(Okay, before this continues, I just need to say that certain sections of this fic was already pre planned months in advance. So despite recent events (and you know what I'm talking about), I'm not going to change a thing about what I already planned for this. If I did, then writing wouldn't be fun, now would it? Also, from now on, context clues is key. And lets go with the supernatural shit, shall we?)
Chapter 9: Cookie Crumble
Seth woke up the next morning with his side warmer than usual. He blinked, once, twice, before a wet feeling dragged up the side of his face. It took him a minute or two for him to get what happened, and then he groaned in distaste.
Dog drool.
"Looks like you finally woke up. Your buddy came back this morning and I couldn't say no" Roman chuckled from the doorway. In his spot, where he usually would be sleeping, was a Saint Bernard, panting happily in Seth's face.
It was another one of Dean's dogs who had gotten attached to Seth in the past few days, following the two toned No. 6 native around faithfully. Dean had only chuckled when Seth came to him with his concerns, saying his hounds were quite hardheaded and wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Alright, get out of the bed, Goliath" Seth grunted, lightly pushing the dog away. Goliath only gruffawed, scooting closer to him and licking a long, wet trail up his cheek again. Roman chuckled loudly while Seth all but threw himself from the bed, wiping his cheek and cursing up a storm as he stomped to the bathroom. The Samoan shook his head, strolling to the window so he could lean out onto the balcony to watch the Wastelands start to stir and come alive.
It was colder than usual, the sky a light shaded medley of pinks, purples, and oranges. Some children had gotten up early so they could go digging for worms to get before the buzzards came and took them. There was a large marsh located just south of the Wastelands, and even if it wasn't the most...ideal place to be casting a rod, the kids were still so young and energetic, so their parents often let them be. Besides, Roman had been called over to the marsh more than once to heft back fish much heavier than the kids who caught them, so sometimes having hope produces results.
Hope.
Roman shook his head, pushing away from the window as Goliath padded over to him, nudging his leg and whining loudly. He gave his head a ruffle before he made his way to the kitchen, pulling out a cup and a silver dog bowl, setting it on the floor as he reached into a bottom cabinet to scoop the hefty dog some food. Roman grunted as Goliath jumped on his back, panting happily in his ear as he snapped lightly at the falling dry food, ears twitching to and fro as they clattered into the bowl. Roman was almost positive Dean was dumping the affectionate dog on them, since he had no problem handing them all of his belongings at the drop of a hat.
"Goddammit, Goliath. Let me finish pouring it first." He scolded. Goliath got off his shoulders, tilting his large head before he began panting again, and Roman was sure he was smiling at him. With a roll of his eyes, Roman moved aside so he could begin eating, standing back up to start making breakfast. Seth joined him eventually, chattering on about the day's plans while he ran his fingers through Goliath's fur. His voice was upbeat and energetic and one would think everything is alright if they couldn't tell the signs.
Roman was not one of those people.
"Are you alright?" he inquired, scooping up two pancakes and setting them aside on a plate before he poured more batter. Seth stopped mid sentence, blinking owlishly.
"What do you mean-"
"Leighla."
Seth's smile fell immediately and his jaw clenched. His hand stopped moving in Goliath's fur and the dog whined in protest, looking up curiously at him. Seth rubbed his jaw, sighing shakily.
"Leighla is...a tough girl. She's much stronger than I am. I know she's safe." Seth muttered. He didn't even sound like he was convincing himself, let alone Roman, but the man didn't say a word about that, figuring Seth needed some sort of comfort in this situation.
"The girl is bold, I'll give you that. If you want, and it would bring you some sort of closure, I can speak with Damien about sending one of his girls to do some snooping around. Perhaps one of his so called "inside connections" have some idea where she is" he offered. Seth smiled softly, looking up at Roman and nodding.
"Y'know...you really are a great guy" he mused. Roman cleared his throat, sliding the plate of pancakes over before turning back to the stove.
"I have no idea what you're talking about"
*Undisclosed Garage*
Finn hummed, wiping his lip and chuckling when he saw crimson on the tips of his fingers. He looked up and arched a brow, meeting Leighla's narrowed blue eyes.
"Well. Looks like you're finally getting mad, eh?" he teased. Her lip curled and she darted forward again, throwing punch after punch at him, most of them being blocked effortlessly on his behalf, but she swept his leg, palming him hard in the chest and straddling his stomach when his back hit the floor.
"Dont move"
Both of them stayed absolutely still as Hideo strode over, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully.
"You punch much too wildly. Finn blocked nearly all of them. If he were a Bureau member, he would've blocked and striked. You'd most likely be dead. You left yourself wide open for attack" he started before he kneeled down, looking at the reddened skin over Finn's chest.
"Heart punch...here" he continued, finger moving a few centimeters to the left. "If you are in the heat of battle, if the spot is open, it would be best to strike to the throat. That way you know you can stun your opponent and buy yourself some time" He tapped Finn's Adam's apple, causing the Irish male to chuckle slightly. Leighla shook with him slightly and Hideo ran his hand down his face.
"And then this is your biggest flaw. Finn, buck" Hideo ordered slightly, crossing his arms. Finn nodded, doing nothing more than planting his feet on the floor and bucking his whole body up once, tossing Leighla clean off of him.
She yelped and braced herself so she didn't land on her face, brows knitted up as she looked back at the two. Finn kipped up and stood over her, head tilted while Hideo shook his head, standing as well as he reached down to help her up.
"You did not anchor yourself. If you end up straddling your opponent, its a must to tighten your thighs around them so you cannot be easily thrown off. If they throw you off and get off faster than you, you are as good as dead" He told her. Leighla sighed and nodded, rolling her neck before she looked back at Finn, ready to fight once more. He looked ready as well, but all three froze at the sound of the garage door slamming closed in the next room. They ducked into three separate corners in the room, all tightly coiled and ready for a surprise attack if they needed to attack.
"I've got to say, I'm quite impressed with how fast you three managed to get into position. It's just me" Chris hummed, putting his hand on his hip. He couldn't help the chuckle that left his lips as the three adults poked their heads out from their respective hiding spots almost comically, like a bunch of gophers.
"Chris!" Leighla cheered, throwing her arms around the blonde's neck and nuzzling his neck. He chuckled and placed a hand at the small of her back. She seemed to be adjusting to Finn and Hideo surprisingly well, but he couldn't blame her for being overjoyed every time she got to see him, since he was the one constant from her previous carefree life that she could see constantly without being in danger. It made him want to hurry and end this madness so she didn't have to live out her life in hiding like so many of his friends before her.
"I've brought good news" He cooed, pulling out a box of fresh treats from the Rollins Bakery. Leighla's face lit up and she eagerly took the box, biting into a powdered cookie and mewling in delight. Finn and Hideo took a treat as well, looking at their mentor curiously.
"Good news? I'm assuming something's going to go down soon?" Finn inquired, humming in surprise as he chewed on a Danish twist. Chris chuckled and nodded.
"You know me all too well. I've talked with the others. They're getting ready. There's already measures being set up for us as a failsafe. We've got a house for us waiting out in the Wastelands in case we need to get out of here. I hate to say it, but we may have to start rushing our training for Leighla to make sure we're all prepared for the upcoming war. There's no set date, but I do know tensions are rising. Hideo, Finn, I need you two to keep looking after Leighla. Make sure she's safe, teach her how to use firearms as a backup to her hand to hand combat training, understand?" Chris ordered, glancing at the two men. Both nodded without question, but Leighla frowned, brows knitting up together.
"I'm fully capable of holding my own, Chris. I've been learning rather quickly, if I do say so myself. I can defend myself just as well as the boys can" she growled. Chris hardly looked fazed, as if he knew she'd take offence to his request. He looked her in the eyes, leaning back on a table and crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm not saying you can't defend yourself. This has nothing to do with genders, either. I've known you all your life. Believe it or not, but you're like the daughter I never had. I know we're in for the fight of our lives, but I won't let you die. I want you properly prepared." He calmly explained. She looked at the ground and then nodded.
"I..I understand. I won't let you down." she muttered, finishing her cookie before turning back to Finn to renew their sparring session as Hideo watched on to correct any mistakes they made. Chris munched quietly on a doughnut, watching the younger adults fight. He hummed to himself, muscles tense.
'You can't afford to let me down if it means you die'
*Wastelands*
Seth was reading through a book Roman had in one of his many bookshelves. It was a thick, navy blue tome that was at the very back, collecting dust. Seth quickly got engrossed in it, as it talked of life before the Great Wars that lead to the creation of the Babylon Sections in the first place. He had a pair of glasses rested on his nose, his hair secured back into a bun as he paid special attention to the section of the book that talked about previous wars.
Roman was strumming in the background, sitting in the window as he hummed along, trying to perfect the chords to a new song Tamina wanted to try for their next live concert. He was lost in his own little world until Seth stood abruptly, scaring Goliath as he darted over to Roman, dropping the heavy book in his lap. Roman grunted and arched a brow, looking up at the two toned man.
"Seth what the hell-"
"Read it" Seth insisted, pointing to one of the middle paragraphs. Roman sighed and looked down at the yellowed page, reading the section Seth was pointing to.
'In the year 2045, the Great War was ended, leaving most of the world barren and unfit for human life due to the nuclear and biochemical warfare as well as experiments on soldiers of the Bureau of Synergistic Warfare. It is unknown what kind of tests were conducted, or who was directly linked, since most of those believed to be involved disappeared, denied everything, or died mysteriously shortly after agreeing to talk.
Many of the survivors relocated to a Southwestern location that surprisingly was one of the few places that was suitable for life. The survivors decided to create a brand area for living, creating high, pristine walls and creating a Treaty to the remaining struggling countries that they-now deemed the Babylon city-states, each simply numbered 1-6. The city-states were built from the ground up, with No. 1 being surrounded by what is deemed the "Life Tree" while No. 6 was built around a deposit of natural resources known as-'
Roman frowned, seeing the bottom half of the page was ripped out completely. He looked up at Seth and the two toned man paced, rubbing his jaw. "The text stops there. I don't know what those "natural resources" are, but I've got a good hunch that the Bureau mentioned there is the same Bureau fucking shit up in No. 6 right now. Who knows, maybe the other sections have no clue about what's really happening in there!" Seth gnawed on his bottom lip, gears turning while Roman watched him.
"We could ask Damien what he knows about what happened before the war" he offered, leaning back in his chair and letting it balance on the back of the chair legs. Seth shot him a look and he chuckled quietly.
"Damien knows everything there is to know about everyone. If there's someone older who was alive during the war or even during the building of the Babylon Sections, we could find out more about what they're hiding in there" he explained. Seth's face lit up and he nodded, grabbing Roman's hand, yanking him up none too lightly before he darted out of the house with Goliath trotting in tow.
*Correctional Facility*
"Sir, are you ready to administer the synergetic dosages to the subjects?" One of the Bureau's nurses inquired, following closely behind Leo and two guards, a clipboard in her hands. The South African didn't even bat an eye, instead finding the bullet in his mouth more interesting. The small woman sighed and shook her head, stopping in front of one of their isolation cells.
"Okay..first stop, Inmate #7625, Lynch, Becky. Synergistic acquired ability, technomancy. The pill is a tranquilizer-all three of them are-and you are to administer it via the mouth so it can be ingested-"
Leo grunted in annoyance, holding his hand out. It was a very blatant silent order for her to stop talking.
The woman huffed again, handing him a pill. The guards chuckled. "I don't know why you bother, Eden. Leo's never spoken a word around us" One of them grinned. He went to playfully nudge Leo's arm, but the taller man struck him hard, chopping the side of his neck, stepping over his collapsed body as he got in the room with the redheaded inmate. Eden shook her head and knelt down to check on the man along with the other guard.
Becky was sitting in the center of the room, her hands bound around her body and a pair of thick headphones over her ears, designed to keep her from hearing the "pulse"-as she called it-of the machines around her. She leered at Leo hatefully, spitting in his direction.
"Stay away from me!" she screamed. Leo clicked his tongue against the bullet in his mouth, motioning to the pill in his hand before looking at her. Her eyes narrowed.
"Fuck off." she hissed. Leo rolled his eyes and strolled right up to her, catching her foot when she tried to kick him. She screamed, going to kick him with the other foot when he threw her first down, quickly flicking the pill into her mouth. She went to spit it out, but he clamped his palm over her mouth, eyes dark. She tried to bite him, but he picked her head up and slammed it back against the table, making the pill slide down her throat. She choked, tears welling up as she stared up at him. Leo hummed and tapped her covered ear twice, smirking at the way she wretched her head away before he turned, walking out of the room
"Leo! You could've killed him!" Eden snapped, pushing Leo's shoulder lightly. Leo cocked a brow, shrugging one arm as he continued down the hall, clearly not caring for the sputtering member following them. She sighed and quickened her strides so she could walk beside him.
"Ugh..you're insufferable sometimes" she muttered before she pulled up her clipboard.
"Well, next is your favorite, I bet. Inmate #8003 Bates, Leva. Synergistic acquired ability, Glaciokinesis. I'm just gonna leave you to that" Eden hummed, placing the second pill in Leo's left hand. He opened the door himself, stepping into the room completely shaded blue.
There was a woman wandering around the back half of the room. She had a pair of cuffs secured around her wrists and ankles, the skin discolored from all the times she'd been burned by them any time she tried to use her abilities. She had learned far faster than the other test subjects, and she stopped resisting a long time ago. That was the only reason she wasn't constantly being poked and prodded as punishment like the others.
She looked up at Leo when he entered, turning to face him, shuffling closer.
"Hello, Mr. Officer~ How are you?" she inquired, swaying to and fro. Leo hummed, shifting the bullet from underneath his tongue to the roof of his mouth. Leva giggled and looked around the room at all the blue scribbles she made on the wall.
"Am I weird for wanting the whole world to be colored in a pretty shade of blue?" She inquired, picking at her pants. They were standard blue given to those inmates chosen to go through synergistics testing. She was especially fond of the navy blue pants, though. Leo only tilted his head and she giggled, opening her mouth.
"You have it, right? I have to take the pill again?" she inquired. Leo nodded, extending his right hand to her. She leaned forward, taking the pill in her mouth. She toyed with it at first. "Look! I'm you!" she grinned, sticking her tongue out with the pill on the tip of it. Leo mirrored her, his treasured bullet resting horizontally on it. Leva smiled and swallowed the pill, shuffling over to her bed.
"They always make me so...sleepy" she hummed, laying on her back, facing away from him. He lingered for a moment before he turned and walked out.
Eden smiled before she looked down at her clipboard, frowning immediately. Leo didn't even need her to tell him who was next, but Eden-ever the professional woman-did anyway, despite the tremble in her voice.
"O-okay...last one. I-Inmate #8290, Corbin, Baron...S-synergistic acquired ability lyc-oh my god" Eden stopped suddenly when she heard a wet sound as she followed Leo. She trembled as she saw the guard that Leo had struck earlier, dead and facedown in a pool of blood. Leo extended his hand to her and she shakily gave him the last pill, rushing down the hall back the way they came as Leo headed into the room.
He was immediately met with the strong metallic scent of blood, and hummed as he watched a large furry beast rip into the second guard before turning blazing amber eyes to him. It took a step closer, snarling. Leo cracked his neck before he ran at the lupine beast, grabbing it by the (now broken) shock collar around it's neck, flinging it against a wall. It yelped, and then snarled, leaping at him and biting down on his arm. He barked out in pain, biting down on the bullet before he punched the wolf in the snout, slamming it against the floor. It shifted, some of the fur receding to show tattooed skin, a low growl leaving the disheveled and bloody man on the floor.
Leo kicked him over straddling his stomach before he all but shoved the pill down his throat, covering his mouth and nose until he finally relented and swallowed. The Bureau member watched the man slowly stop struggling, blood running down from his busted lip and his nose. Leo grunted, holding his arm as he left the cell, slamming the reinforced door closed. Eden was right at his side, having gotten a first aid kit from somewhere while he was dealing with Baron.
She wrapped his arm after sterilizing it, sighing shakily. "You need to stop rushing head first into the wolf's den like that, Leo. One day, he'll take your arm" she scolded as she wrapped the bandage. He rolled his neck, teeth scraping against the bullet. She shook her head and carefully stepped around the blood puddles, continuing their journey down the hall. "I wish Bo was here so I actually knew what you were saying" she mused aloud. Leo stuffed his hands into his camouflage pants, huffing quietly as he strode past her, seemingly bored now. She shook her head, letting him go.
She stopped at one cell, hesitantly peeking into the tiny square window. She watched for a moment, heart beating longingly before she looked forward, straightening her back and briskly walking away from the cell door for inmate #3287, Stardust.
*Wastelands, Damien's office*
The group grouped around Damien, watching him read over the passage in the tome Seth found. He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully before looking up at them.
"Well...it may not be much, only rumors I never found interesting enough to look into, but East of the Wastelands is this cavern, really out of place and hard to get into...Apparently some of the first "rejects" from the sections live in there. Perhaps you could find someone who knows more about what the hell they're doing in there" He hummed. Seth looked at him incredulously.
"You didn't find that interesting?" he inquired suspiciously. Damien stared flatly at him, not looking sorry in the least. "I don't see how putting my life at risk to meet some rejects would be profitable to me. Unless they've got treasure in their cave, I could care less who they are and how long they've been there" he responded matter of factly. Tamina shook her head.
"You're unbelievable"
"Having too much curiosity only gets you dead, my dear"
Tamina sneered at him and Roman placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just leave it. We've got more important things to worry about. Cmon, we need to figure out how we're going to do this" he stated, heading towards the door. Dean scratched his jaw, stubble clearly visible since the man hadn't shaved in days.
"If my business suffers because I'm helping you idiots, I'm gonna be pissed." he grunted. Punk rolled his eyes and shoved him out of the door. "Oh shut up. You're just as curious as the rest of us" he muttered. Dean grinned from ear to ear.
"Perhaps a little." he cooed, jogging down the stairs first. The group's voices faded and Damien watched them leave before he sat back, loosening his tie, running his hand down his face.
"Nothing is ever simple around here, I swear"
*Bureau HQ*
"Commander McMahon, Privates Noble and Mercury need to have requested to have a word with you"
Stephanie looked up from her documents on the stability of the Moon Drop when she heard Brad's voice. She regarded her secretary with clear annoyance.
"If it's a must. Send them in" she ordered. He nodded and went to the door, letting the two short members in. Stephanie rose, crossing her arms, clearly annoyed.
"What do you want?" she questioned. They exchanged a look before Jamie spoke first, accent thick.
"We've been doing a thorough investigation on possible moles and we have yet to find any hard evidence...but we're concerned with the freedom some of your higher ups get. The ability to take off and mute ID bracelets, access to the synergistic ether doses-"
"Your job is to do what I tell you to do. Nothing more, nothing less." Stephanie cut him off, cold eyes leering at him. "You get a bit higher in my ranks and then maybe I'll care about your concerns, but until then, get out of my office and keep your mouths shut before I let all my elite members know of your.."concerns". I'd be very entertained to see how AJ or Bray deal with you." she laughed and the two men cowered slightly. Stephanie's smile fell and she leaned over her desk, lowering her voice to a dangerous tone.
"I trust them all. They're chosen to be my elites for a reason. Now stop wasting my time. I've got business to attend to" she hissed, watching the two men scramble away.
She shook her head, sitting back down, muttering under her breath.
*Later*
Bo yawned before he took a bite of the sub he was eating, munching quietly. Leo was sitting beside him, watching tiny fish race around, eating the crumbs and bits of sandwich that fell into the water below the pier they were sitting on.
"Baron bit you up pretty bad, huh?" Bo snickered, picking off some of the bread and throwing it to the side. Leo grunted and looked at his arm before resting back on his elbows, legs dangling off the edge of the pier. Bo side eyed him before he finished the last bit of his sandwich that had meat in it. He wiped his mouth and tossed the last piece of bread into the water.
"C'mon big guy. We should probably get back before our next assignment is given out" he suggested, standing up and stretching. Leo stood as well, sticking his hands in his pockets. He clicked his tongue, remembering something.
Bo watched his partner clench his fist, a white powder drifting out of his hand when he opened it, drifting into the water. A few curious fish came up to try what they thought was another treat. All that consumed it went stiff, rolling over with their bellies up. Leo turned and strolled away soundlessly and Bo snickered to himself, following right behind him.
"You always did have a lot of pockets, Leo"
-Fin-
(Oh, how I love to be cryptic.
Sorry for the delay everyone. I always try to give you longer chapters that obviously take longer to produce, as opposed to short chapters that are posted more frequently. But I can see the obvious frustration with waiting for me to catch plot bunnies, so I'm going to try and update all of my stories more frequently. Sorry about all this but on top of me getting bad writer's block, there's a lot of school and personal setbacks that makes things difficult.
Hopefully this will be the first of many new chapters to make up for these inconvenient absences
Anyway, please, please review and until next time,
I love you~
-Scarlet)
