Welcome to another chapter, where we delve into a first look at HQ and see more of our favourite OCs (bad intro I know…). As always thanks to Atlas FF for his beta-reading, tremendous helper. Check out his story Tango if it pleases you.
And now, enjoy.
That night the entirety of the headquarters was overwhelmed by excitement, not because of an alert for an impending attack though. It was the fascinating event that took place during the dawn of the rising sun, the start of a previous age. It was a shame the true nature of this happening would just pass over everyone's head, except for one. Mercury was the only one who felt that change, the shift in the balance when the little drake popped from his shell.
Personnel of all specializations was much disturbed by their boss's grim demeanor, he too had participated with pleasure in the dragons' hatching, he too was relieved when they managed to bear through that first test of freeing themselves from their protective cage. Yet when Mercury held the purple dragon in his arms, his genuine grin faded to a worrisome glance in a moment's notice.
There was confusion spread like wildfire between the fellow comrades, as to why the boss was so unsettled.
If only they knew.
Their unintentional ignorance was justified too, they hadn't witnessed what he had the last few days. A massacre, the appearance of a new adversary, the ancient dragoness, the stutter in time.
Grim realization dawned on him, as he contemplated the words cited by the spirit, that the innocent, little dragon staring back at him was a living source of pure untapped power; a weapon in the eyes of a madman.
It reminded him of himself.
After all, he was nothing but a weapon his entire life, used for something greater than his capable being.
The thought of succumbing to this vicious cycle by raising the dragon made him sick.
Yet the spirit deemed him worthy, who was he to argue with the divine intervention? He never belonged to a religion, he felt it was something dependant people cling on to for so-called salvation or to abuse their fellow peers' exploitable faith.
That night he set the dragon bitterly next to his brother, the weight of the boy heaving down on him way more than it should. It was his guilt that added to the equation. He quietly ordered for everyone to leave the hatchery with a simple motion and stayed with Zofia to receive medical treatment. It gave his mind some peace and quiet while she tirelessly stitched his wounds back together.
Word of the hatching created an atmosphere of enthusiasm, wild theories about what had happened during the boss's mission spawned from conversations that temporarily kept the curiosity at bay; they were all far off from the truth. Some were more surprised that one of the dragons was purple, no one had ever seen such a vivid variation of the species. They even brought up the argument that his scales may be the result of a genetic mutation or just a rare breed of a fire dragon. Other theories were made, but no facts backed up the claims.
Needless to say, sleeping was a hard task to be fulfilled that day.
Ira was the most ecstatic out of everyone by a longshot. Life was finally looking up to the poor girl, she was quick to embrace these newborn souls as her family, though not without shedding a tear in memory of her past one. Nobody seemed willing to wreck her blissful state out of fear of upsetting the child. It was up to Mercury to pry her away from the curious hatchlings, upon noticing Zofia's controlled irritation.
While the doctor stayed up all night, tending to the dragons' needs and studying their bodily functions, Mercury found it was the right time to retreat to his chamber and reflect upon his growth as a person and most importantly, the improbable events during operation Shadowmantle. At last, he had taken a liking to Sigint's naming.
Despite Ira being presented with the offer of staying in the guestroom, she strictly refused to abandon Mercury's side and was adamant about her decision. A veteran soldier arguing with a four-year-old was, by all means, a comical sight to Sigint, until, to his surprise, Mercury gave in to her pleading tantrums, his mental capabilities significantly worn down already. Ira ended up sharing a room with him. Once again the few troops that were around to hear part of the one-sided argument gasped in shock at the fact that someone actually got to visit Mercury's private room, not to mention spend the night in it.
Despite all the ruckus, sleeping hours were strictly enforced and for good measure too.
The next day began for the military base at the first sign of dawn, with the night watch handing over the reins of guard duty to the day watch. Training began sharply at 0600, just as Mercury had stated. It took place in the Training Strut, it was actually a cluster of five platforms with one larger than the rest erected in the center. Similar groups were present all over the HQ, unlike other larger platforms with more concentrated facilities.
The fortunate unit to get to train with the boss was Alpha Company of the 2nd Infiltration Battalion that had returned safely from a distant rogue nation disrupting a terrorist operation in the process; and, just in time to greet the boss on his own return. The company consisted of well over a hundred individuals, each handpicked by Mercury himself. Together, they formed the Covert Operations Group that specialized in black ops operations requiring a more delicate, subtler approach. They were as the best of the best in their class, capable of hiding in plain sight, able to speak multiple languages, thwart an act of terrorism, and they could infiltrate, assassinate, and destabilize. In one night they could take control of an entire country's government, paving the way for a quick takeover if the boss deemed it necessary.
Due to the risky nature of their missions, they were expected to always stay at the top of their game, and no one was more suitable to check that than the fox who appointed them himself.
The building on one of the surrounding platforms was now occupied by the company, including their commander who now stood next to Mercury, showing off the spotless formation his boys assumed in seconds since entering.
"Disciplined as always, Commander. Keeping them in line is only the first step to a wholesome unit. I want a showcase of their reflexes individually. We cannot afford to have anyone fall behind, after all, that's been achieved." Mercury eyed each and every one of his subordinates, as he slowly and audibly announced.
Some were confident enough, meeting the gaze of their superior coldly, while others were intimidated or nervous, a slight muzzle twitch or discreet swallow was all he needed to spot, to find out who was ready and who wasn't.
Ira was laying on her belly in the corner of the room, watching from afar how Mercury easily commanded his troops, as if it were second nature to him. Her lips were tightly sealed, trapping her breath, as she anticipated what would happen next.
"Well, don't stand idly! Find a partner and engage each other. Whoever is unsure of what to do clearly doesn't belong in this unit."
The training hall was decorated by many plywood mock walls, positioned in such manner to resemble a typical, ordinary house, with windows and doors. All the infiltrators had to do was fight each other in what they called a free-for-all close quarters combat session. Utilizing the techniques they were taught, along with their reflexes was mandatory. No guns were present in this exercise, just advanced hand-to-hand training.
There was constrained tension in the air, everyone was prepared to give their best self for the boss's approval. It was more than a simple training session for these aspiring mercenaries.
It was a challenge, there was no holding back even amongst their own peers. Clawing and biting were out of the equation though, staying in top physical shape and deployment-ready meant no injuries that could hinder their performance.
A snap of two dark brown fingers was all they needed to hear, before charging their partners with pinpoint precision, aiming punches, kicks, and grabs at each other.
To an ordinary outsider, this might just seem like a messy brawl, but to the leader, it was an elegant choreography of coordinated moves, the fact that he had taught every single one of them raised his spirits. Training without a gun was essential for this unit. In an outnumbered situation, these young operatives would have to use every weapon available to them, to survive.
Ira was thrilled by the spectacle unfolding in front of her eyes, people here and there performing some incredible moves that she internally wished she could reproduce. One moment her eyes laid upon a cheetah dodging a headlock and wrapping his arms in a hunched pose around his panther opponents waist. With a mighty push, the panther was on the ground and pinned.
Her captivated stare shifted to another wolven pair, the first one had his comrade's head trapped between his arms and slowly choking him into submission. The dragoness cringed slightly at the violent, merciless demeanor, but then she recalled how Mercury had taken out that band of cheetah rebels, using the very same motions.
In an unexpected twist, the choking wolf headbutted the other one with a swift motion. While the move did not cause him to release his hold, it did catch him off guard and subsequently opened up the path for a follow-up. Feeling his opponents head rear back, all he had to do was push his body against his constrictor, while tripping his leg. The result was him losing balance and tumbling to the ground, along with his rival on top of him.
Mercury was now among his troops, attempting to get a closer inspection. The pairs were spread widely across the hall and contained within white-drawn circles, it was as simple as training grounds can get.
There was grunting, shuffling and flesh smacking painfully against flesh or the rubber floor.
Mercury wanted to keep them on their toes though, slipping in the circle of a sparring couple and giving the edge to one of the two combatants with an unexpected trip or grab. This would step their challenge up a few notches and test their reflexes against a second uncalled-for encounter.
He picked out a pair, a lynx and a crocodile that were stuck in a deadlock, pushing against each other with arms tightly gripping shoulders, but no forward progress from either fighter. All Mercury had to do was silently creep up to the croc and examined his stance.
"Keep your heels planted on the ground and use those muscles already! Hit 'im at the pressure points, keep a calm head while you're at it too. Control your breathing or else you'll pass out from exhaustion."
To get his point about the correct stance across, he swiped at the crocs supporting leg, sending him off balance, only for him to be overpowered by the lynx and tackled to the floor. The reptile grunted as the air was smacked from his lungs, looking desperately for a way to avoid being pummeled by a fist, however that train was long gone, and he was downed by his comrade.
Mercury sighed, it wasn't a deserved victory, but at least both of them got the point about the correct stance, even if the croc received the message in the firm of a bad fall and hurt pride.
Surrounding operatives noticed the downfall of their comrade. After a natural break in the fight, they all checked frantically to see if their stance matched up to Mercury's standards and prayed that the boss wouldn't ambush them.
The fox was relieved to see his troops striving for perfection. Even if he was absent from training sessions, he knew they always took his teachings to heart, especially skills that were deemed mandatory to survive in the field.
Ira was just seated in the back, entertained by the display, although her bandaged face contorted in a wince every time someone took a hard landing or received a nasty hit. A funny idea came to mind all of a sudden, she was positive Mercury would have no objections to her plans.
She got up and padded through the crowd of wrestling teammates, aiming her sights at the leader, who was busy instructing yet another pair that was locked in a tie. With his back turned to her and the commotion in the room, he remained oblivious to the light footsteps of the mischievous dragoness. Some of the troops that were entirely focused on their training missed her and almost hurt her involuntary, as she showed no concern about violating the borders of the drawn circles.
Mercury felt a little swipe in the air and a claw tugging at his leg, the troops in front of him cut their fighting abruptly too.
His eye twitched a bit, he didn't need to look to tell who was nagging him.
"Hey! I know you told me to-"
"Stay back and watch! Yes, I'm very particular with orders around here."
His gloomy shadow towered over her petite form, the stink eye he shot her was as judgemental as they get. Instead of cowering before him, since she was used to his antics, the child preserved the brimming innocent stare and brought a paw to her chin, imitating that thinking gesture that wise adults always do.
"Hmmm… But I'm not one of your soldiers, so I can't be ordered around, right?"
She crossed her paws and puffed her chest, taking pride in her logical reasoning.
Mercury's eye twitched again, training had been officially ruined. How a child was able to come up with such logical arguments was another mystery that would be left in the dust.
"I think you got your freedoms as a civilian mixed up. These are training grounds. Only those who train are allowed here. I'm letting you lollygag around because someone has to keep an eye on you."
His explaining was very slow, and his tone was raised when highlighting the essential keywords. Arguing with an infant again was very low on his to-do list for the day.
Ira's cheerful expression never faltered, the bugging sensation that he was being duped washed over him.
"Okay! I understand."
"Good, now scram."
"But I'm going to train too."
His eyes popped out of their sockets at the statement, she voiced it as if it were something ordinary and set to happen.
One of the frozen agents snickered slightly.
Mercury's eyes narrowed to slits, and his sensitive ears perked towards the snicker. If there was something he despised as much as sassy brats, it was out-of-line soldiers.
The poor cheetah scrambled to cover up his muzzle, but it was too little too late, as he received a lightning-fast jab at the ribs and had his mouth shut for him by Mercury.
"I don't remember telling anyone to stop."
The troops exchanged unsure glances, their boss's rage had quickly shifted from the little girl to them. In an instant, they were all back to their sparring with the Commander now instructing them.
Ira waited anxiously his response the whole time, tail wagging left and right.
"Well…?"
"No"
The overactive tail slumped like a falling tree trunk.
"What? But what do the others have that I don't?"
"Not even gonna answer that" He replied monotonously.
"Dad had mentioned once that I was destined for such things once I was old enough."
"Well, you clearly aren't of age, and I'm not your dad."
That came out a little harsher than it sounded in his head.
She was appalled, her enthusiastic stare lost its spark. With her eyes now glued shut, it was apparent that she was on the verge of tears.
Mercury reared his head back indignant and self-loathing. Ira couldn't accept that he won't always be devoted to her and that even he had a limit, albeit hard to reach, but it was still a limit.
He crouched in front of her and contemplated his next course. He had already stabbed her with that sentence, twisting the knife would only deepen the wound.
Listen… You have to understand boundaries and learn to respect them if we are ever going to make that happen. I'm not kicking you to the curb right off the bat, you just need to take thing easy first. Besides, there are more important things that should be concerning for a child your age. Your time will eventually come, I will do my best to make it work. Just keep your chin up and don't let anyone see you cry, okay?"
Ira wiped a tear and nodded with a shiver, it wasn't a light task, realizing you are not a hatchling anymore and therefore not the center of attention. But if that's what it takes to gain her friend's favor, it was a sacrifice well worth it.
"Alright…"
Satisfied with her half-hearted but understanding response, he was prepared to send her off until the end of the session. It had been two hours already, and he had allowed them only one break so far.
Then his hologear ringed, stimulating his ear. He pondered what this was about again.
"Mercury? Need you at the hatchery, come by soon."
It was Zofia, she sounded groggy, and he detected that familiar rasp in her voice, the one that betrayed she had stayed up all night to conduct one of her experiments. He shivered lightly, remembering that some of these researches had involved him as a subject to his displeasure.
"Can't it wait? You know we operate on a program."
Ira raised a brow, she leaned closer to him and stretched her neck with hopes of eavesdropping. The fox paid her no mind, it wasn't like anyone could naturally overhear conversations over the high tech comm device.
"Your kung fu lessons are more important than the well-being of two children, you're too obsessed with professionalism." Scolding him had virtually turned into a hobby of hers.
Mercury sighed but weighed the two sides. His agents had performed astoundingly, but he wasn't one to bail on them, it lowered morale. Then again he had kinda given his word to protect those hatchlings.
"Professionalism has gotten us this far. Now hold on, until I wrap this up."
He didn't need to see her know she was irritated by his tone. That was Zofia alright, the doctor had patched his broken body and spirit up many times in the past. She knew him inside out, starting as a combat medic alongside him in the field to being a researcher funded by him in her very own lab.
The commander felt a light tap on his shoulder and snapped his attention to his superior, after a small exchange of words he nodded and saluted to him. Then with a loud whistle, he cut the fighting abruptly and delivered the message.
"Halt it, lads! The boss is needed elsewhere, gather up your stuff and make room for the next unit to come and train. And hit the showers already!"
"Aye, sir!" Their united voices retorted. Some carried a slight tinge of disappointment in them, unhappy to see their boss disappearing on them again. It was no lie that many of them idolized him, despite the fox appearing less and less to provide even the slightest helpful guidance or rally their spirits.
The halls of the medical department were bustling with activity early in the morning, staff moved carts of equipment left and right; engineers were present in the bunch too, yet they were accountable for drone maintenance. Some of these marvelous automations could perform as well as an experienced field medic or take up nurse duty in an understaffed clinic. However, the specific models were prototypes and thus set to be monitored daily, until deemed worthy for deployment.
Here the salutations thrown at Mercury were less frequent and hastier. Healthcare was priority one in this corner of the headquarters, and nothing would distract the dedicated personnel from tending to their duties. Even if the cause was a common brawl between comrades, an injury is still an injury and needs to be healed as quickly as possible.
Mercury rounded a corner, Ira in tow. The little girl was prancing at this point, overwhelmed to see the other dragons again. Not even the sight of a passing medic cart lugging a soldier with a nasty stomach-ache fazed her.
"Have you seen their puffy cheeks? I wanna squeeze 'em!"
"Go easy on them. I didn't almost turn to ash just to have you choke them with one of your hugs."
However, despite the commotion of the surrounding halls, the hatchery itself remained dormant of activity, the only inhabitants were Zofia who was busying herself on a computer and the two hatchlings, who were in deep slumber. The smell of hot coffee lingered in the air.
Zofia let out a rumbling yawn, it lacked any sort of soft tone whatsoever. While her organism was close to shutting down, her commitment was keeping it up and running. She had volunteered to care for the children for the first night to relieve the sleep-deprived Mercury, and it was apparent she wasn't used to babysitting, despite her past experience. She'd been in this line of work long enough to witness a fair share of births, even under life-threatening circumstances.
"I remember the good doctor telling me that everyone needs their eight hours of sleep. How surprising to see you violate your own code."
Zofia opened a new tab on the screen, then rolled her chair to face the amused fox.
"I doubt any of your other staff is up to handling dragon hatchlings, not to mention their health status."
"Then I leave it up to you to train them accordingly."
He shot a glance at the dragons huddled tightly.
"They don't seem like much of a burden to me after all."
She huffed lightly "That's because you didn't put up with them before they exerted all their energy. Little buggers barely left their eggs, and they already started to crawl."
Ira giggled and tried hopping on the bed with the other dragons.
"I used to crawl all over our yard and hide from adults." She playfully intoned.
She stretched out a paw to poke at her sleeping brothers and was cut short by Zofia's death glare. A squeak escaped her muzzle as she was pulled by the scruff off the bed and met the badger's stoic expression with a nervous smile.
"No disturbing the patients, besides you could get them infected with those dirty paws. Have you even washed them yet?"
"Patients? I hope that's just you using the term loosely."
Zofia's eyes were downcast, the social part of her job usually involved breaking the bad news to her patients or their relatives and then receiving heartbroken, even downright hostile reactions from their end. Mercury was not bound by blood ties to these dragons, yet he was the closest person they had so far.
Instead of shooting him a direct response, she pressed a key on the computer's digital panel. A holographic representation of a draconic form appeared from a wall-projector. The sudden appearance of the lifeless, yet accurate depiction of what was Pyrus startled Ira who yelped and ran up to Mercury's leg for protection.
"Relax, it's just an image, look…" He calmed her down as he ran his fingers through the projection, small digitalized ripples altered it for mere moments before the image was reformed.
The hologram showcased various health statuses in the form of diagrams and numbers, nothing mainly seemed to alarm Zofia or Mercury, while Ira was merely mesmerized and played silently with the digital ripples.
"The little red, you see the problem?"
He examined the graphs meticulously, he clicked his tongue once. His right functioning eye glanced sideways at the curled hatchling.
"His temperature is too high, a fever?"
"Not just that, he came out of the egg ill. It's a miracle he even found the strength to break the shell."
Mercury recalled that moment fondly, it was one of the most relieving experiences he had ever gone through, the audible pop of the shell acted as a signal that the worse was far behind them. Judging from the new information on the table, it seemed that the worst was yet to come.
"Is he in pain?"
"Was… Before I put him to sleep, broke my heart with his weak cries. To top it off I couldn't feed him like the other one, food just wouldn't go down. Judging from his symptoms, like pneumonia, nausea and lung inflammation, I'd say he suffers from a type of immunodeficiency unique to dragons."
He sat on the couch and sunk his head. Ira jumped and propped her rump next to him.
"Will he be alright?"
"I'm not sure, little one," Zofia replied. "I've never seen this kind of sickness in anyone this young before."
"Well, when a dragon gets sick, all they need is a kiss from mommy, and they instantly get better."
Zofia smiled warmly at her positive attitude, even if the damage was irreparable and there was a slim chance this dragon would get through with this sickness.
"Keen observation young one, but these are not inflicted wounds we deal with. Our little friend is extremely prone to suffer from all kinds of diseases, even the rare fatal ones. My calculations suggest he won't make it past nineteen."
"NO!"
Mercury stood up swiftly, extending a claw over his head, then as his facial muscles relaxed, his ears followed suit and drooped.
"I believe your medical expertise can provide for him."
Zofia was taken back by the unexpected outburst, raising her arms in defense.
"I'm sorry, but dragon hatchlings rarely come down with congenital illnesses, their species are hardy from birth to ensure survival even in extreme conditions. This one's immune system is a lost cause. I can't conjure magic, and even if we found a shaman charlatan in a grove, they'd only ease his pain."
"Then prove to me you actually deserve that fucking medical license and help him. I refuse to believe that this little dragon is going to die by something I know you can find a cure for. Please, Zofia, find a cure, or a vaccine, or anything to help him."
Typically, an ebullition like this would have been brushed aside without a second thought, but this one came from Mercury, whose calm demeanor she was so accustomed to seeing held within it a fiery passion tangled with emotion. His words didn't seem hollow or meaningless, but brimming with an unbowed will, that can only be quenched with answers.
"Why do you care so much for these dragons?"
He paused for a moment, not because he wished to collect himself. On the contrary, he was far from a furious fit still. He asked himself the very same question a few times, even before the eggs hatched.
Compassion was never a close friend of his, he ignored others' pain and focused on avoiding to be the cause of suffering. It wasn't often that he succeeded in said department.
"They were going to sell the egg in the slave market. Pyrus, a frail, sick hatchling, would have to succumb to some pompous rich mobster's will. I just can't believe that it was all for nothing, but I'm used to seeing my work crumble at this point."
She placed a hand on his shoulder, it was hard for both of them, and she was amazed by his genuine answer.
"When I had to explain the criticality of some patients' conditions to their family, it honestly felt like the toughest part of the job. To realize that all your attempts at mitigating pain and erasing it are entirely for naught, the only thing that remains are those tear-stained faces that plant seeds of guilt in your stomach."
Despite her heavy foreign accent getting in the way of expressing her emotions, Mercury believed her, and they both shared their fears.
He shot a glance past her shoulder again and watched the two dragons sleeping peacefully, Zephyr had his brother tucked neatly between his paws to provide him with some comfort.
"It's amazing how close they already are, what are they doing?"
"I was surprised to see them bond so fast too, Zephyr must have sensed Pyrus's distress and is now warming him apparently. I need to look up hatchling behavior, these two are fascinating."
Mercury looked at Pyrus again, his soft features were partially obscured as he was bundled in his barely larger brother's hug. At least he was assured they'd look out for each other.
"What about Zephyr? Is there anything I should know?"
She crossed her arms and shrugged, this exchange was already taking a heavy toll on her tired mind.
"I was hoping you wouldn't ask…"
Tapping on the computer again, she shifted the image to one of Zephyr's. This one appeared completely ordinary, nothing alarming whatsoever.
A slither of dread crept up his spine, and he closed in on the projection, searching frantically for anything that might hint at a possible health disorder.
Nothing out of the ordinary as far as he could tell, only that didn't comfort him, the effects of the previous revelation still lingered inside his heaved soul. Whatever else Zofia had uncovered, he knew it would only be icing on the cake.
The hologram shifted once more, revealing an X-ray view of the dragon, complete with vital organs. It was an unnerving sight, seeing someone's guts turned inside out and accepting it so casually. Of course, he wasn't one to speak on the matter of what is normal and what is not, he had lived through his share of intestine baths.
After the program was booted up, he got a more unobstructed view of the black and white insides of the young dragon. Ira was too busy whimpering behind his feet to notice anymore.
"Now I see, what's that purple tear on his heart?"
It was as subtle as minor injuries go and practically impossible to exist by any scientific explanation. The small slit was beating in the same rhythm as the tiny heart, yet no blood gushed out of it. It was as if normal tissue was in its place, Mercury almost passed it for a scar, but that would be impossible too, the dragon was only a day old.
"Beats me, when I saw it I immediately rerun all diagnostics, still nothing, he appeared as healthy as they get at first…"
"Then what is it already? How did he even get to gain this mark?"
"Mercury, I believe that what we're looking at is related to the magical aspect of the draconic organism. I didn't only run health checkups you know."
His interest was definitely peaking, in such a short amount of time he'd learned more about dragons than he had ever bothered to.
"His egg got hit by an energy blast or maybe plasma, it was a blur really."
"I was informed, yes. It didn't come without consequences though, magic is an untamed force. What it gifts haphazardly, it can also take back."
"You seem to know your way around magical studies…"
She typed a few commands absently and shot him a sardonic smirk "On the contrary, I'm a certificated scientist, not a wizard. I've had to cooperate with freaks who use unconventional magical means to get the job done badly."
More windows flashed on the monitor, new parameters were examined this time.
"So, the gash on his heart could be…"
"Ectoplasm, unknown mineral, another living organism perhaps."
"Can you remove it?"
"Not without knowledge of what I'm facing, I cannot. If it's a physical condition, we need to move on to surgery. If the issue is purely magical, then only an expert or the dragon himself can resolve it."
"Please tell me there's no imminent danger."
"No, not if you keep him in a safe haven along with his sickly brother."
"What?"
"Mercury look at the phasmatometer, the particle detector, any of the graphs. There is not a single hint if magic within this dragon. Once again, a rare occurrence and you seem to have an eye for them."
"You must be wrong, I saw his egg overflow with magical pulses, it unleashed a blast that broke the fabric of time. If that wasn't magic, then what was it?"
"Have you ever considered that other forces might have come into play? There were other magic wielders in the vicinity, right?"
He had never put much thought into it until Zofia doubted his claims. What if all this was a mere coincidence?
"No, I'm aware of what I saw, and my eyesight is fully functional… Well, at least half of it."
"Your brain could have very well triggered a toxin release that causes hallucinative visions." She defended sharply.
"Don't force Sigint's opinion on me! This dragon is as magical as fairy dust."
"You're pertinacious with no substantial evidence, except sheer gut instinct. This dragon is entirely dry of any magic, while hatchlings usually possess highly unstable concentrations of magical particles. You are better off keeping him from any harm because no magic means limited chances of survival."
It was a blunt example of brutal honesty, he could sense her pain when she uttered these words with great displeasure. His own horrors echoed too loudly in his head for him to focus on anything.
This was what the universe had trusted him with, two crippled imperfect dragon specimens to deal with. Weaklings with no signs of a bright future and to top it off, he was the reason they were stuck with those feeble bodies. Had he not been so careless and ignorant, had he not trusted Cynder with the egg, things would have been different for the little ones. His sense of righteousness took hits at his conscience for neglecting the eggs, their unhealthy conditions a result of remaining stranded in the harsh jungle environment for too long.
He buried his face in his palms and clawed at his forehead slightly, he was ready for a lot of Doomsday scenarios, many floating in the paranoid sphere, but he wasn't prepared for this kind of defiance.
"They both need help, no, scratch that. These younglings need someone to care for them. I think you already know who that is."
"As much as I want to salute you for taking matters on your paws, I won't. HQ is no place for any child to grow up. A proper child-friendly environment is your best bet."
"What do you mean? This base is the safest place in the Realms, I've made security arrangements myself."
"Mercury, you know that a child needs more than an impenetrable shell to live in. Not to mention that HQ has other faculties that could compromise their health."
"Oh, so now you're jabbing at our health regulations."
"You're building a nuclear device in sublevel five for fuck's sake! We had a leak the other week, and the poor fella who got caught in the radiation is still hospitalized. What if things go awry and the dragons end up paying for our mistakes?"
The mention of the nuclear weaponry had him on edge. It was a topic he discussed in secret and wasn't fond of it at all, yet when it unavoidably resurfaced to haunt him, the best he could do was tackle it directly by defending his position on nuclear armament.
Yet even he couldn't deny that exposure to harmful radiation could only worsen a sickly dragon's dire condition. Also if the nuke never proved to be a problem, there were still other dangerous toys scattered across the base that could spell a tragic end for a bunch of ignorant kids.
"What's a nuclear device?" Ira's voice popped up gleefully and broke their guard.
The two exchanged glances, seeking help from each other on how to explain a weapon of mass destruction to a kid. Ira would never look up to him again if she found out he encouraged the construction of possible genocidal weaponry. He pretended not to have listened and returned to the debate with the doctor.
"Shit, you're the voice of logic once again Zofia. This isn't a daycare, I can't keep them here forever."
"Listen, we can figure out a better location, once a set period has passed. I still need the young dragons in the hatchery for check-ups."
"Okay, we'll set them up. Another worry to add to the basket. As if Warfang didn't have its jaws clamped on my tail."
"Warfang? What's with them?"
"Oh! Sigint didn't fill you in? Well, let me break it to you. We've been compromised."
"What! All the more of a reason to transfer the kids and get rid of the nuke."
"Hold it… When I say compromised, I mean one person knows about our meddling in restricted conflict zones and right now he is quite unreachable. However, the prick offered me a way out the backdoor this time."
"Oh no… Another suicide mission."
"Precisely, I'm borrowing your medical expertise again by the way."
She rolled her eyes and reached for her cup of coffee, only to find it completely drained. "I don't think I can split my time between the dragons and provide radio support."
Mercury observed her hunched stance and noticed her eyelids droop. He never disregarded a bit of generosity towards his employees.
"Hmmm… Why don't you pardon yourself for the rest of the day? It's hardly past noon, and you missed a whole day's sleep."
While she couldn't deny that being eight hours short on sleep was a massive step back for her, she couldn't bring herself to abandon her research and most importantly, leave the dragons unsupervised.
"I've stayed up longer…"
"It's an order." He cited slowly "I don't want my best doctor lugging herself around like a beaten-up drunkard."
"But what about the dragons?" She was making stuff up at this point just for the sake of presenting an excuse.
"Already on it, I still haven't departed for duty. Plus, the little ones seem to like me."
"You have no idea how to take care of them, do you?"
He ran his fingers over the back of his head. "Are they good to move around?"
"In the hatchery, yes. Outside, not yet. There is too much moisture in the atmosphere, and Pyrus needs medication to sleep properly."
He raised a finger, in an attempt to ask a question, but was cut off before he even opened his mouth.
"Not to mention feeding them. Do you even know what a hatchling needs to eat? I've whipped up this special blend of proteins and vitamins." She pointed at a can lying on one of the messy desks. "It will sustain them for the time being and make sure not to give them an overdose. Also, no meat. Hatchlings usually feed on it, but with Pyrus's unstable condition and your untrustworthiness I'm certain something will go wrong."
"We can agree to disagree on that."
"AND! Don't forget to clean them from head to tail! No scrubbing intensely, because that will peel their frail scales off. If they start crying, they probably want to go potty. Try to run diagnostics on them, every three hours to make sure their organisms operate optimally. Some illnesses don't show up instantaneously after hatching."
Ira observed the doctor rant on and on about all the different tasks Mercury would have to accomplish with a puzzled, somewhat fearful gaze. Memories of her mother ordering her daddy around clouded her subconscious. It was a familiar, funny feeling.
She couldn't understand how Mercury put up with it. The fox was attentive to every word that sprouted from Zofia's muzzle. In fact, he was just as speechless as her. It was quite obvious he wasn't one to be commanded so strictly, although they both knew he'd have to let go of the leadership mantle for a moment if he were ever to survive a day with the hatchlings.
Ira knew from her own hatchling years that she was a pawful to handle. Mercury would know to have to deal with two little balls of scales. The least she could do for him was remain quiet and assist him with her experienced claws, she felt a surge of pride at the thought of being the big sister if the bunch.
When Zofia finished explaining her detailed instructions on how to raise your dragon, Mercury was left to his thoughts, rehearsing the words in his head multiple times to make sure he didn't miss anything.
"Do you want me to write that down for you, will you give a holler if things go down the drain, don't you have anything better to do?"
"No, no and no…" The response was monotonous, her rapid speech was starting to get on his nerves.
"Listen, I strongly recommend…"
"Go to sleep!" He pointed at the door, signifying the end of this conversation.
She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "Suit yourself."
With that, she left her workspace and allowed Mercury to bask in the golden silence for a minute. When it came to words, the only thing he and Zofia had in common was being very particular with them.
Ira took the badger's initial advice to heart and washed her paws fervently in a sink, feeling a little sad that she'd have to murder all these poor microbes, despite having never met them in person.
Mercury checked the time, he'd better wake them up and take care of their needs, or he'd never hear the end of it from Zofia. He wasn't that anxious about failing to babysit the hatchlings, it was the shock of all the newfound intel he had received. From conspiracy organizations to paranormal occurrences, the last few days had proven to him that anything goes in mercenary business or to be more accurate, his business. It was sealed undoubtedly, he was a magnet for weird.
After making sure her claws were sparkly clean, Ira hopped on the bed and sat in front of the sleeping bundle.
"Shouldn't we wake them up?"
"Don't be too rough on them, a small nudge is enough."
She nodded and placed a paw on Zephyr's flank, rocking him a little. After a few moments of silence, she nudged him again, shivering at how smooth and pleasant to the touch, hatchling scales were.
His tail swayed, the tip resembled a simple reptilian's tail, no set formation had developed yet, same for Pyrus's rear. She pried him from Pyrus's body, and he was now propped on his back.
"Sheesh, I thought I was lazy."
She pressed his teal blue chest, hoping for a response this time. In retaliation, at least in her books, she was met with a weak slap by the dark purple tail. Mercury stifled a laugh at her vain attempts to wake Zephyr up. The slumbering hatchling just wouldn't budge.
After a few nudges and curses coming out of her muzzle, Zephyr was finally half-awake, his soft paws swiped the air aimlessly as if he were attacking an imaginary enemy. His bright golden eyes shimmered, as they were exposed to the cold air briefly, in between flutters of his heavy eyelids. At last, he started off his very first morning with a gaping, adorable yawn that put Ira's cuteness to shame and locked eyes with said stunned dragoness, puzzled at her over affection.
"Awww, look at him, look at him! I wanna hug him tightly and squeeze the life out of him."
Mercury deducted it was best that he took over from now on.
"Slow down there champ. He doesn't require that kind of attention, he's most likely hungry."
Zephyr's uncoordinated movements were an entertaining sight to watch, as he tried to mimic Ira and walk. His only achievement was crawling on the mattress and his every attempt to walk gracefully resulted in him slumping on it again with a loud whine.
Ira on her end enjoyed this much, it wasn't every day someone portrayed her as a role model. She won the favor of the hatchling by teasing him lightly and guiding his paws with her own to help him learn. The two were already growing on each other way too fast.
Mercury shifted worryingly to sleeping Pyrus, all the commotion from the soft coos and squeals woke him up. Though the poor dragon didn't seem to be in any suitable shape. Right off the bat, Mercury acknowledged his illness. He was shivering uncontrollably, and his newly developed teeth chattered as if the temperature was rock bottom. Mercury went on to check for other symptoms by placing a hand on the sweaty forehead, it was burning, and was positive the element of fire had nothing to do with it. He brought an ear near the heaving chest and then up to his throat, a slight rasp was barely audible, yet enough to alarm him instantly.
Apparently the sick dragon missed the warm embrace of his brother and was now surrendered to the cold, luckily for him, Mercury was no irresponsible caretaker and he quickly found himself wrapped up in two sets of woolen blankets, his wrinkled from pain snout popped out from the top, so he could take in fresh air.
Just a few moments later Zephyr's stomach grumbled, and he squeaked annoyed, his hunger getting the better of him.
Ira and Mercury glanced at each other, each one biting their own lips.
"Things went south pretty fast."
By the time dawn was upon Headquarters, it was almost as if the event of the previous day was swept under the rug and life went on. The sun was now dimly shining in the horizon, small slivers of sunlight were cradled between puffy, dark clouds. A storm was approaching, yet even the unrelenting force of the ocean was pure brushed as a universal phenomenon by the Foxhounds. HQ was more than capable of withstanding the crashing waves and strong wind currents, due to its sturdy construction.
Mercury, however, wasn't interested in the outside weather in particular, since the hatchery already looked like a hurricane-ravaged room. Between the discarded bottles and the crumpled towels, it wasn't a brain-teaser to guess who was behind this mess.
Ira innocently padded beside him and offered a small carton box, containing a fair amount of white, elliptical pills.
"Are these for Pyrus too?"
He glared sideways at her and snatched the box, wondering how it got out of his reach again. In a swift motion, he emptied three pills down his maw, swallowing them without a drop of water.
"These are for my headache!"
What a headache that was. Mercury now understood what single parents went through and if he were frank, he'd take a shootout with the odds tipped against his favor any day over this nightmare.
Even Ira who was supposed to act as his 'backup' proved to be more of a nuisance in the circumstance. He wouldn't blame her of course, all he had to do was call for a nurse if he so desperately needed help. Trusting a four-year-old with valuable frail syringes and bathing duty was a mistake that he vowed to never repeat again.
The other two mischiefs weren't standing on a higher pedestal, seeking to torture him as much as possible before finally being pacified from lack of energy. However, they inevitably left their mark on the floor, quite literally.
Mercury was now hunched over the drowsy purple dragon, eyeing him with a scowl.
"Did you really have to pee, when I was grabbing a coffee? Does that seem funny to you?"
He received a brief chirp and saw the little paws extending towards him for the tenth time this day, he had found out it was the dragon's way of seeking affection, and he obliged with a sigh.
With Zephyr cradled on his arms, he checked over the sick member of the group. Ira too was worryingly glancing at the unlucky hatchling, his short life was already a jumble of pain and unfairness.
Pyrus had struggled to eat, drink and even move around the whole day, opting to stay still for copious amounts of time. Mercury also passed him for dead at some point, rushing to his aid for fear of losing him. In fact, if it weren't for the pain-numbing cream and antibiotics injections, as well as the combined care of the two caretakers, he would have been long gone.
His confused brother was puzzled and distressed as to why the red was so unmoving and lackluster, he'd spend time nudging him, whining at him and tugging at his limbs to get him to explore along with him.
The little red did let out a few tantrums and flooded the bed in tears out of pain or just because he needed something immediately. Even after releasing all the pent up energy, he was now slumped on a silky pillow, silently crying and stifling low raspy whimpers. His fever just was increasing in intensity, while Mercury's hopes faltered.
"Maybe he's just unclean, hungry perhaps?"
"No, I bathed him and fed him twice, most of it ended up on the floor anyway."
To confirm his claims, she sniffed his tiny sobbing head lightly, she smiled at the sweet scent of lavender. Then she turned him around and proceeded with a little gesture her mum would a bestow upon her when she cried uncontrollably.
She lapped up the tears with her twirling tongue, licking the red cheeks in the process, life seemed to return to the hatchling who cut off his whimpering and cooed at his sister. The dragon enjoyed the gesture and shockingly, nuzzled her face, it was a sight for sore eyes to see him look lively for the first time in his brief life.
Ira was excited to see her plan come to fruition at last. She decided to add some color to her movements and rubbed the little one's tummy, massaging his obsidian scales and uncovering new levels of joy in his saliva stained snout.
For all her simple behavioral patterns, Ira already looked to be a responsible loving bigger sibling in his books. It was heartwarming to see both dragons content from the interaction and most of all, finally witnessing tormented Pyrus finding some respite, not in the form of medicine, but love, pure unconditional love.
Zephyr hacked audibly, earning his attention. The dragon had his rump propped on the foxes crossed arms and was resting his chin on the well-built shoulder.
Ira popped up with a hint of advice, while still continuing her assault on the blissful hatchling. "Oooh, burp time!"
He wasn't expecting that, but it did make sense. After all, Zephyr had eaten three times in the span of all these hours. He'd have to bear with baby gas at one point or another. With a slight pat on the back, careful not to wrinkle the little wings, he coaxed a burp from the little dragon.
The foul gas came after a few pats and Mercury had to twist his nose in disgust to avoid inhaling it. Zephyr on the other paw, felt relieved and relaxed at the action.
"Damn, this is what the terrorists in Columbia used for their biological weapons."
Zephyr watched with a hint of jealousy as his brother was caressed with great fondness by Ira, his weak screech demanding the same treatment from Mercury. He eyed him cutely with great anticipation, bopping his muzzle against the furry cheek.
"Nope, don't even think about it."
Zephyr got tired of bugging the fox and just lay on his comforting shoulder. Then his adorable features lit up as he pressed two tiny paws on his neck and placed a brief slimy lick on his cheek.
Mercury was taken off guard as the cold tongue matted his fur, the dragon unrelentingly licked his face, again and again, his little back feet occasionally kicking at Mercury's chest.
"Whoah! Go easy on me, I'm not a chew toy."
"Come on Mercury! Cheer up a little bit."
He couldn't deny that even the grumpiest of people would not stay unmoved by the sounds of happy coos and laughter. The sight shined a ray of hope in him again, especially for Pyrus, he was grateful to Ira for this
He set him on the mattress, as he made a move to turn around, he quickly realized the purple one still clung to his arm with his short jabbing claws. The hatchling didn't want to let go.
"Okay little fella, I gotta hit the hay for today."
"Awwww, do we have to sleep now?"
"Yes, we should set an example for them."
"Hm, fine."
She checked Pyrus one last time, he was eagerly anticipating her next move, inviting her with those beady eyes of his to make a move. She just planted a little kiss on his hot forehead and covered him with a warm blanket. Same went for Zephyr.
After that, she followed Mercury to the couch, where they could crash for the night. She had found that after countless painstaking days of sleeping on hard rock or in her case, passing out from wounds and exhaustion, had turned her tolerable to any kind of surfaces. To her, this plain comfy couch was more than she could ever ask for. Her real concern was about the people around her. She had never felt this needed and useful before, those hatchlings actually trusted her.
On the other paw, Mercury was lost genuinely in his thoughts, digging through for anything usable that will lead him straight to Volkron. He'd never admit to Zofia, but he was genuinely pleased to fulfill all the hatchling's requests, despite the burden they turned out to be. Motivation washed over him, as he thought of all the things he'd accomplish as soon as he got Warfang's heat of his organization.
Then what?
What would he do when this was all left behind him? Mercenary work never ended for sure, there would always be a new contract waiting on his desk. His real concern was the three dragons in the room. Once again doubt settled in, regarding Zephyr's purpose. How could a child save them all from whatever impending doom was to come? As much as he hated to be the one chosen to take the weight of training them, he felt for little Zephyr. He was supposed to live up to unimaginable prospects, Mercury would be a sorry excuse for a protector if he were to expose him this early to his so-called destiny. There was always the possibility that the spirit was just messing with him. After all, this dragon doesn't even show any magical potential.
Not a hint of magic flowing through his veins.
He ruminated his thoughts again, exploring the darkest corners of his mind. This dragon would have to go through life without any magical means to protect himself. He'd solely rely on survival instincts and physical prowess.
The least Mercury could do was teach him the ropes, the hatchling had nobody else in the world.
He'd made a promise to a dying mother.
This and many more topics rushed his thumping brain, sending another headache his way. He downed the last few pills and slumped next to snoring Ira, sleep overtook him shortly after.
It wasn't less than fifteen minutes that had passed since he was awakened by a tug at his arm. Ira was fully awake and smiling, her talon pointed downwards.
"Looks like they can't get over you."
He lazily raised an eyebrow, not getting the meaning in the first place. All he had to do though was look at his lap to find a scaly bundle huddling against his belly.
"What the…?"
Ira giggled, it was fun to see him annoyed over petty things. She had a feeling all this babysitting had eased him into hatchling behavior.
"They just missed you."
Apparently, both hatchlings escaped their confines and charged him like the true dragons they were. Pyrus was having trouble climbing the couch, desperately clawing with his back feet to find a steady grip.
Ira helped the little dragon up, scratching his tender chin in the process, he purred in response.
Zephyr had curled up nicely on his lap, intending to use him as a furry pillow. He was happy, content and let out another one of his huge yawns, gaping maw revealing growing teeth decorating its perimeter. Mercury noticed his purple tail was hanging limply to the side, so he gently picked it and set it next to the drowsy dragon.
He felt guilty with the entire essence of the word. He just could not bring himself to destroy innocence. Zephyr needed a normal life, one that he could provide, despite never possessing the 'normal' label himself. He moved his hand to caress the little head, and one of his fingers got snatched by the purple paw, Zephyr now wondered idly what was so fascinating about the limb.
As the purple one busied himself with Mercury's hand, the fox in mention stared curiously at Pyrus, who was satisfied with curling like a red ball of fever on the couch, this one wanted to play with his bushy tail. He never thought it would've found that kind of convenient use. The red had stopped tearing up and looked healthier already. His fidgety paws grabbed on the tail and turned it into a fluffy cover for warmth. Mercury did his best not to jerk his twitchy tail and disturb his peaceful descent to the sleep realm. As he lowered his snout closer, Pyrus popped an eye open and pushed his nose away with a paw; clearly, the dragon had claimed the tail for his own and Mercury had to oblige.
"Great, now they roam free."
Ira held a contained laugh, so as not to drive the other dragons on edge. She couldn't lie, she could only describe the sight as absolutely adorable, especially since Mercury was so stuck-up all day. It was a real mood freshener to see him lower his guard for a rare occasion.
She climbed on the couch head, to make space for Pyrus, who had taken over her sleeping spot. She was now perched on Mercury's neck, with her paws and tail resting on his shoulders, she was coiled like a serpent, and she was comfortable enough.
"Really? You too?"
"Aha! You have a fluffy neck." She teased him and poked his cheek with her tail tip.
"Hey, this is against the rules missy!"
"Is there a rule for poking Mercury or did you make it up?"
"It's still annoying…"
"All the more of a reason to do it."
"Ah, played like a damn fiddle."
She tried tickling him under his chin, but he wouldn't budge. Sadly for her, the fox had no ticklish spots, courtesy of his training. The hatchlings were now long asleep, basking in the soothing warmth of their cradles.
It had been a few minutes, and the fox had already found peace with Ira being too tired to lighten the mood up anymore. She rubbed an eye and asked with a cute yawn.
"Are you going to leave us?"
He was shocked at the bluntness of her question. "Why would I do that?"
"I heard you mentioning something about a mission earlier."
The girl was too clever for her own good, managing to figure him out so effortlessly.
"Only for a little, two days at most."
She sulked on his shoulder. "But what about my brothers, they won't last a day without an adult. They need you… I need you."
"Hey, you are a perfectly capable dragoness, and along with Zofia, I'm sure you can handle everything."
He felt stupid just for sprouting that sorry excuse to keep his conscience clean. All he accomplished was more anxiety weighing down on it.
"Get to sleep now. I'll always be back, I promised, remember?"
She had her hopes up at the said prospect, the world just got a little bit brighter for her.
"Thanks." she nuzzled his neck gratefully.
As they were about to sleep, Ira decided to break the silence one last time.
"Hey… Can I ask a question?"
"You already did…" He deadpanned.
"Oh, I mean another one."
"Just go ahead with it."
"Why does everyone call you Mercury?" It was as innocent as questions go, yet he didn't know why it came up.
"Because that's my name."
"Hmmm, you are lying, a lady in my sleep told me otherwise and dreams never lie."
What the fuck?
"Um… You got me. My name is John."
"Just John? That's a boring name." She was unamused.
He replied with the same tone "Thanks for reminding me."
They both made themselves comfortable for the final time. Mercury tried desperately to shrug off her dreary statement, a cold chill ran down his spine.
Ira felt his uneasiness and whispered to him with a giddy voice. "Goodnight, Johnny."
He rolled his eyes, she knew how to get on his nerves one way or another.
For all the chaos they caused in the hatchery, this was definite it was worth it.
Somebody would have to bear with some serious cleaning in the morning.
And done! A more less action-oriented and more character focused chapter, this story needed it more than anything. That doesn't mean it'll stray away from its espionage spirit I've come to adore so far.
Feel free to review or ask me any questions in pm. Hoping you come back for more!