14 - Interloper
The two plates are now empty and the stomachs are full. Full of warmth and proper food. As the saying goes: "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." But this is not entirely true as Patches fell in love with that soup too. And has subsequently requested the recipe should they ever get out of there. Calamity has absolutely no problem with this, aside from the "if ever" part. Even if she has to drag them with her while crawling through the hell of battle, she will get them out of here. Now Patches understands why she and Trevor go together well as a couple; both like their hyperboles. But at the same time, both are fiercely loyal and would actually do that if push came to shove.
Speaking of that, they might as well make haste to avoid a situation like this. Now that dinner time is officially over and they are allowed to leave the table, Trevor goes to check the radio while Patches stays with Calamity to chat some more and bring the canine up to speed about that Aparoid core. The distance between the radio and the core seems to be enough for it not to interfere.
He grabs the transmitter module and presses the button, calling in as Mr Bones. This raises an obvious eyebrow with Calamity but Patches is there to subdue any suspicion or confusion that might arise from that. Telling her about their aliases.
On the receiving end of the call, a switch is audibly flipped and a runner is sent out before a reply comes back.
"Nelson here, good to hear from you again Mr Bones. I take it you added another jammer to the killcount?"
"Scratch another bogey." Trevor replies.
"Excellent! Now, what can I do for you?"
"If you could arrange a transport to get me, Patch and my girlfriend out of here? We got the core."
"You–you got what now?" Nelson asks after a period of unsure silence.
"We got the core and we require urgent extraction."
The way Trevor presents it, makes it sound like the most normal thing in the world. Nothing entitled about it, just reporting that the mission is complete and that they need a way out. Nelson does not really know how to answer this so the Sergeant-Major steps in.
"Trevor, this is the Sergeant-Major speaking."
Patches' ears perk up upon hearing that posh, gentlemanly dialect. Her full attention is now directed to that voice. Swooning all over it. And Calamity does not have to be a detective to realize what this means. A certain part of her is now more at ease that this bunny does not respond like this when Trevor speaks. She does not see herself as the jealous type that much, but hands off her man.
"Is that your Herg?" she whispers while leaning in closer.
"Huh? Oh! You saw what I… oh no, how embarrassing." Patches responds by shying away.
"You ain't going nowhere young lady. Tell me, who is this Herg of yours?"
Patches is a little bit hesitant to talk about someone she barely knows but has a huge crush on nonetheless. But Calamity does not leave her alone until she finally "breaks" and tells her about him.
Calamity cannot lie; when she hears the description given, she gets the appeal. A massive brick wall of a man with a soft spoken but carry a big stick attitude. A well-mannered hunk with a fascination for good uniforms, tea and bunnies. Although that last part is still quite some guesswork, as Patches has been heavily crushing on him but she is unsure if it is requited.
"I mean… returning that picture was an amazing gesture. And the kissing of my hand too. But I'm afraid that I'm seeing ghosts. Like this is something that he would just do out of the goodness of his heart in general. Not because he "fancies" me." she sighs.
Calamity nods understanding. She knows what Patches is going through; she had the same with her mustachioed hero. So she played it real safe. Before she tells the bunny all about it, she checks on Trevor, faintly hearing him go through the bureaucratic wringer with his superior about extraction. So she has some more time to educate her new best friend.
"I found out something he liked that we could do together. Even back then, Trevor was keen on guns. Big surprise huh? But he also liked the less violent option; lasergaming. Good exercise and no pain from the impact. So, I asked him if he'd be down for a match. Not as a date, just as two friends. Nudge a few things here and there, see if you are compatible and boom! You should know soon enough whether or not those butterflies ease or go hogwild."
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you." Patches smiles, a little less insecure and flustered now.
Calamity leans in a little closer.
"May I ask a cheeky question? How old is he?"
"According to Trevor, he is around his mid-30's."
"And he's looking that good still? Salt and pepper too?"
"I may have seen a few gray parts here and there."
"My my! And how old are you?"
"Just 23."
In response, Calamity can do nothing else except raise her hand up in the air for a high-five because Patches may have just landed a massive jackpot if that love is requited. She politely pressures her to hook that big bird and never let him go. And Patches vows to do exactly that as she returns the high-five.
Then Trevor comes back with a face like thunder and with less than pleasant news. He sits down with a sigh, leans on the table and tells them that despite them having exactly what the Army needs, they cannot send in a helicopter or any other transport to extract them out of this zone.
"The best they could do is to inform the wall section we'll use to get back out. Another priority code. Bones this time."
"How original." Patches says, rolling her eyes.
"So what now?" Calamity chimes in.
Trevor sighs again and sits back against the chair rest.
"We have to arrange our own transport back to that wall. But you have one, right?"
Calamity nods.
"Then that's how we'll do it. And we'll be back home before Solar rises again. To personally get our lives back."
"And I will personally slap that damn Captain of yours. Right in the face, real disrespectful like."
"I'd love to see that!" Patches grins.
"Pretty sure Kip already did that for us. But, if you want, I'm not gonna complain. Just don't mention that I said that."
Both ladies gesture that their lips will be zipped up. The three then prepare to move out just as the radio crackles back to life. On its own. What is transmitted is a mixture of static and heavy, glitched breathing. In response, Trevor pulls his revolver out and points it straight at the radio. That antique, bronze brick may be very dear to him but if he has to disable it for the sake of his and the others' safety, he would.
He gestures to Calamity to stay seated and to Patches to hand him that core. She rolls it over the table and Trevor takes it under his arm. Only to roll it to the radio much like Quinn did back at the metro. The static and the breathing amplify before it dies out completely once the core is close enough.
"Clever…" a voice familiar to Patches says.
A cold chill runs over her back. That low, muffled and glitchy voice. That is that hybrid from the square. It is back.
Trevor puts his revolver away now that the core has messed with the unwelcome guests' attempt to annoy them to death with loud static and creepy breathing. He approaches his radio cautiously still.
"Trevor. It is that hybrid. I recognize its voice." Patches says just loud enough for Trevor to hear.
He acknowledges her warning as he picks up the transmitter module. His finger hovers lightly shivering over the button before he presses it.
"Whoever this is, you better leave my radio alone."
"Trevor…!" the constantly out-of-breath voice then bellows out.
"They call your name. Those you killed. They were loyal servants to the Hive."
"Then I was more than happy to murder every single one of them." Trevor answers with plenty of bite behind it.
"You are… a soldier. Cornerian. Honorable to each other and even your enemies. The history is there."
"You are not an enemy. You are a plague. A pest. A virus. A filthy bug that deserves nothing more than the boot. And I will personally ensure your destruction!"
It is quiet on the other side but also inside the apartment. Trevor however regrets none of his words. All that is annoying is some spit he managed to get on his module, which he casually wipes off.
"I am… not a bug. We are… not a bug. I used to be like you… weak, free and confused. I was known as Martin. An individual. Alone, unconnected. The Hive makes it redundant to feel. Just serve."
"And yet you had to mutate one of us. You saw some potential in us, what for? And where are you anyway?"
"Our interests in your species will deliver beneficial results. Understanding you will make us destroy you easier. And as for where we are… next time you burn our jammers, make sure it is actually destroyed."
Hearing this, Trevor covers the module and lets go of the button. Then he instructs Patches to look out the window and peer through the barricade to see if she can see it. She tries her best but finds it hard to find the bastard. Until she grabs that monocular and with some maneuvering, finds it. She signals this to Trevor.
"Found you. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just blow your head into a million pieces?"
"Because we believe that we can solve this… bloodlessly. We know that what you value most is your life. And that of others. Those… "close" to you."
Trevor feels the emotional blackmail coming. He is getting serious Silva vibes from this fiend, but this is way worse. Silva was dangerous but this thing is on another level. It is learning to be more evil and manipulative. Less direct and driven by the need to infect, to consume.
"We have placed multiple bombs around this area. Should we detonate it, not only will this whole block go up in flame, but also everything you have. Our core, your partner… your home and life."
Trevor clenches his fist, trying to keep his emotions under control. But then he relaxes as he heard a discrepancy in the hybrid's reasoning. Something it does not know. A possible ace in the hole; Calamity. It knows about him and Patches but not his girlfriend.
"So, you got me by the balls then. What do you suggest? I suppose you don't wanna die either. Accomplishing Corneria's subjugation isn't gonna work very well if the valuable data on the core is going to waste."
"Fair. We suggest a trade. Your lives for the core. We will… l–sshhhh!"
The hybrid's voice slowly falls away to static. But the core has not moved any closer. Instead, someone else is pushing for the Aparoid's spot on the radio frequency. And they are fighting for it really hard.
"Are— w– we on? Hello? T—-re–r? Trevor d-do you-read? Bl—dy— H - ll N—son, get that s—nal c-leared up will ya!?"
"W–ork—ing… there! Signal cleared up."
"Good. Captain?"
Trevor can now clearly hear Nelson and the Sergeant-Major again. The Aparoid has lost the battle but this does not mean that it has lost the war. And… did he just hear the Sergeant-Major give the stage to the Captain? When a voice on the radio clears their throat, he knows it for sure.
"Trevor. Come in. This is the Captain speaking. Acknowledge please." the Captain states, audibly stone-faced.
Trevor lightly scuffs; the bastard has not changed a bit.
"Acknowledged. What happened to Bones and the secrecy? Sir?"
"Save your tone for later. Do not, under any circumstances, give up that core! Irregardless how you feel about me and my orders personally or professionally… Do! Not! Give! It up!"
Trevor is seething in silence. Not one ounce of regret for his actions it seems. He does not need to be told the importance of the core to what the Captain is planning but he could care for at least a tad of respect.
"You can talk easily, Sir. You are not in the middle of Aparoid hell, surrounded by bombs and an Aparoid hybrid that is keen to rip my throat out. Without reinforcements or a clear way out."
"I'm sure you had worse. I'm giving you possibly the most important order in recent history; Lose that core, you lose everything you are. And we lose even more good men and women in ridding the city of those bugs. Think of the bigger picture Trevor, I implore you!"
There is no response.
"Trevor? Hello? I can hear you breathing! Don't fuck with me right now! Fine, I no longer implore; I order you to! Do not lose that core!"
"Sorry Sir." Trevor replies after a long period of silence and thought.
"I cannot take that order. I am not a soldier. My name is Mr Bones. And I believe you have the wrong number."
The Captain verbally flounders about, trying every order in the book as the connection gets worse. The Aparoid is counter-attacking and despite Nelson's best efforts, it is winning. The order to not lose that core is spouted as loud and clearly as possible for as long as the Captain can before he is completely gone and the hybrid is back.
Unheard to Trevor, the Captain slams his fist on the table, rocking it. An action he regrets soon enough as that hurt way more than he expected. The Captain tells Nelson to keep trying to get that signal back, but receives a reply that they have been cut off completely. Even if they would try to rally them, Trevor has cut them off. Manually.
"Your negotiation skills have improved." Damian wise cracks to his friend.
"Trevor is surely going to keep that core now."
"Spare me your drivel, Sergeant! Nelson, keep trying and let me know first thing. Damian, with me."
The avian salutes and follows an internally seething Captain out of the communications hole. Nelson sighs, in the hope that Trevor does what is right. And that he can hopefully tap into his communications with that hybrid. Who is an interesting type for sure.
"Seems your superior has abandoned you. Are you willing to trade?" the hybrid suggests, now back on the air.
Trevor nods first before replying. Doubtful yet resolute, he confirms that he agrees to a trade. But only if certain agreements and terms are set, which he will state after convening with his partner first. The hybrid agrees and awaits his answer. The transmission then ceases and Trevor puts the module down.
He stands up from his squatted position and turns around to his two partners in disbelief. Especially Patches, who knows first hand how hard the Captain has made it for the both of them, is quite perturbed by Trevor's agreement to trade that core for their lives. For what lives will they have? How could they possibly trust that bug?
But Trevor is resolute in his decision. The trade will take place. It is just a matter of working out the details. Patches' concerns are waved away and Calamity is not allowed a say in this.