Love Struck Eternal
Chapter 48 - Stomping grounds.
Sam's POV, A few days later.
The last week and a half I've been learning more and more about the people on my team and by now I was starting to get a decent relationship going on between all of them. Only issue was that I was stuck waiting to do more. Tika hasn't approved anything since the bank job. She's been really thinking everything over and I'd be lying if I doubted her ability to lead lightly. She knew what she was doing. So all I'm doing for now is waiting and observing.
By now Sikes was my friend. In fact he could quite possibly be my first real follower. Ever since I meditated with him he's been adamant on getting to know me more. As for my responses? I keep most of them to myself. I wasn't looking to open up too fast with these people. For now I just wanted his attention and that I most certainly had. He was also just a really smart person to talk to. He wasn't just some creep.
With the day reaching its halfway point, I noticed instantly when three familiar auras came into my mind's reach. They were heading right for us and would be here in a few minutes if I had to guess. Wonder why Tika called them back?
I just kept myself distracted with a lot more mediation. I was mostly in my own head just to practice fighting my father. I couldn't tell if how he fought in my head was really how he fought when he was defending his life. All I knew for sure was that he was tough when it came to hand to hand. He knew a lot of the same things I knew when it came to fighting a trained opponent. G.U.N must have taught him a lot when he first joined up.
It wasn't too bad though. He was very good at being defensive but when he went to attack all his moves could be read like a book to a trained eye. I've had this fight with him at least six times thus far and each time he got easier. I'd wind up gaining the upper hand due to his lack of speed and eventually I'd be on top. From there I'd hit him two or three good times, but then the training would cease. My mind knew when I beat someone and it would do that off of instinct alone. All I had to do was reset if I wanted to go again. Something I kept doing each and every day.
As time went on my vision became a reality. Ace, Dusk, and Gwent all came into the barracks with two bags a pop. The moment I reopened my eyes I found Dusk looking over at me. He was surprised to see me, yet he didn't say anything. Not until Ace noticed and once he did he came hopping over with a happy cheer.
"Hey!"
A few of these people knew my real name, but I was doing my best to be called Anpu. I loved the name and so far it stuck with everyone. So with a calm smile I looked at Ace to reply back in Russian.
"Hey."
"How are you? How have things been since meeting Tika? You met her right?" The rabbit asked me back as Gwent and Dusk were unpacking their things. Looking over his exhausted appearance I replied to the rabbit.
"I met her. Strong, smart, and not afraid to get dirty. I like her."
"She didn't….she didn't try anything did she?" He then asked in a whisper as I chuckled and proceeded to part my hair out from the vision of my left eye.
"No, she hasn't tried anything just yet."
Relieved, Ace yawned forward.
"Good. Sorry I'm exhausted. It's been a long week."
"How are your injuries? Any better since we last were together?" I asked him now as he took a moment to lift up his shirt. My eyes rested on this massive bruise. It covered almost his entire torso. It looked horrible. Concerned for his health I questioned.
"What the fuck are you doing walking around like that? That's not good looking."
"Oh trust me, I'm aware it's not good looking. It hurts just to breathe."
"Go lay down." I urged him back which earned me a nod and a quick response back from the man.
"I'm gonna. I just need to check in with the boss, then I'll hopefully be on my ass the next few days. Don't worry about me though, I'm sure things will work out."
I wasn't about to lose my cool yelling at him. If I knew how to heal someone I'd make it my mission to patch him up. But for now I'd have to wait. With about twenty seconds or more passing us by, I looked over to see Dusk still glaring at me. He wasn't happy I was here, that was clear. Gwent on the other hand was and after Ace had gone back to his bed the hedgehog approached me to ask in english.
"Ace dropped some hints that maybe you do speak english and understand it quite well and I was kinda hoping you'd help me out by speaking it now? Dusk burnt my translator a few days ago." I couldn't help but laugh and that laughter made him smile and start to laugh alongside me. A moment later I replied to him in english.
"I shouldn't be shocked that he did that. Dusk seems well…high strung."
"To say the least." Gwent added which again got both of us to start laughing. Once I was back under control I said to him softly.
"The name is Anpu now by the way."
"After the mask? I can roll with that." He replied as I nodded and proceeded to listen as he now had questions for me.
"How are you settling in? How do you like the team?"
"I like it a lot so far. Byron and Sikes have been doing everything they can to make me feel welcome. It's gonna take more time though. I've never been good with groups this large."
"You'll fit in like a glove." Gwent informed me back as he took a few steps over to my other side.
"Byron is a cool dog. Sikes? Well he's a little too metaphysical for my taste, but he's a simple guy with a lot to say."
"What about you?" My question caught him off guard. I knew very well he's been itching to see me again. The simple urge to fuck me plastered his mind even at this very moment. I knew very well I could play him and soon enough he'd be nothing more than just another follower.
However the man took the conversation on a small detour by replying back to me.
"Honestly? Well I want to apologize for how I acted back in Azerbaijan. The things I said? Well you can imagine how much of an idiot I think I am now. I just assumed you couldn't understand and that's on me."
Giving the hedgehog a wide smile, I sat up from my bed to nearly match height with his chest.
"All you did was call me hot. Not exactly something someone should get upset over. If anything it was nice to hear. So….thanks."
Gwent looked relieved as I went on to add.
"I however won't apologize for what I said."
"Which was what?" He asked me back as I again chuckled before saying it one more time, but this time to his face and in a language he could understand.
"That you're also pretty cute yourself."
Now I broke through his relief and brought him nothing but happiness as he quickly blushed and stumbled his words.
"Oh yeah….Ace did say something like that back there. Fucking guy wasn't lying. God damn it. Hahaha!"
After a few seconds Gwent stopped laughing and with my mind made up for today I asked him.
"So what are you up to now that you're back? Any plans?"
"Not that I'm aware of. Ace has to debrief with Tika, but I'm sure we won't be leaving again for at least a week or two now that we're here. Why do you ask?"
"Just looking for a friend. Someone who can really show me around the place. Maybe workout together? Catch something to eat? I don't know. Just relax. But if you'd rather catch up on some sleep beforehand, I can wait."
Unlike Ace, Gwent looked good to go and when I had finished asking him he already had a response lined up and with some excitement to it.
"Nah fuck that. I can wait too. Rather sleep at night anyhow."
"Does that really matter? You can't even tell if it's dark from down here." I stated.
"It matters. I like to have a sleep schedule when I manage to get back here. Helps me unwind from everything and I have a watch. I go off the time. I don't need a moon to tell me it's bedtime." Gwent smiled back as he looked over my full body for a moment before saying to me as nicely as he could.
"By the way, I like the new color. Just decided to change it up?"
He was talking about my fur. After the bank incident with Byron I decided it was best to entertain one of their major concerns which was the cameras Tika must have assumed saw me. So I dyed my fur the same color brown that Mocha had. I did it as a way to remember her and again it felt good to know I didn't look stupid, so I looked at the hedgehog to reply back.
"Actually I had to pull a risky job for Tika in order to earn my stay for the time being. Cameras could have seen me, so I wanted to play it safe for now and change faces. Plenty of brown wolves in the world. I'll go back to my natural coat as soon as I leave the county or after enough time has passed. Whatever comes first."
"Smart actually. You make it work regardless."
"I don't know how much time we have, but I could go for a walk. Any chance you want to take me up on the small tour I mentioned?" I decided to then ask as it was clear Gwent was itching to get the ball rolling. I could sense it all over his mind so I wasn't at all surprised when he nodded his head at me to reply.
"Fuck yeah, I'll take you up on it. I'm psyched that we can actually communicate now. This would be a lot more awkward otherwise."
He offered me his hand, but I decided against it and just got up on my own. His eyes once again opened wide once he saw our size difference. I had a good sixty pounds on him and a few inches in height. Yet he remained confident as he proceeded to say to me.
"Well where to start? Any place you want to see in particular? Have you walked around much since getting here?"
"Not really. Been to the war room a few times. I've visited the bathroom and showers of course, but I've stopped there. I don't want anyone to think I'm snooping. Tika's very concerned about anyone new joining up it seems. Likes to think that everyone could be a rat."
"Can you blame her?" He asked me back as I led the walk out of the barracks. The hedgehog kept up along my right side as I noticed Dusk staring at me once again. This time his eyes looked at Gwent and he just seemed disappointed that we were getting along this quickly. Just like Tika, Dusk was also suspicious of my motives. I'd have to put more effort into winning him over once the time came because I doubt he would just change his ways. He doesn't seem like the type.
Refocusing on Gwent, I replied.
"I guess not. I heard about the last one."
"Yeah it's quite the subject around here. Fucking guy came from our team."
"Who was he?" I had to ask as our pace thus far had slowed down to a crawl.
Gwent didn't look like he very much liked this guy. I wonder why? Giving me a small glare he replied.
"His name was Webber. Joined up with us about three years back. He was in charge of our intel group. Everything we know comes from his eyes and that same privilege goes to the other teams as well. Ironically Webber described it as if he was the web and we were the spiders. Without him we don't survive long."
"What happened?" I asked back as we made it to a gape in the tunnels that went off left or right from where we were standing. Deciding not to pick a direction, Gwent stopped himself to answer my question in a somewhat angry tone now.
"He tried to kill one of the uppers."
"Tika?" I now whispered back. Shaking his head he now laughed.
"No, but I wish sometimes. Hahahaha!"
It was good to see that he was able to control his temper. Shifting back to a more happy state he was now able to calmly reply.
"Someone worse." How he said that just now had my attention.
"Someone worse than Tika?" I chuckled out which got him to smile and reply.
"A lot worse. Trust me."
I wasn't going to get a more detailed answer just yet it seemed. Deciding not to push it I instead asked him again.
"So what happened?"
Back on topic, Gwent replied.
"The tale goes like this. We were conducting some risky shit close to the Pakistan border a few months back and we had to quickly change our safe havens. That's slang we use for a safe house. Now this wasn't going to be easy at all to pull off, so we enlisted another team to help us out. The turnout would have been worth the effort and the uppers knew that, so we worked together for the op. I don't know why Webber chose who he did, but instead of going after Tika he chose to instead go after the other team's upper."
My ears went up as my head realized that I was about to learn the name of another one of the uppers. Gwent took a breath before continuing.
"Her name is Riley. She's in charge of team one. You could even claim that she's the reason any of us are here. She founded the group. I don't know all the details though. She keeps herself sealed like a vice. She's the hardest person I've ever met and I dare say one of the meanest. She's brutal, ruthless, and calculating. If you think Tika is scary, well you got another thing coming if you ever see yourself on her team. Been there once myself before getting transferred."
"What happened though?" I had to ask. Looking me back in my eyes he replied quietly out of fear this woman would hear him somehow.
"Webber was in charge of getting the team's new safe havens. Ours was good, but when we got there we got word that the M.E.A.F were tipped off ahead of time about Riley's location. When they got there a lot of our people were killed. Riley had been shot up good, but she somehow managed to escape with a handful of others before being carted off on a stretcher back here where the docs could tend to her. She barely lived."
"How did she know it was Webber's fault? It could have been anything that tipped off the M.E.A.F. They run this side of the planet man." Nodding back at me, Gwent quickly replied.
"I know that, but there is one thing you need to know about the people on team one. They don't fuck up like that. The people on that team are the best we got. They covered every track they made getting to that haven. It was Webber. It had to be him and by the time we got a hold on him he was trying to weasel his way out of the country."
"Who got him?" I then wondered as he chuckled before replying back.
"Riley did. Despite the doctors telling her not to fucking move. She was so pissed off about being stabbed in the back that she and the rest of team one pulled every favor they had to get this man's location. He was gone for maybe an hour before they caught up. Webber's problem? He knew he was caught in the act, but he thought just like you did. That it could have been anything that got them ambushed. He pushed his luck and tried to play it off. It didn't take him long to realize that he was dead already. Stay and die? Run and die? Those were the choices and in the end he ran a little too late."
"Can't even imagine what happened to him." I chuckled which got the hedgehog to quickly state.
"Riley beat him till he was half dead. Then she had his tongue cut out so he could stop pleading. Then came the hours of slow torture she preformed. Starved him, burned him, cut him, pulled nails, broke bones, you name it; she did it. After it was all said and done she had what was left of him buried inside her quarters here on base."
"Are you fucking serious?" I asked in disbelief as he nodded quickly before adding.
"I'm not kidding. If you go into her room and look under her bed you'll see the spot on the floor where they buried him. What's worse is why she did it. She said she wanted to hear every last scream before his body finally gave up. She didn't even bury him lying down either. She buried him standing up just so his broken legs could keep on hurting."
"God damn. That's fucking awesome." I began to laugh and that made Gwent question my reaction.
"You're into that kind of shit?"
Nodding my head I replied with utmost honesty.
"I'm not a good person. At heart I'm an animal Gwnet. I look after what's most important and up till now that's been only myself. Which leads me to say that I've done some fucked up shit with my little solo run up till I met Ace. I've killed a lot of people and I'm not all there mentally. I don't do "normal" well. I get pleasure out of doing what is wrong and by hurting those I wish to see hurt. So yeah, I'm kinda into that shit and if Riley is too? Well then me and her are gonna be the best of friends if we ever meet."
"You probably would, but thankfully we don't see her or the others a lot. Our team? Well we're team five. We're the last group and that technically makes us the worst."
"How so?" I then wondered as we were now just standing in this hallway looking stupid. Even he knew that, so before he would answer he asked me again as a reminder.
"How about we take this to the first spot you wanna see? Any suggestions? Or should I just wing it?"
My mind was focused on seeing the lab, so with that in mind I replied to the man.
"I heard you have a lab?"
Smiling, the hedgehog turned and began to walk. I made sure to stay close as he stated back a moment later.
"We do indeed. Even have ourselves a few techs. I'll introduce you."
Now I already figured ahead of time that they had someone working for them in the lab. My senses noticed that the first moment I laid eyes on the place. The people working in the lab never seem to leave. I wonder why?
As we walked, I decided to ask him again.
"So what did you mean about the team? Are the teams ranked? Like is team one seriously the best? Or is that bullshit?"
Shaking his head, Gwent quickly informed me as we approached the lab.
"No, I'm serious. Riley's got some of the best on her team. They are also the most ruthless and fucked up guys you'll meet, but they get the job done and that's all Riley cares about. The teams are ranked and the numbers move around depending on how much profit the teams bring into the group. Profit doesn't mean just money by the way. Anything useful to the family is considered when the teams are placed. Placements change every month."
"It really is a competition then. Is there any benefit to becoming team one? Why compete like this?"
"It's for fun mainly. The number is just a number, but Riley's group hasn't moved out of position one for the last six months. Our group though? Man we've been holding down position five for the last three. We've had a major dry spell for some reason, but here's hoping that it will all start to change now that you're here. Which makes me wanna ask, but what did you have to do for Tika to earn your stay?"
Nearing the lab, I replied to my new friend.
"Bank job. She wanted me to show her if I had what it took to impress her."
"Did you?" He then asked as I quickly smiled before replying.
"I think so. Wait till you hear about it." Gwent got the door for me as we entered the lab. My first time here and the first thing I felt was a slight bit of excitement in my bones. Despite everything that has happened I was still a kid when it came to being around this kind of stuff. The lab itself was amazing at first glance. Most of the equipment that I could see was high end. Looked military grade even. Probably all the same shit the M.E.A.F left behind when they abandoned the bunker.
Besides Gwent, there were three other people in this room. All of which looked nothing like scientists. A black bear the size of a small car manned a table towards the far end of the lab. He was working on a handful of rifles and from what I could see from here it appears he was messing around with some kind of bulky battery. Hard to tell what exactly it was.
Closer towards the middle of the room was a pure white ferret. She was currently laying under a generator. She was covered in grease and muck but that told me that she was taking her work seriously.
Closest to us stood the last person. A slim, but tall cat. Had to be a tuxedo cat judging from his chin strap. Looked pretty old considering the rest of the group. Had to be at least my mother's age. He was looking at the nuke which was secure in its case that was strapped up in the very center of the room where the ferret was working. He was pondering something, but before I could eavesdrop Gwent shouted.
"Zeak!"
The cat turned with a lost look about him, but when he saw us his face lit back up and with a fair bit of laughter the cat quickly ran up to us to shout back.
"My boy! Good to see you again! How are you? I didn't know you'd be back so soon. And who's this you brought with you?"
Clearly they were friends. Zeak was indeed older, but his face was showing more than just age. He has a number of scars on the left side of his face. Looked like some of them were made from acid. Bad accident? I wondered as Gwent quickly replied to the cat.
"I didn't think so either, but Tika must have a plan. As she typically does. But for now let's forget about me. This is Anpu. She's new to our team. Only been with us for a few weeks. I'm giving her the executive tour of the bunker. Letting her meet new people. Your lab is our first stop. How are things going?"
Looking back at the nuke, Zeak replied.
"I wish they were going better, but I'm hitting snags. Snags that I told Riley about countless times. She wants this thing to work, but she won't offer a lick of support.
"You need more than just support." I exhaled as I finally gave into my inner nerd and took a step past Zeak to look at the weapon of mass destruction for myself. Both Gwent and Zeak remained quiet as I used my abilities to assess what exactly was wrong with this thing. After some thought I had to ask out loud.
"This is a newer model right? Well…..newer than the ones G.U.N used in Japan all those years ago."
Zeak quickly broke away from Gwent to approach and stop at my side. Pointing at the nuke he replied back.
"You're correct. This isn't some replica of the "little boy." Unlike that bomb this one uses both fission and fusion to generate the explosion."
"But looking at it now there seems to be a lot of damage done to the shell and the guidance system." I informed him.
"The M.E.A.F made sure when they left this bunker intact that they destroyed this bomb in the process. The people they had working on this ripped apart the insides like it was some sort of pumpkin they were cutting into for the holidays. I've spent months piecing it slowly back together, but the wiring process is complex."
"They take a hammer to the tail?" I had to then ask him as I started to chuckle at the dent that was on the ass end of the bomb. Chuckling a little as well, the cat replied.
"They might have."
"I'd also have to assume they took everything out of it as well right? Ain't no way they left you with the compounds."
"Correct as well. It's nothing more than a frame a nuke could fit in if we had the ingredients. But my job right now is to fix the internals. But hold on a moment, can I ask? Are you a scientist as well?"
Slightly nodding my head as Gwent came to our small huddle, I replied back calmly.
"Not officially. I've had some schooling, but that's all. My school life hit a drastic pot hole."
"Clearly if you're now here with us." Zeak laughed out which got me to jump back into the conversation by informing him bluntly.
"But that doesn't mean I lost my spark. I love science and I've actually done a lot with my knowledge. Some of it could be considered groundbreaking. I'd love to offer my assistance to you or your two partners if you guys ever need the extra hand. Do you think that would be okay?" I asked the man as he seemed absolutely stunned that I even offered. Yet after that moment of shock he looked back at the ferret and the bear to state back.
"Actually I'm the only scientist here. The others you see have two other positions among the family. The ferret? Her name is Ciaro. She's the family's engineer. The bear? Well that's our local in-house gunsmith. His name is Terrell. Sweet heart of a man, but just like me he's very busy right now. He's working on some sort of battery."
"Not just a battery Zeak!" The bear shouted back at us as he heard the cat's words. Looking back now, I noticed he had two green eyes and the same happy grin my dad's close friend Ron had. Wonder if they're cousins.
Showing off what he held in his hands, Terrell proceeded to shout from the other end of the room.
"This baby is nearly capable of powering the prototype shield I've been developing! I just need to make a few small tweaks."
"Shield tech?" I mumbled in confusion as the bear proceeded to say to me directly.
"Your name was Anpu right?! Nice to meet you! If you're serious about lending a hand, I could use someone to help me test this once I'm done! You down!?"
"I….I mean sure." I replied as I walked over to him now to see what it was he was exactly working on. The second I came within reach I said to him bluntly.
"That's the main battery pack? Jesus that thing is massive. Where would you even hook that onto?"
Taking an interest in my question, Terrell replied back calmly.
"I was thinking it could go on your back for now. You're built like a bull from what I can tell. I'm sure you can handle it. It only weighs like eight pounds."
"That's not gonna cut it." I stated back to him in all seriousness as Zeak and Gwent instantly noticed how direct I was being with him about his business. I knew it was kinda rude of me considering that this is his prototype, but I knew more about this shit then he did clearly.
Taking my reaction towards his battery a step further, I quickly undid my vest and took it off to rest it down on the table he was working at. Pointing where my lower back would be, I stated to him confidently.
"Mine weighs about two pounds all together and unlike your battery pack, my armor doesn't have one per say. The circuits are wired like ballistic webbing. It spans the entirety of the vest and evenly distributes the power throughout my body to create the kinetic barriers."
"What?" The bear gasped in disbelief as he proceeded to ask me.
"May I?" Nodding my head, I replied back to him before sensing Gwent at my side once more. I was barely paying mind to my surroundings. This type of shit got me all distracted, but it was nice to find myself back among the subjects I loved. Taking my vest in his lap, Terrell began to look deeply at the kevlar that was under my breastplate. The whole time he was in awe and it didn't take long for him to question out loud.
"How the actual fuck did someone thread this together? Where did you get this?"
"The network. I pay a lot of money when it comes to my personal safety."
"That makes two things abundantly clear to me now. It's no wonder I've never seen this before. Rumor has it the network can get anything. For the right price. I can't even begin to imagine how much this cost you. Where did you get the funds for something like this?" The bear asked in concern as I calmly took back my vest before replying.
"I used to be a contractor before I signed on with you guys. I had a lot of time to gather the funds, but after my first big score I found myself pretty well off. Figured I'd spend it all on the gear. I'd consider it to be my biggest investment."
"What was your first big score?" Zeak then wondered as I calmly strapped my vest back on before stating back to him.
"I put an end to the mob in the U.S. Assassinated all the dons and their underbosses. Made enough money and enough of an impact to wanna leave the country."
"Ace told me about that." Gwent laughed as Zeak had to question.
"You killed them all? How?"
"Poison. Quick and painless." Everyone in the room was stunned by my deed, but despite what I just said about it being painless; all I could see right now was Don Verno's face. That wasn't a man who died quick or painless.
"Once I left the country I had this baby put together. It's a prototype, but it's the best that money can buy. I haven't had a single issue with it. If you want Terrell, I can let you look it over if you want in more detail once I have time. If it'll make your prototype excel that is."
"You serious? I mean I'd love to look it over if you're giving me permission. I'll be as careful as a mouse."
"Sounds like a plan then. We'll talk another time. It was nice meeting you though and I'm sorry if I put a dent in your inspiration."
The bear just broke out into laughter as I looked back at Gwent to ask him.
"Do you want to continue on with the tour? This was a great stop to make. It was nice meeting all of you." My eyes went to Cairo as she was still under the generator. Zeak noticed my gaze and quickly stated to me.
"Don't you worry about her. She probably doesn't even know you're here. Cairo does nothing but listen to music. Once those earbuds go in there isn't any taking them out for at least half a day. Come back again and maybe you'll get lucky and nab her attention. Gwent? It was nice seeing you again. Oh and Anpu? If you're ever interested I've got room for an assistant. I'd love to show you a thing or two and judging from what I've seen so far, I think you might already have a grasp over the environment. So do come back soon."
"I will. Thank you again."
We were waved off and as we left the room Gwent whispered to me.
"What happened back there? One second you seemed all serious and the next you were all over that lab like an excited kid."
Chuckling, I replied as we made a right out the door.
"Mood swings?" Gwent just started to laugh back now as I made the joke, but seeing a need to clear this up with him I replied anyway.
"I told you I'm not all there mentally. Normally I'm ethier serious or I just want to be left alone. But when I come across places like that where there are smart and interesting people doing interesting shit; I want to just jump in and lend a hand. Science, weapons and engineering are all fields I take a major interest in."
"Well Zeak could definitely use a hand. He's got a lot on his plate thanks to Riley."
"So why does she have him working on the nuke?" I had to ask as we entered what appeared to be another converted laboratory. This one however was dressed in medical gear and all sorts of supplies. Towards the back of the room where a desk sat, I made eye contact with another one of the base's staff members. He heard us come in clearly and before I knew it Gwent replied to my last question.
"She wants it operational just so she can say we have the capability of starting another world war. Riley's crazy, but she wouldn't use the fucking thing unless there was no other choice. It's just a serious game changer that we could use to our advantage. The M.E.A.F and G.U.N would both be shitting their pants if they knew we had that type of weapon under our control. Fuck, I mean they would probably still shit their pants if they just had reason to believe we had one at all. Operational or not."
"Careful Gwent. Don't want Riley hearing you call her crazy." The man I was staring at said as I quickly came to the conclusion that he was the doctor. The coat gave it away. Getting up from his seat the man approached to offer his hand towards me. Much like Zeak he said to me with a happy smile.
"I'm Dexter. The in-house doctor for team five you come to see if you ever feel something wrong happening to you. Or if you get shot. Depends on the day really. Hehehe."
Dexter was a human. White skin, about five foot eight, couldn't weigh more than a hundred and eighty pounds. He had most of his hair too which was impressive considering he looked about forty. As I took his hand, I said back to him calmly.
"Anpu."
"New blood, yes? That's good news. Welcome to the family. You don't suffer from catrics do you? Because your eyes are amazing if not." Dexter's voice was a lot softer despite his look. If the room had any background noise going on it would probably be hard to hear him. Thankfully that wasn't the case. When I got around to releasing his hand I decided to ask him back respectfully to avoid answering his question
"Thank you, but if I may ask, how often are your services actually needed? Most of the teams seem to be operating outside of Iran. What do you do when that's the case?"
"Like I said, I'm the doctor for team five. I don't normally treat anyone from another team. They have their own doctor on hand at all times. Same as you do now. When the team decides to move out, I go with them. But as far as what I do when I'm not treating bodies, I personally enjoy just relaxing."
"Are you combat capable?" I then asked which got him to nod his head.
I served eight years with G.U.N back when I was your age. I was a field medic at first for a fireteam, but once I got out I decided to head to medical school and get my doctorate. If push comes to shove, I can shove back. I guarantee it."
I liked this guy. So far everyone on the team was really nice to me. Apart from Dusk of course, but I'd fix that with time. Looking back to Gwent, I asked him to be sure of an assumption I had going on in my head.
"So Zeak, Terrell and Cairo are the only ones that aren't on a team? Do they stay here permanently?"
"Yeah. Riley always wants someone here just as a precaution, but it's better for those three all around. They're talents would go to waste if they were deployed with one of the teams. Zeak does his science thing, Terrell keeps the armory and all our gear in perfect condition, and Cairo keeps the place running. Without her the bunker wouldn't be as cozy as it is. Not that being a few hundred feet underground is cozy, but you get what I'm saying. But how about we get out of here for now? We'll see you around Dex."
"Hopefully not with a bullet in you." Dexter laughed as he went back to his desk.
"Let's show you the gym. It's just down the hall from here."
Keeping behind the hedgehog, I followed him into another room. This one was about as large as the barracks where we slept, but this room was packed with every type of machine, dumbbell, and exercise you could think of. Even a ring to spare. Some members of our unit were actually in here as well.
"What's good Gwent!?" One of them called out from the back left corner of the room. Gwent instantly shouted back.
"Just got back baby! I'm showing Anpu around! Letting her meet everyone!"
"Well shit, you're already a little late on that! We've been around her for nearly two weeks!" Quickly I informed Gwent as well as they had.
"I know most everyone on the team. We're cool."
"Okay good to know then. Well this is the gym!" He proceeded to chuckle out as he did a spin around the room. Once his spin had died down he said to me.
"Feel free to use the place as much as you want. A lot of us hang out here or in the mess after hours. You work out? Hahah, I mean clearly you do. Your fucking built."
Slightly enamored, I replied back with a chuckle of my own.
"I do. When I'm not meditating; this is the other method I go to for clearing my head and getting my energy out."
"Meditate? I didn't know people still did that. Does it work for you?"
"Ask Sikes. He did it with me not that long ago."
"Might have too when I see him. Never seen the guy mediate, yet I always figured he'd be into that kind of stuff. Well if I ever see you zoned out; I'll make sure not to bother your flow." Gwent was easy to handle. I picked that up right away when it came to his trust and personality. Most of these guys were sweethearts, but it didn't overwhelm the facts that they were all trained killers and were one hundred percent obedient to the uppers.
"Hey Anpu!" One of the guys called out to me from where I was by the door. Looking over towards the voice, I figured out quickly it was another hedgehog. The same one who just got done shouting at Gwent. With a wide smile on his face he asked me.
"You wanna chill out with us for a bit? I could use a spot."
My eyes looked down to Gwent who calmly urged me as he was preparing to dart off.
"I should go check in with Tika and see what's going on now that we're back. Go mingle with the guys. We'll pick up the tour later. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time."
"Sure. Be seeing you then." I offered him to bump my fist and he didn't even hesitate to bump me back. After that he made his way out of the gym and I made my way over to the rest of the gang. Jenkins was the hedgehog in question who asked for my assistance, but there were two others here with us. A dark green skink named Mace and a slightly bigger gray hedgehog named Jax. Both of which were doing their own thing.
"Thanks." Jenkins smiled at me as he went down on the bench to ready himself as I found myself standing just above the bar; ready to catch it in case he fucks up. I doubt he would. Jenkins looked like he did this a lot. Upper body was in great shape for a hedgehog his size. I just pray to god he doesn't ask me to lift after he's done his set. My strength was beyond comprehension. Inhuman and utterly ridiculous now that I was a full fledged demigod. The weights I could throw around made what he was lifting now look like child's play and he was getting ready to lift nearly three hundred. That was a lot for his species. Most hedgehogs can only lift two. Maybe two fifty if they push hard enough.
"So….ahhh…..I heard…..ahhh…..well rumor has it…..ahhhh…..you used to be a contractor….ahhhh…do anything worth telling?" He asked me as he split his words between each rep.
Jax and Mace were listening to our conversation now. Both had finished what they were doing and decided to watch as Jenkins lifted. More truthfully, they seemed just interested in getting to know more about me. It's not like I've talked much since getting on the team. So without holding anything back, I replied to the man as he went to lift his bar for the tenth time now.
"A few things actually. Tika hasn't told any of you?"
"Tika doesn't say shit to us. Apart from orders." Mace chimed in from where he was. Jax also took that as his chance to add.
"We're lowers at the end of the day, Anpu. We're all loyal as shit and most of us have been a part of this for years now, but that doesn't give us the right to know everything. It's a simple concept the uppers believe in. The less who know…..the safer we all stay as a group and we all understand that. But word will get around sooner or later. Rumors spread all the time and it's been a bit since we had a new member join up."
Jenkin finished his last rep just in time for him to now state to me.
"And after what happened to Webber? I'm shocked Tika even considered bringing you on board. Something had to get her attention. Or was it Ace? I heard you met him first?"
"Yeah. I didn't get Tika's attention at first. Not like I was trying to at the time. Ace however crossed my path one day when I was at the gym. He's a smart guy. Too smart actually. Figured out who I was and what I did and decided to confront me just based off of how his gut was feeling at the time. Lucky for him he was on the money." I muttered as I still wished I could help that rabbit recover using my gifts.
"So what did you do?" Mace proceeded to ask me as I casually replied while taking a seat down on a bench just opposite of Jenkins who stared at my eyes this whole time.
"I did my biggest hit so far. The assassination of Azerbaijan's president." The three of them were dead silent and that was out of shock. Keeping my tone as calm as I could, I tried to switch away from the subject by continuing forward.
"Ace already talked about me to Tika well before I made my move. Once I killed Esteban it was set in stone I think."
"You fucking did that shit?" Jenkins questioned as I just nodded once.
"How?" Mace asked next.
"Lots of hard work and good planning. Regardless though we had to bug out before more heat got dropped on the city. Military was out looking for anyone that just looked suspicious. I'm sure they still are. Doubt what I did will blow over quickly."
"It's no wonder Tika took a chance. Byron also mentioned that you and him did a bank job together. I saw the take. Thanks to you our team won't be last this month. First time in a while. Everyone else is gonna wonder what happened." Jenkins then stated as I quickly decided to add.
"And I'm sure they'll ask, but that's not gonna change the fact that I'm on this team now. So long as that stays that way, I think we won't be in last place for a long time." The boys loved the confidence and I managed to make them all laugh. After it was all said and done, Jenkins said back to me with a smile.
"Love the sound of that. It's about time the other teams got some competition."
"We'll give it to them." I chuckled as he laid back down on the bench to pick up where he left off. So I also went back to spotting.
Conversation like this really helped my confidence when it came to being around everyone. The more they liked me the easier I'd be accepted. I just hoped sooner or later I'd be let off the leash. I had to make time for G.U.N and above all else; my family. I wanted to make the wedding. How I'd get there would be a thing to discover.
Later that night.
Everyone was asleep around me, but myself. I couldn't force my body to do such a thing ever since I became a true demi. Roslin claimed after some time I could do it if I wanted, but that wouldn't be for a long time I think. So each and every night I just shut my eyes and meditated. It was as close as to sleeping as I could get. Yet despite my efforts to remain within my own mind, I was pulled out from it the moment Roslin entered my surrounding area. I opened my eyes back up to find him gently leaning over Sike's bunk just staring at him. After a moment he said to me using our thoughts; so not to wake everyone.
"This is quite the team. I wasn't expecting this."
"What did you expect?" I had to ask as I slowly got my legs out of pretzel style.
Looking back at me now, he replied.
"A handful of dirty mercs with no principles and personalities to boot. Not five completely different teams with just as many people in them as I see you have here. Has to be at least a hundred members. Including yourself now. How do you like it? Where is your mind at? More towards G.U.N and helping the world? Or are you catering to your inner self and enjoying the idea of causing trouble on a global scale?"
Shooting him a small smile, I replied.
"As soon as I can I'll be calling in what I know. But my goal right now is to fit in and get along with everyone, but we also both know that I'm not the good guy. Of course I'll be enjoying this."
"Do you think you'll betray G.U.N? Get lost in being the bad guy that you so enjoy?" Roslin then wondered which got me to shut my eyes and begin to think.
It was a question I had myself. I joined G.U.N just to get revenge on Cora. To learn how to kill. I never planned to do their bidding to the tee. Yet I didn't plan to betray anyone. Not yet anyway. So when I looked back at my master, I said to him confidently.
"I plan to stay somewhere in the middle for now. I can easily play G.U.N. This operation isn't something I can always be punctual about and they know that themselves. They'll only suspect something if I go dark for too long. So for now I'll have to feed them once in a while to not draw any suspicion. So long as I do that I'll be fine."
"So you are still only looking out for your own best interests. What's important now to you? Making money? Making a name for yourself? Or helping this group achieve their goals? Do you even know what those are yet?" Roslin then asked as he came a step closer to my bedside. Keeping my smile up, I gently patted the spot next to me on the cot. He kept his serious mug up, but he came to sit next to me. Once he was there I replied back.
"I'm learning more everyday. Give it time and I'll know. Making money is great as well and I won't turn a blind eye to a paycheck and when it comes to my reputation? I don't think I have to worry about that. The name "Anpu" will be known to everyone in a matter of time. Yet a focus I do have is to help this group. They're a family and they've taken me in despite their past failures. I'll repay them for that and soon enough I'll be indisposable."
Roslin and I stared into each other's eyes and I couldn't help but lean in and kiss him on the lips. He put a hand on my back and after a moment or so he asked me softly.
"Let's take a walk."
"Okay." I replied as we both got up from the cot and began to walk out of the barrack and into the main hallway. Once the door to the barracks had closed he began to lead me towards the lab. Zeak was in there sleeping with his head on one of the desks and for a moment we stopped to stare at the nuke. That's when Roslin asked me.
"You do understand the power you'd be giving these people if you were to help get that thing operational again, right?"
"I do." I said back to him as he just nodded and went on to state.
"It would start another war."
"Maybe another war is what needs to happen for things to get better." I then suggested which got him to hum to himself as he then proceeded to continue walking. I stayed at his side as he soon changed his tone completely by saying.
"Despite your progress Sam, we have a small problem to discuss. Your dad and Marcus are on alert after your little stunt with the bank. They saw the camera footage and it wasn't hard for them to realize something was off about the situation. Marcus has already come to me to discuss the matter and I covered the best I could for you. He's still completely in the dark about us, but I warned you and you disobeyed."
"Disobeyed? I didn't….?!" My words were chopped out from under me in a mere instant by his superior powers. My whole body began to convulse as my brain felt like it was being squeezed by a vice. The force and the pain was so much that I was barely able to stay on my feet for more than a few seconds. Roslin watched carefully as I fell to my knees in agony from what he was doing.
"You disobeyed me and you brought us unwanted attention that I originally seeked to avoid. I'm fair and that's why I'm not hurting you more for this mishap. Do you hear me?"
My face was going blood red. My hands were numb and my vision was going blurry the longer this went on. Struggling to find my tongue, I replied in severe pain still.
"I'm sorry! Stop! I'm sorry!"
"Not good enough." He replied as I was unable to fight this.
Reaching down with one hand the echidna grabbed me by my neck and pulled me back up to my feet till I was pressed with my back to the wall. I did my best to stare into his eyes as he then said to me.
"You're the best demi I could ask for, but even you need to learn your place once in a while. You're free to believe that there is no one able to match you and your strength, but you're wrong. At the end of the day you're mine to command and you'll continue to listen to whatever I have to say. My orders go above any mortal's. You'd do best to remember that next time you decide to take advantage of my kindness. Have I made myself clear?"
I began to shake my head as fast as I could. I knew very well that he owned me and I owed him everything. So with my voice caving in from the pain, I begged him as best as I could.
"Please?"
In a mere second the pain subsided and everything went back to normal. I remained held by his grip as I began to gasp for air and relief from the pain I just endured. Using his other hand, Roslin redirected my head so I was looking right back at him again. This time he smiled and asked me.
"Who owns you?"
"You do." I replied back with absolute and unwavering commitment.
"Say it." He commanded.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I got carried away. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry I disobeyed." Tears were forming in my eyes. I was genuinely upset from my actions. Seeing that happening my master took a moment to wipe my eyes before replying back.
"Good. Don't let it happen again."
Roslin's POV.
The wolf was mine. She was no one else's. Marcus and even her father couldn't even begin to hope on changing that fact. It became more clear to me when by her own choice she pressed herself back into my lips after being punished for her own lack of care.
I kissed her back because at the end of the day I really loved this relationship I had. She was crazy. Crazy loyal, crazy obedient, and just the perfect demi who I could continue to mold into my successor. Even if she disobeyed me again I had no intention of killing her; like I would have done to Marcus if he fucked up back when he was in her place.
Forcing her off of me, I released her neck and ordered her just to see how loyal she was.
"Knees."
She got on them without hesitation. The punishment I dished out seemed to have been enough to remind her of her place. I began to chuckle to myself as she just looked up at me with two puppy dog eyes, waiting for her next command.
I could take this anywhere right now if I wanted to, but as a second form of punishment I planned to make her wait for our next interaction.
"You learn your place and tend to my needs and maybe next time I see you we'll tend to yours. How does that sound?"
"I'll do whatever you want. Just say it." She replied as I put my left hand on the top of her head.
"For now just watch your actions. They all have consequences. I'll be checking in with you in a few days. Don't miss me too much."
I left her like that. In a state of needs and wants. She was a perfect demi to have and I enjoyed teasing her youth. Yet more training would have to happen if she was to develop into a mature god. I'd be sure to nurture her until that point. Even if I had to hurt her in the process. Yet it made me laugh knowing that even though it hurt beyond description; she still found a way to enjoy the pain.
mT Shadow.