Chapter 34: POW
Hypergeek climbed up the small ridge to the top of the hill. Sun was setting over the now-quiet marshland, painting the scenery in hues of crimson and orange. Giving the arc thrower hanging from his belt a small tap, the engineer smiled inside as he approached the small group of operatives on top of the hill.
"Damn, that is one ugly son of a bitch", Awo muttered to Van Doorn and Daishi as the soldiers stood around a pair of floaters. The aliens were still alive: a massive dose of high-voltage electricity from close range had short-circuited their mechanical systems and stunned their central nervous systems, leaving the aliens in a comatose state. The aliens should remain incapacitated until revived with special treatment back at HQ, but better safe than sorry. Hypergeek tossed the pair of custom-engineered restraints onto the ground and knelt next to the captives.
Leaning in close, the Belgian observed the face of one of the horrific creatures. Their eyes were covered by some sort of optical lens that usually glowed with yellow light. The glow had died from the spectacles on this one, and the glassed eyes below revealed tiny pupils retreated into the middle of the cornea, twitching unnervingly as if the creature was dreaming.
Looking up at the people around him, Hypergeek took leadership of the situation. Awo may have been the commanding officer on the field but the same way the outfit's medics had the highest authority in any medical emergencies, Hypergeek's authority overrode Awo's when it came to dealing with alien captives. "Van Doorn, you're with me. Awo and Daishi, you take the other one. If you have any questions about the restraints, follow my lead first and ask questions afterwards if it's still unclear. Comprendre?"
Receiving nods from the operatives, Hypergeek reached for one of the restraints. It was specifically created for floaters and was probably the weirdest of their restraint designs, seeing as this species of alien lacked feet. The restraints were made of a mixture of alien alloys and steel and they locked the mechanical arms of the creature behind its back. A set of curving bars closed over the creature's shoulders on both sides, blocking off the jets on its back from above and below. A final fastening system ran across the front, shackling the bars on both sides together.
Hypergeek glanced up from the restrained creature and gave Awo a querying look. The lieutenant responded with a small acknowledging grunt and picked up the second set of restraints with a somewhat doubtful look in his eyes. Hypergeek left him to deal with the second prisoner and turned to Van Doorn. Jerking at the back of the restraints he pulled free a pair of handles that stretched outwards on both sides of the creature. Signaling for Van Doorn to grab onto the other end, they carried the creature down the hillside, the alien suspended between them on the stretcher-like construct.
"That was some pretty damn impressive work, stunning two of these ugly bastards. How'd it feel, getting up close there?" Van Doorn inquired from behind him. Hypergeek was carrying at the front, with his back to the alien and the old gunner.
Hypergeek leaned his head backwards, looking up into the crimson sky. Without turning his head, he spoke up into the sunset, "It was… très satisfaisant. Very good. It felt very good." A small smile rose to his lips as he basked in the invigorating feeling of success.
Some people think pride is a sin and modesty a virtue. Hypergeek wasn't one of them. If you are the best at something, you should take pride in your work. Before joining XCOM he had been the top dog in explosive ordnance disposal in the French elite counter-terrorism unit GIGN. Many people had perceived his attitude as snobbishness and arrogance and who knows, maybe they were right. But it had never bothered Hypergeek.
Reaching the Skyranger landing zone, Hypergeek laid eyes on the rest of their squad. Wolfer was off to the side chatting up JBowles, the frat boy of XCOM. Kungtotte was standing guard next to the aircraft, laser sniper rifle at the ready, occasionally scanning for activity in the distance through his scope. Reaching their destination, Hypergeek led Van Doorn up the ramp and into the aircraft.
Walking straight to the back of the Skyranger he laid down the alien. A set of rails was embedded into the wall of the aircraft and the engineer pulled one of the plates on the railing down to floor level. Pushing the handles back into the restraints he lifted the floater with the help of Van Doorn, shackling the creature into the wall of the aircraft. The locking mechanisms clicked as the restraints fit into the plate. Getting up and stepping backwards, he surveyed the sight critically. It was the first time the system was being used and it seemed to be doing an alright job although Hypergeek was already seeing some changes that could be made to improve it.
Looking up from the captive the engineer noticed Van Doorn staring at him. The gunner grinned and spoke up, "You take your work seriously, huh? I can respect that in a soldier."
Hypergeek turned back to eye the alien captive and muttered his agreement in French. Turning back to the American he figured he might as well try to make friendly with the man. "Would you like to join me and Medve for whiskey and cigars afterwards? Scubaman brought me a vintage from Nagoya that is tout magnifique."
Van Doorn lifted his eyebrows, vocalizing his approval. "Whiskey and cigars? This is like OCS all over again. Sign me up!"
Hypergeek smiled a small, polite smile at the energetic corporal. Realizing Awo and Daishi hadn't arrived yet, the engineer walked out of the Skyranger. Peering out towards the hill he saw the two of them still crouched around the alien captive. Cursing under his breath in French, the man took off in a brisk pace, ready to share a few choice words with the lieutenant.
Renzol walked down one of the corridors at XCOM HQ. She was headed towards the TV room; a rare occurrence indeed. She had been so absorbed in her training, both physical and mental, over the past month and a half that most people had come to accept she never showed up at the social gatherings anymore. However, she sometimes still got tired of doing the same exercises over and over again, and tonight was one of those nights. Rounding the final corner she reached the door leading into the TV room. Cracking the heavy metal door slightly she slipped into the room.
A crowd of people was gathered at the front of the room. They had pulled a few chairs around the two sofas and were watching a loud action flick on the big screen. Renzol noticed Wolfer, Awo and JBowles in the midst of the rowdy crowd, commenting loudly and obnoxiously on the action. Turning to survey the rest of the room, Renzol noticed Hunterhr in the back.
The man was sitting behind a desk with his back against the wall. The room was dark but for the back row where the lights shone down on the solitary medic. He was reading a book, his serious face betraying no emotions. Renzol started towards the back and seated herself next to the man.
As the small rocketeer pulled up a chair, Hunterhr looked up from his book. The dark-skinned man smiled gently at Renzol. "Hello there, Renzol. I haven't seen you around here for some time."
Renzol leaned against the table, looking towards the big screen with uninterested eyes. The movie seemed to be quite a ways in and it appeared impossible to get into it now. "You know, training and…things. I haven't really had the time", taking her eyes off the screen, Renzol turned to look at Hunterhr.
The man smiled his gentle smile at her before turning his attention back to his book. Renzol tried to follow the movie, but the confusing mish-mash of over-the-top action scenes and melodramatic dialogue between characters she didn't know made her regret coming over. Might as well have borrowed another novel from Vherid, she thought to herself, her mood slipping down a notch.
Turning back to regard Hunterhr, Renzol observed the book in his hands. The covers were old, worn leather with no title or cover image of any kind. Examining the tome with interest, Renzol glanced up to notice Hunterhr was looking back at her. Feeling a little bit embarrassed to have been caught staring she sucked up her pride and asked, "What are you reading?"
Hunterhr closed the book with his finger in-between the pages. The man smiled quietly at Renzol before answering, "War and Peace."
Letting out a small surprised sound, Renzol shook her head a bit as she slumped against the table. "Isn't that a little heavy reading?" she asked, staring at the surface of the table.
A deep, gentle laugh emanated from Hunterhr's throat. The man placed the old book on the table and slid it over. "Try it", came his response, causing Renzol to glance up at him and then back at the book.
"No, no, no. You were reading it. It's fine", she tried to refuse politely, not wanting to inconvenience the man. Something in the medic's eyes made her feel nervous and she had an uneasy feeling about taking the book from him.
"I have read it already, a long time ago. And seems like you could use something to do besides…" Hunterhr finished the sentence by nodding towards the TV and as if on cue, a helicopter went up in flames and the crowd in front of the screen burst into laughter and exclamations of ridicule and disbelief. Giving up, Renzol smiled at the man and reached over, grabbing the large and old book and muttering a thank you.
She turned the book around in her hands. It was massive and ancient and as she turned over the cover, she noticed writing on the inside. To my son Hunterhr on the day he answered the Call of Duty: always remember who you are and where you came from. Tracing a finger along the old ink, Renzol looked up at the medic. Polite as ever, he had left Renzol to explore the book on her own, staring at the table in front of him, lost in thought.
Closing the book, Renzol set it in front of her on the table. There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she wasn't quite sure why. "Thank you. I'll make sure to read it. It must be an important book to you." She wasn't exactly sure why she had thanked him again. Maybe the inadequate muttered thank you hadn't been worthy of such a grand gift, or maybe she was just trying to make the uneasiness go away.
Hunterhr looked back at the small woman, smiling his ever-gentle smile. He was a big man, but not in a huge way like Wolfer, Medve or the others. His face was round and even though he was clearly strong, he wasn't pure muscle. He reminded Renzol a little bit of a big, gentle, black teddy bear. What are you thinking, girl? Shaking the thought off her mind, Renzol turned back to the book.
"Renzol?" Hunterhr's voice interrupted her as she was about to open the book. Looking back at the medic, she waited for him to continue. "Did you see the captives they brought in today?" the man continued, looking at the rocketeer with serious eyes, the smile gone from his face.
She had indeed seen the captives. The two aliens had been stunned and shackled tight as the research team had hurried them over to the newly built alien containment facilities. Coming back from her thoughts, she looked back at Hunterhr. "I did. Why so?"
There was a mysterious look in the medic's eyes as he asked her yet another question, "What do you think we are going to do with them? Do you think they will get treatment worthy of a prisoner of war?" Renzol stared at the man, completely aghast. Prisoner of war? These creatures were invading their planet, slaughtering their comrades and abducting their civilians.
Struggling to find the words, Renzol stuttered at the man. Finally finding the words, she spoke in agitation, "POW? What the hell Hunterhr, I saw these creatures kill Hawkeye. You think they deserve mercy?" The man seemed stoic in front of her flabbergasted reaction.
Hunterhr looked away from her and towards the big screen. With a quiet tone, he answered, "Why do you think they are doing this, Renzol? Have you stopped to think about why our enemy is doing what they are doing?" Turning back to the woman, a puzzled look on Renzol's face greeted him.
"Sectoids, floaters, thin men, outsiders, chryssalids, mutons, robotic seekers and drones… what do they have in common, Renzol? Why are they doing this?" The stare he was giving the small woman was intent, and Renzol felt like a confused little girl, lacking the answers to all of his questions. The uneasiness inside her had transformed into an ever-rising anxiety. She opened her mouth, but didn't manage to find the words to answer him.
Hunterhr leaned in closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. Looking her solemnly in the eye, he voiced his concerns, "Are we fighting invading soldiers, Renzol? Or are we fighting disposable slaves, thrown at us wave after wave?"
Renzol answered his stare, the anxiety inside of her growing unbearable. Getting up from the table she muttered a hasty apology. Excusing herself, she strode across the room with shaky legs, slipping back out into the corridor. Her heart was beating frantically and a mixture of emotions raged inside of her.
I need to calm down. I need the Box. Her walk turned into a jog and her jog turned into a sprint as she made her way towards the sports section of the base. One of the courts was bound to be empty and she needed time alone.