected offer. He was almost scared by Zabert, who could pay 53,000,000 francs just to meet a person.

"It can't be done. Call Name's identity is top secret. Only five people have access to his personal information. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence are not even included."

"You did not even ask why I wanted to meet him. Are you concerned about a potential information leak?"

Zabert's face indicated that he took some offence.

"Of course. I am the head of the DGSE. I firmly believe that only a dead man can truly keep a secret. I can easily guess why you want to meet Call Name."

"I won't deny that I'm interested in benefiting my company. If my interest aligns with France's, would you not consider it?"

"It can't be done. I will treat it as if your offer was never made."

Bonipas left no room for negotiation. Black Mamba is a shadow. When light shines on a shadow, it disappears. He was already busy handling the mess caused by Balisari. If he introduced Zabert to Call Name and things go awry, no amount of money would resolve it.

"I understand your hesitation. But you will likely regret your decision today."

"And that regret will be mine. I am sorry I cannot fulfill your request."

Zabert made a concerned face but Bonipas did not budge.

"Oh my. I almost forgot about this."

Zabert, collecting his hat and cane, produced his wallet.

"Please hand this to Call Name. This is a reward for retrieving the precious assets of Areva. Congratulations on your promotion, Director."

Zabert put two checks on the table and left the office.

"Regret?"

Something did not feel right. Someone as important as Zabert does not easily say anything without reason. They never say anything just for the sake of it.

"Life itself is a regret. One more regret wouldn't hurt. It will work out somehow."

Bonipas was also infected by Black Mamba's it-will-work-out-somehow attitude. Disregarding the unease, he checked the amount on the checks.

"Whoa. Quite some numbers."

Bonipas exclaimed in an out-of-character manner. One was for the remaining bounty to be paid, 39,000,000 francs. The other was 53,000,000 francs. Zabert had left his grandiose offer on the table. Bonipas's annual salary was 220,000 francs. Bonipas tapped on the calculator. It was an unnecessary calculation but he was curious.

"I am the head of the DGSE and I will have to work for more than 400 years to make this amount. If Black Mamba is a pumpkin, I am merely an acorn. If he is the Roc, I am but a sparrow."

He sighed. He was surprised by the magnanimity of Chairman Zabert and his shrewdness to recognize Black Mamba's value.

'Should I have asked why?'

He was curious but curiosity had to remain purely as a curiosity. Zabert was the kind of person with great intuition. From the moment Bonipas asked why, Zabert would have started persuading him. There is no reason to reveal Black Mamba to the public unless such an act saved France. He picked up the receiver of his interphone.

"Durendal, prepare the Falcon. The day after tomorrow, 10 a.m. Destination: the 13th regiment, Djibouti."

"Noted. The press is agitated."

"Agitated? Durendal, I know you are tasked with press matters, but please avoid using unclear phrases."

"I see. I am sorry. Newspapers and magazines and broadcasting stations are all looking for Call Name."

"Looking?"

"I am sorry again. They are making direct offers to Call Name. Le Figaro offered 2,000,000 francs for a five-minute interview. France West offered 3,000,000 francs. TF1, Canal+, Direct 8, and other private broadcasting stations are offering from 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 francs for his TV appearance."

"Wretched wench!"

Bonipas grabbed his receding hairline. He wanted to jail Jermain and Kabaye but he was unable to as they were only exercising their authority bestowed by the law. He could not do anything legally. So he channeled his anger to his hair.

"Durendal, get me Captain Jean-Paul of the 13th regiment."

"Noted."

"Oh, well. I will never be able to quit smoking."

Bonipas glared at the nipped cigar in the ashtray. His resolution to at least cut the number of cigars he smoked to half was wavering even before two hours had passed.

"I feel like suppressing the urge to smoke would give me some other form of cancer. I am paid by the taxes but I also need to pay the taxes."

Having procured an excuse, Bonipas bit and lit a cigar.

Djibouti is a small country located on the northern border of Somalia and south of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. At the northern part of the strait, it borders Yemen. In the direction of the Red Sea, it borders Eritrea. Inward into the African continent, near the Gulf of Aden, it borders Somalia.

Djibouti is only twice as big as Gyeonggi province. It gained independence from France in the 1970s. With a small landmass, small population, and weak economy, it is one of the few countries with less global presence than South Korea.

The 13th regiment of Legion Etranger is in Djibouti. This regiment's protection has no merits whatsoever due to one single reason: the Bab al-Mandab Strait is only 32 kilometers long.