19 - Home is Where You Are

"Welcome to your new temporary home. I cannot judge whether or not this is better than your Metro accommodations but at least the people around you are actually friendly." Kip introduces as she opens up the tent flaps.

It is a dark green, octagonal shaped tent with a strong pole with extra struts at the top in the middle keeping it up. It reminds one of a miniature circus tent. There is a bed right across from the entrance, hugging the wall. Around that is a coat rack, a small nightstand and a heap of stuff like bags, weapons and equipment. But that is pretty much only 1/5th of what could fit on the floor of the tent. Either this is a fairly new place or Kip has chased out all the rest. But the reasoning why is not as important.

Then, a home improvement team arrives with three extra beds and placing them in the tent. Another few carry the bedding. All washed and nicely folded they are placed on each bed so it can be made by the one who has the bed. And luckily for Trevor, there is no top bunk to claim as they are all singles.

"Well, this does remind me of that Metro place but without some people wishing you were dead. Thanks for letting us stay over Kip." Trevor responds heartily before yawning unapologetically, whereupon he apologizes for doing so anyway.

"No worries, Trevor. Now! Get to work on your beds. I'm your host, not your mommies." she giggles before walking over to her own.

Trevor picks the one sitting somewhat in between Kip's at the top and Calamity at his feet. With Patches picking the one opposite of him. All three start making up their bed but in the rush to snooze off as fast as possible, they cut some corners. Patches for example, just puts all the bedding on top of her, no matter where they are supposed to be in a normally made bed.

The trained soldier inside Trevor gets the shivers looking at this. How many times he was chewed out by the Drill Sergeant for not having made his bed properly… if only he could have received a dime for each time. However, he does not blame her one bit. He at least tries to create a molton fitted sheet but aside from straightening out some parts, he too leaves it largely unkempt. Mainly because he cannot stand properly.

Calamity however is more meticulous. It might be a tick or an undiagnosed case of light OCD, but she never jumps into the bed unless it is properly made. Even if it takes minutes longer than Trevor and Patches' method, it is worth it in the end. By the time she is done, Patches is pretty much gone already and Trevor is not far behind.

Seeing that her guests might not be in the mood to share bedtime stories, Kip turns off the light. Now in an almost pitch blackness, those still awake wish each other sweet dreams. As Trevor puts his head down on the pillow, he stares at the ceiling of the tent. And there he sees a vent leading out. This tent has ventilation, meaning no Aparoid spores could bother them. And seeing this, it soothes any little niggles that were haunting him about falling asleep. His eyelids close and he feels his body relax after a shiver runs across it.

- Stay with Me

Then his eyelids part. The darkness has become less thick, likely because his eyes had time to get used to it a bit more. Looking from his supine position, he can see that Solar is still not up yet. A quick look at this watch shows that he might have slept for about an hour or two. The rest are still sleeping around him though, which is a relief. The last thing he wants is a repeat of that one nightmare only to wake up in a panic.

But as he sits upright, he notices that Patches is no longer hiding underneath her pile. She is not even in the tent. Both curious and concerned, Trevor carefully gets out of bed to avoid waking the other two up. Any pain that he feels has to be suppressed as he lifts himself out using those crutches. Although he does blow a sweet kiss at Calamity's forehead, whispering that he loves her. Just because she looks so cute asleep. Then he quickly turns around and whispers to Kip that she is alright as well before he leaves the tent.

It is a very clear night as he can look out over a large part of the base including the entrance gate and the trench system. Kip really knows how to pick her spots. She has a lovely view like this. The only thing disrupting the view is Patches' back, sitting on a rock and looking up at the sky. Admiring the millions of stars sparkling in the infinite blackness.

"Hey." he calls out, making her startle slightly.

"Oh crap, sorry! Didn't mean to startle you."

"Trevor… please. Next time you wanna make my heart stop, just shoot me yeah?" she replies sarcastically while catching her breath.

Trevor chuckles, attempting to sit down on the floor next to her before realizing he might need some help with that. So Patches puts him down next to her and together they look to the stars.

"Couldn't sleep either huh?" Patches asks without looking at him.

"Nah. I guess not. Although I'm still not rested at all."

"I just woke up. No idea why. I figured maybe getting some fresh air would help."

"Glad it wasn't a nightmare that messed you up."

She chuckles, remembering that attempt at that shattered house that ended in utter failure. As she thinks about it however, she becomes slightly melancholic. The subject matter of that dream was not great. She grabs on to her locket and gives it a quick look for some support.

Trevor is not blind to this but he does not seem too concerned. He had seen the gate open in the meantime and seen a civilian car enter. He suspects that that is who he thinks it is. There is normally no reason why any civilian car would be allowed in here. Aside from the one they were driving in. So he is confident in admitting something he has been holding to himself but it will take a while before the surprise is here. In the meantime, he has an important question to ask her. Which will also distract her from looking out to the gate and potentially ruin it.

"Hey Patch? Have you ever heard of a White Out unit?" he asks.

The bunny turns to him, her expression is confused.

"Clearly not. So I'll put it simply; I'm Special Forces. Pretty basic on the importance scale. I'm allowed to be on camera with at least my rank and my last name. Then you have White Out units. The top of food chain types. They are allowed on camera as long as they have their voices distorted, their faces covered up and wearing sunglasses. No mention of rank, just a codename. Maybe not even that."

He can see her trying to picture that description but it is not clicking yet. A lack of military know-how he suspects. She will get it soon though. For now, he will keep it even simpler.

"Okay, how about this: you know those secret organizations that the government denies having but everyone sort of knows exist?"

She nods.

"White Out is just below that denial."

"Ooooh, now I get it. Sounds dangerous but very fun I imagine. So people know that they exist and it is admitted that they exist but they are not mentioned until someone brings them up?" she reasons.

"Exactly. Or when there's something that requires a more… subtle yet hard hitting effective approach. Infiltration, sabotage and even…"

He emotes by putting a finger gun to his temple and "pulling" the trigger.

"Really?! Wow, that's hardcore! I bet we could make a good one."

Trevor laughs awkwardly as she literally nails what he is going to ask.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Well, it seems you can read my mind." answers Trevor.

It takes Patches a moment but then she gets it. Trevor did not bring this up for the fun of it. There is something going on here. That has to do with him but now also with her?

"The Captain wanted to see me to discuss that very thing. Turns out, the bastard has been operating on his own this whole time. All of this? Unauthorized. He's essentially become a warlord."

"What? No way… but then again, it does make sense. He's only a Captain. Not like General or something. But still… wow! He's done pretty well. Although something sits wrong with me about that."

"Tell me about it. However, before this whole Aparoid bull, he was going to lead a White Out unit. But now all the candidates are dead because of this invasion. So, he was looking for new recruits. Gave them all nice codenames too."

Suddenly Patches' eyes widen.

"No… you don't mean that…!?"

"We were selected without even knowing. And we passed, with flying colors." Trevor says, only carefully celebrating it as he does not know what her reaction will be to this.

"With being sent into… are you…?! So… we are one now then?"

"Not quite yet. But if I stay with the military and I testify on the Captain's behalf… giving that he makes it through the grilling he will receive of course. If that all goes well, I'll be in. Being able to lead and put my own team together. With only the best of the best."

"W-wow… that is really impressive." she exclaims, happy for him.

The words said however start to circulate in her head. There is no mention of her being in that team. Only that if Trevor helps the Captain out, which is odd on its own, does he get the chance to form his own team. Knowing that Trevor before this invasion already had a good squad, what are her chances of even matching that? And suddenly, that awful sinking feeling rears its ugly head. That insecurity.

"So… do you already have someone in mind? Or several people?" she asks very carefully, trying to keep the obvious double-meaning of her question hidden.

"Oh, sure. I definitely want at least one of my old squad mates in there."

That was not the response she was looking for. It only stokes up the pilot flame of fear.

"However, I do believe a new team requires new blood too. Hence…"

He turns to her with a serious look on his face.

"Ashley? You're Nova 7-2 to me. Always were, always will be. But do you want to make it official? In other words; I want you in my White Out unit."

One should never blow out a pilot flame but that sentence was like a hurricane extinguished it out of existence. And the resulting gas leaks lead into a massive explosion of happiness. He wants her by her side. As 7-2, like they were in the underground. Even after everything she put him through, he still trusts her. He wants her to stay with him.

"Yes! Yes absolutely!" she cries out joyously as she flings herself towards him to hug tightly.

But not so tight that it will cause more fractures. He always has enough of those.

"Jeez Trevor… you had me worried for a second. I figured you'd ditch me for your old squad."

"Pfft! Please. They were good… kinda… but they are also old. And likely have their own lives to attend to. Expect that one I'm looking for. He's always been a loner so he's more likely to accept. But I'm very glad you're not sick of my ordering-you-around ass." he chuckles.

The hug breaks up and Patches cannot seem to wipe the biggest smiles from her face.

"If I do get sick of it, I'll just give you an elbow tap again."

"I'll have you court-martialed for that." he banters right back.

"I'd like to see you try old man."

"Sheesh, attacking the weak points right away? You'd be perfect for sabotage."

The bantering dies down and soon enough the two friends find themselves admiring the stars again. They imagine themselves being sent out to various colonized planets in Lylat. Completing missions, bowling over all enemies with their skills and getting all of the medals. Until they resemble those pictures of Venomian Generals who had their own uniform clad in ribbons and medals. To the point you could render them ineffective if one used a big enough magnet.

- Come with Me

The happiness and excitement Patches feels is fantastic. She has made it. Not only is she now surrounded by people who like her, she is moving up quickly in the world. Not even two or so days ago, she was physically and mentally in the gutter. Underground, unseen and surrounded by mostly those who did not care or outright distrusted and hated her. The exception was Quinn of course. And later Peter too when Trevor united them together.

And now, she is sitting on a rock with her partner inside of a military camp. A partner who was but a few hours ago in danger of dying if she had not driven a car transporting his radio, himself and his girlfriend out that Infection Zone. A zone they were unceremoniously dropped off in with nothing but the equivalent of two sticks and smack on the bum. And she survived all of that. Learning so much so quickly.

She quickly peaks at the patch on her shoulder. "Earned in Blood" as Trevor said. Only now does she feel more worthy of wearing it. Although she is planning to do much more with it.

Then she grabs a hold of her locket again. She opens it up and whispers to her mother's picture that she made it. And that she hopes that she is in some way proud of her. Trevor does not hear this but does see this. Judging by the time that has elapsed since that car stopped at the entrance, he thinks it is a good time to call attention to it.

"Ash? Do you remember that in that house we had that campfire I needed to use the bathroom? Well, that was a lie. Half a lie. I arranged something else." Trevor admits.

She seems surprised at this sudden admission. It is not really her business to ask what else he did in there. That seems like a private matter. But it has something to do with her then? It has piqued her curiosity enough to ask him to go on. So far what he has said has only resulted in something lovely and this does not seem like something bad.

"Well, we were still within the cleared part so the radio was working. And I… arranged something with Nelson. And just recently with the Captain too. As a surprise for you."

Patches looks impressed but cannot seem to puzzle it together.

"And what surprise were you thinking about to pull such connections?"

Then Trevor sees something to his right so he looks towards it. It is that clipboard soldier, waving his hands in the air. Signaling non-verbally as outstandingly as possible to draw his attention. When Trevor can see him and confirms that he sees him, does the clipboard soldier looks to and beckons to something to his left, still invisible so far.

When Trevor sees who it is coming up the stairs to get to their platform, does his heart fill with premature happiness. He is sure that that is her. The resemblance is instantly recognizable. With a soft jab with his elbow into Patches' side, he demands her attention. When she relinquishes a tad annoyed, can she see what Trevor sees.

All thoughts that she had, any irritation or irks… freezes and shatters into nothingness. Her heart skips multiple beats as her grip around the locket tightens. Her breath stagnates and tears start to form. Her brain cannot believe what her eyes are seeing. It must be a mirage, a ghost or a dream. But when this "fake" person can be seen matching Patches' reaction bit by bit, does she realize it is not a mirage. Nor a ghost or a dream. That is her mother. Alive and well, standing only a few dozen meters away from her.

"Surprise." Trevor quips but he is pretty sure that her brain is not taking in any other inputs right now.

He will not bother her with that. There is someone important waiting for her. She stands up, shaking slightly. She is a little hesitant, doubting what to do. It has been so long since. What is she going to do?

However, when her mother stretches out her arms, asking for a hug, she knows exactly what to do. She speeds away like a launched arrow. Almost tripping on Trevor's crutch but staying upright enough to finally land into her mother's loving arms.

Tears flow freely from both sides. And Trevor has difficulty not to join in. Especially when her mother holds Patches' face in her hands, telling her that she is so proud of her. How she missed her and how she looks so good. Aside from that little bandage. When the tears have dried and more joy takes over, does she take her mother to Trevor so he can be introduced. He tries to get up out of habit but his leg still does not cooperate. Whereupon Patches instantly rushes to his aid, putting him back on the rock.

Patches' mom sees this and immediately suspects a relationship. But Patches quickly denies that, saying that she should not embarrass her like that. Trevor is not very helpful by siding with the mother, admitting that it is easy to confuse them.

"But no, Ashley and I are just friends. Heck, excellent friends!"

"Partners." she finishes.

"...Through the end." Trevor adds.

They share an admittedly tender moment until Trevor's attention is shifted by something behind Patches. She turns around and sees the Captain of all people walk towards them. The both of them look in surprise before realizing they are to salute. Which they do right away. But the Captain gestures that they can relax. He is not here for them. Instead, he approaches Patches' mother.

"Miss Hare, I apologize for not picking you up in person. I was sadly preoccupied with business. I hope your escort was to your satisfaction?"

"Oh, absolutely! The soldier was very enthusiastic and knew exactly where to find my daughter. Everyone else around here has been so nice so far."

"Ah, yes. Your daughter has been instrumental in the success of an upcoming operation. She and Corporal Trevor for that matter." he states proudly, imitating Damian's demeanor decently well.

To which Patches responds confused.

"Wait… Corporal? Have you…? Have we been…?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Trevor asks himself, purposefully exaggerating ignorance.

"Yes, we have. No penalties or deductions to pay. I'm a Corporal again and you are back to Private First Class. Well… still with Militia status of course. Right, Captain?"

"Right you are, Corporal."

"Hold on… is that why you are in a military camp?" Patches' mother asks before turning back to her daughter.

"But I thought… your uniform. You were training to be a police officer, weren't you?"

"Oh… yeah. I was a police officer. I finished the academy but it wasn't it. My superior and my "partner" were absolute dicks, mom. Trevor showed me however, that not only are there men around that can still be trusted…"

A major side eye is given to the Captain, who is obviously oblivious of anything he could have done to earn that.

"... but also that what I was looking for was not in the Police. My place is here in the Military. However, I'm not official yet. The patch on my shoulder is mostly ceremonious. Trevor gave it to me to replace the badge I threw away." she explains.

"You threw that badge right in front of that bastard's face." Trevor corrects her.

"Well then…" her mother responds, needing some time to take that all in.

After she has had a moment to let it all sink in, she cannot say she agrees with Ashley's choice of profession. She never liked her going to the police. The risk of getting killed is there. And now this? The army? During this invasion?

However, Ashely is a grown woman. It is her decision. But, given that nothing is official yet, she has an idea. Because no matter how grown up she is, she will always be her daughter.

She suggests that Ashley could come with her. Back home. She has left her room intact ever since Ashley ran away from home. She could sleep in her parental home again. Under a sturdy roof in a well-known environment.

Hearing this, Patches and Trevor are slightly shocked. For her, it is very nice but unexpected to hear. For him, it is also unexpected but not so nice. He is starting to think that getting her mom here might have been a two-sided blade. Cutting one way but also slashing in his direction. However, no matter what he might think or want, it is her decision.

Patches herself is now standing in dubio. Her room. Left untouched. Stuck in time. She could just go back to when it was comfortable. Those happier times. Be with her mom in the same house. Safe and sound.

But then she looks back at Trevor. She can see it written on his face. How he would not try to stop her if she went but also how he would really like to not make that decision either. In those dull blue-purplish eyes she can see everything. Their shared adventures, the now and the hopeful future.

Then she feels her mother grab hold of her hands as she saw that it was not easy for her. She acknowledges that Trevor is someone who seems trustworthy, but they have not known each other for very long. He rolls his eyes but then his head sinks slowly down for he knows it is true.

"Come home." her mother adds, hammering a potential final nail in the coffin.

There is a rush of emotions running through her head right now. So much happiness was thrown at her after such turmoil and strife. But now she is forced to choose? She cannot stay in the middle; time does not freeze, no matter if she perceives it as slow-motion.

Meanwhile, back at the tent Kip has woken up too. Hearing the annoying voices outside has gotten her into a bad mood. When she, still half asleep, notices that two out of three of her stay overs are not their beds, she becomes worried as well as grumpy. The only person unaffected by the noises outside is Calamity, who is just snoozing away.

Once she gets closer to the exit, she can hear at least two voices she recognizes and another she cannot place. Whoever that unknown person might be, they will have to deal with her piqued drowsy state. She opens up the tent flap and right away her own two flaps open up too.

"Hey Ashley!" she shouts, walking down a little up the path down.

"I don't know what you are doing with Corporal "Injury" there but if you two don't get back inside to sleep and rest your weary butts so I can be a good hostess, I'm gonna… be-be really annoyed. I dunno…"

She tried so hard, all for it to be ruined by a yawn she was holding back the whole time before she finally could no longer hold it back. After which she just states, no, orders them to get back inside. Whereupon she sees the Captain stand a little further in the distance. She greets him too and apologizes for shouting.

All four look in her direction as she starts to realize the gravity of what she has just done. But she owns as best as she can, leaning against a nearby pole. Having taken this all in, Patches has made her mind up.

She then frees her hands from her mother's grip and grabs hers instead. She brings them to her lips and gives them a kiss before she looks up at her. There are some tears visible welling up but a broad smile the size of which her mother has rarely seen.

"Sorry mom. I really, REALLY appreciate your offer. But…"

She looks back at Trevor and Kip.

"... but this is where I belong. This is where I feel happy. Even if I don't know them for very long, there's a connection unlike anything else I've ever felt. And I know it is more than dangerous. But I found out I'm so good at it! Trevor and I kicked so much butt out there!" she explains so enthusiastically that she almost hops in place.

"But he hurt his leg…?"

"Standard operational hazard, ma'am. If you are as good as Ashley, me and Kip." Trevor gloats through a groan as just the mere mention of his leg sends out a jolt.

"I'm serious, mom. I'm doing alright here. I like it here. And if possible, I hope to honor this rank Trevor gave me by becoming a full-fledged soldier." Patches finishes.

"That's the spirit, Ashley! We'd welcome someone like you in a heartbeat." the Captain proclaims proudly.

Her mom looks around. Snapping from her daughter, to Trevor, to Kip, to the Captain and then back at Ashley. Her Ashley. Her little girl… has grown into a woman. She can see the image shift. From the point where she would only come up to hips with her very large ears. From that cute, childish face with the innocent, ever curious eyes to the scratched, rugged and grown-up face she has now. Those big, hazelnut brown eyes are now sparkling with pride, focus and confidence. Although that curiosity is still there.

"Oh, Ashley. My beautiful Ashley… you've grown up so much. I'm so glad you have these people around you. No matter how I feel about your job, as long as you are happy."

"Thank you, mom." Ashley almost sobs before the duo hug it out again.

It is a relief to hear that from her mother. Not that she did not expect her to go along with her decision, but there is always that little shred of doubt. That urge to not wanting to disappoint your parents. But typically seeing their own children choose their own path makes them happier in the end.

"But if I have to drive home all alone, at this hour…"

Trevor turns to face Kip.

"Hey Kip, you got room for one more?"

Kip quickly looks inside the tent and sticks her thumb up.

"Looks like we have another guest then. If allowed of course, Captain."

"Who do you think called her mother over? And then I would kick her out of camp? Of course not. Miss Hare, you are free to stay over for the night. Sleep until you are well-rested and ready to return to your home." the Captain states, to which Ashley's mom agrees.

Kip radios in that improvement team again. And although they are a little hesitant at first because of the time, Kip reminds them who's at the top of the food chain here. That seems to work. Soon enough, another bed along with bedding is brought in and everyone can return.

Patches says goodnight to the Captain, thanking him for getting her mother here. She does the same for Trevor but he deserves a whole lot more in her eyes. She will figure out something later then. For now, she guides her mom inside and Kip walks along to help them get settled. Upon seeing the locket around her daughter's neck, she asks where she got it from. When Patches mentions Trevor, her mom brings up the question again of whether or not Trevor is her boyfriend or not. But Patches is sure; Trevor is not her boyfriend. She has eyes for another man however, to whom she will surely introduce him.

Now Trevor and the Captain are the only ones left at that particular location. Where once again sleep starts sinking in.

"I should really be going back, or else the Sergeant-Major will start looking for me. He has the nasty habit of waking up when I'm not present on the bunk above him." the Captain sighs.

"Sounds like a good friend who's looking out for you." Trevor answers.

Against that, the Captain has no counter.

"Very true. Best gentleman in the whole galaxy. Unless he tries to ruin my plans to get rid of you two." he winks slyly, generating at least a chuckle from Trevor.

"By the way, did you ask her?"

"Ask what?"

"If she wanted to join your potential future team?" the Captain clarifies.

"Yeah. I did. She agreed. Looks like I'm stuck with her for a while longer. I hope so, of course."

"I hope that too. She has a lot of potential. I was pleasantly surprised by her interest in becoming an actual soldier. That's drive and foolhardiness. Something I can appreciate. And as long as you can curtail her, I'd be happy to accept a bunny into the ranks. Heck, it would satisfy those weird affirmative action fellows."

"Getting sniffy about diversity quotas? Then she might not be the best candidate. She's quite progressive."

"Really now? I might decline her application then. Only if she gets a score above 90 in training, will I let her pass." he tries to suggest with his trademark stone face, but the cracks of pretending are showing.

"I'll hold you to that." Trevor jokes along before Kip arrives to remind the boys not to talk about ladies behind their backs.

Then she picks poor old Trevor up from the rock and both wish the Captain a goodnight. But also plenty of luck with the offensive tomorrow before they return to their tent. The mutt appreciates it and they split off to their respective nests for the night.

Once in, Trevor sees that Calamity has not moved an inch since he came out. Slept through everything. All the talking, all the shouting, all the murmuring and all the crying did not wake her up. Probably the most she did was groan and complain.

Trevor then sees Patches try to help her mom make the bed but her mom seems to be operating at a professional level, making Patches more of an observer than a participant. Soon enough, all five are back in bed. No general goodnight is needed; everyone knows why they are here. And soon enough, none of them are left awake.