Authors notes: This isn't my best chapter and I know it. Not only have I suffered a hand injury that has immensely hindered my ability to write, I've also had some major bummer stuff go on lately in my life. All that is the reason why I'm late on my updating. I might even have to take some extra time off to heal up. Sorry everyone.
I've been feeling rather disheartened as of late so any reviews and kudos are cherished. The next chapter will be better, I promise. Until then I hope you all enjoy this chapter and take care of yourselves out there.
Oh and P.S- The lodge that our characters find themselves in is loosely based off of one I used to go to. Summer camp in poor rural areas can get wild man lol.
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John was dying.
Or at least...it certainly felt that way to him.
The teenager sat sprawled out in the doorway of the lodge. He was far enough inside to be sheltered from the hellish sun but close enough to the outside to catch whatever breeze could be had, which was very little. Fortunately for John, Bladewolf had taken it upon himself to fan the boy with a chunk of ply-board and to monitor his internal temperature. It didn't feel like it made much difference but John was grateful for the consideration it all the same.
What was particularly irking the teen was that he was the only one who seemed affected by the heat. Wolf naturally had no issues with the temperature although he tended to avoid direct sunlight lest his metal chassis heat up too much.
Sam acted as if he did not even notice the high temperatures. While John would be chugging the bad tasting water and sloshing it over himself like there was no tomorrow to escape the heat, Sam would casually get a drink and stroll along his merry way like it was a mild spring day. The bastard didn't even seem to sweat much. The only thing that marked him as human rather than some weird heat resistant alien was that he tended to nap during the worst heat of the day.
His father almost seemed to thrive in the heat and sun as the man was outside more often than not. He was already outdoors by the time John awoke (and the teen had nearly had a heart attack that first morning waking up to Wolf watching him intently), and his father was still out there by the time tiredness and the chill drove John indoors.
In addition to Wolf's assistance, John weakly fanned himself with a brochure that he had found during his exploration of the building. Even if the heat wasn't as bothersome to him as it was to the others he would still be stuck on his ass. With some murmuring about how kids were made of rubber, Dad said that his leg was healing very well all things considering. It still hurt like hell though. Thankfully John had recovered enough to hobble around on his own now instead of having Wolf carry him everywhere like he had over these past few days.
Along with his injury, there was also the hunger making him weak. It was a sharp piercing hunger that made John want to claw out his insides at times. That first day they were here at the lodge Sam had managed to find a pack of crackers hidden away amidst the junk of the van. The stale unsalted crackers had been hard to choke down then, but John found himself wishing for them back as the hunger grew.
Thankfully it had not taken Dad and Wolf long to catch and cook a rabbit. It was stringy and gross but it was still food. Game around here was sparse but at least they weren't actively dying of starvation. 'They were just doing it very slowly' John glumly snarled to himself, flicking his brochure with as much ire as his exhaustion would allow.
To distract himself from the heat, his sore leg, and his gnawing stomach John instead turned to watch his father over by the rusted and ruined playground equipment.
The blond man was currently walking across the tops of the monkey bars as a cat would. Sometimes he would jump to another set of equipment and attempt to stay balanced upon landing. At times he preform an acrobatic maneuver sideways or even a daring flip backwards. John had watched over these past few days as the rocky landscape and the worn out play structures had turned into his fathers own personal agility course.
Sam had found the entire endeavor intensely amusing. He never did say anything to Dad directly, even when confronted about his staring. More often than not when it was Wolf's turn to patrol Sam would come sit beside the teen and watch along side of him. The scarred man would chuckle on occasion whenever his father would take a tumble into the dirt, but for the most part he would silently observe with a smirk on his face.
The teen was still uneasy around the man and wished that he would go sit elsewhere. Despite his previous fear, unease was the most he felt towards him. Now that he's had a chance to look back on his 'kidnapping' and after that mess during their escape from Maverick, Sam didn't seem like such a big deal anymore. He was just an asshole.
John had no idea what the guy's deal with Dad was but as long as there were no more fights and he didn't get in the way of Dad getting better then the teen found that he really didn't care.
During their stay at Maverick while exercising in the apartment and their few trips to the gym, John had heard Doktor's reminders about physical therapy to Dad over and over again. It was all about getting the machine-body to obey the commands of the brain. And also for the brain to receive input from the body seamlessly once more until motion is a natural flowing thing instead of an exercise of focus and will.
John had always thought his father looked so determined back then. It was a stoic look of forward progression despite how far he had to go. The teen never realized how wrong he was. Reflecting back on it John thought the attitude that he had initially interpreted as stoic now seemed tired and beat down. Now as Dad attempted ridiculous acrobatic feats on the thin bars of metal, the man looked absolutely driven.
It was as if he were being possessed to improve. Over these past few days of observation John had watched him fall and fall, heedless of his injuries. But no matter how many times he landed in the dirt, or the scorching heat, or Sam's mocking amusement about him playing on the playground, Dad never gave up. And other than to sleep and going off with Wolf to hunt, he never truly rested either.
John was concerned that his father was pushing himself too hard but felt too awkward to try to initiate a conversation about it. Although he could not deny the fact that he seemed to have been making more progress over these past few days then he did the past few weeks back at Maverick.
The teen felt a mix of longing and shame as he watched his father steadily improve. It almost felt as if he were being left behind. John wanted to improve as well. No, he needed to. He needed to be better than he was back during the attack at Maverick.
Nightmares of that day plagued John's restless nights. When he wasn't immediately focused on the heat and hunger the thoughts of his screw ups and what he could have done differently took it upon themselves to haunt him. All John could think of was how useless he had been. Even when he had decided to stand up and take action he had only managed to get himself captured and ruin any chance Dad had of fighting his way free.
Was Dad disappointed in him, John often wondered. Did he wish that John was more like himself and more capable rather than...this? He had always thought he had taken Dad's lessons to heart, that he was able to handle himself in a sticky situation. Oh how wrong he had been. And it had been proven to him most thoroughly.
It was an insecurity that was only deepened due to what he overheard several nights ago.
John hadn't intend to eavesdrop that night. He had simply been restless. Wolf had gone to patrol several hours prior so there had been no one to have whispered conversations with to take his mind of things. After staring at the darkened wooden walls long enough to where the shadows began to morph maliciously, John decided to see if his father was still outside and to go be near him for a while.
Uneasy with the shadows pressing in from every side potentially harboring more attackers, the teen had made his way to the lodge's back door as quietly as he could. Outside he didn't hear the echoing sound of bare feet brushing up against weathered metal or the nearly silent sounds of footsteps on the sandy ground. Discouraged, the teen had nearly turned around and went back to bed.
"We need to think about moving on." John had froze at the sound of Dad's voice breaking the heavy silence of the night.
"You have no patience. It has only been a few days." Sam had replied flippantly. John had tensed and hunkered in the shadows of the hall.
"Stop walking away from me." Dad had snapped nastily. "There is little game here and nothing to scavenge. I don't know if you've noticed but I have a kid to care for."
"You act as if a few days of no food will starve the boy to death. Trust me, he will be fine. You are being overly dramatic about this, don't you think?"
"I know exactly how long it takes a child to starve to death, but that is only part my reason for wanting to leave this sandy shit hole you brought us to." There was the sound of shuffling around. John had inched closer to door to better hear the low voices. "I am going to need some medical equipment soon. I have an idea about a number of individuals who can help out but it's going to take some time to reach the closest one. A lot of time actually considering we have to stay under the radar. We need to get moving as soon as possible."
"Why leave when we have all the help we need coming to us?" As usual Sam's voice held equal parts confidence and smartassery.
"You don't have proof of that." Dad snapped. "You keep saying that they're coming. You keep saying to trust you but I don't. All you have is a hunch."
"And I trust that hunch over your decision making. We've all seen how well that turns out."
The voices had fallen silent for several moments. Looking back on it the boy had been convinced that they were about to fight. The two men glaring at one another from the other side of the wooden walls could practically be felt. John was tempted to reveal himself just to diffuse the situation but the conversation resumed once more.
"There is another reason I want to go to this other location." His father had spoke in an exaggeratedly calm voice that suggested he was trying hard to reign in his temper. "I want to leave John there. All of this is too much for him. He would be far safer there with them than with me. At least until all of this blows over."
"And what if it does not 'blow over?'"
"That's for me to worry about. Not you."
John had slunk back to his room, the feelings of inadequacy smarting fiercely. A distant logical part of himself knew Dad's words to be true, after all it wasn't anything that he had not already been thinking himself.
It didn't make it hurt any less though.
That hurt had carried on through the days to now where John sat uselessly fanning himself and wondering if he was more capable of fighting and roughing it if his presence would be more welcome.
John didn't want to be a liability any more. Sam was mostly human. Dad had been in the military before having cyber work done. If they could endure all of this then John should be able to do so too.
He wanted so badly to get up unbothered by injury like his father. He wanted to be able to shrug off the heat like Sam. He wanted to join in with the training instead of sitting around and doing nothing.
John was tired of feeling useless. He was tired of being hurt, being hungry, and being scared.
But most of all he was tired of this damn heat.
Wolf, who had been watching John almost thoughtfully as he idly fanned the boy, abruptly tossed the ply board away and shot up to his feet. Dad nearly fell from his handstand from turning so quickly to look at the unexpected action.
"There is a vehicle approaching." Wolf announced curtly before turning and bounding off towards the road.
The was a thump from inside of the lodge where Sam had gone for a drowse as the man was no doubt rolling to his feet and getting ready for action. With the aid of the doorway, John got to his feet and took off at a hobbling run to go meet his father who had already jumped down from his perch at Wolf's warning and was approaching him quickly.
The older man made to scoop the teen up and carry him but John refused to be carried any further. He waved the assistance off and moved along as quickly as he could all the while fighting fiercely to keep the pain from showing on his face.
Dad simply raised an eyebrow at John's stubbornness but instead of fighting it he herded the boy along to their designated hiding spot.
They had planned out what to do in a scenario like this in their early days here. Sam was to go and greet anybody potentially sniffing around while Bladewolf would wait in hiding should the encounter turn out to be a dangerous one. John and his father were to hide amidst the large rocks near the cliff face behind the lodge. There they would wait until Sam and Wolf drove the intruders off, were victorious, or until the two defenders fell. If they were taken out then Dad would confront the threat, acting as bait and giving John the opportunity to escape.
John hated this plan. To be left behind somewhere safe while everyone else was in danger galled at him. It only served to reinforce everything that had been running through his mind lately.
The teen didn't have time to dwell upon his shortcomings as he and his father tucked in behind some boulders and out of sight of the old dirt road. Through a gap in the rocks John was just barely able to peer through and watch as an old green pickup truck with a covered back slowly rolled up to the lodge.
Emerging from the building without his sword strapped to his side, Sam causally strolled up to greet the driver acting for all the world like he belonged there.
John was completely shocked as the window rolled down and a familiar face popped out and wave at the scarred man. The door opened and Kevin Washington of all people stepped out with a smile. It turned out that Sam had been right all along. 'Sam is so going to rub it in Dad's face.' John thought with a snicker.
John made to stand up but a warning hand on his shoulder stopped him before he could fully rise and reveal himself.
"Whats wrong?" John whispered, looking up at his father who was staring out through the same gap with a look of intensity. "It's just Kevin?"
"Is he here with good intentions though?" Dad murmured suspiciously. John could only stare up at him in bafflement. Dad and Kevin were friends. John had seen them joke around and talk frequently. As far as John knew Kev didn't have any cybernetics so there was no way he could be hacked. What was with the suspicion?
"Dad...what?" John asked a little more sharply than he intended, wondering perhaps if Dad hadn't been pushing himself too hard and his memory was acting up again. His father spared the puzzled boy a look then shifted closer to John while still watching the exchange between the two men.
"It's not a happy one but here is a lesson for you: everyone has their price. Some people can be convinced to do evil things by pure persuasion alone. Some people have to be blackmailed while others only need to be bought. How much this takes will depend from person to person."
"You think Kevin is gonna betray us?" John asked incredulously, fighting to keep his voice low.
"Not willfully, but it is a possibility. He's not the kind to be swayed by words or money. But lives can also be used as currency in this kind of situation. He mentioned he has a girlfriend, remember? What if someone is holding her hostage? Threatening to kill her unless he does what they want. What if they have his family?" Sharp blue eyes cut a glance towards John before returning to his intense observation. "Everyone has a price..."
With a more suspicious mind than he had a moment ago John watched the exchange between Kevin and Sam. The swordsman looked as relaxed as ever and Kevin was talking with his hands like John had always known him to do. From the looks of it Sam was receiving the scolding of a lifetime. Both John and his father perked up as someone exited the passenger door but the individual remained obscured as they moved around the back of the truck.
Sam followed Kevin as they moved around to the back of the truck. John wished that they had found a better place to hide because this vantage point gave them little view as to what was going on back there. The two men and the third unknown individual popped open the truck and began rooting around inside.
John watched as Bladewolf seemed to manifest out of thin air like a mirage from the surrounding sands. The AI inspected the newcomers and the vehicle before turning to face directly towards their hiding spot. As if the all clear wasn't apparent enough, Sam beckoned the two of them forward.
Dad stood first and left the shelter of the rocks with John following closely behind. They were too far off for John to properly see the expression on Kevin's face but as the two blonds revealed themselves the man seemed to positively sag in relief. The teen nearly stumbled in his already unsteady footsteps as another familiar face popped out from behind the truck to enthusiastically wave at them.
"What the hell?" John was too taken aback by the unexpected visitor to rebel against Dad's assistance in helping him stay upright and moving. "What is George doing here? I thought he went back home weeks ago?"
"This smells like Dok's doing." Dad sighed deeply, shaking his head in aggravation.
"Ok, first of all…" Kevin immediately started as soon as the two were in earshot. "You have got to quit scaring me Raiden. You're gonna give me cardiac issues man. Disappearing with out a trace, no idea if you all are even alive or dead, and all the mess that was left behind? There is only so much I can take." The man moved forward to meet them as they approached.
"You should be used to it by now Kev." Dad quipped. "I'm sure it's not the first heart attack I've given you over the years. Or everyone else for that matter."
"Speaking of everybody else, Courtney is probably a wreck and I'm positive that Boris has an ulcer by now. Second of all…it's real good to see you man." John never took Kev as a particularly tactile man but that didn't stop him from stepping in and giving Dad a quick hug. His father returned it with a small chuckle.
"Well I wouldn't be me if I wasn't neck deep in some kind of trouble or another."
"Trouble is putting it mildly." Kevin stepped back with his arms crossed, as if he were trying to scold the older man but failing as his relief was still too evident. "With all the cameras back at HQ being out it took us a while to piece together what happened. Jumping out the window?"
"Hey…" Dad said defensively. "I didn't exactly have many options." John tried not to shudder at the memories of free falling as the stomach flipping sensation of dropping through the air ran through his mind.
"Yeah well I'm just glad we found you. I wasn't too sure but Boris insisted that we head to this location for some reason to check. I guess he was right again."
The smugness was practically radiating off of Sam. He leaned against the truck with his arms crossed waiting for recognition. Dad steadfastly pretended he didn't exist and John pretended his laughing was a cough.
"Speaking of 'we'…" Dad turned to George who was sitting on the tailgate of the truck swinging his legs quietly enjoying the scene unfolding before him. "What the hell are you doing here kid?"
"Dok sent me. Surprised?" Was the older teen's cheery reply as he presented himself with a playful flourish. Dad apparently didn't share in the lighthearted mood and turned to Kevin with a frown.
"Things at Maverick are tense." Kev stepped in to explain. "With everything that's happened Boris was unsure if he could trust the guy that he originally had in mind. Everyone is suspect at this point. That and it was kinda hard to get someone familiar with Dok's work in such a short notice."
"Dok says I knows enough about first aid and cybernetic care to fill in. Oh and speaking of…" George hopped down from the truck and to John's surprise marched right up to him. "You. Inside now. Imma look you over. I seen that limp you suck at hiding. Lets go take care of it."
"Go on." Dad nudged John with an elbow. The teen didn't know whether to feel embarrassed, patronized, or amused at the situation. "I'll catch up with you later."
"Oh no, you is coming too." George pointed a metal finger at Dad and crooked it. "Eyewitness accounts say you is injured too." John definitely settled on feeling amused at the taken aback expression on his fathers face at being ordered around by a teen. George turned to face Sam. "Don't know about you though."
"Not a scratch on me." With deliberate casualness the swordsman inspected the metal of his prosthetic fingers. "However I know that those two have been shot."
"In. Now." George commanded before digging in the back of the truck and slinging a bag over one shoulder and heading on towards the lodge.
"As far as anything medical is concerned George is in charge. Boris' orders." Kevin shrugged, also amused by the teen's brass.
"You two princesses go get your little ouchies taken care of. I'll take Kevin and hide the truck where we stashed the van." Sam pushed off from where he was leaning and made for the drivers seat. Deciding that he wanted out of the sun more than he wanted to see Sam and his father exchange dirty looks, John followed George into the lodge. After a moment and most likely a rude gesture to the other man, Dad followed after them.
The two of them stepped into the shaded interior to join the teen who was looking around the abandoned lodge curiously. After occasionally working at Maverick and living wherever the Doktor had established his unique cyborg orphanage, the teen suspected that George thought the place that he found himself in now to be a complete disaster. John had certainly thought so after exploring the area several days ago.
The entrance hall was lined with several wooden trophy cases with dingy cracked glass. With the exception of some bare granite bases and a few metal laurels broken off by careless handling, all the cases had been emptied out. The floor was more sand and dust than concrete at this point.
There were several banners depicting a bird of prey hanging periodically further down the hall. The gold on the fabric had long ago lost its shimmer and the once deep green had nearly faded to yellow. Several of the banners listed rankings and dates for competitions. The most recent date John could find in all the building was from nineteen seventy six.
For such a big building it was largely barren, any furniture of value no doubt removed years ago. Not too far from the entrance of the building was the office. All it held was a broken box fan and scraps of paper. There were lighter spots on the floor where a desk and cabinets had been placed over the decades. The only other points of interest were the bunk rooms, a few supply rooms full of broken cleaning equipment, and the dining room down at the far end which seemed to double as an auditorium judging by the faded hand painted murals covering the walls.
To John's dismay their first day there, he had discovered that there were no indoor bathrooms to be had. A few yards past the playground there was a rickety old outhouse that looked as if it were going to collapse at any moment. There were spiders in there. Big ones. Sam had given him an understanding look the first time John had exited the building with a look of horror on his face. Dad had been far more amused than sympathetic although he had tried valiantly to hide it.
"Kinda crappy, isn't it?" John asked the other teen, who was nudging a small skeleton in the corner with the toe of his shoes. "This place is awful."
"Nah. It's not that bad." George turned and hoisted his bag further up on his shoulder. "I've seen worse. So where's a clean...umm...where's the best place to do this?"
"The dining area would be our best bet." Dad motioned for the both of them to follow and led them down the hall. Thankfully he kept the place slow and did not question John's sudden need for independence. George however, was side eyeing him hard. The teen fought harder to hide the pain and walk normally no matter how he wanted to limp and yelp.
At the end of the long hall when they reached the dining area John did his best to sit rather than collapse onto one of the wooden tables with its built in seats. The dark wood had almost a soft texture from years of use and abuse. The teen looked over the initials and graffiti carved into the old wood as a way to distract himself from the throbbing in his leg as the other boy rooted through his bag and gathered what he needed.
"Here ya go." George said handing Dad a tablet like the one's Dok carried around in the lab. "If you would run a diagnostic for me while I take care of him it would help lots."
John watched as Dad took the device and typed in some info then sat back on the bench with his eyes closed. George patted the top of the weathered table beside of John.
"It would help if you where here." He said as he cleaned his hands with an alcohol wipe and slipped some gloves on.
"Oh, right." John hopped up higher on the table and obediently stretched his leg out.
"There was nothing I could do for sutures." Dad said with his eyes still closed. "Pressure and wrapping was the best that could be managed under the circumstances. Disinfecting of the wound and bandages were managed with cheap vodka."
"Vodka?" George paused in his inspection of the wound.
"We stole it." John said cheerfully, amused at the confused look on the taller boy's face. "It hurts like hell too."
"Oh I bet it does. Looks like its been working though. No signs of infection. Healing up well." John twisted where he sat on top of the table to better see the side of his calf too. "From what Dok briefed me on, the accounts were real bad. Last time anyone saw you two, you both covered in blood and being dragged away."
The older boy set about cleaning and wrapping the wound properly, discarding the sad remnants of Dad's shirt in the floor. The antiseptic stung but nothing like the drink that they found stashed away in that van. How did that dude drink that stuff and not die?
"You is gonna be fine but this is gonna leave a scar. Nothing I can do about that though." George said as he finished up the task. John waved the concern off with a show of confidence.
"No worries. I really don't care about that. I'll think of it as a souvenir."
What John was not about to admit was that inwardly he hoped that it would scar. It would serve as a permanent visual reminder that he had to be better than he had been. That he needed to get better or else.
"Done with that scan yet? Lemme see what we have to do with you." George took the offered tablet from Dad's hands and quickly scrolled through the information. John stretched and strained to read the screen too but the text was too tiny for him.
"So what's the diagnosis? Am I going to make it?"
"Let's see…" The older teen paced about a little as he looked through the info. John was strongly reminded of Doktor as he did so. "The self repair units did a good job of patching you up for the most part. You is real low on them though, only twenty seven percent left. But I gots plenty more, trust me. The bullets should be expelled on their own in a few days." George paused for a moment to consider. "That or I can dig them out, whichever you want."
"I want them out sooner rather than later. I can feel them grinding against something whenever I lift my arm." Dad raised his arm to demonstrate the problematic motion. John felt the beginnings of nausea as he imagined what it had felt like doing all of those acrobatic stunts with something grinding and popping away inside the entire time.
"Gotcha. Other than your blood sugar being low, everything is in the green. I thinks you'll make it." George declared with a cheery grin and began packing everything back up. John watched as a serious look came over Dad's face as he watched the taller boy going about his task.
"Kid. Why are you out here?" George looked up at him in surprise, then passed the emotion off with a grin.
"Cause they couldn't trust the other guy. Like Kevin said, nah?" The other teen went back to his work, but John knew from the look on Dad's face that the questions could not be deflected.
"This isn't a camping trip. It could get dangerous fast. I can't say that I'm comfortable with you being out here like this. I don't know what Boris and the Dok were thinking."
"They were thinking they needed somebody that they know wouldn't turn traitor." George quit acting like he was distracted with the supplies and turned to face the older man with arms crossed and an atypically serious expression on his face. "I can do this. Besides, we both know that danger is something that I'm already use to."
"That doesn't mean…"
"Remember what we talked about, before you gone into surgery?" There was no immediate answer so George continued on in the wake of the silence. "This is a chance to see if I'm really cut out for this kind of work. It's a chance for me to go to those that need me, that can't come to safety, and to put my skills to use. This kind of thing is what I want to do with my life. Lemme have a chance to do it."
John looked between the two intently, too engaged in this test of wills to attempt for any subtly. George stood tall by the tables, his face set in a look of determination that was offset by the pleading in his eyes. Dad slouched where he sat, torn between looking at the teen and off into thought. John expected his father to let down the other boy kindly but to his surprise Dad yielded with a deep sigh.
"I'm not happy about you putting yourself in danger, but I don't control you. You're old enough to make your own decisions, and capable enough to see them through. As long as you are aware of the risks then I'll support you with no matter what you chose."
The stormy look on George's face cleared up instantly into a bright grin at the permission and praise. Before anything else could be exchanged the moment was broken by footsteps approaching the lunch hall. As soon as Kevin saw the three of them he broke away from where Sam was guiding him and jogged up to greet them. Sam and Bladewolf took their time as usual.
"Sorry about the wait guys. I still can't believe it. Man it's still so good to see you all ok. You are ok, right?"
"We got the George seal of approval." Dad said, sitting up from his slouch and looking amused at the other man's relief.
"We got the truck stashed away...Oh, and we brought along plenty of supplies. Food, clothes...which it looks like you need some. Just the essentials. Also Sam was telling me his version of things. It still leaves a lot of gaps in the story though. I'd like to hear what went down on your end. If you're willing to talk about it, that is."
"You know the whole of it for the most part. I'm more interested in what Boris and everyone is doing." Dad deflected.
"Oh I plan on letting you know what all went down. I just wanna piece together the whole story first and get things straight before I tell my end." Kevin talked with his hands as he usually did as he found his own table to sit upon.
John leaned back on his forearms across the well worn surface of the table as his father reluctantly walked the other man though the whole event. The teen wondered at the surgical, almost detached way that Dad spoke that nightmarish ordeal. Perhaps it was because he was used to situations like that. Perhaps it was because cold and impartial were how mission reports were supposed to go. Whichever it was, John knew that the words fell woefully short of how things really happened.
As Dad walked Kevin through that day, and now that John's perspective wasn't clouded with a haze of pain and terror, he reflected on all those emotions that his father was carefully leaving out. The rage at the attacking men, particularly when John was being held. The complete focus as they were falling through the sky. That weird look that Dad had given as he had attacked with a knife, that almost looked like joy. John shifted uncomfortably at the memory of the bloodshed and how fast and unflinching his father was.
"Did you really try to take on those two men with a gun?"
John was jarred from his thoughts by Sam's question being directed towards him. The teen felt a flash of defensiveness at his screw up before he realized that the man was not asking the question in a mocking manner. Sam seemed honestly delighted by John's actions, their level of success notwithstanding. With a little more self confidence and pride at the unexpected support, he answered.
"Yeah. I did. I didn't have much of a choice though. I would have got the one guy if he wasn't scary fast."
"You did too have a choice." Dad countered somewhat sourly. To John it seemed that his father was less irritated with his actions that day and more with how chuffed Sam seemed by the whole thing. "You could have listened to me and stayed hidden and…"
"Oh lay off the child you fretting nanny." Sam interrupted Dad before another lecture could start. Oh and what a look Dad shot him at that reproach. "You may have raised the boy soft but he still has that warrior fire in him anyway. Despite your best efforts to smother it at that. You should be proud."
"How I raise my son is my business and you can stay out of it."
John was feeling the oddest mix of emotions right now. Normally he was firmly on his fathers side and also found the scarred man irritating. Now in an unexpected twist, the roles reversed themselves. John leaned wholeheartedly into Sam's words. Those nagging feelings of being a failure and uselessness faded with the praise. John didn't know much about him, but if the swordsman that was regarded highly enough to be their guard saw something in him then certainly there must be something there.
"Getting way off topic guys." Kevin interrupted before a spat could start up. "Raiden, if you could go ahead and finish up your report."
Looking decidedly more irritable now, Dad proceeded to finish recounting their escape while Kevin listened calmly and collectedly.
"Well that clears up a few things." Kevin said as he leaned back and rubbed at sore neck muscles. "Too bad there's no way for me to let Boris know what went down. Not until everything blows over on his end that is.
"Alright you've had our story now it's your turn." Sam finally sat down from where he had been standing and leaned in. "You going to let us know whats going on at Maverick or are you going to keep teasing us?"
Kevin leaned forward placing his elbows on his knees and collected his thoughts for a moment.
"Well lemme tell you that Boris wasn't happy when we found out. We were actually working a mission over in Europe when we got the call and had to leave. Thankfully Courtney is over there taking care of things and probably scoring us more contracts. Boris was...well you know how boss man gets when he's pissed and stressed. It would have been worse if it had been a complete surprise but he kinda figured that something like this was going to happen and was ready for clean up duty."
"We should have left sooner." Dad said bitterly. John watched as the shadow that seemed to have fallen over his mood only deepened. The teen exchanged an uncomfortable look with George who was doing his best to be unobtrusive. "Boris shouldn't have put forth the effort into helping me only to put everybody else in danger."
"Raiden." Kevin cut him off sharply with a pissed off look. "What the hell were we supposed to do with you? You were in shit shape. We couldn't just let you go off on your own when it took you ages to even be able to walk again man." Dad's expression darkened further but Kev plowed through whatever he was going to say. "No. the fault is on us. On Maverick. We had planned for a safe house weeks ago, but we didn't want to interrupt your recovery. We waited too long and that is squarely on us."
"Yes, yes..." Sam interrupted and motioned for Kevin to hurry on. "And what else happened?"
"We actually managed to regain control of the building fairly fast. It was almost as if our baddie lost all interest in Maverick the moment the four of you left. The woman that was in the security office that had killed the two posted and locked down the building surrendered immediately. The lady was hysterical and claimed that it wasn't her that did it."
"Hacked?" Dad asked with a sharp yet resigned look, as if he already knew the answer.
"We think so yeah. She's in custody right now until things can get cleared up and proven that she was hacked and not actually an accomplice. The same goes for that Maverick accountant we found in the garage. They're both gonna need some therapy if they are innocent."
"Wait." John interrupted, sitting up fully at the news. "That guy lived?" John was so taken aback by the news and Kevin's nod of affirmation that he didn't even care that his voice cracked. "But I thought…" He pantomimed slashing motions and looked from Kevin to Sam and back.
"If I wanted that man dead I would have just cut his head off. It was just an arm and Maverick has medical facilities." Sam brushed off airily. "At least there was someone left alive for questioning." He said with a pointed look towards Dad who ignored him.
"Shockingly enough, the only casualties were the three invaders and the two security officers."
"So Trent dodged death yet again." Dad laughed shaking his head.
"The way he's bitching he wishes he hadn't. He's bored to death at the hospital and is being forced on medical leave."
"So whats the plan now?" Sam asked lazily as if he were oblivious to the tense atmosphere. "We can't hide here indefinitely. We need to plan a counter offensive."
"For once I agree with him." Dad jerked a thumb towards Sam who looked pleased at this. "And I plan on being part of this counter offensive whenever Boris finally does manage to track this bastard down. Keeping my head down is obviously not working. We need to put and end to this."
"No offense Rai but last time I checked you were still having difficulties with your civilian model, much less a custom combat worthy body. I know that this is personal and all but it might be best to sit this one out man."
During the attack at Maverick John caught a glimpse of a side to his father that he had never seen before. It had been brief but the teen knew that he didn't like it. Now, watching a change come over his father, John watched as another facet of the man that he thought he knew revealed itself. Looking off into the distance, it was as if he became as cold as the metal he was built from.
"It will take time to track this guy down. When that time comes...I'll be ready."
John watched as his father stood to leave, cutting the conversation short. He paused after a few steps and to the surprise of both teens, beckoned for George to come with him. The other boy grabbed his bag and scrambled off after the man. Just before they got out of earshot John heard his father ask George exactly how many self-repair units did they bring.
The change in demeanor and the implication that the units would be needed concerned John deeply. It was when he moved to get off the table to follow and his leg throbbed in protest was when the light of realization shined upon him. The desire to improve and to not be weak anymore. The need to be more capable that one currently was. To keep going on despite pain or injury. Dad was going to get better even if he had to tear himself apart to do it.
Ignoring the pain as he followed along after them, John vowed to do the same.