Back again with more Nike and Friends.
Ripples, Ripples everywhere~
It began with a single video, the same footage that Major Matos had viewed on his tablet.
By hands unknown, the file leaked into the Battalion's datanet, its contents disputed as being an elaborate hoax by some, taken as real by others.
If that had been it, the video would likely have faded into obscurity, the unbelievable images contained within forgotten.
Then the Heracles emerged with Gamma company in tow, dozens of observers seeing the creature from the vid in the flesh. With tangible proof, the initial video quickly found its way beyond 1st Battalion, accompanied by the photo's taken of the AVRE and its cargo.
Rumors were rife, the testimony of Gamma's Troopers only fueling the questions, theories, and speculation. Where had it come from? Who was the blood-stained Marine accompanying it and why did she have a U-87 with her?
After the debacle in the OR, it became impossible to even try and keep things under wraps, every person within 100 meters had heard the wailing screams. The Major's orders over the radio heralding the Marine and her companion heading at a dead-sprint towards the OR sparked even more rumors.
Major Valerian's report to his superiors was viewed with some skepticism, the talk of a "Zoological Warfare Division Asset" with attached footage quickly getting it marked Top Secret. Unbeknownst to the Major, back when the Cyber Combat Unit program had been in its infancy, an alternative was proposed to run in parallel.
The Zoological Warfare Division.
Messages were exchanged, orders were sent and frantic phone calls were made to those members of the Division who still lived and might have some clue about what was going on.
In the early hours of the morning, in a respectable home in Caprica City, a very confused professor woke to his phone ringing. The voice on the other end had him scrambling to dress before a pair of severe-looking Marines all but dragged him into a waiting VTOL.
A rough six-hour flight later had him dropped off at Phoebus's temple district and quickly hurried inside. The reason for his abrupt abduction from home was sprawled in a repurposed mess-hall... engaged in a game of Triad?
Even with most of its body wrapped up in bandages and compression packs, the monstrous creature was a frightening sight. The hand of Triad cards delicately clutched in one massive paw looked ridiculous, the off-duty soldiers also in the game acting like there weren't twelve feet of scaled, armored monster barely a few feet from them. As he watched, it gently cast its hand on the table, a grin with far too many teeth on its face. The other players either cast aside their cards or threw them away in disgust, letting the monster use a tail, one of four he could see, to pull the small pile of Cubits and articles of clothing towards itself.
A chuckle from behind the professor revealed the presence of an Army Lieutenant if his knowledge of ranks was right. The woman was watching the Triad game, snorting as one of the players tossed their shirt at the creature. Her emerald eyes moved from the game to the Professor, taking in his disheveled appearance.
"I think you made a mistake teaching Nike there Triad, Professor. She's been cleaning out the FNG's and Nuggets that try their luck this last week." Shaking her head, the lieutenant went back to observing the game, leaving the professor gaping at her back.
Twenty years of study in the field of Genetic Engineering, five years as project head for the Zoological Warfare Division, and people thought he'd been teaching their assets Triad!?
-
One week earlier
Nike:
Ever since my little... incident in the OR, Jess had made it her mission to spend a frankly ridiculous amount of time by my bedside. It had taken the Veterinarian who was apparently handling my care explaining about their dosages being off due to my nature for me to believe it wasn't deliberate. For his part, the vet seemed genuinely sorry about the incident, the fact he was pretty handsome possibly skewing my opinion. Mid-thirties, athletic, and with a jawline to die for, he was a treat to look at, I was bloody grateful this body was near impossible to read. I don't know why I decided to keep the fact I could talk secret, probably because no matter how nice he was, he addressed Jessie, rather than me.
The rational part of me correctly noted my appearance wasn't exactly conducive to thinking I could talk. That part got sucker-punched and put aside by the part that found being treated like an animal hurtful. I fought and bled to protect these people, if they wanted to treat me like a fucking animal, then I'd not give them the courtesy of talking. The vet departed not long after, leaving me alone with Jess. The Marine was using the sole chair left in the room, all the other furniture having been removed to make room for me. Checking that the door was firmly shut, just to sprite the Vet before I spoke.
"Fuck him, honestly. Fuck that guy and the horse he rode in on. I was right there, but noooooo... the twat had to fuckin ignore me and talk to you like you're my bloody owner or something!" My tails mirrored my foul mood, bone spurs flicking against the concrete in agitation.
Jess completely ignored my lashing tails, scooting closer to lay a hand on my paw, rubbing it softly.
"Don't be too hard on the guy Nike, you have to admit at first glance you scream 'Monster' than 'is sapient and sounds like she'd be running a gang in New Cap city". My exaggerated look of faux-surprise worked the trick, Jess giggling at the sight, no doubt from how silly I looked.
"I resent such crass insinuations, I'll have you know I'm perfectly respectable, thank you very much, Jessica." The punch I received carried little force, the frown on Jessie's face broken moments later by that wicked grin that lit her face up.
"If you're so... respectable, then you wouldn't mind me telling the handsome Vet you have a crush on him... would you?" Oh no... she noticed me looking!
It took Jess a few minutes to overcome the giggles wracking her frame, the woman taking a few calming breaths. I could hear the mirth infusing her voice, threatening to release the giggles once more, to further embarrassment for me.
"That was a joke, Nike! I wasn't actually serious about you crushing the guy. Gotta admit... finding out you like guys is enough to make me jealous, what does he have that I don't, huh?" The widest shit-eating grin I'd ever seen on Jess's face let me know she was spouting bullshit, the attempts to "flaunt" her muscles dispelling the last of the foul mood I'd been suffering. The rattling hiss that was my body's version of a laugh still sounded weird to my ears, but damn was it cathartic to just laugh.
We were so caught up in laughing we missed the noise as the door opened. A vaguely familiar woman in Army fatigues entering first followed by a young man, also in fatigues. One blond eyebrow was raised at seeing Jess and me giggling like loons, the shaven-haired soldier with her looking at me without the fear most people visiting me had. He was trying to hide some cloth draped object behind his back, a nudge from the woman having him place it on the floor in front of my paws. She had to be cut from the same cloth as Jess, for her emerald eyes gave away nothing at being so close to fang-filled maw. I looked to Jess questioningly, the Marine just giving one of her trademark smirks before leaning back in her chair.
"We never got the chance to be introduced, Miss Nike, but Jessie there was very happy to sing your praises. I'm Valerie Quartararo, CO of Gamma company, also known as the PBI's you saved from that Valiant. My companion is Milo Ramirez, also from Gamma."
She had that faintly RP accent the posher Capricans had, but unlike the Vet, she looked me right in the eye as she spoke, Ramirez meanwhile only offering an adorably shy wave.
The object on the floor was lumpy, the cloth covering it hiding something that Jess seemed to know exactly what, if the anticipation in her body language was any indication.
"It took that friendly Toaster of yours along with trading a bottle of Tauron Fire Whiskey, but we managed to wrangle it back from the Sparks before they pulled it apart. Consider this a gift from all of us in Gamma for saving our asses."
With that, the cloth was plucked away, the light reflecting off the golden dome of a Centurion Commander. I dimly remembered ripping that frakking chomejob apart at the seams, the bottom of the head scored where my claws had crushed the owner's torso. The head itself was affixed to a solid wood base by a bayonet driven through the top and presumably embedded in the base. The greek symbol for gamma was etched into the bayonets crossguard on the side facing me.
I... honestly didn't know how to react. These troopers I barely knew went out of their way to recover the Commander's head and mount it as a trophy... only to reward it to me as a gift? My paw handily enveloped the mounted head, drawing it closer to get a proper look at it. This close, I could smell the oil they'd used to buff out the worst scrapes, every inch of the head gleaming gold like brand new. I knew for certain if I could cry my sight would be blurred from tears, that impossible, the next best thing would do.
"T-Thank you... for... this. It's... it's amazing." I hated how my voice sounded so choked, feeling like it ruined the moment. Hearing that much raw emotion from what a part of me still considered Sonnie's voice was weird, a part that grew smaller the longer I spent in this form.
I'd expected Valerie to nod, maybe smile at me. What I didn't expect was for her to pass Ramirez a twenty cubit note, the tanned soldier grinning at his winnings as Jess passed him another note, both soldiers not looking in the least surprised I actually spoke.
Did they... bet on me talking or something?
"Jess told us you could talk while the docs had you in surgery, it sounded far-fetched to me but Ramirez decided to bet that she was speaking the truth. Hence our little wager just then, though I certainly wasn't expecting you to sound like a city girl, that's for sure."
Valerie looked pleased despite losing the bet, her aquiline face smirking at Jess's pout at losing money. The Marine vacated her seat, letting Ramirez sit on it, to my surprise tucking the cubit notes between the gift and my paws. His arm reached out as if to pet my snout, snatched back as he realized I might not exactly appreciate the gesture. I couldn't very well shake his hand given the size difference and me being coated in bandages, so I gave him a little nod. Compared to Jess and her wonderful scritches, Milo's hand hesitated before carefully rubbing the ridge of bone along my snout.
"I-I'd like to thank... thank you, Miss Nike. I don't know if you remember but during the fight, you killed a Centurion that had me dead to rights. I-If it wasn't for that, I'd be dead and so I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Despite looking like he lived near the Mediterranean and his Mexican sounding name, his youthful voice was a dead ringer for my old body's accent, the dichotomy hard to wrap my head around. The pang of loss felt at the reminder of my old life was shoved back down for later, the earnest Trooper deserving better than me being a mopey wreck. I couldn't remember the moment he spoke of, having killed a lot of Toasters in that tunnel but given the gift and... everything, I wasn't going to doubt him.
A flash and click from where Jess stood had my head shift fast enough to nearly knock Ramirez from his chair. Jessie was grinning at the object in her hands, which sure as hell looked like a digital camera. Valerie leaned over the Marine's shoulder, the picture clearly amusing to her. I could see the mortified expression on Milo's face and knew my own shared something similar. Our reactions sent both women into a fit of laughter, the accursed camera held just beyond my reach!
"Seems like Milo has a cruuushhhh~ Milo and Nike sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G" A thought had one of my tails take a swipe at the camera, the bone spike folded back to keep things safe. Jess bounced back, the device quickly being stuffed in a pocket, another shit-eating grin on her face as she wagged a finger at me.
"This is going right to Hadrian and from there... Caprica, be back in a few Nike, have fun with your boyfriend~" And she was gone, that bloody woman fuckin prancing out the door, Lieutenant Valerie on her heels.
A flustered cough drew my gaze to Milo, the man's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He held out a deck of oddly familiar cards, each corner cut in the Colonial style.
"The Lieutenant will be a while, knowing her. Want... want to play a hand of Triad while we wait?"
-
And thus, Nike learned to play Triad and was quickly banned from playing the strip version on account of her absurd Triad face and lack of clothing.
But that's a tale for another day.
Hope this lighter chapter helped lift the darker mood of the last three.