In the Jaeger Supply room, they had no trouble finding a drift suit for Sebastian. Unfortunately, the Logistics Manager found multiple problems when Nathanial tried on the standard drift suit. The body suit was more snug than tight, but he could live with that. None of the drift suit gloves worked for Nathanial's oversized hands and all of the personal there agreed that trimming his claws wouldn't help due to the extended webbing between his fingers. Every pair of boots on base were painfully tight, due to the long toes and again the claws. "Well, there's no question about it," the manager said, "We will have to put in a special order for the gloves, boots and probably the helmet too. Get out of that so we can get a body scan. Can't send the request without it."
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" Sebastian said, "It's not your fault…" He paused and waved at his twin, "this happened."
"That's one way to put it," someone muttered. The twins looked in the direction of the speaker but couldn't figure out which one of the assistants it was.
As the suit was taken apart, the manager looked like he wanted to ask Nathanial something and finally gave in to his curiosity, "I know this is rude and I'm sorry. Your… that's not hair on your head, is it? I mean at a distance it kind of gives the impression it should be hair."
Nathanial frowned, but remain still as the suit bolts were removed. He answered, "My hair fell out several months ago. These grew in. The docs think they are just scales."
Sebastian chuckled, "Well, it kind of looks like that style where guys with short hair put just enough gel to smooth their hair back into little humps."
"I prefer the term crescents," a female tech said pulling off his chest plate. She gave Nathanial a measuring look before adding, "It also looks like the back of a gator, though the scales are more tightly packed."
Tendo nodded in agreement, "I can see what you mean."
Nathanial wondered if the Marshal had assigned him to babysit the freak. Nathanial sighed, "Great, compared to yet another animal."
"Sorry," she said and added, "Hopefully, it's not permanent."
Tendo looked thoughtful, "What else have you been compared to?"
As Sebastian helped with the under suit, Nathanial let them know, "Oh let's see. From what I was able to over hear the scientists say: my current skin is a lot like a shark's but not nearly as ruff and more like the special wetsuits that were built to help swimmers go faster. Ah, the claws on both my feet and hands are like a raptor, but they couldn't agree on whether they were more like an owl's or an eagle's. What else, my hands are built more like a cat to support those claws; however, my feet are more like sea lion…"
"Whoa," Tendo said, "You have been wanting to vent a lot of frustration for long time."
Nathanial looked away and replied, "Sorry, I didn't mean…"
"No, no," Tendo cut him off, "Better to get it out." He turned to the manager and asked, "Just how detailed in that body scanner?"
The manager shrugged, "It's currently set on basic measurements, but I can up the detail."
"Do it, high as possible, the more we know, the better. Just how much did you overhear them talk about?"
"When the drugs weren't knocking me loopy, as much as I could, but they amused themselves by using terms I didn't know and knew I didn't understand… They got a serious kick out making me feel stupid with all their science talk."
Tendo shook his head and made some more notes. "I wish I could say I don't believe anyone could act like this during a war… I will not rant."
The body scanner was much like a CAT scan and Nathanial didn't look too comfortable. He didn't complain, not a word. Tendo noted that the kid often rolled his shoulders slightly before glancing around. He didn't like being stared at, Tendo also figure he didn't like the attention either, good or bad. Sebastian was always close, not quite hovering over his brother but there.
After the body scan, Nathanial picked up the hoodie quickly and then frowned, "I should probably call Sam."
"Who? The beach nut, why?" Sebastian asked.
"Remember how I said the docs at CBR wanted to view my skin as much as possible, well that meant they only let me have pants. I stole the hoodie and shoes from him," Nathanial said sheepishly pulling the hoodie back on.
"You stole them," Tendo repeated. It wasn't a question but Nathanial nodded anyway. "Great and you are telling us this now. Do you know his number?"
The twins looked at one another and shrugged. "I don't know if he has a phone," Sebastian explained.
"Everyone has a phone," Tendo insisted.
The manager cut in, "So I should probably put in an order for basic uniforms too, in the correct size. Maybe some civilian clothing, I don't think you going to a mall in the near future would be a good idea."
"I'd appreciate it." Then he noticed people were staring at him but differently than the docs did.
Sebastian noticed too, "They're Kaiju groupies, ignore them."
"Are you kidding? How can they be interested in this ugly mug?" Several people laughed thinking he was joking. Sebastian knew his twin better, Nathanial really thought he was ugly.
"No trips anywhere for either Wright. The Marshals don't want him to leave the base until we're sure it won't start a panic."
"Sir…"
"Tendo."
"Tendo, you didn't need to say that."
Then the doors opened and someone snapped, "Marshals Becket and Hansen on deck."
"Mr. Wright, we need to talk." Hansen looked annoyed. "Both Wrights."
"Sir?"
"You're not in trouble. Come with us."
"Don't worry, I'll contact Sam," Tendo said.
"Who's Sam?" Mako asked
"Just a little loose end. Don't worry I got it. Hey kid, your shoes. This is a base."
"Sorry," Nathanial said and quickly came back, slipped them on and followed the Marshals.
Back in Marshal Becket's office, Hansen leaned against the front of Raleigh's desk and informed the twins, "We are to have a meeting with the entire Pan Pacific Defense Corps council in one hour to discuss you." He paused to let Nathanial absorbed that information before he asked, "Mr. Wright, I need you to be honest with us. Why does the CEO of CBR want you back so badly?"
Nathanial paled and shrugged, "The CEO? Sir, I rarely saw anyone besides the docs and the guards. They had me completely cut off from everything outside the lab. I didn't learn about how long it had really been till Sarah told me today's date. I had to ask her how the war was going." Raleigh leaned back in his chair his expression hadn't changed. "Sir, ma'am, what did they say?"
"Little in the form of a true explanation about falsifying your death, but it's more what that… executive wouldn't answer that puts us on guard… Is there anything you failed to mention?" Mako asked.
"I didn't spare myself in my report ma'am. I hope you could tell what they did that I found humiliating. If I thought it was relevant, I reported it even if I didn't understand the purpose." He knew he wasn't in trouble, but he had never been comfortable being the center of attention, it was better when it was him and Sebastian.
"Then think again," Hansen leaning forward, "At any time did something happen to you that made anyone in your presents pleased beyond reason, even excited."
"Well… They always got excited whenever my body developed something… not human, normal. After the changes stopped, they were pretty annoyed, sir. That's when… the tests started."
"All right, then…" Sebastian spoke up, "What about something small, something that's happened more than once."
Nathanial frowned, closed his eyes, and rubbed a hand over his scaly head. "I don't…" and then the memory of a scowling man in an expensive suit surfaced. He had thought, there had been something wrong with that guy.
"Nathanial, what is it?" Sebastian asked. He knew that look on his twin and how Nathanial would start tapping his index finger at nothing when adding things up in his head.
He rolled his shoulders uncomfortably before explaining, "There was this suit that showed up one day, not long before I stopped getting visitors and he constantly followed me, watched me, at a distance, but still he gave me the creeps. I could tell he hated me, never stopped scowling at me, but he never left or acted truly weird except when I had something like a migraine."
"You never had migraines before the maverick," Sebastian said firmly. People who suffered from migraines were not permitted to train to be ranger, too dangerous for drifting.
"I know and they don't happen often but man are they bad."
"And when these migraine-like attacks happened what did this 'suit' do?" Mako asked.
"He'd get this smile on his face the kind that makes you want to be far away, you know. Then when the symptoms got really going, he'd pull out his phone and walk away. I wouldn't see him for a couple days and then he'd be back and it started all over again."
"Did you ever hear who he was calling or what he said?" Raleigh asked.
"No sir, sorry. He was always too far away and he didn't associated with the guards. I don't see how this might be useful, sir."
"It might be, it might not. When was your last… mental attack?"
"About seven days ago."
Mako suddenly looked calculating. "And the time before that?" The other Marshals looked interested as well.
Nathanial frowned clearly confused, "Ma'am, I had no way to track the days but I do remember my guards were baseball nuts and they were talking about a recent game before it hit. Dodges versus Mets, I think?"
"Before that?"
Nathanial really had to think for that one. "I think… it was not long after he showed up… and a few days after my last visitor. Yeah, it was our mom, who was pissed that Thomas couldn't stay in the lab with me."
"Why was that?" Sebastian asked while Raleigh made a call.
"Tendo, I need you to look up some dates for me."
"Fire away."
"When was the last time the Dodges played the Mets?"
"What?"
"Find out. And when was Mr. Wright officially reported as deceased. Call my office when you have those dates."
During the Marshal's call, Nathanial whispered, "Sebastian, Thomas works for Biotech Industries who are the direct competitors to CBR. They argued it was a conflict of interest crap." He turned back to the Marshals after the call. "What do you think these migraines… attacks mean?"
Mako shook her head, "Not without more information. While we wait, describe these… for simplicity let's call them migraines."
"All right. Well, I normally get one heck of a headache and light, any type of light, starts hurting my eyes even beyond the low light vision I gained in the change. I feel like I have to do something, like I'm loaded with adrenaline. And the worst by their opinion is that I have very little to no control over my temper. Then all of sudden the symptoms stop."
"Stop?"
"Yeah, it stops like waking up from a nightmare except that you're already awake or racing a car and slamming on the brakes. It's a really weird feeling."
"So, what do you do after these attacks?" Hansen asked.
"Depending on the time of day and if they let me, sleep or swim, sir."
The phone rang and it was Tendo, "Raleigh, I have those dates you requested."
"Good, do they proceed activity in the breach resulting in a Kaiju by one to four days?" asked Mako watching as Nathanial blinked in shock.
"What… hey, they… they actually do. What does this mean?"
Mako nodded and explained, "The last Kaiju came through seven days ago. Between your initial quarantine and your reported death there were two other incidents. That's what the suit was sent for, your migraines may be a warning system. And since they took the effort to keep you uninformed of the status of the war, I would guess they did not want you to make the connection between the Kaiju and your migraines. It also explains why the executives have been reluctantly to authorize the doctors to damage you."
"But," Hansen asked, "Why keep this information from the program, from everyone?"
"I'm not sure, I would venture a guess that they found a way to profit from this advanced knowledge."
"Or protect themselves," Nathanial muttered bitterly. Sebastian clutched his brother's shoulder. He was grateful for the support.
Everyone nodded and Raleigh said, "This is information we can use to help secure your place here Mr. Wright. Stay alert for the time being. Don't leave the base under any circumstances and try to keep a low profile. Dismissed. Tendo are we ready for the meeting with the council?"
"Just need to grab the file for the Wright twins. I'll be there in five."
As the twins left the office, Sebastian asked, "So you have these big migraines, did you ever have minor ones?"
Nathanial shrugged, "If I did, I just thought they were normal headaches."
Hansen turned to his fellow Marshals once the door was closed. "We should have sent the kid to Newton, like we initially talked about."
"We tried," Raleigh said. "None of us had a clue, this, he would be the result."
Mako ran her fingers along her husband's cheek. "No one. Everyone felt it best to study him and allow his family access to him if they had to say goodbye. That was the argument that forced us to go with CBR. And with their reputation, no one believed they would do anything to jeopardize the war effort."
"Well, time to find out why they decided the lives of every Pacific coast resident was worth less than what they could gain from stripping one of our rangers of his humanity," Hansen said.
