Oh I've been dying to write this chapter for a while now. So the small hiccup of last chapter didn't effect this one as much as I thought it was going to (which makes me extremely happy) and now we're starting to get deeper and deeper into the story. This one has a PoV change at the end, as I said I will give warnings. But it's for the best. Anyway, enough of my ranting and onward to chapter 4 (Or 10 if you include Origins).
Trust
I stifled a quiet laughter to myself as I watched Dean get knocked down by Seth for the fourth time. The youngest was trained very well in hand to hand combat. The way he moved was fluid, graceful, from each attack he threw and every block were full of finesse and dexterity. His fighting style was very methodical where he spent most of the time just reading movements and dodged where he needed and only struck where it seemed to count. It was starting to show me just how good he actually was, and why he had the line of work that he did. Who ever trained Seth, definitely knew what they were doing.
But I wasn't about to sell Dean so short. Although he wasn't fluid like Seth for him to be able to keep up with him they way he did was also just as astonishing. Each punch that he threw was backed by some sort of force behind it and enough to throw Seth off balance on multiple occasions. It was hard to imagine that much strength was backed into someone who prided himself as a medic. He fought on raw instinct and backed by the means to survive. He was the resolve of Atlas in human form.
I watched as Seth held out his hand to Dean whose back was flat on the blue padded mat. The Atlean grabbed his hand and let himself be helped up to his feet. The two-toned man stood there holding a very cocky grin almost mocking that Dean could barely land anything on him. I watched as the middleman tightened the padded gloves taking his stance once again, mentioning that he was determined to knock Seth down at least once. The dark haired young man simply scoffed and rolled his eyes taking his own stance warning the Atlean he was just going to be met with the same result.
Luckily for us the place was empty so watching these two go at it again and again wasn't a problem. I probably should have stopped the two of them after the third time, but at this point it was becoming amusing just to see how many times one person could get knocked on their ass. I gave Dean credit, at least he was consistent in his determination. I couldn't help but let out a boisterous laugh when Dean was yet again knocked down.
I was shot a glare from a pair of blue eyes as he let himself get helped by Seth again. I said nothing as they both approached me with sweat collected on their foreheads and the fronts of their gray tank tops covered in sweat. They both sat down on the mat in front of me catching their breaths. I gave them both a small smile letting them know, I was pretty proud of the progress they had made.
It's been a month since we arrived at the Special Ops training station and the incident at the armory. There were still investigations being done, I had even heard Lorken had come out there to help out with the efforts, I'd have yet to actually run into him so I wondered if he was actually here or there were just rumors to get my team and I rattled. It wasn't exactly a secret that Lorken and I were once close, but there would also be no point getting us flustered. We were all on the same side here just training to be apart of Special Ops. I shoved those thoughts to the back of my head giving the two of them my full attentions.
"More replacement supplies are supposed to be arriving today," I was only met with a loud groan as Dean fell back on the mat muttering a series of complaints, which only caused Seth to give out a short chuckle. Thanks to Dean's efforts, Colonel Orton had assigned us the task keeping an eye on all the replacement supplies that came in. He wasn't willing to trust many at the moment, since hearing Dean's side of the story and he was still ever grateful for the Atlean saving his life.
After finally having enough of getting beat down by the younger man, we decided to head back our dorm to get changed and carry on our duties for the day.
Dean was safe today from inventory as he found a note to him from another commanding officer asking for his request in the infirmary. Not knowing how long he was going to be gone I assumed it was just going to be Seth and I for the day. After exiting the dorm we waved to Dean who was headed off in the opposite direction of Seth and I.
"You sure he's gonna be okay?" asked Seth as we headed out to the north gate. He walked a little differently than usual. His hands tucked behind his back, and his deep chocolate colored orbs a little brighter than usual. Was Dean not being here putting this sudden change, or was it something else. Since the month we had been here he never complained about the duties we were assigned. There had to be something else going on.
"I think his prowess is better suited for there than what we're doing. I'm sure the Colonel just wants to put him where he can do the most, and you know him enough by now he always looks the most comfortable when helping someone." I responded to him with a smile. The armored truck was now in view as one of the soldiers that were escorting it handed me and Seth a clipboard each. "And besides, what about you? Do you suddenly not want to hang out with me?" I asked him playfully. It was nice to be on this level leisure with the Seth. His shell proved to be the hardest to crack, but with the way he was acting right now, he seemed to not mind the playful banter.
"You sound creepy when you say it like that." he said tossing the clipboard on top a nearby crate before hopping into the truck to get an inspection of the cargo in the back. I stood at there at the back of truck waiting silently as I heard rustling and boxes and crates being moved around. "There's a box in here addressed to you."
"It's a bunch more tactical gear I ordered for us," I shouted back at him. After a few more minutes of boxes being moved around he picked up the clipboard off the crate he toss it on looking over the supply list one more time. He let me know everything was in order and we gave the truck the go ahead to go through. I watched as Seth brushed off all the dust from his dark colored blazer. "You're taking this very seriously."
"Just simply performing the duties I was assigned. I don't see how today is any different than the month we've been here." I watched as he clasped his hands back in front of him still wearing a bright smile. This was such an unusual mood for him, it was almost terrifying but at the same time I liked it. It meant he was beginning to become comfortable with the military lifestyle. "And…" he suddenly looked down his smile fading.
"It because of Dean isn't it?" Seth only gave a slow nod in response. In the last month it had been obvious that the Atlean hadn't been adjusting well to the new environment. He had gotten along with Colonel Orton, but that was all he seemed to be able to do. Most days he seemed to come back to the dorm flustered or beyond tired. When asked he always seemed to throw out haphazard 'don't worry about it' before shedding his uniform and heading straight to sleep. Made me glad he was assigned to the infirmary today. Perhaps being in his own environment would do him some good.
"There's something severely wrong, Roman. I mean after everything we've been through, why does he continue to insist on shutting us out?" I just stood there and watched as Seth ran a hand through his hair giving a frustrated groan. I too shared his name concerns but I tried not to let it eat at me the way it ate at him. It struck a small cord of jealousy in me, it reflected just how close he already was with Dean where there were times I struggled to get a sentence out of the brunette. "We need to do something about this, or this team is going to be done for."
That was something I could agree on with Seth there. If we didn't figure out what was going on in Dean's head before it was too late, there won't be a team to struggle with anymore. I knew what I was taking in when I chose them. I wanted us to grow and learn together, but that was hard when someone couldn't speak a full sentence without wandering off again. I placed a reassuring hand on the smaller man's shoulder as he gave another sigh. "I'll tie him down if I have to," I told him with a small chuckle.
He looked back at me with small light in his eye. He may not have seen it, but he too had his own way of showing a excruciating amount of determination. "So you agree with me?" he asked just to be sure.
I nodded back holding a bright smile. "Of course, I'd have to be a terrible friend to not see he's been spooked by something. He's got an eccentric personality that can flip on without a second thought, but for him to look this glum and not flash that signature grin at least once a day. There's something very wrong in the mind of Dean Ambrose. I just never thought of voicing that thought until now. I was hoping that it was just him not adjusting well, but now that you say it loud. This could be more serious than I give myself to believe." I gave a huge sigh of relief after giving Seth my thoughts, and still my words felt like an understatement on how truly my heart felt about Dean.
I wrapped an arm around the former assassin's shoulder leading him away from the gate and towards the mess hall towards the middle of the station. It was already getting later in the afternoon, and perhaps some food would do us some good and clear our heads.
It was still obvious to me that when the place was full like this Seth was beyond uncomfortable. I let him lead the way around as we both just sat down staying away from the other soldiers. We had a meaningless chat over the supply order today before we were met with an exasperated sigh that sat down next to us. We turned to the worn out look, my eyes focusing on the small cut underneath the left blue eye. It was the same cut he had received in the armory incident, but it looked it was almost completely healed, Dean however didn't look the same. He hadn't said anything instead just leaned his forehead on the smaller man's shoulder just grunting. Once more jealousy hitting me like a truck as Seth just gave an amused chuckle.
"Have fun?" I asked the Atlean playfully as he still sat there making noises rather than using words. What ever happened in the infirmary left him incredibly drained. I got a shrug in response to my question as he finally lifted his head from Seth's shoulder. I finally got to get a good look at his face. He was pale, and he had bags under his eyes. Had this been what Seth was seeing, I felt bad not seeing it myself. He looked so bright and cheerful this morning during combat training, but I also didn't deny he was good at hiding emotions, just not from Seth.
"So the rumors of Lorken being here...turns out aren't rumors. I just spent the last few hours talking circles with him and some of the scientists from the research facility." he finally spoke instead of making childish noises. This could explain why he was just looked tired, I'm sure that he was probably dealing with more than just the scientists. Anything dealing with Project: Taladen was just emotionally draining.
"What did they want?" asked Seth quietly trying not to attract attention. I looked around seeing who was watching and who wasn't as did Dean. Seth took note of this and backed off for now, something tells me this still had more to do with what youngest and I talked about earlier this afternoon. Instead of saying more, Seth instead just nodded his head. He too took note that there were wandering eyes on us. I felt like nothing good was about to come from any of this.
I stood from my spot eyeing the two of them down only met with brown and blue stares from the younger two. "I'll meet you guys at the dorm tonight. I know Orton wanted to have a meeting today." Well where it wasn't a complete lie, I needed to do some my own investigating, and I know Orton was the one person in this whole station I could trust. If Lorken was here was scientists it couldn't be good at all, this was also my chance to get more on the situation in Ursa Major. There were times I needed to get away from Seth and Dean and this was one of them.
As I walked away from the mess hall, I couldn't help but think about the looks they had given me just now combined with the talk that Seth and I had not even an hour ago. It made my heart race, and seeing Dean in the mental state that he was didn't help anything at all. Thing weren't adding up and I felt that Orton was the only one who could provide me answers. I mentally apologized to my team before continuing to the main office building.
After knocking on the door, I was greeted with a muffled "Come in." from the Colonel himself on the other side. I slowly walked in closing the door behind me. He looked confused at my sudden presence. I looked around getting a feel how he kept his office, and I was beginning to wonder what was with the Alliance and dark blue colored walls? His office didn't look much different from mine back at the research station. I shook my head of those thoughts giving the Colonel my full attentions.
"Sorry for the short notice, Randy." I scratched the back of my head just trying to put my words together. "I just been worried about a lot lately, and was hoping you could help me with a few answers." I tried my best to just be straightforward with him, I just didn't want him to think I had other motives which I didn't other than my ongoing worry about Dean's health and mental state.
Randy gave me an annoyed sigh, leaning forward in his chair placing the book that was in front of him aside. "If this is about Ursa Major, then I'm just about in the dark as you. I've only been told that they've been letting a few people in at a time and only with military escort. Some of the higher ups seem to think that since it's been a month that it might be safe to pull out, but there's a huge debate between them and the Prime Minister. The situation in the small city is leaving the military at each other's throat." His words was enough to make me twitch with uncertainty. I could understand about why they'd think about pulling out of Ursa Major, but he was still out there and no one knew where the rogue subject had gone. Although things have been quiet in the last month, we couldn't ignore what happened in Ursa Minor.
"And why is Lorken here? He had a talk with Ambrose, and it's left him a mess. The research station is behind us we just came here to train for Special Ops." I was only met with another annoyed sigh from Orton. Something told me he didn't like Lorken's presence here was much as I didn't. There was so much not adding up, and I'm sure he was thinking the same. What could have Orton done to make enemies? He was only here to command the Special Ops training station.
"Why Lorken is here is beyond me," he started. "And quite frankly, I don't appreciate him pulling rank to do some secret investigation in my facility. So I'm going to launch an investigation of my own." He reached into his own blazer pulling out a pair of keys. I watched him carefully as he unlocked a drawer in his desk. After a few minutes of shuffling he pulled out a creme colored folder with several papers stacked inside, and several paper clips on the top. "Since you're seasoned I'm going to trust you, your team, and your abilities provided from Project: Taladen. This is your team's first mission, Reigns you guys have a month to prepare." I nodded at him and stood from my chair taking the folder gently from him. "Tell no one."
I sat around anywhere it was empty looking over the folder to myself. Randy did have his suspicions as well looking over everything. It all carried to a small abandoned military base far north of Astros. It was currently occupied by a small militia from Leviathan and held down by a former military officer that had gone rogue years ago. The officer had been missing since his abandonment, and is suspected of having stole research from a facility in Freya. The file continued on about the small militia and crimes they had committed as well as his picture and even a picture of the occupied station. Our mission was to bring him in, but it didn't have much other details of what would happen after. That raised suspicions in my own mind.
After dwelling on this for the day, I decided to head back to the dorm keeping the file hidden in my blazer till I could reach it safely. I took a deep breath as the night time summer breeze cast over head. It sent a cold chill down my spine, even nature was out to hold us down. I unlocked the door and turned the knob slowly trying not to wake Seth or Dean if they had already gone to bed. It was a surprise to see that youngest was still up, a dimmed light with a brighter one from his tablet reflecting off his dark eyes. He sat there head against the board body laid out on his bed that was in between mine and Dean's. I scanned the room to see that the Atlean hadn't returned. "Where's Dean?"
"I've not seen him since we went our separate ways leaving the mess hall. How was the meeting with Orton?" he asked lowing the tablet from his face and placing it down on the side table to the left of his bed. He stretched his arms above his head yawning, he looked tired but was probably waiting for Dean and I to get back since the Atlean wanted to talk tonight. I tried not to let the worry show on my face but this was pushing the curfew time and there'd be repercussions for all of us if he was caught on the grounds past that time.
I watched as Seth swung his legs over the side of his bed giving me his full attentions. "Orton gave me this." I pulled the folder from the inside of my blazer placing it gently in his lap. He looked at me blankly before looking down at the folder. He opened it up dark eyes beginning to scan what was on it's pages. After a few minutes I watched his jaw drop in astonishment. He flipped through the pages his eyes widened in excitement. It was like a fire suddenly lit in him, never had I seen such life lit up in a person.
"Then Orton truly believes in us, we've only been together for almost three months." He looked back over the notes in the files. "He claims that our training will be cut short due to our experiments. Can Orton be trusted?"
"Orton, maybe. Lorken, hell no." called Dean's voice as the door to our dorm was flung open. He sat down on his bed taking no time to rid himself of his uniform as usual. Once he was done changing into the loose tank top and shorts he turned his attentions to us. "There's a lot I need to tell you guys, but I can't yet until I know for certain. There's a chance I could be wrong." He leaned forward hands clasped in front of him. I saw his posture and the way his leg bounced, he looked nervous...scared even. "They continuously asked me for the good doctor's research."
I looked at Dean sternly, meeting gray orbs with blue. Since I had met him I've never known him to look so uncertain in his life. I watched him run his hands over his face wiping off the sweat he collected. It was weird seeing Seth fueled by excitement and Dean ridden with doubt. Three months ago these roles were reversed, and it astonished me how things could change in only a few months. "No matter what Dean, don't give it to them. I don't trust Lorken either."
Seth looked back down at the file in his lap carefully shutting it letting out a deep breath. He handed out the folder to Dean who took it to look it over himself. Meanwhile I watched Seth reach back into the box from Lorken. "Then why would he send me this?" My gaze shifted away from Dean and to Seth who was slipping on each piece of the experimental gear.
A short sleeved black top, that curved and clung to his torso, black baggy cargo pants, and black combat boots. He looked so natural in the outfit as he lastly slipped on the black leather gloves. I watched him close his eyes and take a deep breath. I knew he was getting better with his invisibility but he still had to think about it to get it to work. In an instant he was gone, and completely this time. When tested in the past, you could still see his clothes still floating about, but in this...I was in shock. This was yet another step in the right direction. When he reappeared he had a grin on his face. He too was impressed. "The reaches of the Alliance are practically limitless."
I gave a quick glance at Dean who was sharing the same impassive look I was. I was happy that this was an advancement for Seth, but my distrust in Lorken sat in the back of my mind. Desmond was the one who helped us get out of here, and now I was caught between my teammates. Dean obviously knew something that Seth and I hadn't, but then again he was helping the youngest in trying to keep the promise I had made to him. Innerly I had to tell myself that this was okay, and that before I could make a decision I had to see where this was going to play out.
I heard a sigh from Dean as he placed the folder back onto Seth's side table. "So Orton thinks that this gang has something to do with the armory sabotage?" he asked as he shifted on his bed so his back was against the headboard. I nodded to answer his question, and just let him continue. He probably had the most questions to ask. "Why wait? In a month they could be gone."
I understood his concerns, but I also understood the situation better. The Colonel could have just chosen any already trained team and had them out there, but it also reflected just how little he had trust in anyone right now. "There's a huge risk on making us wait, but that gang has had that base occupied for a while now. They've not made a move, and not even signs of suspicious activity. My only guess is that the High General has had that base on a lower priority. I'm sure Orton has someone out there to keep an eye on them."
The troubled groan that emitted from Dean wasn't really what I had hoped in response. But it was really the only logical thing that made sense to me. I watched as Seth was done changing out of the tactical gear and back into his own lounging clothes. His brows furrowed in thought probably getting his head around the whole situation. I hadn't expected us to receive a mission this early, and I was pretty nervous myself about it. "Then what do we do about Lorken?" asked Seth quietly almost nervous to ask his question.
"We just let Orton handle him for now." I tried to be as honest as I could, because it was all we could do. I constantly had to remind myself we barely made it out here, and that we couldn't risk causing a scene that'd probably end up having us practically dragged to that maximum security prison in the Solaris Providence. It was also a reminder that Lorken had risked his own position to get us out here. It made this whole situation a mess in my mind.
I was suddenly distracted by the small noises that were being emitted from the Atlean. He was already hidden under his blanket, back turned towards us, with his head looking like it had been pinned down to the pillow. He was probably beyond exhausted and needed the rest more than the two of us. Seth turned off the light as we settled down for the night. We had a month to discuss this and prepare our minds and bodies for the trial to come.
I had awoken to see that both Seth and Dean were already gone. Which was a first to see, more often than I should I had to almost jerk the two younger men out of their beds but seeing them up first, was new for me. As I stood from my bed I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat seeing everything that was wrong with this picture. Seth's uniform was still neatly hung up, but the tactical gear from the box was gone. Dean was going to prove to Seth that Lorken was untrustworthy. I needed to get to them before they got to Lorken, but something told me I might be too late.
Meanwhile…
Being called back to the infirmary was exactly what I wanted. Seth wanted me to prove that I didn't trust Lorken as far as I could throw him, then that's exactly what I was going to do. I was going to show Seth I wasn't playing around. The way he practically begged me to hand over the good doctor's research wasn't pleasant, and the more I said no, the more it made him piss angry. He even threatened to have me placed in a military prison for insubordination, but I reminded him of how severely damaged his relationship with Roman was already.
Here we were at day two of talking in circles with him. Doctor Ambrose's research was more than just a few pieces of paper to me. They were all I had left of him, they were probably my most prized possessions, and a they were a constant reminder of why I'm here today wearing his name.
The room was empty with only a single steel desk and a chair. The room was brightly lit due to its reflection of the freshly polished white tiles. I sat in the chair drumming my fingers against the desk and Seth kneeled in the corner in his full tactical gear. I hated to do this to Roman, Desmond was his closest friend for a long time but I needed to prove to at least Seth that he as two-faced as they came. We heard the door click, and instantly the younger man knew his queue to render himself intangible.
My stance remained the same, as I tried not to draw any means of attention that there actually was another person in here. I focused my gaze on him as he walked around me to sit on the other side of the desk. "You polish your head today, Lorken? The light seems to be-"
"Shut up, Ambrose." he said cutting me off colder than usual. I never planned on making this easy for him. I was going to push every button I could on him, in hopes it'd get him to back off. In the two months we'd been gone from the research facility this man was completely different. I already had the impression that he liked to hold himself in high prestige, but this time he was a man on a mission, and I was the one that stood in his way. "The research."
"Nope." He wanted to play that game of quick responses, I could do the same. I watched him shift uncomfortably in his chair, so I shot him a cocky grin. "We went through this yesterday, Desmond, and it's going to be the same today." I sat back in the chair crossing my arms and just to rub some salt in the wound I propped my feet up on the desk. I shot him a cocky grin seeing what his next move was going to be.
He didn't seem really phased by my actions. He instead scoffed and stood from his chair. He was shaking his head as he headed for the door only to stop as he hand a hand on the handle. "Okay then...you want to play Ambrose? I'll play." He stood there just giving a cocky chuckle as he turned the knob on the door. "I'll be charging Rollins with the assassination attempt on Orton. Your move Dean." He threw the door open and stepped outside before slamming it shut behind him.
I felt the color drain from my face, my grin faded instantly. I turned to the corner where I had left Seth who could no longer hold his intangible state. He sank deeper into the corner with his hand over his mouth, eyes widened. Lorken no longer cared for his relationship with Roman.
Son of a bitch.
So obviously, that part was obviously a PoV change to Dean, and the rest of the episode will be from his view. So now you know the kind of person Desmond Lorken actually is. What do you guys think he's up to, and how do you think Roman will react? This chapter was fun to write from beginning to end, as we slowly approach their first mission. The next update might be a bit. Apologies in advanced.
~CrisisExceed