Chapter 4: Briefing

"Good morning!" A piercing yet familiar voice rang in Shadrach's ears.

"Wha…what…hnng…" he replied weakly, trying to claw at the source of the annoying sound.

"I said, good morning!" Sirius, standing over Shadrach's bed, lightly batted the Umbreon's head to the side. The blow felt like someone had shot him point blank in the head as his sight exploded into a blinding white. He didn't try to get up, not desiring to feel another intense pain. "Leave me…alone…."

The Latios waggled a finger. "Sorry man, but do you remember what happened last night?"

"I…." Shadrach covered his eyes with his paws, trying to block out his vision.

"Can you recall a bit?"

"Do...what?"

"Did you go to someone and get a little drink?"

Unable to think straight, Shadrach fell for the bait. "Yeah...I did."

Sirius smiled, hardly believing the absurdity of the situation. "I knew it. No outstanding soldier like you would normally do this." He straightened himself and looked out the door of the room. "Levina, do you have the materials yet? And did Siria get the water?"

The Ampharos came inside, carrying a container of an assortment of berries. "Yeah, here's the stuff you asked for. She'll come with the water in a few minutes. One hot, one cold, right?"

He nodded, taking the container and plucking a couple of the berries out. He spat a small spurt of fire as he sampled one, coughing a bit. "These'll do," he commented, taking a small plastic bowl out from his bags. "Thanks for the assist," he smiled, winking at her.

"Listen, I'm only doing this because Shadrach took a trip down the wrong road. Don't take this as an attempt to get close to you," she scoffed before slamming the door behind her. Still smarting from the burns he got the previous night, Sirius took a pawful of the same berries, threw them in the bowl, and used a pestle to grind them up.

As he was finishing, his sister came back with two metal bottles, trying to avoid burning herself with one. "Water, brother," she yelped as she held the hot water bottle for a second too long. She looked over to Shadrach, who was quietly moaning. "Don't treat him too harshly."

With a sinister smirk, the Latios commented, "Don't worry, I won't." He then took the slush that was previously a set of berries and mixed it into the bottle. The solution he poured into a glass cup was colored a burning red. Sirius took it and stood over Shadrach.

Siria, already worried sick about Shadrach, couldn't stop herself from commenting. "That looks dangerous. Are you sure it won't hurt?"

"Who are you kidding? Of course it'll hurt. It's a hangover cure." He then tried to talk to Shadrach.

"Hey, drink this." Sirius tried to tilt the glass to the Umbreon's lips, but he refused.

"Mmff."

The medic took a serious tone. "Listen, if you won't drink this, I'll force you to. And it won't feel good, either."

After what seemed to be an eternity, he unwillingly opened his mouth and drank. Halfway into the medicine, Shadrach suddenly sat up and coughed, spitting the liquid onto his sheets. What came next surprised both Levina and Siria, who were both wincing as Sirius gave his "treatment." With bloodshot eyes wide open, the Umbreon first coughed a small fireball into the air, heating up the room by a marginal amount. Then, he burped what could be considered no less powerful than a Charizard's Flamethrower, tainting the ceiling a chalky black. Even Sirius had to stand back, shielding his face from the scorching heat. After a painfully long thirty seconds, Shadrach fell back on his pillow, smoke emerging from his mouth and nostrils.

"Now are you awake?" Sirius sweetly asked before his sister slapped him.

"The Distortion was that? You could have killed him!" Siria was absolutely furious.

"A drink," he replied, taking several less spicy berries out and draining their juice into the cold water bottle. "Now, here's the actual medicine…."

SLAP.

Siria stood posed, ready to give another hit. "So that drink wasn't medicine?"

"You can't expect me to not give him a little punishment? Right?"

"A little? Are you out of your mind?"

Ignoring her, Sirius took the bottle to Shadrach. "Hey, this isn't spicy. Promise."

"…sure…," he weakly replied, feeling as if his whole mouth was on fire. Judging from the Flamethrower he spat earlier, it might as well have been.

"I'm for real now. The sweet berries counter spiciness."

"No." And with that, the Umbreon shut his mouth tightly.

Enraged, the Latios turned Shadrach's face to him and pried his patient's jaws open. Normally, he would use psychic power to force them open, but dark-types were unfortunately impervious to such methods. Luckily, though, the Umbreon was in no shape to resist even the lightest of physical force, and Sirius succeeded in getting him to drink most of the medicine before Siria succeeded in dragging him away from Shadrach's bed.

"Enough is enough! He's already been through too much, and Arceus help you if what you made him drink isn't medicine…."

"Fine, fine, I'll stop. And for your information, the liquid was a blend of Persim, Rawst, and Sitrus. The Persim is to get him conscious quicker, the Rawst is to undo the effects of the last dose I gave him, and the Sitrus is to give him his energy back." He shrugged.

Still skeptical, his sister raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? The last time I saw you, you couldn't even tell apart an Occa and a Yache berry for your Flygon buddy."

"That was half a year ago! And in the dark they look the same too…."

"Well, I'd be surprised if you could learn that much in six mon-" She fell silent as Shadrach got down from his bed, still holding his head in pain.

"Aargh...where am I?" Despite his slurred speech, Sirius's concoction seemed to be performing its job.

Siria spoke quickly, not wanting her brother to provide a snide response. "You came back here yesterday drunk before passing out on your bed."

"So that's it…wait, what?" He snapped to full attention before stumbling again, vision blurring once more.

Sirius's eyes narrowed. "As she said, you got utterly smashed. I don't want to know how or why, even though I probably already do. By any rate, you'd best get washed up before more 'mon start noticing. I don't know how long my rumors can hold up for. Usually, when a Special Forces member isn't there when he's asked for, stories fly pretty quick."

"Who asked for…me?"

"A messenger guy asked for you to see the on-base counselor.

"Oh." Shadrach shook his head gently, recalling the events from a few days ago. Making for the door, he silently excused himself from the talk, heading for the showers.

Looking at his slowly disappearing frame, Siria wore a pained expression. "I normally don't scan minds because it's terribly rude and unorthodox, but did you catch the same thoughts that I did?" she asked her brother.

"Hmm," he replied. Mulling his thoughts over, he finally answered, "I did, even though my senses aren't as good as yours. He's going to crack eventually. Without you, he's as good as dead."

"Yeah...you know, I never knew he thought of me that way," she said

"Me neither, but that's what happens when you drink. Free flow of thought and all. He probably never told you because he wanted to stay 'professional,' as they say."

Siria only nodded, still preoccupied with what she had sensed. "But it seems so..." She tried to pick the right word. "…innocent of him, considering everything that he's been through.

"What, get out of the war and get together? Trust me, that's the dream of a lot of older soldiers, especially vets. He's pretty young to be thinking like that, but I guess that's Special Forces for you."

"But what about you?"

"Me? There's more than enough for me just at this base? Let's start with that Ampharos babe..."

SLAP.

"I will pay you half of this month's pay if Levina actually goes out with you," Siria snorted.

"Will you? Sounds like a deal to me," Sirius replied. "I'll find a way somehow. Maybe say something like, 'Hey, how does this chloro-"

At the worst opportunity, the female in question opened the door. Sirius, thinking it was Shadrach, continued. "-form smell to you?" Then, noticing that the shadow's head didn't have two long ears, he turned slowly behind him. "H-hi Levina…."

"I heard something about chloroform and pick-up lines. Care to repeat it?" She looked intensely annoyed, a scowl crossing her face.

"Ah, no thanks. I'd rather keep it to myself," he replied, unable to keep in a lewd grin as he said it.

Levina awarded him with a slight Thunder Wave, not inflicting pain but instead relegating the Latios to squirming on the floor. "You're lucky I'm not trying to gas you, because I can imagine at least ten different ways I can faint and bind you to a table."

Suffering the effects of paralysis, Sirius could only think of a great amount of dirty replies to her assertion. His sister winced multiple times as she scanned his thoughts, trying her best not to spend the time required to visualize each one.

Looking at Siria, Levina said, "We need to finish our review of the operation. I know you and Shadrach may have opinions, but we don't have any that are written down as of yet. As for your flirt of a brother there, he won't bother trying to leak data out as long as he wants a shot at me. Right?" she asked, smirking at the floored Latios. He nodded weakly in response, mouth still paralyzed shut.

The Ampharos took several rolls of paper out of her backpack, which she set on the bed. "Since the package didn't give us a topographical map, I had to go get one myself. The base is pretty close to Trinity, the area Shadrach and you struck a few nights ago."

Taking the map, Siria looked at them more closely. "The coordinates are set in a forest almost entirely surrounded by mountains," she commented, gently tracing her finger on the landmark. "The only opening is a pair of dirt roads leading into the camp. It's probably very well protected…."

"We're Special Forces. We're supposed to get around those protections and leave the easy stuff for the rest," Levina countered. "Not to mention that between you and Shadrach, we can devise a better plan. HQ's currently thinking about blowing the entrance to hell and entrapping them."

"That won't work. Even though they're only a paramilitary force, Tamsus isn't as dumb as they seem. If someone there has a semi-functional brain, there would probably be an escape route somewhere in the mountains. Aren't there satellite images of it?"

Levina shook her head. "Cloud cover has been bad for the past week. There isn't a single clear shot of the area. We don't have access to a Skarmory, either, so no recon runs."

"Can't we wait a few more days until we get a clear picture of what's going on?" Siria objected.

"Intelligence tells that they're going to be moving out in the next two days. It's now or never, as much as I don't like it."

The Latias rubbed her forehead, groaning as she did so. "The last time we tried a bum rush like this, we had so many casualties that it almost wasn't worth the fight. And it was all intel's fault, too! I still don't trust them."

"Well, the top guns do. Since when did we troops actually get a say in this?" The Ampharos laughed hollowly. "Not to mention that this is a bombing run, not a ground assault."

"Anti-aircraft guns," Siria reminded.

"Oh. Well, the Skarmory squadron can provide cover. They'll take anything up to bullets the size of a golf ball."

"Boltbeam."

"That's Thunderbolt and Ice Beam, right? Good thing you're the tactician out of all of us..." Levina conceded.

"Anyways," the Latias continued, "I propose that we try to create a diversion in the mountains. Perhaps something that flies to distract the anti-air defenses while the bombers comes in from the side."

"Sounds good. Though, how are we going to get the flying stuff?"

"I can pull some strings to get a spare training aircraft," a voice on the floor said. He worked his jaw, which still felt numb from Levina's Thunderbolt. "That, and some spare Starly shooting dummies we worked with at the range."

Levina looked at him. "Finally, he's good for something! It would be pretty nice if you could do that for us."

"Just promise me one thing," he said.

With electricity crackling at the end of her fingertips, she replied, "Try me."

"Don't shock me anymore. It hurts and it stings."

"Don't make disgusting remarks," the Ampharos quickly retorted.

He whined, "But it's only natural! It's in my blood!"

Levina stood up, making for the entrance of the room. "You think I care? Just find a way to clean your mind, Sirius, and if you can't manage that, at least wash out your mouth, or I"ll do it for you." The last few words hung heavily in the air as she slammed the door.

"Sergeant Shadrach Chase, I presume. Glad to see that you've come. Please take a seat." the Blissey motioned, gesturing to an empty seat. The counselor wore traditional military garb, unlike many of her colleagues back in the civilian world. He took the chair silently, looking across the desk piled with paperwork and noting the placard labeled "Glenda." Luckily, he had the opportunity to wash all of his stomach's contents off of his body before the meeting. The last thing he wanted was for a staffer to know that he had gotten alcohol somehow.

Despite her desk looking as if a Lugia's Aeroblast had struck it, she began by looking Shadrach directly in the eyes. He bit on his lip, bracing for what he knew was going to come.

"So, Mr. Chase, I understand that you lost a loved one a few days ago…" Glenda started.

He tasted blood as he tried to fight back tears.

"…and we were wondering if you needed assistance of any kind. Please, let your emotions out. That's what I'm here for."

The Umbreon sat there silently crying, his paws covering his lowered head. The Blissey watched, waiting for him to make a move. After a few painful minutes, he nearly choked on his own tears as he whispered, "Why?"

Glenda's eyes narrowed, but she kept silent. Better to let him get out a complete thought before reacting, she thought.

"Why did this have to happen? Why does mother not care? Why?" His nearly undetectable voice quickly rose to a shriek. Luckily, the office was soundproofed because so many residents complained about the shell-shocked soldiers the psychology ward had to deal with.

"What do you mean by your mother not caring?" she asked concernedly.

"After-" Shadrach gasped for air. "After Ken died…I called her to…to tell her the news. I didn't feel that the standard letter for death…qualified for my brother. He was a brave man," he managed to breathe out.

" I see…." Glenda noted, writing hurriedly on a clipboard. The formerly clean paper was chock-full of scribbles and notes.

"NO, YOU DON'T!" the Umbreon screamed at the top of his lungs. Glenda looked up in alarm. "What do you 'mon understand? You just sit there on the back lines and wait for us to come back with our war stories, and pretend to care just to get your huge paycheck every month! All of the armchair generals, the President, the war advisor, even you psychologists! What the hell have you seen? You can't even begin to grasp what it's like to lose a sibling, to see his life taken from his hands!" Shadrach was shaking uncontrollably, but he couldn't care less about how he looked at this point.

"I saw him die. I saw how he died, I saw why he died. Do you honestly expect me to do that and walk away as if it was nothing? When's the last time you had to rescue your brother out of a burning wreck, only to see him die a painful death?"

"I haven't," the Blissey parried. Before she could get another sentence out, her patient quickly resumed his rant.

"Yeah, I thought so. But you know what's worst? Those civilians we're fighting for, those 'mon whose lives we protect. They don't even give a damn about us," he hissed. "They just care about how much money's to be made out of this, or how much this affects their politics. They don't realize that there are actual 'mon dying out here. They just think this is a cyclic battle that's going to happen forever, and ignoring it is the best strategy. We've been at war for years; who cares?" Breaking down, he slumped back in his chair.

Hmming, Glenda wrote some more notes before returning to Shadrach. "You said something about your mother earlier. Is your belief connected to that in any way?"

After a deafening silence, the Umbreon pulled himself back into a proper sitting position. "Yes, it is," he admitted.

"Can you explain?"

He gulped for air, trying to create a cohesive sentence. "She said…she said that…." Unable to go on, he began to cry again.

"She said what?" Glenda prodded.

Shadrach rambled. "She doesn't care. I remember her saying, 'I'm sorry,' all normally without emotion just like how people like you would say it, as if I told a stranger I lost a parent. You might say, 'Oh, that's a common response due to shock' or some other fluffy psycho crap, but I know better. She makes arms for the Halcyian defense. She gets paid for each bullet we use, for each mission we execute. She enjoys it because she gets richer every time someone dies." He abruptly stopped, nearly at a loss for words.

"Please continue."

"Then I cussed her out, and she threatened to court marshal me or something…she could probably do it, considering her connections. What happens if she does it? Does she want me to lose my pride? My dignity? What of those do we soldiers have? Or does she just want me to fall in line and be a 'good soldier'?" His manic laugh echoed emptily throughout the office.

"Really? You don't feel any pride in defending the defenseless? You don't carry yourself like a true soldier? You're in Special Forces."

"I was forced into this position. If I could be a normal infantrymon, I would. And what's the point of defending them if civilians treat us like shit?"

She countered, "Are only civilians weak? Do you only defend civilians?"

"No, but-"

Seeing a chink in his armor, she struck. "I'm sure at least one 'mon on this base is thankful for what you've done."

He dwelled on this statement, staring at the carpet. The weak. What pride could possibly come from defending the weak? Then, his thoughts cycled back to the night of the attack on Trinity. Siria sitting there in the lab, shocked by the fetuses. Siria knocked out in front of that Glaceon. Siria looking terrified as the bastard formed that spear. The energy that built up in his own, tired body as he leaped forward in front of the frightened Latias….

As he silently made the connection, Glenda's eyes lit up. He finally gets it, she thought.

Wiping away his tears, Shadrach stood up. "Thank you. I think I am a bit better now."

Smiling, she replied, "Anytime. If something else is bothering you, please don't hesitate. The door is always open."

A/N: Sorry about not updating in forever. I'm currently at dorms for a month, and the internet here is beyond terrible. I also have a ton of classes to take, meaning that I have far less time to write. Thanks to whoever's still reading this!