(AN: So I took a quick break from this story to wrap up my other story, which I encourage you to read if you haven't already :)
I know there are those of you who are chomping at the bit for the two soldiers to get to Hogwarts already, and I promise that chapter is coming.
Heh-heh, you said-
GET ON WITH IT!
*ahem*
Yes, so, this next chapter is the last 'prep' chapter before our Exile and our Damned soldier get on with their mission. But, before that, we need some more character development. And put SSG Barnes into some more uncomfortably human situations, and put Lt. Perkins through some more humiliation conga...so on with the show!)
Bio Profile: 2LT Shawn Perkins
Faction: The Damned
Shawn Perkins was born into a wealthy textile manufacturing dynasty in Milwaukee, WI in 1990. Given everything but a father's love and approval, Perkins grew up lazy, but restless, feeling like he always had something to prove. He enrolled at his father's Alma Mater at Notre Dame College and played football, but college to him was more of an experience than an education. Out of boredom he enrolled at the college's Army ROTC, and enjoyed the attention given to his compatriots in uniform, courtesy of a post-9/11 surge in patriotism. Graduating in 2011 with a degree in Political Science and newly commissioned, Perkins was assigned to the Damned 33rd just in time for its final deployment to Afghanistan. Given command of the 3rd platoon of Bill Pilton's Kilo Company, Perkins proved to be an unreliable leader, often making poor decisions due to his inexperience. His cocky attitude and eagerness to charge into battle earned him the nickname 'High Speed'. During the final days of the 2nd Battle for Kabul, Perkins lost half his platoon in an ambush and nearly got himself killed if not for the company's senior NCO Dossler stepping in and taking command.
In Dubai, 2LT Perkins followed Pilton's orders without question, shrugging off responsibility for the atrocities committed by his men and the rest of Kilo Company as "just following orders." His latest mission was unanimously decided by the rest of his fellow 'Damned' soldiers as being someone who was both expendable and well-suited for the mission.
"If you live among wolves you have to act like a wolf."
- Nikita Khrushchev
SSG Barnes stared at the slip of paper that the pretty sales clerk placed in his hand. When the 'Damned' NCO looked up, Preeti had already swooped in on another couple of customers, chatting and giggling with them. He shook his head, grinning as he led Perkins deeper into the shopping centre.
"Well, shit loot, I guess this is a first for both of us..."
But the lieutenant-turned teenaged girl, now dressed to the nines in fashionable clothes, didn't share Barnes' mood. As pretty as 'Polly Perkins' looked, she still had an unhappy look on her face. Clearly the loot was still not happy being a girl. Barnes chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
"C'mon, loot, those heels can't be that uncomfortable."
When she didn't respond the old NCO's high spirits partially dimmed. He noticed that 'Polly' was getting noticed, especially from some young men close to her age. His instincts took over and he started scanning the interior arcade of the mall, looking for potential threats. Then, his eye caught a familiar pair of Golden Arches, and an old memory triggered something.
"Hey loot, you hungry?"
(5 minutes later...)
"Well, it ain't 5 star cuisine, but it's a taste of home..."
Barnes set down a tray of fast food in front of 'Polly', consisting of a Big Mac, a large order of french fries and a large chocolate milkshake. Perkins stared at the tray of food as if it were a mirage, then slowly reached out and took a couple of fries and started munching on them. As she finished them off she took the milkshake and took a long sip. When she was finished Barnes was rewarded by a small smile from the teen. She took another bite of a french fry, and the smile broadened into a grin.
"Thanks, Barnes, this really hits the spot."
The senior NCO's scarred face creased into a smile.
"Glad you liked it, loot-er, I mean Polly. For the record when my daughter was in one of her sullen moods, which, after the divorce was pretty much all the time she was with me, the only time I got her to smile was at McDonald's."
The girl opened the box and took a bite out of the sandwich. She wiped away a few stray strands of shredded lettuce.
"Damn, I swear that tastes even better than in the States."
Barnes chuckled as he took a sip from a paper cup with the Golden Arches on it.
"Wouldn't surprise me...Probably made with real beef 'stead of that weird pink shit they use stateside."
He set the cup down and let out a low belch.
"I still can't believe that you can actually buy a beer here at a McD's."
The sergeant glanced back.
"Hey, I gotta go use the pisser, you gonna be alright?"
Perkins had already chomped down on half the Big Mac, and gave the thumbs-up.
"Alright, I'll be right back."
Barnes got up and left the lieutenant-turned teenager to finish off her food. So engrossed was Perkins in savoring her meal that she failed to notice that she wasn't alone.
"Oi! What have we here, bruv?"
Two boys in their teens converged on the lieutenant's position, admiring the scenery. Perkins froze, and stood up, eyeing both of them and backing away. Then she felt a pair of hands on her shoulder and spun around. There was another teen, larger and probably the ringleader. Typical chavs wearing tracksuits, fake gold chains, and oversized watches with cubit zirconia accents imitating diamonds. Wannabe thugs. Great, Perkins thought to himself (or herself), I'm being hit on by fucking teenaged hooligans. The leader, wearing a flatbill had and a donkey rope chain, leered at her.
"So wot's a pretty little thing like you doing hanging out here all alone at a McDonald's luv?"
One of the chav's was playing with her hair, another was putting his arm around her as a segue to cop a feel, and it took all of Perkins' wits to fend them off. She felt a hand touch her thigh and try to push up her skirt before she slapped it away.
"I-I'm waiting for my dad, he's in the restroom."
The leader of the bunch leaned in.
"I'm calling bullshit, luv. I think you're just waiting around for some lads like us to show you a good time, yeah?"
He gestured grandly around to his mates.
"Well, here we are, so what say you, luv? You game?"
The rest of his friends chuckled salaciously, but their mirth was cut short by what sounded like a guttural bestial growl behind them.
"What in the actual fuck?"
The boys turned, and all of them, their ringleader included, blanched. Standing behind them was a hulking, burly brute glaring bloody murder at them. The large man had short hair, tattoos on his muscular forearms, a face was a ragged mess of scar tissue. In short, to them the newcomer looked like the devil incarnate. The man turned his attention to the girl and spoke again.
"Polly, you alright, baby girl?"
A couple of the boys felt sick to their stomach when the girl gave an affirmation, the brute nodded and tossed her a set of keys.
"Then run along to the car, I'll be there shortly."
He watched as the girl fled, then fixed his gaze on the boys.
"You little shitstains have a death wish?"
The leader tried to hide his fear with bluster.
"Yeah, what if we were, ya bloody Septic!"
He tried to shove the older man. But he may as well have been shoving a brick wall. Barnes looked down at the boy's hand and gave the hooligan an evil grin.
"You done fucked up, boy."
The rest of the boy's rant was cut short by the man's hand clamped around his neck as he was forcibly shoved back. He slammed the teen against a pillar in the food court, lifting him a good foot off the ground.
"All you shitheads think yer tough...you don't know what tough is."
The leader struggled in the man's iron grip and saw his comrades were slowly backing away.
"Oi, it wasn't like that sir, we were just talkin'..."
Barnes glared at the boy.
"Wrong, shithead, I was watching you fuckheads the whole time."
He turned his attention back to the three others who had tried to slip away.
"Don't go anywhere, shitstains! If I have to track you down it's really gonna hurt!"
They froze, and satisfied that they got the message Barnes turned his attention back to their ringleader.
"If you were thinkin' of doing what I think you were thinking of doing to my baby girl, maybe I oughta teach you some manners..."
He leaned in.
"...Maybe I'll randomly select one of your stupid little friends here and shove his head up your asshole, whadya say to that?"
"Is there a problem?"
The 'Damned' sergeant looked over to the source of the new voice. The voice's owner was either a security guard or a mall cop. Overweight and out of breath, the man wasn't brandishing any weapon, and looked unarmed, but Barnes decided not to push it. He noticed that several onlookers had already stopped to see what the commotion was. He let go of the leader, who collapsed to the ground gasping for air, then Barnes turned to face the mall cop.
"Nope. These shitheads were molesting my under-aged daughter, and I was just explaining to them that sort of behavior was unacceptable."
He glared at the mall cop.
"Speaking of which, where the fuck were you 5 minutes ago? Jerking off in the bathroom?"
He stalked up to the mall cop, who was nervously pulled out a can of pepper spray.
"Stand back! I've got Mace!"
Barnes stopped right in front of the idiot, then snatched the can from the mall-cop's hands.
"Naw, Mace is military grade. What you got here-"
He spray some of the stuff in his mouth.
"-Is pepper spray, and only good for clearing out sinuses."
He tossed the pepper spray back to the mall cop, who looked like he was about ready to soil himself. The chavs were always pissing themselves. Then another voice called out.
"Oi, Nate, quit being such an annoying git!"
Barnes looked over and saw Preeti with several other girls.
"Don't worry about him, Bob, Nate's just a mall copper. Like's to think he's a Police Inspector."
Nate backed away gingerly from Barnes, and looked over to the sales lady.
"You know this geezer?"
She gave Barnes a friendly smile.
"Sort of. He brought his daughter in to buy new clothes for school."
Nate the mall cop regained some of his composure and ushered the four boys away from Barnes. The sergeant started to walk away, but felt a slender hand grab his elbow. He paused and looked back, seeing Preeti still smiling at him.
"Hey cowboy. I'm going to be off shift in a bit. Wanna take me and the girls out for a few pints?"
Barnes gave a deprecating smile, even though with his scarred face it twisted the smile into leer.
"Look, ah, Preeti I-I'm flattered but I gotta get my baby girl back to her mother...maybe some other time."
The sales lady let go, but put her hands on her hips.
"Alright Bob, I'll let you off. But if you don't call me in a week I'll send the rozzers after you!"
When Barnes finally got back to the Range Rover he found Perkins sobbing silently in the passenger seat. He saw the keys were in the ignition and twisted them.
"We gotta get outta here..."
The SUV's engine rumbled to life, then Barnes put the SUV into gear and backed out. As the Range Rover pulled out of the carpark, Barnes, out of the blue, let out a loud curse that made Perkins flinch.
"Fuck! Fuckin' stupid! First time outside the wire and you go all fuckin' John Wayne, congratu-fucking-lations Barnes!"
The sergeant paused in his rant as he turned onto the main road. His gaze fell on the teen in the passenger seat, he saw that Perkins was still crying, although he couldn't tell if it was because of him or her assailants. Barnes calmed down and spoke, albeit in a more subdued tone.
"Er-You okay, loot?"
Perkins shook her head as she wiped away tears.
"I-I felt so helpless! I have close combat training, but I was like a deer in the headlights, I felt like I could only just watch them fucking grope me!"
Barnes sighed and opened the center console, producing a small packet of tissues.
"Yeah, that sucks loot. You're gonna have to step up to the plate and learn how to say no, otherwise before ya know it yer gonna be receiving end of a train."
That elicited a morbid chuckle from the teen.
"That's a mental image I don't need, sergeant."
Barnes chuckled as well, but it ended in a wheezing cough.
"I gotta stop somewhere and get a coke, my throat's killin' me."
Perkins gave a slight giggle.
"Aw shit sarge you didn't pull the same stunt in Amsterdam, did ya? The ol' pepper spray as sinus relief routine?"
"Yep, and I'm regretting it. I'm gettin' too old for this shit."
As he merged onto the M4, he turned to Perkins.
"You should get some shuteye, it's gonna be a coupla hours before we reach London."
She yawned and settled back into her seat.
"Where are we going, sergeant?"
"Some place called Diagonally, or something. S'a place where you're getting all yer supplies for the magic school."
(2 Hours Later)
Barnes thought he had come to the wrong place. They had pulled into the sprawling city of London, and had followed the GPS coordinates to the rendezvous point indicated by Captain Pilton. The Range Rover was currently idling in front of a dingy-looking shop. Barnes checked his coordinates and the address, then back to the sign on the front of the shop.
The Leaky Cauldron. He shrugged.
"Okay, loot. This is the place."
Polly stretched and yawned.
"Sure doesn't look like much..."
As they both exited the vehicle, Barnes gingerly pushed the door, and it opened. Inside was a small, dimly lit, but not unwelcoming pub. He saw a couple of persons wearing robes, but one figure stood out. Barnes saw the figure in familiar ACU-patterned camo push his chair back and stand up. Pilton grinned and looked over to the barkeep.
"S'okay, they're with me."
Barnes had to restrain himself from saluting, but unfortunately old habits were too much for Perkins. She saluted.
"Captain Pilton, sir."
It looked an odd sight, a pretty teen-aged girl in fashionable clothes, makeup and styled hair, giving a military salute. But if Pilton was put off by it, he didn't show it, instead he beamed indulgently at the teen.
"Now, now young lady, what did I tell you about saluting your Uncle Bill?"
Perkins slowly came to a position of ease, but when she flinch when Pilton reached out to take her hand. The captain stopped, glancing over to Barnes.
"Problem, Bob?"
"Nothing, si- I mean nothing, Bill."
He lowered his voice.
"The loot-er, I mean Polly just got her first taste of unwanted male attention at the mall, sir."
"Ah, well you should get used to it, Polly. You've blossomed into a pretty young lady, so you're going to have to be on your guard. Personally I recommend Mace."
The leader of the 'Damned' didn't notice both Polly and Barnes snicker at his remark, but he reached down and pulled up a large steamer trunk, with a shopping bag perched on top.
"While you two where havin' fun at the mall I was buying all of the young lady's school supplies."
Pilton reached into the bag and pulled out a set of wizard's robes.
"Here you go, Polly. A present from your Uncle Bill."
As she pulled on the robes Perkins noticed that Pilton had pulled out a long thin wooden box.
"What's that, sir-er I mean Uncle Bill?"
Pilton gave the teen a knowing smile.
"Why, it's your wand, Polly. Any self-respecting denizen of the Wizarding World has a wand."
He motioned to the trunk.
"Barnes, would you be a dear and take your daughter's trunk to the Range Rover?"
The captain checked his watch.
"Young Polly here has a train to catch..."
"...Someone's gotta explain to me how that Platform 9 and 3/4's shit works..."
Barnes grumbled to himself as he pushed the trolly with the large trunk and several parcels. Sure enough, the illusion brought them from King's Cross station in London to a fantastic world of magic-wielders. Which happened to be on a long platform with an old-fashioned passenger train parked. Emblazoned in large gold letters were the words 'HOGWARTS EXPRESS'. In the haze of steam the soldiers could make out figures in pointed caps and robes running to and fro. There were dozens of school-aged children, all wearing the same identical robes as what Perkins was wearing, all loading and embarking onto the train. Pilton took out a cigarette.
"Perkins, this is your ride to school..."
He lit his cigarette and took a drag and spoke in a lower voice.
"..and the start to your mission."
The captain was interrupted by a porter calling out to him.
"Excuse me sir! I'm terribly sorry, but there is no smoking on Platform 9 3/4's-"
The porter stopped when he saw the offending party was a man with piercing gray eyes, glaring at him. Then the man smiled, and dropped his cigarette to the ground, stubbing it out with his boot.
"Sorry bud, old habits die hard."
He looked over to the laden trolley.
"Mind getting the lead out and lending the lady a hand?"
The porter paused only for a minute, then rushed over and started loading the luggage onto the train. Satisfied, Pilton turned his attention back to Perkins.
"Now, be a good girl and study really hard for your daddy."
He leaned in.
"And remember the mission, soldier."
With that, Pilton turned and left, leaving Barnes and the teen awkwardly standing there. The older NCO's gaze had fallen on several families saying goodbye to their kids, and it brought back many memories, not all of them unpleasant. He turned his attention back to Perkins and spoke.
"Well, Polly, I guess this is goodby-"
But he was interrupted by the teenaged girl glomping him in a tight hug. This too also brought back memories, both pleasant and painful to Barnes. He felt the girl's shoulders shake slightly and realized she was crying again. He slowly and hesitatingly patted the girl on the shoulder.
"S'okay, loot. It'll be fine, just like in ROTC, right?"
He heard Perkins give a sound that was a cross between a chortle and a sob.
"I got bullied and hazed at ROTC, sergeant."
Barnes shrugged.
"Well, I guess you'll be used to it then."
He felt a small fist hit his shoulder as Perkins disengaged from her hug.
"Way to improve morale, sarge."
The sergeant grinned.
"Yeah, well you hit like a girl, loot."
He paused, then the train whistled. That was his cue.
"I should go..."
He turned to leave, but he felt a hand take his.
"Sergeant Barnes, a minute."
Barnes turned around. Perkins was looking at him earnestly, and trying valiantly to hold back tears. She swallowed, and spoke up.
"Sergeant, I-I wanted to thank you for helping me today. I don't mean just the hooligans that accosted me, I mean helping me with the clothes and shit."
She gave a grin.
"Hell, even being able to eat McDonald's for the first time in over a year, that was awesome. So thank you, sergeant."
The older sergeant shrugged.
"S'nothing, loot."
Perkins gave a smile.
"Sergeant, with respect, I'm Polly now."
Barnes gave a small smile.
"Fair enough, Polly. But you need to be callin' me dad then."
He looked over and saw Captain Pilton was watching them.
"Listen, Polly. Last bit of advice, blend in, get close to the target, and complete your mission, an' then you get to go back being just Lt. Perkins, alright?"
She nodded, and Barnes let go of her hand. Polly Perkins stepped onto the train, into a new world and starting a mission that was the most important one in the lieutenant's career in the Damned 33rd.
(AN: Well, I think that was a good place to stop. We got to let Barnes show a bit of his soft side, and the cowboy in him as well. And poor 'High Speed' Perkins, I'm guessing the Army Field Manual didn't have anything in it to help him/her out in this situation. He probably should have paid closer attention during the SHARP briefings...
*ahem*
Things are going to get dicey once all the pieces are on the board and all the players in place, things have already been put into motion that even Captain Pilton, as medium aware and genre-savvy as he is, could not predict. You will have to keep reading to find out more.
A special shout-out to fellow fanfic writer Katalin Kat Royal for the invite to her Harry Potter forum and the inspiration for several OCs. Next chapter will shift focus back to the Exiles, so stay tuned!)