Chapter 7

Bishop sighed as he looked over the report. No one had died, but Jester had definitely done damage. One of the men he'd hit had two broken ribs and several fractures. As well as severe bruising. The other had punctured a lung when one of his ribs splintered. Both were suffering from minor intestinal damage.

At least they were only grunts. He rationalized. Of course, the Sergeant had a minor bullet wound in his upper arm. But he had wisely chosen not to pursue the matter. Still, that left Bishop with two injured grunts worth of arguing to do.

"I don't understand why we have to deal with any of this. We don't answer to the base commander." Mentor said. Bishop looked up from the document to regard his teammate. He had selected Mentor to assist him in dealing with the fallout while he told Medic to keep an eye on Jester.

(Flash Back)

"All due respect, but I don't need a babysitter." Jester said irritably.

"I would believe you if it weren't for that fact that you insist upon damaging every grunt who looks at you funny." Bishop replied. Jester glared at him but remained silent. "Any complaints on your end?" He asked Medic.

"Well," Medic began, "I don't understand why I'm always the one stuck taking care of Jester."

"Because you're good at controlling the situation. That, and your fast enough to stop him from doing anything stupid." Mentor chimed in. Bishop nodded in ascent and gestured for him to leave. Medic grunted and walked away. Followed by Jester.

"Mentor, you're with me. We have a mess to clean up." Bishop stated. Mentor nodded and they walked off to speak with the commander.

(End Flash Back)

"No, but we do answer to Rooks. He said to deal with this ourselves." Bishop replied.

"Well, I think it's bullshit." Mentor stated. Bishop nodded and they went back to studying the documents they'd been given. After another few minutes, Mentor piped up again. "Okay, I think I've got the loophole." Bishop quirked an eyebrow at him. "It says 'at the behest of the highest ranking injured party'. While they're claiming Sergeant Walkens doesn't have a say in the matter, he was involved in the original incident and is responsible for the injuries sustained by the men under his command. He, himself, was also injured. Making him the highest ranking injured party involved in the incident."

"And he's chosen not to pursue the issue. Making the matter void. Excellent." Bishop stated. "Okay, let's get back to command." At this, he activated the earpiece he was wearing. "Typhon. Checkmate, how copy?"

"Copy." The voice on the other end was unmistakably that of Colonel Rooks.

"We've dealt with the situation. Their argument has been rendered null."

"Roger that. Good work."

"Sir, what's our next move?"

"We need to get Typhon back in the field. It's time for a field test of those Cure rounds."

"Copy that. What's our target?"

"We've got a hive near outpost Foxtrot. They'll fill you in. Expect juggernauts. Perhaps a Hydra."

"Got it. Have we got a flight?"

"The choppers can get you most of the way, afterwards theres too much debris for a landing. You'll have to walk."

"Copy that. Typhon out." At this the line went dead. Mentor, who'd been listening in through his own earpiece seemed concerned. "Something on your mind?" Bishop asked.

"It's going to be difficult dealing with a Hydra within the confines of a hive. Once we go in, there'll be no clear way out." He said, thinking over the problem in his head.

"We'll have reinforcements and heavy-hitters." Bishop reassured him. Mentor nodded but still seemed to be pondering the problem in his head. "Come on. Jester's probably dying of boredom. We should let them know." Bishop said. Mentor nodded and they turned to leave.