Sleepwalkers
.o0o. Chapter Twenty One – Warning: Back Away From The Cakes .o0o.
A/N - This chapter is un'beta'd! Read at your own risk x
.o0o.
*Back To Present Day*
"Oooh cakes!" Amy said as the entire team walked into the Unit B's lounge four days after the Jaremise attack that almost claimed the life of their team captain and Chloe. "What have we done ta deserve such pretty food?"
"That would be saving my life Agent." Aubrey said with a small smile, looking up from the sheaf of papers she was holding as everyone filed in to the room. "Please everyone, help yourself to a warm beverage and something sweet and we'll begin the team meeting."
"Awww, Skippy, that's so nice. Did I tell yoos about the time me Great Uncle Alfred burnt some cakes? He was stayin' with this sheila who was makin' cakes for the family and she asked him ta watch them while she set up a place for him ta sleep for the night. But he was such a worrier, me Great Uncle Alfred and he was so busy worryin' about thin's, he let the cakes burn to a crisp. Totally inedible. Like there was nah way they were gonna put 'em in their mouths. And the sheila starts shoutin' at him. He feels bad cos the family then have nah cakes." Amy regaled her tale as Luke watched her intently.
"Erm, Amy, you are related to King Alfred the Great, are you?" Luke said in a low voice as he took up position next to Amy in the small queue by the coffee pot. "A real King of England in the 800's?"
"Ssh, they don't need ta know that! Why ruin a perfectly good yarn!" Amy laughed and gave him an overly exaggerated wink.
Luke chuckled. It felt good to smile after such a difficult couple of days. He was a quiet man, just happy to be doing his job, sharing a pod with Stacie at night time when their schedules allowed it, having a good cup of English tea when the fresh supplies came in once a month and when possible, riding his D-OVR across the rocks and crevices that surrounded the place they called home. He surveyed the rest of the group and watched Beca as she walked over to the pile of cakes on the table next to the drinks.
"Erm, Skipper, did you make these yourself?" Beca asked as she collected a muffin from the small tower in front of her.
"Yes. Why?" Aubrey replied, looking over as Beca replaced the muffin back on the stack upon learning that Aubrey had made them herself. "Problem, Beca?"
"No, none at all!" Beca smirked as she dusted her hands together. "Just ... did you learn nothing from the experience last time? You and cake mixture do not go together! Three people were sick for a week and the Explosives Unit wanted the leftovers for target practice."
"Okay Agents!" Aubrey said to the group, ignoring Beca's attempts to unravel her. "Don't forget to pick up your performance schedules. We have a gig next week. That's right. Next week."
"A gig? Next week? What are yoos talking about, twig bitch?" Amy asked from the front of the room, where she was stationed with three small fairy cakes, a large muffin, something that was supposed to be a chocolate brownie but resembled, rather unappetisingly, a small dog turd and a large coffee. She watched Stacie walk up to Lilly and whisper in her ear as Lilly was about to take a large rock cake from the heap. Lilly removed her hand as if it had been burned and wandered away muttering to herself, staring down at her hand.
"I have no idea." Aubrey said. "What did I say?"
"Here Skipper ..." Chloe said as she pushed a cup of strong, black coffee into Aubrey's hand. "... drink this and start again."
Beca watched closely as Aubrey's shaky hands took the mug from Chloe with a grateful smile. She eyeballed Cynthia Rose who shot a look back that said 'don't worry, she's still adjusting' but Beca still felt uncomfortable. It wasn't like Aubrey to muddle through her words. Benji had assured them that the updates he had sent to Aubrey's implant that morning should have had her back to normal and as she was before the Jaremise attack. Benji, however, wasn't known for programming the correct data into the right Agent and Beca silently cursed him under her breath. The room quietened as everyone began to take their seats within the tight U shape and Aubrey took position at the front.
"Good morning everyone. First of all, I would like to say a huge thank you for the combined efforts of this wonderful team over the past few days ... yes Lilly?" Aubrey began, pausing when Lilly's hand shot into the air. Everyone turned to lip read Lilly's words. "Sorry Lilly, you need to speak up a bit!"
"She said 'did anyone else want to peel their own skin' first off but then said 'can you tell us about what happened' ..." Benji helpfully repeated. "And I'd like to know as well, if I am honest."
The whole group began to murmur as they turned to look back at Aubrey.
She looked down at the paperwork in her hands, curling the pages into a tube and banging it into her hand for a few seconds. She took a moment to think about what she wanted to say. Stacie sensed her discomfort and spoke up.
"It's okay, Bree. I think everyone just wants to know about the Ranger if nothing else. If you can talk about the rest of the day, about what happened from mid afternoon, I think it would help."
"All right." Aubrey said, gathering her thoughts together, as she pulled up a chair and joined the group. "I think we do need to talk about what happened, to prevent it from occurring again and to learn from our ... well from my mistakes. So, let's cast our minds back to last Thursday ... Chloe, can you make a start as the first part is still foggy for me and I'll join in when I can. Beca, Stacie, I'm sorry that we didn't get a chance to talk it through with you guys first before discussing it with the group. Cynthia Rose wouldn't allow us to get too excited about this before we were well enough to leave the hospital wing."
"Just looking out for your guys." Cynthia Rose said in defence which earned her a murmur of appreciation and lots of nodding from everyone.
"Not a problem Bree." Stacie said and Beca raised her hands as much as to say she had no problems with it either. There simply wasn't the grudge holding in the Unit like some of the others and Beca herself wasn't the kind of person to sweat the small details anyway. She knew she would hear the story and the details when the time was right.
"Okay, Skipper." Chloe said and smiled her toothy, wide grin at everyone before starting again. "Well, guys, as we all now know, Skipper had taken down the Neezlux, and guys, come on, kudos to her, it was totes amazing. She had already secured a retrieval rendezvous with Lilly for 1900 hours and so waited out the time in a small cave. The Neezlux began to regenerate quicker than anticipated so Beca nudged me over for a faster recovery. As I approached and prepared to level next to the cave so that Skipper could make the small jump on the cruiser into Clarissa, I spotted the Jaremise heading for Skippers location. Clarissa's cameras were on and you guys were picking up the feed."
"Yes, we picked up the feed around this time." Beca said as Chloe paused for breath. "We could see the Jaremise from both Clarissa's cameras and from Skipper's head cam in her helmet. We could see and we thought that there wasn't much to hope for."
"Well no, it felt like that too, if I'm honest. So I said my goodbyes to you all. I remember what I said ... Quid Viderunt In Domo Hominis. I trust in you Freedom Fighters. Fight the good fight. I'm just sorry I am not there to win the War with you. Goodbye team. I love you all ... and I do, I truly love you all and didn't want to end my life in that way but I was prepared to take out the Jaremise by flying Clarissa into the cave where Skipper was." Chloe paused to flick a quick, sideward glance towards Aubrey. "I injected the APOP into my neck, hoping against hope that it might offer some protection if I survived the crash. I prayed that Aubrey has done the same. However, what I remember now comes back in a series of flashbacks. The only person who can give it a better description is in one of the holding cells in Amy's lab. But I'll fill you in on what I can. I know Cynthia Rose has spoken to the Ranger at length so I'll leave her to take up the story when my mind goes blank. So, I was literally a second away from piloting Clarissa into the Jaremise when I heard a sharp whistling sound coming from about three hundred yards away ..."
.o0o.
The whole of Unit B sat in silence as Chloe and Aubrey finished off the tale. Interpolated with parts from Cynthia Rose as well as Beca and Stacie, the whole story of that fateful Thursday was told. Cynthia Rose had spent some time with the Ranger and even in her sleep-induced, foggy state, had got most of the story of how she had pretty much saved Aubrey and Chloe from the Jaremise and from the missile attack that had been sent from Elementum. The evidence that she had done as she said she had done was either seated in the circle in the lounge or was currently languishing in one of the cells in Amy's lab or freezer. There was nothing to suggest that the Ranger was anything but honest.
"So, let me get this straight?" Amy was the first to speak. "The Ranger saved yoos lives?"
"That's about right, yes." Aubrey huffed, frowning slightly at the tone in Amy's question.
"She pretty much took out the Jaremise by herself?"
"Well, not quite by herself Amy, I tickled it to start with!" Chloe laughed.
"She loaded a broken D-ACA cruiser -" Amy began.
"- that she broke herself." Stacie mumbled, shaking her head crossly, breaking Amy's flow.
"A lock box with a hulkin' great big wigglin' Neezlux inside -" Amy continued.
"- fair play to her!" Luke interjected, earning more than one murmur of agreement.
"And lugged a dead Jaremise Alien onta hoverin' Y-Pix by herself?" Amy finished off.
"Yes Amy." Aubrey said, slightly exasperated by the questions, her left knee beginning to tremble at the memory of the Jaremise. She quickly forced herself to forget about the incident that nearly cost her her life four days ago. "Your point being?"
"Not to mention, carrying yoos sorry twig bitch skinny ass onta Clarissa." Amy continued, ignoring Aubrey's twitch.
"Amy, is there a purpose to these questions?" Aubrey asked, turning stiffly in her seat, placing a hand over her jerking knee, trying to quell the quiver.
"Yeah." Amy said, as she popped her last fairy cake into her mouth, grimacing as she tried to chew through it.
"Well, what is it?" Aubrey popped her shoulders up, letting her hands fall to her side.
"She pretty much did all that with no malice, intent ta kill or thought to herself and the danger she had put herself in?"
The whole of the Unit were now listening intently, alternating watching Aubrey's face flush with pink under Amy's relentless questions and ducking out of the way as small pieces of dry fairy cake were flying out of Amy's mouth as she spoke.
"Agent Wilson, do you have a point?" Aubrey said authoritatively.
"Just sayin' that we've kept her locked up in a cell, heavily sedated, without food or water for four days. Just seems a real funny way of sayin' thank you." Amy deadpanned.
"We didn't know who she was! She could have been a Shapeshifter for all we know! Come along, did day one of training not teach us anything about Shapeshifters!" Aubrey exclaimed.
"Well, yeah, that dude is still locked up lookin' like yoos in Cell Number 2 down in me dungeon." Amy said.
"There is something dodgy about that girl. I don't trust her." Beca exclaimed, defending her decision to keep the Ranger under constant surveillance.
"Hmmm." Chloe said, placing a light hand on Beca's leg to calm her before she erupted fully. "I see your point though Amy. Maybe we need to get Unit A involved while we take time to heal and re group. They could manage the Ranger on our behalf. Maybe we should call ..."
"No, don't even say it. Chloe, how dare you?" Aubrey muttered.
"No, actually that is a really good idea; I've got Bumpers number -" Amy patted her trouser pocket to prove the point.
"- Why do you have Bumper's number?"
"Whoops!" Beca laughed out loud as Amy began to study the ceiling.
"This sounds awfully like a conversation we had seven year's ago Amy and you assured me you weren't going to use Bumper's number." Aubrey began, her voice raising slightly. "How -"
"-I guess we owe the Ranger an apology?" Stacie said, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, stopping her sister in her tracks.
"I think we need to do more than apologise." Lilly whispered but was ignored by most of the group as usual.
"Give her some tea and biscuits?" Luke said helpfully, the only person to have heard Lilly.
The conversation was cut abruptly short as the door to their lounge swung open revealing the two Base Commander's, John Smith and Gail Abernathy-McKadden-Fineberger and their two assistants Tommy Walker and Justin Thyme. Walking in uninvited, every Agent promptly rose to their feet and placed everything in their hands either onto the floor or the seat they just vacated. As the two Base Commanders moved swiftly into the room, one of their aides, Tommy, closed the door behind them as Justin moved to the light switches, flicking all of them on and flooding the entire lounge with very harsh brightness.
Unit B fell into formation instinctively, in four rows of three Agents. Aubrey, up front and centre of the first row, flanked by Beca and Chloe on either side, snapped her fingers twice for attention and knew she didn't need to do any more to get her Agents to align in configuration and stand smart and strong, shoulder to shoulder with each other. Aubrey just hoped that Amy had at least brushed the cake crumbs from the front of her uniform.
Each Unit was expected to be alert and ready at all times, even during rest periods, when they would play sports, swim, eat in the Base refectory, read, sleep, join up at the bar for a beer of two, practice battle moves and tactics or simply hang out together. There simply was no excuse for sloppiness or unpreparedness and Aubrey had taught her team well. She simply wouldn't accept any excuses from anyone under her leadership. Aubrey would take all the time she had to teach a forgotten lesson for a fellow Agent or to educate a new set of skills towards a new recruit. She encouraged the team to always have a ready prepared second set of kit close by to hand at all times; a uniform cleaned and ironed as well as the Agent's preferred footwear shined to perfection.
Aubrey made strong suggestive remarks that all weapons be checked and cleaned each and every day without fail before retiring for sleep and would regularly do bunk inspections. While the Agents were not required by the Elementum code of practice to have a room ready for inspection, choosing to allow the Agents a homely and personal place to unwind fully, Aubrey insisted that their bunks be orderly at all times. She'd turned a blind eye to Chloe's which had been festooned with chemical light sticks and throw pillows.
All reports were to be written up on the day of the battle or fight unless the Agent required medical treatment. She would then insist that she have the reports for signing within 12 hours of the Agent returning to Base. Aubrey ran a tight ship. But it worked.
If infractions occurred, and they did as any one dealing with humans on a daily basis would attest to, Aubrey preferred to deal with them herself. She felt it unnecessary to warrant a visit to the Base Commanders offices for every little problem. She left that up to Bumper Allen to do, his constant need to run to tell tales was clearly one of his favourite past times.
Unfortunately, for the rest of the Units, the Base Commanders loved hearing the gossip and lapped up his stories hungrily. Aubrey's admonishments for minor transgressions were usually simple tasks like tidying the break room or cleaning the toilets. She had yet to find a punishment worse than that as her team were pretty held together under her ruling.
Aubrey was surprised to see the Base Commanders in their lounge that morning. They had requested her full report on the Jaremise attack at her earliest convenience which she had managed to fulfil 24 hours after arriving back at Elementum. That was usually the end of the matter and she hadn't been made aware of any sort of interaction with the Base Commanders. She stood stiffly as Gail and John began to address the Unit.
"Now this is exactly the kind of presentation you would expect to see at the ..." John began, turning slightly to look at the plaque on the wall as he spoke "... Elementum, Freedom Fighters Unit B lounge and rest area when two Base Commanders enter the room. Am I right, Gail?"
"Oh John, you're so right everything else seems wrong." Gail replied, smirking slightly as she drew a finger across her forehead, tucking a stray piece of fringe hair behind her ear.
"Well, Unit B are making history as the first ever all female Unit ... what Gail?" John paused against as Gail tapped his arm and pointed to Luke and Benji. "... oh yes, I see two men but I was thinking more along the task force idea. They are the first all female Unit to advance onto the official Top Ten LUST board. That's the Leaderboard (of) Unit Successful Targets for those that are unaware."
"That's right John." Gail said, smiling thickly at the Agents in front of her. "Now why do you think it's taken so long for an all lady group to break through that LUSTy ceiling?"
"Well Gail, the women typically cannot hit the smaller Aliens, which really round out a successful battle, thrill the fellow Agents and that can really hurt them in competition. Women are usually about as good at Alien warfare as they are at being doctors."
"So true John. Nothing makes a woman feel more like a girl than a man who kills like a true Freedom Fighter."
"Which bring us back to the point." John continued as the entire Unit B tried to make sense of the two whimsical Base Commanders standing before them.
"Agent Chloe Beale, will you please step forward." Gail ordered, turning to the Justin who handed her a small package. Chloe stepped forward as instructed, snapping her heels together and holding her arms tightly at her sides.
"Chloe, we recognise greatness in our Agents and personal sacrifice is taken very strongly. For your efforts in the rescue mission of Thursday last week, you are being awarded a STAR; that's a Single Tremendous Act Recognition award." Gail continued, the musical tone to her voice having been replaced with a more serious pitch. "Now, as you may or may not know, we award the STARs only under extreme circumstances to an Agent who has gone above and beyond the call of duty, willing to forfeit their own safety or their life for a fellow Agent or for Freedom Fighters in general. I believe there has been a STAR awarded previously amongst your Unit, is that correct."
"Yes ma'am." Chloe said, nodding in agreement.
"Which of you was it?" Gail asked Chloe.
"Agent Beca Mitchell, ma'am." Chloe said proudly.
"And can you remind me what Agent Mitchell did to deserve the accolade?"
"When the Armoured Bay in Sector V was ... damaged ... three years ago, Agent Mitchell singlehandedly pulled four Agents from the rubble, saving their lives and limiting their injuries before returning to retrieve two fallen civilians and a further five deceased Base Agents ma'am."
"And what was so important about those civilians Agent Beale?"
"They were Beca's ... pardon, Agent Mitchell's, recently discovered alive, parents ma'am." Chloe said, sensing Beca's head dropping slightly behind her. There was a small gasp at the back of the formation and Chloe could only guess that it was one of the new recruits who hadn't heard the story before.
"Ah yes, indeed. So you see the importance of the STAR, Agent Beale?"
"I understand ma'am. Permission to ask a question?" Chloe asked.
"Granted."
"What am I receiving this STAR for ma'am?"
"Explain yourself Agent." Gail faltered, her smile wavering for the briefest of moments.
"I didn't do anything to warrant receiving a STAR ma'am. I was just doing my job."
"Correct me if I am wrong Agent Beale, but you rescued Agent Posen from a Jaremise attack, loaded the kill cargo onto your Y-Pix aircraft, a rather broken D-ACA cruiser belonging to Agent Posen as well if I am not mistake, before retrieving the stricken Agent and returning to Base. Is that not accurate?"
"That is what happened ma'am but I was not responsible for the rescue mission. I mean, I was there but I did not do any of the actions you mentioned. The Jaremise was powerful and its mind control powers were strong. I was succumbing to its influence when the Ranger saved us both."
"Whom?" John said, stepped forward.
"The Ranger, sir."
"The Ranger?" Gail repeated.
"Yes ma'am. She fired the arrow that took out the Jaremise. I had already injected the APOP; I was prepared to die and I was incapable of doing the activities you stated previously."
"Agent Posen?"
"Yes ma'am." Aubrey said, taking four steps forward and standing adjacent to Chloe.
"Is this true?"
"My understandings are that this is true, ma'am. I do not have full clarity of the afternoon and evening in question. I had also spent approximately thirty seconds under attack from a Jaremise ..." Aubrey paused for a moment before continuing. "... my apologies, that sounded just like excuses."
"Not at all Agent Posen ... up until last Wednesday, only eighteen people had survived a Jaremise attack." John spoke, clearly impressed with the idea of Aubrey's perseverance.
"To date, only nineteen people worldwide have survived a Jaremise attack." Gail continued before addressing the team behind Chloe. "Your team leader and your friend, Aubrey Posen, is one of them."
"But back to this ... Ranger, did you call her?" John asked.
"Yes sir." Chloe answered.
"I am unaware of an Agent with that call sign. Which Unit is she attached to?" John asked Aubrey.
"None sir, she is of outside influence." Aubrey replied.
"Is this the potential threat that you have locked up in your laboratory Agent Wilson?" John spoke to Amy.
"Sir, yes sir." Amy answered, saluting smartly whilst performing a perfect curtsey.
"We were under the impression it was a Neezlux Alien." Gail continued.
"Ma'am, that's affirmative. The Ranger seems harmless." Amy answered.
"Is this the DNA sampling I was asked to sign off on?" Gail asked again, casting her eyes towards Beca.
"Yes ma'am. She hasn't given us any details and we wanted to know who she is. You should have the report back by now I would have thought?" Amy questioned.
"Yes, we do." John said, gesturing towards Justin, who raised the small black file he was currently clutching on to.
"So, we have been keeping the Ranger under surveillance ... sir, ma'am." Amy said, flickering careful eyes at both of the Base Commanders.
"And we are only hearing about this now?" Gail asked.
"No ma'am. I submitted my full report to you three days ago. The Rangers' involvement was clearly marked on there." Aubrey determinedly stated, a familiar feeling rising in her throat.
"Negative Agent Posen, we have received no report from you." John assured.
Aubrey nervously touched her stomach. She was utterly convinced she had handed the report in to the Base Commanders' office. She remembered leaving it on the reception desk where all the reports were handed into once they had been signed by the Team Leader. She had done this a countless number of times. She remembered doing it this time for sure as she was walking away from the office, ready to head back to her bunk, wanting to rest in her pod for a few hours, when she bumped into Agent Allen from Unit A.
.o0o.
"Whoa ... Hey Aubrey. Heard the news. Remember when you tried to play in the big leagues and you choked? Jaremise fighting should be left to us guys. Your disaster should really be a lesson to everyone. If you fight the same girly shitty way every year -"
"- Quit it Allen. I'm just here to hand the report in from last Thursday. I don't need your crap today." Aubrey said with a tired sigh.
"Whoa, fighting talk there Posen. Careful not to blow chunks all over the place like you did last time you got caught up in a storm in a teacup. Remember, vomit everywhere?" Bumper smirked.
"Really, Allen? That incident was years ago. Get over yourself and get some new material."
"You want to watch your tone there, girl. Your team being out for a few days has moved me and my boys up to spot numero uno. And we plan to keep it." Bumper said valiantly.
"Way to go with the camaraderie, Allen." Aubrey sighed.
"I don't give a crap about you dumb bitches. Because I'm being brought up to the fighting big leagues. Anyway I'm out of here. Got a collarless leather jacket to source. Maybe some aviators. I might get an earring. I don't know. It's tough being at the top. This is exciting stuff. My life rules!"
"Screw you, Allen." Aubrey said angrily, pointing a finger at Bumper's chest. "Just ... urgh."
"You know what you are desperate for Posen?"
"What? What do I require?" Aubrey asked.
"You need a man like me in your bed, that's what you need! I'd show you a good time." Bumper stated, grinning like a big cheese.
"Really? You're a bit behind the times there Allen! I've never been interested in guys. Like ever."
"Are you gay?" Bumper asked incredulously. "Gay? Urgh."
"Goodbye Allen. Don't forget to hand your reports in like a good boy. Tick tock, tick tock the deadline is fast approaching to get them in on time."
"Fuck you Posen." Bumper snarled.
"You wish Bumper, but you are so not my type." Aubrey said, content with her wind up.
"I could convince you that you want a man." Bumper said, defiantly.
"Have a good night Bumper."
Aubrey pushed past him, quite pleased with herself that she had managed to get under his skin. She almost smiled at his efforts to undermine her. But she was Aubrey Posen after all. Unflappable most of the time. And Freedom Fighters was her life. She wasn't going to risk anything by getting remotely associated with Bumper Allen. But still, fancy him not knowing she was gay. She'd never made secret of the fact so she inwardly grinned at his senselessness.
.o0o.
But now, as she stood in front of the two Base Commanders, she realised that Bumper must have taken her report or at least hidden it to try to get her into trouble for her belittling him. It wasn't so much the report she was upset about (she always wrote them out in triplicate anyway), it was Allen's attempts to undermine her. She felt the familiar rumble in her stomach, the growling noise becoming louder as she desperately tried to control her breathing. This proved futile and she couldn't hold back the vomit that had effectively been threatening since Thursday.
"Whoa!" Gail said, taking a step back as the vomit threatening to stain her bright orange shoes with blue polka dots.
"No! Holy..." John said, looking at Aubrey in disbelief.
"This is a surprise!" Gail said, taking in the scene as Cynthia Rose broke the Unit's strict arrangement and stepped forward to help Aubrey.
"This has never happened before!" John said, taking out a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbing at his nose.
"Now this is how you bring some excitement to the Elementum, Freedom Fighters Unit B lounge and rest area." Gail laughed unkindly.
"Did you have a week's worth of lunch and lose it?" John asked as Cynthia Rose handed Aubrey some paper towels to wipe her face.
"Well, she didn't lose it." Gail said mirthlessly. "We know exactly where it is. It's all over the third table. Agent, are you all right?"
"She'll be fine." Cynthia Rose said on behalf of Aubrey who looked beyond mortified. "She needs to sit for a moment."
As Cynthia Rose guided Aubrey to a chair, John and Gail turned to each other and spoke quietly in each other's ears. John took a step back and clicked his fingers at Tommy who stepped forward to begin cleaning up the mess on the floor. The Unit B Agents were all shooting worried looks towards Aubrey but they also knew not to break formation. This would only upset her more. Aubrey truly believed in the code of the Freedom Fighters and it was her whole life.
"Agents, we'll keep this brief. I am aware that you would all probably like to leave this room now. I know I would." Gail paused for a laugh that never came.
"We have decided that the combined efforts of the team in the rescue mission still deserve a STAR so we will be awarding Unit B the accolade. Give yourselves a round of applause or something. Look lively." John said as the team began to nervously clap and offering murmurings of thanks and support to each other. They each knew they would be celebrating in style later with a few beers but with Aubrey being unwell, this was now not a cause for celebration. The presence of the Base Commanders kept their happiness in check as well. Which considering what was to come next, was a good thing.
"Agent Chloe Beale, you may step back now. But remember your efforts in the field have been noted."
"Thank you sir." Chloe said politely as she slipped back into her spot, performing a perfect about face and winking at the seated Aubrey as she passed her.
"Agent Beca Mitchell?" Gail said.
"Yes ma'am." Beca's eyes snapped to look directly into Gail's.
"Why are you second in command within this Unit?" Gail asked.
"Ma'am?" Beca questioned.
"With your skills, you should be in charge of your own Unit by now." Gail stated.
"Ma'am, I have nowhere else I'd rather be. This team is my family. I have no desire to be anywhere else but with Unit B." Beca said, her eyebrows knitting slightly at the look that Gail shot over to John.
"Why have you been held back Agent?" John asked.
"My flying skills are not up to standard, sir." Beca replied, honestly.
"Why is that Agent? Why can't you fly?" John asked again.
"Sir, I am not sure this is a relevant topic of -" Beca started, her composure slipping slightly.
"- It's just a question Agent." John interrupted.
"Sir, I cannot fly as I have trouble seeing over the windshield on many of the aircraft." Beca said and ignored the snigger from Fat Amy.
"Right ... right." John said as he turned his head towards Gail and whispered in her ear again. She nodded at him to confirm whatever it was that had been said. The longest moment passed between them.
"Special Agent in Charge Posen, effective immediately, you are being demoted to the rank of Agent and you Agent Mitchell are promoted to the Team Leader of Unit B. Agent Posen will no longer be in charge. She will lose her privileges immediately and you are to take on all her active duties. Do you understand?" Gail spoke sharply.
"Wait, what?" Beca demanded, completely losing her cool, her eyebrows rising into her hairline as she glared up at John and Gail. "Dude, no! You can't do that to her. Freedom Fighters is everything to her and she is everything to Freedom Fighters. This Unit would be nothing without her. What the fuc -"
"- Agent Mitchell." Aubrey's voice rang out clearly across the lounge as the other Agents began to twitch on their toes.
"My apologies sir, ma'am. No thank you. I don't want the position." Beca said, snapping back to attention under Aubrey's words.
"This is not up for discussion, Agent Mitchell." Gail said loudly.
"But why ma'am? I don't wa -" Beca asked.
"- Permission to speak Base Commander Abernathy-McKadden-Fineberger?" Aubrey interrupted as she stood from her seat.
"Yes, of course." Gail said, waving her hand around to get Aubrey to continue.
"Thank you ma'am." Aubrey said as she drew up along side Beca.
Beca's eyes were darting about all over the place. Aubrey was the Leader of the Unit, not her. She was the one who made the decisions, took the flak, organised everything, cared about the other Agents, knew each team member's movements at all times. Beca was the one who held the team together in Aubrey's absence but that was only ever for a day or so, not for the foreseeable future. She was happy to shoulder some of the burden, pleased to ably assist her Team Leader but she didn't want it on a permanent basis.
"Agent Mitchell ... Beca?" Aubrey spoke softly to Beca, drawing her attention back into the moment, refocusing Beca which in turn reinforced Beca's thoughts that Aubrey was the best person for the job she had just had thrust upon her. "The past few days have been explosive. Mistakes were made. I made mistakes. I have to stand accountable for the actions of my team and myself."
"But Aubrey, we make mistakes all the time, don't we?"
"Yes, we do. It is how we learn after all."
"I can't do what you do, Aubrey." Beca said honestly. "It's intimidating."
"Of course you can. You have more than enough skill and support. And I'll be here until everything is sorted out. I'm not on restrictive duty." Aubrey said, eyeing John who shook his head. "So, it's just a simple misunderstanding I am sure and I'll -"
"- The reasons are uncomplicated." Gail said, cutting Aubrey off and addressing Beca. "Agent Posen severely broke protocol last week. She did not radio in with her location for several hours, put herself in mortal danger on at least two occasions, and removed her helmet without permission. The reports of last Thursday were not submitted, despite what she has said. Because of her actions, another Agent's life was placed in great danger. Halo had to be dispatched to clean up her mess and the entire Unit was compromised when an outsider was brought into Elementum. She patrolled alone and clearly allowed her weapon to run out of charge and therefore -"
"- She should be the one getting a STAR here." Beca interrupted. "She is the strongest person here and the most willing to put her life in danger. She -"
"- Special Agent in Charge Mitchell! That's enough. Under any other circumstances, you would be receiving a SPANK right now for your insubordination." Gail said.
"A SPANK ma'am?" Aubrey questioned.
"Yes, it is a new level of discipline we have only recently introduced and not communicated to our Team Leaders yet." Gail continued.
"What is a SPANK, sir?" Aubrey said, hearing a small titter of laughter behind her, despite the situation.
"A SPANK Agent Posen ..." Gail began. "... is Situation Performance; Agent Needs Kerbing. Think of it as a mark on your record. And Agent Mitchell, if your ... enthusiasm ... is not restricted, I will be forced to SPANK you."
Beca kept her mouth shut, knowing there was little she could say right now, in front of the entire team that would change their decision. This wasn't what she wanted. Absolutely not. She had no ideas of grandeur with regard to the leadership role.
Sure, she argued with Aubrey about almost everything and they would only stop just before the hair pulling stage kicked in but she respected and admired, practically worshipped her leader. She knew that while she hated having to keep her mouth shut, the corners painfully twitching with words to say, she knew Aubrey would want her to keep her cool and she knew as soon as the meeting was over that they would be in the bar discussing all of this.
"I understand and thank you for the explanation." Aubrey said. "To conclude, I will have my second copy of the report on your desk within ten minutes of this meeting finishing. It is safely in my bunk at present."
Gail flinched briefly at Aubrey's words, a flicker of confusion furrowed across her brow and nodded towards Aubrey; she clearly hadn't expected there to be a copy to hand.
"As Team Leader of Unit B, I guess I know have to speak up now. So, before I ask that this meeting be adjourned, is there any thing else, sir or ma'am." Beca said and she saw a small smile on Aubrey lips.
"Yes Agent Mitchell but I believe we may need to speak privately." Gail said. Beca nodded to show she understand as she turned to face the team. Her eyes lingered on Aubrey for just a moment before she addressed the group.
"Guys, meet up in the bar, okay? Everyone dismissed." The team looked steadfastly ahead as they turned to leave and began to file out, refraining from making any comments at all as Beca turned her steely eyes back to the Base Commanders.
"Yes ma'am, what is the problem?" She asked.
"We were asked to conduct some DNA tests for an unknown subject. I now understand that this subject is the Ranger that you and the Unit have spoken of." Gail said.
"Yes ma'am. I ordered the tests. Is there a problem?" Beca asked.
"On the contrary, Agent." John said.
"Do you have the results sir?" Beca asked another question.
"Yes, we do." John said, snapping his fingers at Justin who produced the black file and placed it immediately into John's hands. He opened it instantaneously and began to read the results.
"Whatever is in there that you need to share with me first? My team can hear -"
"- I think it best for you to hear the news and absorb it before talking to the team." Gail said, cutting Beca off; a habit that was already irking the brunette.
"It appears that the Ranger is female." John said, and Beca fought hard not to roll her eyes at the obvious statement. "Which I think you know. She is approximately 18 or 19 years old and of Old America descent. She grew up on a farm. She has not broken a bone or needed to be hospitalised for any reason but she is in the database so she has been schooled at some point in her life. The Ranger's name from the file is Alexandra."
John paused for a moment to look over to Beca. She nodded as if to confirm she had understood all of the information so far.
"Her parents are both deceased and were called Bren and Giselle." John spoke clearly.
Beca's eyes widened with surprise and her head snapped up and stared directly into John's face first before flicking her eyes over to Gail's. John looked up as well as he delivered the last piece of the puzzle.
"Her surname is Mitchell and she is, without any shadow of a doubt, your younger sister."
A/N - Not really a dun dun duuuuuunnnnn moment; but there you have it. Now, what will Beca do with this news. Stay tuned next week to find out!
Review Feedback:
Alex! You're back! Whoop! Seeing as you are the reason this story ever got off the ground, it's good to see you back on the FanFiction boards and reading once more. Keep doing what you are doing hunny and stay strong x
ballpointmf - So glad to see a familiar face! Thanks for dropping me a review to let me know! Hope you liked this chapter!
Yan - Beca is on her way into the next few chapters! She'll feature heavily from now on. Are you a Jeca fan?
Rubiksmaniac - Hope you liked this chapter too! Update is a bit quicker this time! Thanks for reading x
50 Shades of Pitch Perfect - Glad you liked! Amy is a hoot indeed and that's why we love her so much! She's so fun to write! More on her to come too! Thanks for the best wishes too x
Raven12 - My dearest Raven, I simply loved your review and really appreciate the way you seem to get my story! I've been so caught up in so many negative things over the past few months that I've forgotten how much I love Elementum too and writing it is just so real! Glad you liked the Jeca shout out! Thank you so much for your continued support xx
Jutord - So happy to have you on board! You'll just have to stick with me and trust me about Jesse! Beca and the Ranger was a bit of a cliche but I wanted Beca to have something to hold onto as well! If you haven't read Beca's background story (Chapter 14) yet, I hope you like it!