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It’s a Peaceful Life (Battletech AU/SI)
- Thread starter MarkWarrior
- Start date
Chapter 10
MarkWarrior
Occasionally decent writer
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2019
- Messages
- 889
Of course, the trip to my farm wasn't just about me showing her the work I'd done. So, after the tour and watching her take pictures to show the 'before' and 'after', we ended up on the front porch, Sage and Thyme at our feet while she vented.
"I don't understand why they want me to attend the Nagelring over a Federated Suns Military academy. I mean, Peter already intends to follow in Victor's footsteps and is trying to get good enough grades to attend the academy early. I might not be the most military-minded of my siblings, but I do understand the politics. If all three of the oldest attend military academies in the Lyran portion of the Federated Commonwealth, then it's apparent favoritism. If I go to NAMA or the military branch of NAIS on top of my current degrees, we're bringing the two together more instead of separating them."
She sighed, her chair rocking back and forth while Sage enjoyed the scratches behind her ears.
"I'm just confused. Maybe Dad or Mom are seeing something I'm not, but it doesn't make sense!"
"So," I sipped my glass of sweet tea. "Do you want me to actually talk through it with you? Do you want potential solutions? Or do you just need an outlet?"
"I don't know," she stopped rocking and let Sage jump into her lap. "I feel like I'm just now figuring everything out, and then the rug gets pulled out from underneath me."
"I get that," I laughed. "More than I think anyone else does."
"Right," Kat nodded, finding the right spot on Sage to make her start sticking her tongue out. "So, what do I do? How do I move on from here?"
"Well," I looked out over the farm. "I don't think the Federated Suns crowd really cares what military academy you or your siblings attend as long as one of you attends a military academy on this side of the 'Sphere. But I'm also not as tied into everything as you are. I mean, I don't even have a Tri-Vid out here."
I paused and exhaled, collecting the rest of my thoughts before continuing.
"To be honest, I think that you attending a military academy and diving into logistics or something similar will only help you as you go through life. If Victor ends up biting the dust for any reason, you need enough of a background to know whether your advisors are bullshitting you or not. But, if you want to fight your parents on where they send you, that's your business. I don't think my input matters much to the First Prince or the Archon."
"Fair," Kat agreed. "I suppose it's a little unreasonable to dump all of this on you."
"Nah," I shook my head. "If I were only a friend when it benefited me, I wouldn't be a friend. Good friends stick with you through thick and thin."
The sun began to dip down below the horizon as our conversation drifted to lighter topics, only really drawing to a close as Kat yawned.
"I probably should be getting back to the Mountain," she stood, hugging her arms tightly around herself as a breeze blew through the porch. "I leave for Tharkad in two days, and I've got to sort everything I'm bringing."
"Probably a good idea," I stood as well. "Any chance I can get a mailing address? I'd like to stay in touch."
"Sure," Kat followed me into the house and wrote down what I would need to send a letter to Tharkad. "Keep it secret."
"Keep it safe," I finished the quote with a smile. "I'll see you around, Kat."
I went for a handshake and was surprised by a hug as the young woman squeezed tight.
"You're a good friend," she whispered.
I returned the hug and gently squeezed until she let go.
"I'll see you when I see you," she kissed me on the cheek and left me stunned as the front door opened and shut behind her.
"Huh," I touched my cheek. "That wasn't what I expected."
I walked out the front door and waved goodbye, her car heading down the long road back to the city. But my thoughts remained on what had just happened for the remainder of the night.
I didn't write that letter for about a week or so. I didn't know what to say, and I didn't even know how to begin. So, I went through my usual routine before writing the letter and sending it to Tharkad.
"She move on?" Luke asked while we were opening one day.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "She's headed to Tharkad. But you're probably more in the know than I am."
"She'll be back, or she won't," Luke said, flipping the sign on the door to open. You can try to stay in touch, but communication takes both parties."
"I know," I replied. "I've sent a few letters, but they'll probably arrive before she does."
"I wouldn't count on it," Luke snorted. "I've worked with the postal service before. They're not the fastest on the planet. Much less the whole Inner Sphere."
"Then I better get used to waiting," I chuckled. "Because I don't think I'm moving to Tharkad anytime soon."
"I dunno," Luke stroked his chin in thought. "Tharkad's cold for most of the year. A bakery could do really well there."
"Tempting," I snarked. "But I think I'm set here. "
"Anyway," Luke changed the subject. "My buddy said you ended up picking up that Mauser."
"Sure did," I grinned. "If she weren't so heavy, she'd be perfect. I did have to go in and clean off some of the focusing lenses, but aside from that, I'd have said that she wasn't just in 'good' condition but excellent."
"I'll have to stop by and shoot it some time," Luke matched my grin.
"I'm on your buddy's list if anything else interesting comes in," I started tallying up the last few cake orders and adding them to our calendar. "I hope to add to my 20th and 21st Century collection."
"I'm probably one of the only people in the 'Sphere that would understand your obsession with those," Luke snorted. "I like the way they look, but there are much better options in this day and age."
"I'll outshoot you with my older guns any day, any time," I called him out. "You don't even know how to handle recoil properly, you laser-focused jackass."
"They're the superior weapon," Luke smirked. "Just because you like projectiles better doesn't mean I'm worse."
"No," I laughed. "It just makes me more of a Patriot than you. Where is your pride? Your love for autocannons?"
"I'm not a Mechwarrior. Your point is invalid."
"I think you're lying about that," I raised an eyebrow. "But I have no way to prove it."
"And that's how it will remain for the rest of eternity," Luke winked. "Now get to work. Those cakes won't decorate themselves."
"Sure, boss," I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say, old man," I muttered the last bit.
"I heard that!" Luke called out. "I may be old, but I still ain't deaf!"
With that, Luke and I settled back into our routine. Life returned to normal, except for me now sending letters to Tharkad once a week to try and keep Kat in the loop on how things were going on New Avalon.
"I don't understand why they want me to attend the Nagelring over a Federated Suns Military academy. I mean, Peter already intends to follow in Victor's footsteps and is trying to get good enough grades to attend the academy early. I might not be the most military-minded of my siblings, but I do understand the politics. If all three of the oldest attend military academies in the Lyran portion of the Federated Commonwealth, then it's apparent favoritism. If I go to NAMA or the military branch of NAIS on top of my current degrees, we're bringing the two together more instead of separating them."
She sighed, her chair rocking back and forth while Sage enjoyed the scratches behind her ears.
"I'm just confused. Maybe Dad or Mom are seeing something I'm not, but it doesn't make sense!"
"So," I sipped my glass of sweet tea. "Do you want me to actually talk through it with you? Do you want potential solutions? Or do you just need an outlet?"
"I don't know," she stopped rocking and let Sage jump into her lap. "I feel like I'm just now figuring everything out, and then the rug gets pulled out from underneath me."
"I get that," I laughed. "More than I think anyone else does."
"Right," Kat nodded, finding the right spot on Sage to make her start sticking her tongue out. "So, what do I do? How do I move on from here?"
"Well," I looked out over the farm. "I don't think the Federated Suns crowd really cares what military academy you or your siblings attend as long as one of you attends a military academy on this side of the 'Sphere. But I'm also not as tied into everything as you are. I mean, I don't even have a Tri-Vid out here."
I paused and exhaled, collecting the rest of my thoughts before continuing.
"To be honest, I think that you attending a military academy and diving into logistics or something similar will only help you as you go through life. If Victor ends up biting the dust for any reason, you need enough of a background to know whether your advisors are bullshitting you or not. But, if you want to fight your parents on where they send you, that's your business. I don't think my input matters much to the First Prince or the Archon."
"Fair," Kat agreed. "I suppose it's a little unreasonable to dump all of this on you."
"Nah," I shook my head. "If I were only a friend when it benefited me, I wouldn't be a friend. Good friends stick with you through thick and thin."
The sun began to dip down below the horizon as our conversation drifted to lighter topics, only really drawing to a close as Kat yawned.
"I probably should be getting back to the Mountain," she stood, hugging her arms tightly around herself as a breeze blew through the porch. "I leave for Tharkad in two days, and I've got to sort everything I'm bringing."
"Probably a good idea," I stood as well. "Any chance I can get a mailing address? I'd like to stay in touch."
"Sure," Kat followed me into the house and wrote down what I would need to send a letter to Tharkad. "Keep it secret."
"Keep it safe," I finished the quote with a smile. "I'll see you around, Kat."
I went for a handshake and was surprised by a hug as the young woman squeezed tight.
"You're a good friend," she whispered.
I returned the hug and gently squeezed until she let go.
"I'll see you when I see you," she kissed me on the cheek and left me stunned as the front door opened and shut behind her.
"Huh," I touched my cheek. "That wasn't what I expected."
I walked out the front door and waved goodbye, her car heading down the long road back to the city. But my thoughts remained on what had just happened for the remainder of the night.
I didn't write that letter for about a week or so. I didn't know what to say, and I didn't even know how to begin. So, I went through my usual routine before writing the letter and sending it to Tharkad.
"She move on?" Luke asked while we were opening one day.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "She's headed to Tharkad. But you're probably more in the know than I am."
"She'll be back, or she won't," Luke said, flipping the sign on the door to open. You can try to stay in touch, but communication takes both parties."
"I know," I replied. "I've sent a few letters, but they'll probably arrive before she does."
"I wouldn't count on it," Luke snorted. "I've worked with the postal service before. They're not the fastest on the planet. Much less the whole Inner Sphere."
"Then I better get used to waiting," I chuckled. "Because I don't think I'm moving to Tharkad anytime soon."
"I dunno," Luke stroked his chin in thought. "Tharkad's cold for most of the year. A bakery could do really well there."
"Tempting," I snarked. "But I think I'm set here. "
"Anyway," Luke changed the subject. "My buddy said you ended up picking up that Mauser."
"Sure did," I grinned. "If she weren't so heavy, she'd be perfect. I did have to go in and clean off some of the focusing lenses, but aside from that, I'd have said that she wasn't just in 'good' condition but excellent."
"I'll have to stop by and shoot it some time," Luke matched my grin.
"I'm on your buddy's list if anything else interesting comes in," I started tallying up the last few cake orders and adding them to our calendar. "I hope to add to my 20th and 21st Century collection."
"I'm probably one of the only people in the 'Sphere that would understand your obsession with those," Luke snorted. "I like the way they look, but there are much better options in this day and age."
"I'll outshoot you with my older guns any day, any time," I called him out. "You don't even know how to handle recoil properly, you laser-focused jackass."
"They're the superior weapon," Luke smirked. "Just because you like projectiles better doesn't mean I'm worse."
"No," I laughed. "It just makes me more of a Patriot than you. Where is your pride? Your love for autocannons?"
"I'm not a Mechwarrior. Your point is invalid."
"I think you're lying about that," I raised an eyebrow. "But I have no way to prove it."
"And that's how it will remain for the rest of eternity," Luke winked. "Now get to work. Those cakes won't decorate themselves."
"Sure, boss," I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say, old man," I muttered the last bit.
"I heard that!" Luke called out. "I may be old, but I still ain't deaf!"
With that, Luke and I settled back into our routine. Life returned to normal, except for me now sending letters to Tharkad once a week to try and keep Kat in the loop on how things were going on New Avalon.
Last edited:
Blazaboi
Getting out there.
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2019
- Messages
- 15
no i think the clone might be to replace Katherine on her way to the Nagelring
Inbredmartian
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2018
- Messages
- 330
Why do o get the feeling he's gonna make a cut down carbine version of the Mauser, put all the survival tools and gear into a backpack and somehow pull a James bind mission to rescue the princess lol
Chapter 11
MarkWarrior
Occasionally decent writer
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2019
- Messages
- 889
The usual route from New Avalon to Tharkad took around one hundred and ninety days. If your jumpship possessed a lithium-fusion battery, you could cut that time almost in half. If, by chance, you were rotating from jumpship to jumpship via a command circuit, you could make the trip in a month.
I wrote my letters, not expecting Katherine to use a command circuit, though the few letters I did receive from her were sent while she was along her route.
After her jump to Rigil Kentares, the letters stopped arriving. It was as if the constant stream of correspondence had suddenly halted. After examining the dates on the letters, I noted that all of them lined up with the time it would have taken for her to transit with a lithium-battery-capable Jumpship.
"Hey, Luke, take a look at this," I put the envelopes for the letters with the dates in the order I'd received them on the desk in the small office,
"Gimme a minute," he grabbed his glasses and leaned over, examining the letters. "Nah, nothing out of the ordinary there. The transit around Terra often gets the busiest. And letters get lost all the time, only to appear years after they were supposed to arrive. I wouldn't attribute this to anything other than the incompetence of the mailmen and women."
"Why the hatred for the mail carriers?" I asked.
"I'm used to a certain level of efficiency and responsibility," Luke replied, taking off his reading glasses. "The postal service not only lacks the former but never takes responsibility for their own errors. If anyone in intelligence or the military tried that, we would be cashiered out and left with nothing to our name. Instead, the Postal Service gets a helpful and cheerful thank you when your package arrives on time. And isn't penalized for running late."
"Aren't they also having to work with Jumpships and everything else?" I raised an eyebrow.
"I just don't like the postal service," he sighed. "A delayed letter can be a much bigger problem than you'd think."
"Fair enough," I replied. "I just figured I'd get your opinion on these dates. It just felt a bit off."
"Never attribute to malice that which you can attribute to stupidity and sheer incompetence," Luke chuckled. "Idiots exist everywhere. You just have to learn to deal with them."
"Luke!" the man stood at the table and embraced the old veteran. "You old dog, how are you?"
"I'm good now that I'm retired, Joe," Luke replied with a wry grin. "What's it like being chained to a desk?"
"Pay's better," Josiah shrugged. "And my knees are much happier with me now that I don't do the crazy shit anymore."
"Fair," Luke laughed. "I have the grandkids to keep me young. Well, that and the bakery.'
"Still can't believe that you retired to do that," Joe shook his head before pausing as a waitress walked by and asked for their order. "Yeah, I'll take the prime rib, medium rare, and the house vegetables for the sides."
"I'll have the salmon, rice, and grilled red peppers," Luke said, allowing her to collect their menus and leave.
"I'll get those put in for you," the waitress replied, then disappeared into a side door.
"So, you don't normally request meetings outside our usual nights out," Joe sipped his red wine. "What's the favor you're about to ask?"
"I want you to take a look at the postal service."
"Goddammit," Josiah swore. "I swear that your vendetta against them has got to end before I lose my everloving mind."
"Hear me out," Luke replied calmly. "I'm not asking for a look into the entirety of the service or what mail's being read this time. I just want you to look into tracking down a friend's mail. See if it got intercepted by MIIO or something. I don't need or want the actual letters. I just want to know if they're being intercepted or not."
"That, I can do," Joe calmed down a bit. "Is this about Three Tango Delta and the Royal?"
"Yeah," Luke sighed. "The kid's not acting worried about it, but it's been six months since he got a letter, and my gut says that there's something else wrong with this beyond just the postal service being assholes like they normally are."
"They're only assholes to you, Luke," Joe laughed. "They don't hate the rest of us. It's just you. That said, if you've got a gut feeling about something, I can at least take a more in-depth look at things."
"That's all I wanted," Luke replied, lifting his water to his lips. "So, how's the wife?"
"Upset that I still can't talk about what I did," Joe sighed. "She seems to have this impression that I always risked my life. I don't know how to tell her I'm an analyst who worked more directly in the field. That's it."
"Might be worth seeing if you can get her clearance, like I did for Cheryl," Luke offered. "Keeping secrets just makes relationships hard. I know that if I hadn't done that for my marriage early on, it'd have wrecked us."
"I guess it's worth a shot," Joe took another sip. "I just never thought I'd need to, y'know? For most of our lives together, it wasn't a big deal that I was in Intel. Now that I'm working a desk instead of being in the field, she's acting all paranoid and worried that some sort of ISF or MASK agent is going to show up and try to kill us."
"Then I'd put in that authorization request if I were you," Luke chuckled. "And soon, before your old lady decides that the "Capellans are at the door" and does something crazy."
"I'll do that and start looking into the mail for the period, of?" Joe raised an eyebrow.
"I'll write it down for you,' Luke grabbed a notepad and pen from his shirt pocket. "It's a three-month focus, so it shouldn't be too difficult."
"I'll tell them you requested it, and the paperwork guys will be all over it," Joe laughed. "For some reason, they think your vendetta against the postal guys is funny."
"Uhuh," Luke crossed his arms across his chest. "They just understand why I have issues with them."
"Sure," Joe snarked as the waitress returned with the food. "You're just the crazy one around here."
"Sometimes, I think I'm the only sane one around," Luke retorted. "Now, how're things at the agency? I'm not asking for anything classified, but did the old broad drop dead yet?"
"Not yet," Joe looked around. "But don't let her hear you call her that. She'll pull you back in just to yell at you."
"She can try," Luke chuckled. "I ain't going back in, and I'll let her and Cheryl fight over it if she tried. I might even be able to sell tickets…."
I wrote my letters, not expecting Katherine to use a command circuit, though the few letters I did receive from her were sent while she was along her route.
After her jump to Rigil Kentares, the letters stopped arriving. It was as if the constant stream of correspondence had suddenly halted. After examining the dates on the letters, I noted that all of them lined up with the time it would have taken for her to transit with a lithium-battery-capable Jumpship.
"Hey, Luke, take a look at this," I put the envelopes for the letters with the dates in the order I'd received them on the desk in the small office,
"Gimme a minute," he grabbed his glasses and leaned over, examining the letters. "Nah, nothing out of the ordinary there. The transit around Terra often gets the busiest. And letters get lost all the time, only to appear years after they were supposed to arrive. I wouldn't attribute this to anything other than the incompetence of the mailmen and women."
"Why the hatred for the mail carriers?" I asked.
"I'm used to a certain level of efficiency and responsibility," Luke replied, taking off his reading glasses. "The postal service not only lacks the former but never takes responsibility for their own errors. If anyone in intelligence or the military tried that, we would be cashiered out and left with nothing to our name. Instead, the Postal Service gets a helpful and cheerful thank you when your package arrives on time. And isn't penalized for running late."
"Aren't they also having to work with Jumpships and everything else?" I raised an eyebrow.
"I just don't like the postal service," he sighed. "A delayed letter can be a much bigger problem than you'd think."
"Fair enough," I replied. "I just figured I'd get your opinion on these dates. It just felt a bit off."
"Never attribute to malice that which you can attribute to stupidity and sheer incompetence," Luke chuckled. "Idiots exist everywhere. You just have to learn to deal with them."
"Luke!" the man stood at the table and embraced the old veteran. "You old dog, how are you?"
"I'm good now that I'm retired, Joe," Luke replied with a wry grin. "What's it like being chained to a desk?"
"Pay's better," Josiah shrugged. "And my knees are much happier with me now that I don't do the crazy shit anymore."
"Fair," Luke laughed. "I have the grandkids to keep me young. Well, that and the bakery.'
"Still can't believe that you retired to do that," Joe shook his head before pausing as a waitress walked by and asked for their order. "Yeah, I'll take the prime rib, medium rare, and the house vegetables for the sides."
"I'll have the salmon, rice, and grilled red peppers," Luke said, allowing her to collect their menus and leave.
"I'll get those put in for you," the waitress replied, then disappeared into a side door.
"So, you don't normally request meetings outside our usual nights out," Joe sipped his red wine. "What's the favor you're about to ask?"
"I want you to take a look at the postal service."
"Goddammit," Josiah swore. "I swear that your vendetta against them has got to end before I lose my everloving mind."
"Hear me out," Luke replied calmly. "I'm not asking for a look into the entirety of the service or what mail's being read this time. I just want you to look into tracking down a friend's mail. See if it got intercepted by MIIO or something. I don't need or want the actual letters. I just want to know if they're being intercepted or not."
"That, I can do," Joe calmed down a bit. "Is this about Three Tango Delta and the Royal?"
"Yeah," Luke sighed. "The kid's not acting worried about it, but it's been six months since he got a letter, and my gut says that there's something else wrong with this beyond just the postal service being assholes like they normally are."
"They're only assholes to you, Luke," Joe laughed. "They don't hate the rest of us. It's just you. That said, if you've got a gut feeling about something, I can at least take a more in-depth look at things."
"That's all I wanted," Luke replied, lifting his water to his lips. "So, how's the wife?"
"Upset that I still can't talk about what I did," Joe sighed. "She seems to have this impression that I always risked my life. I don't know how to tell her I'm an analyst who worked more directly in the field. That's it."
"Might be worth seeing if you can get her clearance, like I did for Cheryl," Luke offered. "Keeping secrets just makes relationships hard. I know that if I hadn't done that for my marriage early on, it'd have wrecked us."
"I guess it's worth a shot," Joe took another sip. "I just never thought I'd need to, y'know? For most of our lives together, it wasn't a big deal that I was in Intel. Now that I'm working a desk instead of being in the field, she's acting all paranoid and worried that some sort of ISF or MASK agent is going to show up and try to kill us."
"Then I'd put in that authorization request if I were you," Luke chuckled. "And soon, before your old lady decides that the "Capellans are at the door" and does something crazy."
"I'll do that and start looking into the mail for the period, of?" Joe raised an eyebrow.
"I'll write it down for you,' Luke grabbed a notepad and pen from his shirt pocket. "It's a three-month focus, so it shouldn't be too difficult."
"I'll tell them you requested it, and the paperwork guys will be all over it," Joe laughed. "For some reason, they think your vendetta against the postal guys is funny."
"Uhuh," Luke crossed his arms across his chest. "They just understand why I have issues with them."
"Sure," Joe snarked as the waitress returned with the food. "You're just the crazy one around here."
"Sometimes, I think I'm the only sane one around," Luke retorted. "Now, how're things at the agency? I'm not asking for anything classified, but did the old broad drop dead yet?"
"Not yet," Joe looked around. "But don't let her hear you call her that. She'll pull you back in just to yell at you."
"She can try," Luke chuckled. "I ain't going back in, and I'll let her and Cheryl fight over it if she tried. I might even be able to sell tickets…."
Jao
(Verified Lemon Drop Addict)
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2022
- Messages
- 3,664
I read it as someone making a clone of Kat to replace her like what happened to Hanse. Chapter 11 make my theory more likely imo.
Chapter 12
MarkWarrior
Occasionally decent writer
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2019
- Messages
- 889
"Hey, Alex!" I greeted the regular with a smile. "What can I get you?"
"Well, I was wondering if I could ask a favor," the man sighed. "Leadership forgot to plan the breakfast catering for an upcoming event. I know it's a bit short notice, but I was hoping I could essentially buy out the shop for the rest of the week."
"Are you sure you can afford that?" I asked.
"I'm not the one paying for it," Alex grinned. "It's going on the corporate credit card. I'm just responsible for fixing my boss's mistake."
"Let me go get Luke," I replied. "It's his decision. I'd say it's probably going to be yes. But I don't know if he has any plans."
"Hey, Boss," I knocked on the office door. "Alex's got a question for you. It's above my pay grade."
"Got it," he groaned and stood, stretching his knee and wincing as it popped. "I'll be there in a minute."
"Give it to me short and sweet," Luke leaned across the display counter.
"I've got to bail out my boss and provide breakfast for a company function," Alex smirked. "And it's all on the company card."
"I'll have to do a markup for short notice and catering," Luke raised an eyebrow. "That fine with your boss?"
"I won't get in trouble for anything if that's what you mean," Alex shrugged. "I'd go with one of the big guys, but you've got better quality, and it's not like the company can't afford to spring for some good food now and again."
"Right," Luke's brow furrowed in thought. "Come with me into the office; I'll get a quote for you and see if we can figure this out. Mark, I might need you to place an advanced order for our supplies. Go ahead and start taking stock. I need to know what we have."
"Yep," I nodded. "I'll take inventory and go ahead and set things up for?" I trailed off and glanced over at Alex.
"Rest of this week and the weekend," he replied. "Maybe Monday as well, depending on how the meetings go."
"So, an extra week's worth of supplies," I pulled the pencil I had tucked behind my ear and wrote down some basic numbers. "I'll get started on that. Let me know if you need anything else, boss. I'll hold down the front and get that inventory list written up for you."
With that, the office door shut behind them, and their negotiations over price began.
Katherine woke to the sound of machines. Her ears filled with the beeping of a heart monitor, the smell of antiseptics, chemicals, and everything else that simply masked the odor of death that always seemed to fill a hospital.
Opening her eyes, she flinched away when harsh white light filled her eyes. She tried to raise a hand to shield them, but they refused to move, seizing on the straps that bound her to the bed.
"She's awake," an unfamiliar voice muttered.
"Good, that means she's recovering from the sedatives. Once she's fully aware, we'll move her to a cell and start the interview process."
It only took a few minutes for Katherine to put the pieces together. Her eyes darted to her peripherals to see if she could see any of her captors.
Unfortunately, they had strapped her down from her ankles to her head, and she was unable to do more than awkwardly wiggle around for a better view.
Katherine would not show any false bravado or make any comment. There would be no point to it. Whoever this was, they had accomplished something that had only happened once or twice in the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth's history.
This was her family's worst nightmare come to life, and it terrified her to the very core of her soul. She shuddered at the frigid air on her bare skin and the thought of what might come next.
"Start prepping her for transport," the first voice said again. "I have a feeling that Subject Bravo is going to be uncooperative for the initial interview."
"Do you want Separation or any other substances prepped?"
"Not for now. We already know what will work on her physiologically. The question is what will become of her mind once we begin. After all, working on a subject that was prepared from the tube for it is different from working with a more… Mature subject. "
With that, two figures appeared in her peripheral vision, masks blocking their mouths as they unlocked the wheels of her bed and attached the IV bag to a stand above her head.
Two people were dressed in white scrubs and coats worn by medical personnel and doctors throughout the Inner Sphere.
The white of their uniforms contrasted with their stated actions; the devils cloaked as angels of the light. The usual health and wellness that had accompanied the white robes of doctors now shimmered with the deep and dark terror that came with the realization that those capable of healing were also the most capable of causing harm.
Kat struggled a bit, but the straps cut into her, and she eventually gave up as they wheeled her into a barren cell. They pulled the IV and slapped a small bandage over the small incision, unstrapped her from the bed, and left her sobbing in a corner as the heavy metal door slid shut behind her.
A camera and a small vent were the only things to keep her company. The vent blew a steady stream of icy air as it recycled the oxygen in the room, and the camera stared unblinking at her form as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Kat withdrew into her mind, drawing on memories that brought joy and warmth with them. Memories of Victor stumbling around the first time they'd gotten into a Sim Pod, the first time she had ridden a horse, and many other vivid memories played out in her mind's eye.
But withdrawing from a situation only does so much. Despite her attempts to try and bring her mind to a more comfortable place, Katherine was alone, naked, and abandoned. That would not change anytime soon.
"Well, I was wondering if I could ask a favor," the man sighed. "Leadership forgot to plan the breakfast catering for an upcoming event. I know it's a bit short notice, but I was hoping I could essentially buy out the shop for the rest of the week."
"Are you sure you can afford that?" I asked.
"I'm not the one paying for it," Alex grinned. "It's going on the corporate credit card. I'm just responsible for fixing my boss's mistake."
"Let me go get Luke," I replied. "It's his decision. I'd say it's probably going to be yes. But I don't know if he has any plans."
"Hey, Boss," I knocked on the office door. "Alex's got a question for you. It's above my pay grade."
"Got it," he groaned and stood, stretching his knee and wincing as it popped. "I'll be there in a minute."
"Give it to me short and sweet," Luke leaned across the display counter.
"I've got to bail out my boss and provide breakfast for a company function," Alex smirked. "And it's all on the company card."
"I'll have to do a markup for short notice and catering," Luke raised an eyebrow. "That fine with your boss?"
"I won't get in trouble for anything if that's what you mean," Alex shrugged. "I'd go with one of the big guys, but you've got better quality, and it's not like the company can't afford to spring for some good food now and again."
"Right," Luke's brow furrowed in thought. "Come with me into the office; I'll get a quote for you and see if we can figure this out. Mark, I might need you to place an advanced order for our supplies. Go ahead and start taking stock. I need to know what we have."
"Yep," I nodded. "I'll take inventory and go ahead and set things up for?" I trailed off and glanced over at Alex.
"Rest of this week and the weekend," he replied. "Maybe Monday as well, depending on how the meetings go."
"So, an extra week's worth of supplies," I pulled the pencil I had tucked behind my ear and wrote down some basic numbers. "I'll get started on that. Let me know if you need anything else, boss. I'll hold down the front and get that inventory list written up for you."
With that, the office door shut behind them, and their negotiations over price began.
Katherine woke to the sound of machines. Her ears filled with the beeping of a heart monitor, the smell of antiseptics, chemicals, and everything else that simply masked the odor of death that always seemed to fill a hospital.
Opening her eyes, she flinched away when harsh white light filled her eyes. She tried to raise a hand to shield them, but they refused to move, seizing on the straps that bound her to the bed.
"She's awake," an unfamiliar voice muttered.
"Good, that means she's recovering from the sedatives. Once she's fully aware, we'll move her to a cell and start the interview process."
It only took a few minutes for Katherine to put the pieces together. Her eyes darted to her peripherals to see if she could see any of her captors.
Unfortunately, they had strapped her down from her ankles to her head, and she was unable to do more than awkwardly wiggle around for a better view.
Katherine would not show any false bravado or make any comment. There would be no point to it. Whoever this was, they had accomplished something that had only happened once or twice in the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth's history.
This was her family's worst nightmare come to life, and it terrified her to the very core of her soul. She shuddered at the frigid air on her bare skin and the thought of what might come next.
"Start prepping her for transport," the first voice said again. "I have a feeling that Subject Bravo is going to be uncooperative for the initial interview."
"Do you want Separation or any other substances prepped?"
"Not for now. We already know what will work on her physiologically. The question is what will become of her mind once we begin. After all, working on a subject that was prepared from the tube for it is different from working with a more… Mature subject. "
With that, two figures appeared in her peripheral vision, masks blocking their mouths as they unlocked the wheels of her bed and attached the IV bag to a stand above her head.
Two people were dressed in white scrubs and coats worn by medical personnel and doctors throughout the Inner Sphere.
The white of their uniforms contrasted with their stated actions; the devils cloaked as angels of the light. The usual health and wellness that had accompanied the white robes of doctors now shimmered with the deep and dark terror that came with the realization that those capable of healing were also the most capable of causing harm.
Kat struggled a bit, but the straps cut into her, and she eventually gave up as they wheeled her into a barren cell. They pulled the IV and slapped a small bandage over the small incision, unstrapped her from the bed, and left her sobbing in a corner as the heavy metal door slid shut behind her.
A camera and a small vent were the only things to keep her company. The vent blew a steady stream of icy air as it recycled the oxygen in the room, and the camera stared unblinking at her form as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Kat withdrew into her mind, drawing on memories that brought joy and warmth with them. Memories of Victor stumbling around the first time they'd gotten into a Sim Pod, the first time she had ridden a horse, and many other vivid memories played out in her mind's eye.
But withdrawing from a situation only does so much. Despite her attempts to try and bring her mind to a more comfortable place, Katherine was alone, naked, and abandoned. That would not change anytime soon.
Sogen
Versed in the lewd.
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2021
- Messages
- 1,492
Not really, it sounds like in this AU, Katherine was grabbed instead of him.
Chapter 13
MarkWarrior
Occasionally decent writer
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2019
- Messages
- 889
"I may be starting to understand why Luke hates the postal service," Joe muttered, tapping his foot as he sat in the waiting room of the Postal Service branch of MIIO.
He checked his watch and sighed, looking around at the barren waiting room. The receptionist was scribbling something down on a piece of paper, but that was the only noise aside from the hiss of the ventilation systems.
Another ten minutes passed, and Joe eventually decided that he'd had enough of sitting and waiting without anything in hand, so he grabbed one of the small magazines on the center table and began reading through the gossip and awful advertisements for products he'd never used.
Another two hours passed, and then the door to the interior office finally opened, revealing a disheveled man rubbing sleep out of his eyes.
The man's eyes widened as he realized someone had been waiting for him.
"Can I help you, sir?" The man tried to straighten out his jacket, shirt, and tie.
"You can give me access to the records I've spent two days trying to get to, Mister?" Joe growled, standing and straightening his tall frame to tower over the other man.
"James," the man gulped. "And what request was it?"
"I'm checking to see if there's a hold on a particular person's mail for intelligence purposes," Joe pulled out the approved form.
"Oh, right," James moved back to the door. "Follow me, and I'll check on that for you."
Joe followed the man into an office and watched as he leafed through the documents piled on his desk.
"I know I pulled the documentation and put it somewhere around here," he finally pulled out one document and slapped it down on the one clean section of the desk. "So, upon reviewing everything, the Postal Service finds no restrictions placed upon the mail delivered to and received from one Mark Smith and one Morgan Davion."
"I'm keeping this," Joe grabbed the folder.
"I have copies," James shrugged. "Take it."
"Maybe don't keep someone waiting next time," Joe glared. "You never know if it might be something of critical importance."
Joe had worked as a field agent in the past, but his real love had never been the adventure. He lived to put together puzzles, to search out secrets and mysteries and figure them out. So, a few years after joining MIIO, he changed jobs and became an analyst.
This was the job he loved, what he lived for; a new mystery was now in front of him, and he would figure it out. Even if it were something as innocent as someone forgetting to send a letter.
He chewed on the end of a pen, a highlighter in his hand, as he reviewed the copy of the mail and the records that the postal service had finally given him. At first glance, everything seemed normal. Regular letters were sent not only back to New Avalon but onwards to Tharkad as well. Sure, they might arrive after the person who sent them, but they were sent all the same.
Grabbing a star map, he plotted out the standard jump route from New Avalon to Tharkad, writing out the jump times, the dates on the letters, and every other data point he could find.
Running through everything, he found that the data point that separated everything was at Rigil Kentares, where reports showed that the Jumpship had some sort of issue and had to stop for emergency repairs.
Grabbing his phone, he punched in a number and waited for the other person to answer.
"What do you need this time?" an old tired voice asked.
"Can you get me the maintenance records for a Jumpship?" Joe asked. "I'm looking into something that might be important."
"Yeah," her voice perked up a bit. "Give me the details, and I'll track down those logs for you."
"I'll fax it over in a few minutes," Joe tapped the desk. "Lemme know if you need anything else, Vonda."
"I shouldn't need anything extra for these records, but I'll let you know."
"Thanks, Vonda, I'm faxing over what I need now," Joe hung up and grabbed what he needed before walking over to the fax machine.
"Let's see what kind of mystery we have here."
We catered to the executives from seven in the morning until ten. We arrived at the office at six, set everything up, and waited for them to arrive and start eating.
Admittedly, this wasn't the healthiest breakfast around, but the coffee and sweets were both good, and it was apparently sufficient for this group of executives.
I'd expected the donuts to be the main food eaten, but instead a little bit of everything we'd brought had been eaten instead.
"Damn," one of the executives bit into a cookie. "These are terrific, what's the secret?"
"No mystery here," I shrugged. "Just good sweets made locally."
"I'll have to thank Buzz for providing the catering today," he said after finishing the cookie and pouring a cup of coffee.
"We were actually hired by Alex Hayes," I replied. "So if you thank anyone, be sure to pass the praise his way."
"I will definitely do so," he walked off.
I turned away and began working on the rest of the tables. Swapping out old boxes of treats with new ones. I rotated new donuts, cookies, muffins, and coffee cakes through the breakfast tables and spent the rest of the time brewing coffee.
"Alright," Luke sat down next to me a few minutes later. "We need to start packing things up so that the lunch caterers can set things up here."
"Got it, boss," I started packing up the boxes.
"Once we've loaded everything up in your truck, we'll head back and prep things for tomorrow. Then we'll call it an early day," He started stacking the boxes of sweets onto a dolly.
"Just let me grab one more cup of coffee," Alex said, pouring a cup and sighing in relief. "Thanks for bailing me out. I might actually get considered for a promotion after everything's said and done."
"We're glad that we were your first option," Luke replied, stretching out his hand and shaking Alex's. "We'll be back in the morning with a different spread."
"I'll see you guys then."
"We've got to find you a better truck," Luke sighed as he helped me load things into the bed of the old pickup.
"It's only two hundred years old!" I defended the rebuilt farm truck. "They still make spare parts for it too!"
"Mark, there's enough rust on this thing that if you get a cut back there, you'll need a tetanus shot," he shot back as I turned the key and felt the internal combustion engine roar to life.
"I'm planning on doing the full restoration," I replied. "I just needed to finish the farmhouse first."
"All I'm hearing are excuses," Luke smirked. "You know I'd have written a restoration off on the business's taxes, right? You use it for the bakery almost as much as for the farm."
"It's fine," I shrugged. "I'll get to it when I get to it. Now that the house is done and painted, I'm restoring some of the fields."
"Lemme know when you get that berm put up," Luke nodded as we moved down the street. "The wife and I haven't gotten to shoot in a while, and she hates indoor ranges."
"They're too loud," I agreed. "But yeah, I'll tell you when you can bring everyone back out. I need some extra perspective on my ideas for the property."
"I dunno what help I can be there," Luke shrugged. "But I'll do what I can."
I turned on my signal and pulled into the bakery's back parking lot, backing my truck up to a small loading door.
"I'll unload," I put the truck into park and set the hand brake. "You stage things for the morning, and we should be done in about twenty minutes."
"Sounds good," Luke climbed out of the truck and headed inside, triggering the automatic door while he headed into the bakery itself. "Let's go home early today."
"Amen," I began, pulling the dollys off the truck. "Let's go home early."
Author's note: I'd planned on having this up a few days ago, but I've had a head cold since Thursday, on top of working four twelve-hour shifts back to back. So, please be forgiving of any errors in here. I'm not entirely lucid ATM.
He checked his watch and sighed, looking around at the barren waiting room. The receptionist was scribbling something down on a piece of paper, but that was the only noise aside from the hiss of the ventilation systems.
Another ten minutes passed, and Joe eventually decided that he'd had enough of sitting and waiting without anything in hand, so he grabbed one of the small magazines on the center table and began reading through the gossip and awful advertisements for products he'd never used.
Another two hours passed, and then the door to the interior office finally opened, revealing a disheveled man rubbing sleep out of his eyes.
The man's eyes widened as he realized someone had been waiting for him.
"Can I help you, sir?" The man tried to straighten out his jacket, shirt, and tie.
"You can give me access to the records I've spent two days trying to get to, Mister?" Joe growled, standing and straightening his tall frame to tower over the other man.
"James," the man gulped. "And what request was it?"
"I'm checking to see if there's a hold on a particular person's mail for intelligence purposes," Joe pulled out the approved form.
"Oh, right," James moved back to the door. "Follow me, and I'll check on that for you."
Joe followed the man into an office and watched as he leafed through the documents piled on his desk.
"I know I pulled the documentation and put it somewhere around here," he finally pulled out one document and slapped it down on the one clean section of the desk. "So, upon reviewing everything, the Postal Service finds no restrictions placed upon the mail delivered to and received from one Mark Smith and one Morgan Davion."
"I'm keeping this," Joe grabbed the folder.
"I have copies," James shrugged. "Take it."
"Maybe don't keep someone waiting next time," Joe glared. "You never know if it might be something of critical importance."
Joe had worked as a field agent in the past, but his real love had never been the adventure. He lived to put together puzzles, to search out secrets and mysteries and figure them out. So, a few years after joining MIIO, he changed jobs and became an analyst.
This was the job he loved, what he lived for; a new mystery was now in front of him, and he would figure it out. Even if it were something as innocent as someone forgetting to send a letter.
He chewed on the end of a pen, a highlighter in his hand, as he reviewed the copy of the mail and the records that the postal service had finally given him. At first glance, everything seemed normal. Regular letters were sent not only back to New Avalon but onwards to Tharkad as well. Sure, they might arrive after the person who sent them, but they were sent all the same.
Grabbing a star map, he plotted out the standard jump route from New Avalon to Tharkad, writing out the jump times, the dates on the letters, and every other data point he could find.
Running through everything, he found that the data point that separated everything was at Rigil Kentares, where reports showed that the Jumpship had some sort of issue and had to stop for emergency repairs.
Grabbing his phone, he punched in a number and waited for the other person to answer.
"What do you need this time?" an old tired voice asked.
"Can you get me the maintenance records for a Jumpship?" Joe asked. "I'm looking into something that might be important."
"Yeah," her voice perked up a bit. "Give me the details, and I'll track down those logs for you."
"I'll fax it over in a few minutes," Joe tapped the desk. "Lemme know if you need anything else, Vonda."
"I shouldn't need anything extra for these records, but I'll let you know."
"Thanks, Vonda, I'm faxing over what I need now," Joe hung up and grabbed what he needed before walking over to the fax machine.
"Let's see what kind of mystery we have here."
We catered to the executives from seven in the morning until ten. We arrived at the office at six, set everything up, and waited for them to arrive and start eating.
Admittedly, this wasn't the healthiest breakfast around, but the coffee and sweets were both good, and it was apparently sufficient for this group of executives.
I'd expected the donuts to be the main food eaten, but instead a little bit of everything we'd brought had been eaten instead.
"Damn," one of the executives bit into a cookie. "These are terrific, what's the secret?"
"No mystery here," I shrugged. "Just good sweets made locally."
"I'll have to thank Buzz for providing the catering today," he said after finishing the cookie and pouring a cup of coffee.
"We were actually hired by Alex Hayes," I replied. "So if you thank anyone, be sure to pass the praise his way."
"I will definitely do so," he walked off.
I turned away and began working on the rest of the tables. Swapping out old boxes of treats with new ones. I rotated new donuts, cookies, muffins, and coffee cakes through the breakfast tables and spent the rest of the time brewing coffee.
"Alright," Luke sat down next to me a few minutes later. "We need to start packing things up so that the lunch caterers can set things up here."
"Got it, boss," I started packing up the boxes.
"Once we've loaded everything up in your truck, we'll head back and prep things for tomorrow. Then we'll call it an early day," He started stacking the boxes of sweets onto a dolly.
"Just let me grab one more cup of coffee," Alex said, pouring a cup and sighing in relief. "Thanks for bailing me out. I might actually get considered for a promotion after everything's said and done."
"We're glad that we were your first option," Luke replied, stretching out his hand and shaking Alex's. "We'll be back in the morning with a different spread."
"I'll see you guys then."
"We've got to find you a better truck," Luke sighed as he helped me load things into the bed of the old pickup.
"It's only two hundred years old!" I defended the rebuilt farm truck. "They still make spare parts for it too!"
"Mark, there's enough rust on this thing that if you get a cut back there, you'll need a tetanus shot," he shot back as I turned the key and felt the internal combustion engine roar to life.
"I'm planning on doing the full restoration," I replied. "I just needed to finish the farmhouse first."
"All I'm hearing are excuses," Luke smirked. "You know I'd have written a restoration off on the business's taxes, right? You use it for the bakery almost as much as for the farm."
"It's fine," I shrugged. "I'll get to it when I get to it. Now that the house is done and painted, I'm restoring some of the fields."
"Lemme know when you get that berm put up," Luke nodded as we moved down the street. "The wife and I haven't gotten to shoot in a while, and she hates indoor ranges."
"They're too loud," I agreed. "But yeah, I'll tell you when you can bring everyone back out. I need some extra perspective on my ideas for the property."
"I dunno what help I can be there," Luke shrugged. "But I'll do what I can."
I turned on my signal and pulled into the bakery's back parking lot, backing my truck up to a small loading door.
"I'll unload," I put the truck into park and set the hand brake. "You stage things for the morning, and we should be done in about twenty minutes."
"Sounds good," Luke climbed out of the truck and headed inside, triggering the automatic door while he headed into the bakery itself. "Let's go home early today."
"Amen," I began, pulling the dollys off the truck. "Let's go home early."
Author's note: I'd planned on having this up a few days ago, but I've had a head cold since Thursday, on top of working four twelve-hour shifts back to back. So, please be forgiving of any errors in here. I'm not entirely lucid ATM.
sporecool958
Your first time is always over so quickly, isn't it?
- Joined
- May 10, 2020
- Messages
- 1
Love the writing here, hope you're able to continue. Take a break if you can, you deserve one
Chapter 14
MarkWarrior
Occasionally decent writer
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2019
- Messages
- 889
I was supposed to be back early in the morning to help Luke with the catering. Unfortunately, I had woken up to chaos across the farm.
"Morning, Mark," Cheryl answered. "You on your way to pick up Luke?"
"No, ma'am," I glanced out my window at the cattle that were roaming around outside of their fences. "I've got a hole in my fence and a bunch of livestock to round up. Shit," I swore. "I've got to go, one of the Longhorns is stuck."
I let the phone dangle from its cord, threw my boots on, and ran out the front door.
"Sage, Thyme," I whistled, giving sharp short commands as I grabbed a lead and a rope. "Round 'em up!"
The twins began to bark and round up the sheep against the corner of the barn while I slowly walked to one of the Longhorns.
"Shh," I walked up and looped my rope around her neck. "I've got you."
Her horns had been wrapped up in a bunch of vines growing up the side of a tree. And it was obvious that she'd been there for a while.
She was covered in sweat and was breathing slowly, her large brown eyes turning towards me as she groaned and began to struggle again.
"Easy," I grabbed my pocket knife and flicked the blade out. "I'm gonna cut you loose and we're gonna get you some water."
I cut the vines and grabbed her horn, forcing her head away from me and waiting for her to calm down. Stepping out, I let out some of the rope and led her to one of the intact fenced sections. Opening the gate and removing the rope as she walked in and began to graze.
"Good job, girls!" I glanced over at where the two Australian Shepherds had corralled the flock of sheep. "Hold!"
I looked around the property and sighed. It was going to be a long day.
"Alright, girls," I walked over and knelt down next to Sage, stroking her behind the ears. "Take 'em to Starboard."
Thyme stood and began to herd the dogs to the right in a counterclockwise fashion, controlling their pacing while Sage moved any stragglers back into the herd.
"Keep on," I called out, walking behind and watching as the two dogs walked the sheep and goats to the nearby gate. "Hold 'them there."
Sage bolted around to the gate and slowed down the mass while I jogged over and unlatched the gate, pushing it open and calling for Sage and Thyme to push the flock through.
"Good work," I called the dogs to me. "But that was the easy part."
–
–
"Alright," I closed the gate behind the last cow. "That's the last one."
Thyme simply panted at me while her sister rested her head on her paws.
"Yeah, I know," I rubbed a bit of dirt off of my hands and onto my pants. "Normally I'd say it's time for breakfast," I glanced up at the sky. "But we're looking more like lunch now."
The minute I said the magic word, the girl's ears perked up and they raced for the house, their tails wagging as they waited by the door for me.
Walking inside, I poured food into their bowls before collapsing into one of the chairs around my dining room table. It had taken me hours of walking through the woods with the dogs to track down all of the livestock that had roamed off after breaking the fence sometime through the night.
Standing up with a groan, I washed my hands and pulled out a cast iron skillet, setting it on the stove and lighting the propane with a twist of the knob.
"Bacon or sausage?" I asked the girls.
Thyme barked in response and I laughed.
"You're right, it's a both kind of day," I replied, opening the fridge and pulling out some sausages and a strap of bacon.
I waited for the skillet to heat up before tossing the sausage into it. Bacon always came out better if you baked it, and I needed the oven preheated if I wanted to make biscuits anyway.
"So, I've still got to examine the full damage to the fence," I looked out the window. "Then we're going to have to see what repairs are needed and if I have the supplies available."
The rest of the time I spent cooking in silence, enjoying the smells of the first meal I'd be eating for the day. I pulled the sausage and set it on a plate to cool while checking on the bacon. Normally it took about fifteen minutes to come to that perfect level of crisp and chewiness, but it also depended on how thick the bacon was cut.
The biscuits only had to cook for about ten minutes, and I threw them in the oven beside the bacon as it cooked for the last few minutes.
Once breakfast was ready, I stacked my plate full and sat down at the bar.
The girl's tongues rolled out of their mouth, their eyes tracking the bacon and sausage that adorned my plate.
"Lay down," I instructed, waiting for them to respond before setting a piece of bacon down in front of each of them.
The girls whined, but didn't move, their eyes looking from me to the food and back again until I released them.
"Okay," I gave the hand gesture and both of them snapped up the bacon. "Good girls."
I reached out and scratched behind their ears while enjoying my food and coffee.
Life was still good. Even with the crazy things that had gone on today. The fence being broken, the livestock all wandering off, and having to gather them all up and move them to a new pen. That was just life when you lived on a farm. I enjoyed working at the bakery, and I knew that was where I made the money to sustain the farm. But some days, I thought about retiring and spending my entire life out here.
Any plans like that were for another day though. I still had a bunch of work to do around the farm. Renovating the barn might have to wait. After all, I had no idea how much of the fence needed to be repaired or simply replaced outright.
"With me," I commanded Sage and Thyme, standing and grabbing the gloves off of the counter. "Let's see what we're working with here."
With that, I stepped back out into the sunlight. There was work to be done.
"I thought you were done bringing work home with you," Louise, Joe's wife, sighed.
"You're cleared to see this stuff," Joe replied. "Just trying to figure something out."
"The Postal Service?" Louise scoffed. "Don't tell me you let Luke rope you into his delusions about them?"
"It was a request from Luke, yes," Joe replied. "But I'm not sure it's the Posties this time around."
"Then what's the big deal?" Louise sat at the table next to her husband, moving some of the papers where she could read them better.
"You still write back home, right?" Joe asked.
"Every chance I get," she replied. "Why?"
"We've got a young adult here with obvious feelings for someone she's friends with," Joe handed a letter over to his wife so she could skim it. All of the classified details had been doctored out before he'd brought it home. "She wrote every week until this date," Joe circled it on the calendar. "Which is when their jumpship put in for a replacement part and repairs."
"So she lost interest," Louise shrugged. "It happens all the time. Young woman meets a strapping young man in a new port, she loses interest in the boy back home. Nothing unusual about that."
"Except, she also stopped writing letters to her parents and family for three weeks at that point," Joe pulled two separate letters from a binder. "I don't know what's going on here, but I can feel that I'm close to something important. I'm missing something. I just want you to look over everything and see what I might be reading too much into, or what I'm just crazy about."
"Sure," she rolled her eyes. "I'll humor you on this one. But if I hear one word about how Luke is right, then I'm leaving you to figure it out yourself."
"Sounds good to me," Joe continued checking over his dates and notes on the jumpship and it's stops. "I just want some help here from an outside perspective. The Agency doesn't always understand 'normal' people. We're kinda insulated from that."
"Tell me about it," Louise laughed. "I'm married to one of those nutjobs."
"Hey!" Joe protested. "I'm only partially crazy."
"But you are a complete nutcase," she responded. "Now let me see what you're talking about and see if I can make sense of the chicken scratch you call notes."
"Morning, Mark," Cheryl answered. "You on your way to pick up Luke?"
"No, ma'am," I glanced out my window at the cattle that were roaming around outside of their fences. "I've got a hole in my fence and a bunch of livestock to round up. Shit," I swore. "I've got to go, one of the Longhorns is stuck."
I let the phone dangle from its cord, threw my boots on, and ran out the front door.
"Sage, Thyme," I whistled, giving sharp short commands as I grabbed a lead and a rope. "Round 'em up!"
The twins began to bark and round up the sheep against the corner of the barn while I slowly walked to one of the Longhorns.
"Shh," I walked up and looped my rope around her neck. "I've got you."
Her horns had been wrapped up in a bunch of vines growing up the side of a tree. And it was obvious that she'd been there for a while.
She was covered in sweat and was breathing slowly, her large brown eyes turning towards me as she groaned and began to struggle again.
"Easy," I grabbed my pocket knife and flicked the blade out. "I'm gonna cut you loose and we're gonna get you some water."
I cut the vines and grabbed her horn, forcing her head away from me and waiting for her to calm down. Stepping out, I let out some of the rope and led her to one of the intact fenced sections. Opening the gate and removing the rope as she walked in and began to graze.
"Good job, girls!" I glanced over at where the two Australian Shepherds had corralled the flock of sheep. "Hold!"
I looked around the property and sighed. It was going to be a long day.
"Alright, girls," I walked over and knelt down next to Sage, stroking her behind the ears. "Take 'em to Starboard."
Thyme stood and began to herd the dogs to the right in a counterclockwise fashion, controlling their pacing while Sage moved any stragglers back into the herd.
"Keep on," I called out, walking behind and watching as the two dogs walked the sheep and goats to the nearby gate. "Hold 'them there."
Sage bolted around to the gate and slowed down the mass while I jogged over and unlatched the gate, pushing it open and calling for Sage and Thyme to push the flock through.
"Good work," I called the dogs to me. "But that was the easy part."
–
–
"Alright," I closed the gate behind the last cow. "That's the last one."
Thyme simply panted at me while her sister rested her head on her paws.
"Yeah, I know," I rubbed a bit of dirt off of my hands and onto my pants. "Normally I'd say it's time for breakfast," I glanced up at the sky. "But we're looking more like lunch now."
The minute I said the magic word, the girl's ears perked up and they raced for the house, their tails wagging as they waited by the door for me.
Walking inside, I poured food into their bowls before collapsing into one of the chairs around my dining room table. It had taken me hours of walking through the woods with the dogs to track down all of the livestock that had roamed off after breaking the fence sometime through the night.
Standing up with a groan, I washed my hands and pulled out a cast iron skillet, setting it on the stove and lighting the propane with a twist of the knob.
"Bacon or sausage?" I asked the girls.
Thyme barked in response and I laughed.
"You're right, it's a both kind of day," I replied, opening the fridge and pulling out some sausages and a strap of bacon.
I waited for the skillet to heat up before tossing the sausage into it. Bacon always came out better if you baked it, and I needed the oven preheated if I wanted to make biscuits anyway.
"So, I've still got to examine the full damage to the fence," I looked out the window. "Then we're going to have to see what repairs are needed and if I have the supplies available."
The rest of the time I spent cooking in silence, enjoying the smells of the first meal I'd be eating for the day. I pulled the sausage and set it on a plate to cool while checking on the bacon. Normally it took about fifteen minutes to come to that perfect level of crisp and chewiness, but it also depended on how thick the bacon was cut.
The biscuits only had to cook for about ten minutes, and I threw them in the oven beside the bacon as it cooked for the last few minutes.
Once breakfast was ready, I stacked my plate full and sat down at the bar.
The girl's tongues rolled out of their mouth, their eyes tracking the bacon and sausage that adorned my plate.
"Lay down," I instructed, waiting for them to respond before setting a piece of bacon down in front of each of them.
The girls whined, but didn't move, their eyes looking from me to the food and back again until I released them.
"Okay," I gave the hand gesture and both of them snapped up the bacon. "Good girls."
I reached out and scratched behind their ears while enjoying my food and coffee.
Life was still good. Even with the crazy things that had gone on today. The fence being broken, the livestock all wandering off, and having to gather them all up and move them to a new pen. That was just life when you lived on a farm. I enjoyed working at the bakery, and I knew that was where I made the money to sustain the farm. But some days, I thought about retiring and spending my entire life out here.
Any plans like that were for another day though. I still had a bunch of work to do around the farm. Renovating the barn might have to wait. After all, I had no idea how much of the fence needed to be repaired or simply replaced outright.
"With me," I commanded Sage and Thyme, standing and grabbing the gloves off of the counter. "Let's see what we're working with here."
With that, I stepped back out into the sunlight. There was work to be done.
"I thought you were done bringing work home with you," Louise, Joe's wife, sighed.
"You're cleared to see this stuff," Joe replied. "Just trying to figure something out."
"The Postal Service?" Louise scoffed. "Don't tell me you let Luke rope you into his delusions about them?"
"It was a request from Luke, yes," Joe replied. "But I'm not sure it's the Posties this time around."
"Then what's the big deal?" Louise sat at the table next to her husband, moving some of the papers where she could read them better.
"You still write back home, right?" Joe asked.
"Every chance I get," she replied. "Why?"
"We've got a young adult here with obvious feelings for someone she's friends with," Joe handed a letter over to his wife so she could skim it. All of the classified details had been doctored out before he'd brought it home. "She wrote every week until this date," Joe circled it on the calendar. "Which is when their jumpship put in for a replacement part and repairs."
"So she lost interest," Louise shrugged. "It happens all the time. Young woman meets a strapping young man in a new port, she loses interest in the boy back home. Nothing unusual about that."
"Except, she also stopped writing letters to her parents and family for three weeks at that point," Joe pulled two separate letters from a binder. "I don't know what's going on here, but I can feel that I'm close to something important. I'm missing something. I just want you to look over everything and see what I might be reading too much into, or what I'm just crazy about."
"Sure," she rolled her eyes. "I'll humor you on this one. But if I hear one word about how Luke is right, then I'm leaving you to figure it out yourself."
"Sounds good to me," Joe continued checking over his dates and notes on the jumpship and it's stops. "I just want some help here from an outside perspective. The Agency doesn't always understand 'normal' people. We're kinda insulated from that."
"Tell me about it," Louise laughed. "I'm married to one of those nutjobs."
"Hey!" Joe protested. "I'm only partially crazy."
"But you are a complete nutcase," she responded. "Now let me see what you're talking about and see if I can make sense of the chicken scratch you call notes."
sports-information
Getting sticky.
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2018
- Messages
- 93
Mark, we get it! I think you've drawn out the suspense enough … 
GrimmKenway8646
I swear on the green herb!
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2019
- Messages
- 1,702
At this point, alarm bells should be ringing in the Federated Commonwealth that maybe just maybe, shit just went down.
lordhighalnder
Getting sticky.
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2016
- Messages
- 97
I think these are the alarm bells.... And theyre starting out softly, like these things do.
Chapter 15
MarkWarrior
Occasionally decent writer
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2019
- Messages
- 889
"Whelp, this is going to be a long week," I grabbed the lever, pulling back and dragging the damaged fence post out of the ground.
I backed the tractor up and rested the bucket on the ground before shutting it down.
"Alright, back to it," I climbed off of the tractor and stretched before grabbing a post off of the trailer behind the tractor.
I slung the fencepost onto my shoulder and walked over to one of the holes left behind from the posts I'd just pulled up.
Throwing down the post, I walked back over to the trailer and grabbed a tamping rod and a shovel.
"Y'know, I thought I'd moved past fencing," I muttered. Feeling a slight twinge from an old injury. "Guess I should have known better."
I tossed the post into the hole and shoveled some dirt into the hole before pulling out a level and checking the post.
"A little to the left," I began tamping the dirt down, hardening it and keeping the post level until it could stand on its own.
I was mainly just setting everything and leveling it for now. I had a small concrete mixer on the trailer, and once I got the posts set and level, I'd come back and pour the concrete. The concrete would set over the next day or so, and then I would come back and begin stringing the barbed wire between the posts.
I'd considered doing a full wooden fence, but I didn't have the time or money to purchase enough materials to build that. Besides, cows both could, and would destroy a wooden fence by accident or on purpose.
Whereas, a barbed wire fence had become the standard a long time ago for a reason. The barbs would cause a bit of pain against a cow, but usually didn't end up with permanent damage or pain. Yes, if something went wrong and the wire got wrapped around a cow and a barb buried itself deep in there could be more problems. But that was something I'd never seen happen outside of media.
Besides, I'd actually worked and built barbed wire fences before. I'd never done a wooden fence outside of a privacy fence.
I snorted at that thought. There was no way I was building a wooden privacy fence around five acres of pasture.
"Enough woolgathering, Mark," I muttered, leaning on the tamping rod. "Finish this up, first. Then think about plans for the future later."
LIC Report: 17655025KH
Subject: Two Kilo Hotel and Twelve Delta Golf
Date: December 16, 3049
Reporting Agent: REDACTED
Subject two Kilo Hotel has made landfall on Trell I. Communiques have been sent to all relevant parties regarding X-Rays.
This agent has been assigned as a lancemate to Papa Kilo, as instructed, VIPs will be secured and evacuated in the event of possible capture or detainment by X-Rays.
Recommend that reinforcements be routed through to Sudeten. Infrastructure to resupply and rearm units will be critical if it comes to war between the X-Rays and the Commonwealth.
Further reports will be relayed through the usual channels.
Agent Redacted.
"What else do you have for me, Karl?" Melissa asked.
"Several listening posts have gone dark on the periphery border," Karl flipped through a folder. Based on the last reports received, we do not believe it was due to the Black Boxes being discovered. Instead, most, if not all of our local agents have gone to ground, and will send out reports as necessary."
"We've begun shifting forces in anticipation of them invading the FedCom," Melissa sighed, looking at the map of the Inner Sphere. "If they stick to the periphery, we'll be fine. But if they decide to invade, then we'll be prepared. Even if full mobilization will take time."
"We also have an update from Katherine's jumpship, they're approximately two to three weeks out from Tharkad."
"They were delayed?" Melissa arched an eyebrow.
"Emergency repairs after a seal blew or something similar," Karl shrugged. "They had to stop in Rigil Kentarus and pick up replacement parts. It delayed them by two weeks, but they've made good time since then."
"Damn," Melissa said. "I was hoping to have more time to spend with her before she starts attending Nagelring."
"If we could predict emergencies, they wouldn't be emergencies anymore," Karl shrugged. "Those are all the critical reports I had for you."
"Thank you, Karl," Melissa smiled. "Even bad news is better than no news at all."
Four walls; four blank steel walls were all that had surrounded her for what felt like weeks. The lights never changed from a dull twilight. Time stretched into long moments of eternity or sped up into quick shifts. Her meals never arrived at the same time, breaking up any pattern or schedule that she could try to form.
With no sense or scale of time, her mind wandered. Her dreams and reality seemed to merge together, leaving her unsure of what was real and what never existed at all.
Occasionally, they removed her from the room and strapped her into a table. Her struggles were useless against the brutes that held her down while she was injected with something that made everything go black.
The cycle continued, and the only thing that brought comfort to her was the fact that she wasn't naked anymore, courtesy of a thin linen sheet having been tossed into her cell a few days ago.
She wrapped herself in the sheet and drew her knees into her chest, rested her head on them and closed her eyes. She combed through her memories, avoiding the ever growing black spots of the last few minutes? Hours? Days? She went further back and found something warm.
A farm, a green countryside shimmering in the glorious twilight of a setting sun. A small blanket wrapped around her as she sipped a cup of coffee in a rocking chair while a dog nudged at her hand. A smile on a bearded face as they shared a laugh over a table surrounded by the smell of sweet pastry.
Katherine smiled and a few tears dripped from her closed eyes onto the linen. She went further back into her mind, recalling all of the moments spent with loved ones. From the joy of celebrating more years with her family to the sorrow of watching Grandma Kat wither away from the cancer eating at her: She relived them all, cherishing the minutes as they were brought to mind.
And slowly, she drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Hope had been rekindled for another moment.
Author's Note: Like I said in the update prior to Thanksgiving, any updates for any of my fics will be intermittent until January.
I backed the tractor up and rested the bucket on the ground before shutting it down.
"Alright, back to it," I climbed off of the tractor and stretched before grabbing a post off of the trailer behind the tractor.
I slung the fencepost onto my shoulder and walked over to one of the holes left behind from the posts I'd just pulled up.
Throwing down the post, I walked back over to the trailer and grabbed a tamping rod and a shovel.
"Y'know, I thought I'd moved past fencing," I muttered. Feeling a slight twinge from an old injury. "Guess I should have known better."
I tossed the post into the hole and shoveled some dirt into the hole before pulling out a level and checking the post.
"A little to the left," I began tamping the dirt down, hardening it and keeping the post level until it could stand on its own.
I was mainly just setting everything and leveling it for now. I had a small concrete mixer on the trailer, and once I got the posts set and level, I'd come back and pour the concrete. The concrete would set over the next day or so, and then I would come back and begin stringing the barbed wire between the posts.
I'd considered doing a full wooden fence, but I didn't have the time or money to purchase enough materials to build that. Besides, cows both could, and would destroy a wooden fence by accident or on purpose.
Whereas, a barbed wire fence had become the standard a long time ago for a reason. The barbs would cause a bit of pain against a cow, but usually didn't end up with permanent damage or pain. Yes, if something went wrong and the wire got wrapped around a cow and a barb buried itself deep in there could be more problems. But that was something I'd never seen happen outside of media.
Besides, I'd actually worked and built barbed wire fences before. I'd never done a wooden fence outside of a privacy fence.
I snorted at that thought. There was no way I was building a wooden privacy fence around five acres of pasture.
"Enough woolgathering, Mark," I muttered, leaning on the tamping rod. "Finish this up, first. Then think about plans for the future later."
LIC Report: 17655025KH
Subject: Two Kilo Hotel and Twelve Delta Golf
Date: December 16, 3049
Reporting Agent: REDACTED
Subject two Kilo Hotel has made landfall on Trell I. Communiques have been sent to all relevant parties regarding X-Rays.
This agent has been assigned as a lancemate to Papa Kilo, as instructed, VIPs will be secured and evacuated in the event of possible capture or detainment by X-Rays.
Recommend that reinforcements be routed through to Sudeten. Infrastructure to resupply and rearm units will be critical if it comes to war between the X-Rays and the Commonwealth.
Further reports will be relayed through the usual channels.
Agent Redacted.
"What else do you have for me, Karl?" Melissa asked.
"Several listening posts have gone dark on the periphery border," Karl flipped through a folder. Based on the last reports received, we do not believe it was due to the Black Boxes being discovered. Instead, most, if not all of our local agents have gone to ground, and will send out reports as necessary."
"We've begun shifting forces in anticipation of them invading the FedCom," Melissa sighed, looking at the map of the Inner Sphere. "If they stick to the periphery, we'll be fine. But if they decide to invade, then we'll be prepared. Even if full mobilization will take time."
"We also have an update from Katherine's jumpship, they're approximately two to three weeks out from Tharkad."
"They were delayed?" Melissa arched an eyebrow.
"Emergency repairs after a seal blew or something similar," Karl shrugged. "They had to stop in Rigil Kentarus and pick up replacement parts. It delayed them by two weeks, but they've made good time since then."
"Damn," Melissa said. "I was hoping to have more time to spend with her before she starts attending Nagelring."
"If we could predict emergencies, they wouldn't be emergencies anymore," Karl shrugged. "Those are all the critical reports I had for you."
"Thank you, Karl," Melissa smiled. "Even bad news is better than no news at all."
Four walls; four blank steel walls were all that had surrounded her for what felt like weeks. The lights never changed from a dull twilight. Time stretched into long moments of eternity or sped up into quick shifts. Her meals never arrived at the same time, breaking up any pattern or schedule that she could try to form.
With no sense or scale of time, her mind wandered. Her dreams and reality seemed to merge together, leaving her unsure of what was real and what never existed at all.
Occasionally, they removed her from the room and strapped her into a table. Her struggles were useless against the brutes that held her down while she was injected with something that made everything go black.
The cycle continued, and the only thing that brought comfort to her was the fact that she wasn't naked anymore, courtesy of a thin linen sheet having been tossed into her cell a few days ago.
She wrapped herself in the sheet and drew her knees into her chest, rested her head on them and closed her eyes. She combed through her memories, avoiding the ever growing black spots of the last few minutes? Hours? Days? She went further back and found something warm.
A farm, a green countryside shimmering in the glorious twilight of a setting sun. A small blanket wrapped around her as she sipped a cup of coffee in a rocking chair while a dog nudged at her hand. A smile on a bearded face as they shared a laugh over a table surrounded by the smell of sweet pastry.
Katherine smiled and a few tears dripped from her closed eyes onto the linen. She went further back into her mind, recalling all of the moments spent with loved ones. From the joy of celebrating more years with her family to the sorrow of watching Grandma Kat wither away from the cancer eating at her: She relived them all, cherishing the minutes as they were brought to mind.
And slowly, she drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Hope had been rekindled for another moment.
Author's Note: Like I said in the update prior to Thanksgiving, any updates for any of my fics will be intermittent until January.
GrimmKenway8646
I swear on the green herb!
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2019
- Messages
- 1,702
For the first time, a fic has made me like Katherine and wish she has a happy ending cuz fuck Comstar.
Chapter 16
MarkWarrior
Occasionally decent writer
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2019
- Messages
- 889
"This is a solid report, Joe," Deputy Director Jackson Verdant flipped through the pages. "What do you need me to do?"
"We need to take a look into this, sir," Josiah said "I know it's above our paygrade. But if there's a chance that something happened to a member of the royal family, I think we need to check it out."
"I'll run it by the Director and Secretary before the day is out," Jackson replied. "You documented everything, right?"
"Everything is detailed in the report," Joe nodded. "Along with potential locations if one of the scenarios is accurate."
"I see you've got detailed plans for how you would have executed a kidnapping or any number of scenarios," The deputy director paused on one of the scenarios. "Josiah, you're dismissed"
Standing up from his chair Verdant snapped the folder shut and moved to the door, Josiah standing and following the Deputy Director.
"Where are we going, sir?" Joe asked.
"I, am going to the Secretary. You're going to keep working on that report and putting more information together. I'm going to need every puzzle piece you can find on my desk by tomorrow morning."
Pulling a folded letter out of his pocket, Jackson handed it to the analyst.
"You have full authority to start retasking people and pulling them for this project. Show this to them and they'll get you whatever you need."
The deputy director pushed the button on the elevator and waited for the doors to slide shut as he descended to the parking garage.
"I really hope he's wrong," Jackson muttered. "Because if he's right and there's another DOPPELGANGER on our hands, then heads are going to roll."
The elevator doors slid open, and he climbed into the armored car that was his assigned vehicle, cranked the engine, and drove out of the garage and into the streets of Avalon City. Destination, the Davion Palace complex.
"Hey boss," I waved a hand at Luke as I entered the bakery. "Sorry about the absence."
"It's fine," he replied. "The rest of that conference was easy to handle. How's the farm?"
"I forgot the essential part of doing anything on a house or a farm," I laughed as I washed my hands and threw on an apron. "Everything always takes three times as long as you expect and costs twice as much."
"You did get it fixed, though? Luke asked.
"I did," I nodded, going through and prepping everything to fry the donuts and other pastries for the day. "But I'm probably going to look into getting some more dogs in the future. Sage and Thyme are good, but they're mostly focused on the sheep. I'll need something bigger to help wrangle the cattle."
"What breeds are you thinking of using?" Luke asked. "I'm not big on the farm, you know that. But I do have some friends that work with dogs. I could probably track down whatever you need."
"Nah," I shook my head and checked the temp on the fryer. "You've done enough for me. I can handle finding some more dogs for the farm."
"It's not just for you," he grunted as he lifted a bag of flour over to the mixer. "I'm thinking about getting a dog for the grandkids for Christmas. I need someone with a bit more experience to help me find a breed that'll be good for them."
"Depends on what you need out of the dog," I shrugged. "Smaller breeds can live longer, and be companions for a good portion of a person's life. Smarter breeds can be stubborn unless properly trained. But a truly dumb dog isn't what you want. They tend to be more of a pain than they're worth."
"See," Luke laughed. "That's the kind of information I need before making my kids deal with a new pet."
"Nah," I smirked. "It'll be the grandkids that deal with the dog."
"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, jackass," he smacked the back of my head. "How long you got on those pastries?"
" 'Bout thirty seconds," I replied. "Then I'll glaze 'em and set them out."
"Sounds good, I've got about two minutes left on the bear claws and cake donuts," Luke looked over his shoulder. "You want to get the front, or do you want to be in the back for a bit?"
"I'll work on getting everything restocked from the conference," I began to move the pastries into the display case. "Lord knows we're going to need it."
Just like that, life seemed to return to routine for the bakery. We opened for the day and our business went well.
That is, until I heard my name called while I was prepping a cake in the back.
"Hey, Mark, I need you up front for a minute," Luke's voice echoed from the shop front.
"One minute," I wiped my hands off and walked up. "What's up?"
"This is Josiah Laurent," Luke gestured to a well-dressed man. "I used to work with him back in the day."
I immediately felt on edge and a pit opened up in my stomach.
"Is there something you need, Mister Laurent?" I asked.
"No," his smile seemed genuine. "Not from you, anyway. I'm here to pull Luke out of retirement. Something came up and his skills are going to be needed."
"You want me to manage the shop while you're gone?" I asked.
"No," Luke shook his head. "I'm probably going to be gone for at least six months, if not longer."
"I'm sorry, Luke. You're the only guy who I can trust to actually get this job done. And it so happens that leadership wants you in on this one too."
"I think I'm going to step out for the day," I began untying my apron. "No offense, Mister Laurent. But I don't have the greatest experiences with MIIO or DMI."
"None taken," He acknowledged. "I'm read in on some of the details in your file. I understand."
"Yeah, just go ahead and head home, Mark." Luke nodded. "I'll close everything up and let you know when I'm back on New Avalon."
"This better be really damned important, Joe," Luke said as soon as the door shut behind Mark.
"These orders come from the Secretary himself," Joe handed the folder over. "You've been reactivated."
"Shit," Luke opened it up and sighed. "Am I supposed to be combat-ready for this one?"
"Negative, you're just consulting for this one," Josiah replied. "But, we both know how that goes."
"I'll bring all of my shit," Luke pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now, do you have any more details for me. This," he gestured towards the folder. "Has fuck-all for details."
"Rejoice!" Joe laughed. "Your intense hatred of our postal services has finally led you to greatness."
"Stow the sarcasm," Luke flipped the lights off. "You can tell me everything I need to know while I grab my kit and we go to the Office."
"So, your request led me on quite the chase…"
"We need to take a look into this, sir," Josiah said "I know it's above our paygrade. But if there's a chance that something happened to a member of the royal family, I think we need to check it out."
"I'll run it by the Director and Secretary before the day is out," Jackson replied. "You documented everything, right?"
"Everything is detailed in the report," Joe nodded. "Along with potential locations if one of the scenarios is accurate."
"I see you've got detailed plans for how you would have executed a kidnapping or any number of scenarios," The deputy director paused on one of the scenarios. "Josiah, you're dismissed"
Standing up from his chair Verdant snapped the folder shut and moved to the door, Josiah standing and following the Deputy Director.
"Where are we going, sir?" Joe asked.
"I, am going to the Secretary. You're going to keep working on that report and putting more information together. I'm going to need every puzzle piece you can find on my desk by tomorrow morning."
Pulling a folded letter out of his pocket, Jackson handed it to the analyst.
"You have full authority to start retasking people and pulling them for this project. Show this to them and they'll get you whatever you need."
The deputy director pushed the button on the elevator and waited for the doors to slide shut as he descended to the parking garage.
"I really hope he's wrong," Jackson muttered. "Because if he's right and there's another DOPPELGANGER on our hands, then heads are going to roll."
The elevator doors slid open, and he climbed into the armored car that was his assigned vehicle, cranked the engine, and drove out of the garage and into the streets of Avalon City. Destination, the Davion Palace complex.
"Hey boss," I waved a hand at Luke as I entered the bakery. "Sorry about the absence."
"It's fine," he replied. "The rest of that conference was easy to handle. How's the farm?"
"I forgot the essential part of doing anything on a house or a farm," I laughed as I washed my hands and threw on an apron. "Everything always takes three times as long as you expect and costs twice as much."
"You did get it fixed, though? Luke asked.
"I did," I nodded, going through and prepping everything to fry the donuts and other pastries for the day. "But I'm probably going to look into getting some more dogs in the future. Sage and Thyme are good, but they're mostly focused on the sheep. I'll need something bigger to help wrangle the cattle."
"What breeds are you thinking of using?" Luke asked. "I'm not big on the farm, you know that. But I do have some friends that work with dogs. I could probably track down whatever you need."
"Nah," I shook my head and checked the temp on the fryer. "You've done enough for me. I can handle finding some more dogs for the farm."
"It's not just for you," he grunted as he lifted a bag of flour over to the mixer. "I'm thinking about getting a dog for the grandkids for Christmas. I need someone with a bit more experience to help me find a breed that'll be good for them."
"Depends on what you need out of the dog," I shrugged. "Smaller breeds can live longer, and be companions for a good portion of a person's life. Smarter breeds can be stubborn unless properly trained. But a truly dumb dog isn't what you want. They tend to be more of a pain than they're worth."
"See," Luke laughed. "That's the kind of information I need before making my kids deal with a new pet."
"Nah," I smirked. "It'll be the grandkids that deal with the dog."
"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, jackass," he smacked the back of my head. "How long you got on those pastries?"
" 'Bout thirty seconds," I replied. "Then I'll glaze 'em and set them out."
"Sounds good, I've got about two minutes left on the bear claws and cake donuts," Luke looked over his shoulder. "You want to get the front, or do you want to be in the back for a bit?"
"I'll work on getting everything restocked from the conference," I began to move the pastries into the display case. "Lord knows we're going to need it."
Just like that, life seemed to return to routine for the bakery. We opened for the day and our business went well.
That is, until I heard my name called while I was prepping a cake in the back.
"Hey, Mark, I need you up front for a minute," Luke's voice echoed from the shop front.
"One minute," I wiped my hands off and walked up. "What's up?"
"This is Josiah Laurent," Luke gestured to a well-dressed man. "I used to work with him back in the day."
I immediately felt on edge and a pit opened up in my stomach.
"Is there something you need, Mister Laurent?" I asked.
"No," his smile seemed genuine. "Not from you, anyway. I'm here to pull Luke out of retirement. Something came up and his skills are going to be needed."
"You want me to manage the shop while you're gone?" I asked.
"No," Luke shook his head. "I'm probably going to be gone for at least six months, if not longer."
"I'm sorry, Luke. You're the only guy who I can trust to actually get this job done. And it so happens that leadership wants you in on this one too."
"I think I'm going to step out for the day," I began untying my apron. "No offense, Mister Laurent. But I don't have the greatest experiences with MIIO or DMI."
"None taken," He acknowledged. "I'm read in on some of the details in your file. I understand."
"Yeah, just go ahead and head home, Mark." Luke nodded. "I'll close everything up and let you know when I'm back on New Avalon."
"This better be really damned important, Joe," Luke said as soon as the door shut behind Mark.
"These orders come from the Secretary himself," Joe handed the folder over. "You've been reactivated."
"Shit," Luke opened it up and sighed. "Am I supposed to be combat-ready for this one?"
"Negative, you're just consulting for this one," Josiah replied. "But, we both know how that goes."
"I'll bring all of my shit," Luke pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now, do you have any more details for me. This," he gestured towards the folder. "Has fuck-all for details."
"Rejoice!" Joe laughed. "Your intense hatred of our postal services has finally led you to greatness."
"Stow the sarcasm," Luke flipped the lights off. "You can tell me everything I need to know while I grab my kit and we go to the Office."
"So, your request led me on quite the chase…"
udkudk
Ziz says hi!
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2018
- Messages
- 340
They really should've invited Mark as well.
If this is a DOPPELGANGER case, the cloned person would be very hard to spot because people behind her would make sure she passes all tests, but would not have detailed memories with Mark. So it's likely that if there's one person that can diagnose her as a Clone, it would be Mark.
If this is a DOPPELGANGER case, the cloned person would be very hard to spot because people behind her would make sure she passes all tests, but would not have detailed memories with Mark. So it's likely that if there's one person that can diagnose her as a Clone, it would be Mark.
PiningfortheHebrides
Know what you're doing yet?
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2017
- Messages
- 130
It'll probably be a combination treatment/final diagnosis. He'll wake up to find MIIO ringing his doorbell and giggling, having dropping her giftwrapped on his doorstep like a flaming bag of dog shite. Then watch and wait to make sure it's her. Traumatising enough to be one of their plans, at least.
GrimmKenway8646
I swear on the green herb!
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2019
- Messages
- 1,702
What would be funnier but not serving the narrative would be the Clone also having feelings for Mark.
I see a lot of "I told you so" in the future.
Chapter 17
MarkWarrior
Occasionally decent writer
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2019
- Messages
- 889
With the bakery closed down for the next while, I had plenty of time to start working on some farm projects I'd been putting off; starting with the barn.
The barn was actually the oldest structure on the property, having been built by the original owners during the Star League Era. Unfortunately, the exterior and supporting elements were the only thing that had been built using whatever magic materials they'd been using back then.
The problem with the barn wasn't anything on the exterior or structural at all. The interior stalls had been built using wood, and the previous owners had let it rot due to misuse and lack of care for the barn.
So I was going to take this week and rip everything out, then pressure wash everything and rebuild the stalls. Then I could see about pricing some milking cows and the equipment to milk them.
But there was an order to things like this. So I pulled open the large double doors, turned on the lights, and climbed onto my tractor. Starting up the internal combustion engine, she roared to life and I moved into the barn.
Then I lowered the bucket and turned the engine off, grabbing my gloves and pulling them on before climbing off the tractor.
I pulled a set of safety glasses onto my face and grabbed the tools out of the tractor bucket. It was time to get to work.
I started with the sections closest to the entrance first and worked my way back, ripping off panel and wood with my hands when I could, and using a pry bar or sledgehammer when hands weren't enough.
That worked for the parts that were screwed into wooden posts and to each other. But for the parts that were anchored into the concrete and metal I would have to come back and try to get those out with some special tools later.
After filling the bucket, I backed the tractor out of the barn and dumped the debris into a spot I'd cleared out for a burn pit. Then I pulled the tractor back into the barn. It was probably going to take most of the week to get this finished.
"We followed the trail to a building in the middle of the Comstar complex," the Team lead for this operation pointed at the satellite photos laid out on the table. "Because Comstar has more advanced methods of detection, we're going old school on this one."
"HALO jump, Gold Lead?" One of the Rabid Foxes asked, a LOKI teammate frowning and speaking up as well.
"Isn't there supposed to be a big storm front heading through?" The LOKi woman asked.
"Yes. Cover of night plus the storm means that hopefully the jump will be completely missed by the ComGuards. Also, we're going to use the stealth suits that NAIS so graciously provided to MIIO for this," the man pointed to a small 'inner' courtyard of the HPG complex. "We're going to try and land here. If you miss your landing spot, fall back and regroup at the safe house. We're going to have to work with what we have for this one. Once we are on the ground, we'll dispose of our chutes and enter the building."
"Rules of engagement, sir?" Luke asked, his salt and pepper hair and mustache a shape contrast to the young men and women around him.
"If they've got a weapon, kill them," the team lead shrugged. "We're here for a potential VIP rescue, not to win hearts and minds. Now, we've all gotten the initial briefing and understand what our goal is. Remember to check your corners and every room on our way in. We don't want to rush this, but we can't afford to slow it down either. There's a risk they kill the VIP."
He paused.
"We don't have any intel on what the inside of the building we plan on breaching is like. So we're in the dark after we hit the ground, both figuratively and literally. Now, if there aren't any more questions, load up your gear and get set for a combat drop. We fly out in six hours."
Red, Blue, and Gold teams all turned to head for the armory, closely followed by Luke.
"I've loaded most of your magazines with subs," the armorer handed each of them a suppressed carbine or submachine gun. "But I want each of you to grab a couple mags of AP as well."
The teams withdrew their gear and ran fit checks on their stealth suits before leaving them in the charging bay they'd put the suits on right before heading for the jump.
"I didn't know you still worked for the agency," Luke grinned and held out his hand for the armorer to shake. "How've you been, Mike?"
"I'm just the armorer now, Luke," Mike shrugged. "Got hurt real bad on an op in what's left of the Capellans. I don't want to retire though, so I've been doing this for the last few years."
"As close as you can get to retiring without actually retiring," Luke chuckled. "I got out a few years ago."
"They reactivated you?" Mike asked.
"Yeah," Luke sighed. "I'm supposed to be consulting on this one. But we both know how that goes."
"Yeah," Mike turned and grabbed some sort of bullpup off of the rack behind him. "I know you're normally not a fan of these, but you might need the extra velocity. This is top loaded, integrally suppressed, and holds fifty rounds a mag. She'll treat you right."
"Thanks," Luke ran through some small familiarity drills. "This should do just fine."
"Godspeed, brother," Mike stood and brought Luke in for a hug and whispered in his ear. "I'm not read in on whatever this is, but I'll be praying for you to make it out safe."
After that exchange, the teams and Luke headed to the airfield, they'd be waiting in the hangars until takeoff.
"So, how'd an old man like you get called back out into the field?" A man with no discernible accent asked.
"Did too good of a job during the 4th Succession War and the clusterfuck of '39," Luke shook his head free of the memories. "Ended up heading up security for a couple of projects afterwards. Then decided to retire about three years ago. Got reactivated as a consultant on this one. And let me tell you, the pay's a helluva lot better this time around."
The teams all chuckled at that and began to go through their usual pre-op routines. Some of them slept, a few ran extra checks on their gear, and some of them broke out a deck of cards and began to play spades or similar games.
The action would come soon, but for now it was the calm before the storm.
The barn was actually the oldest structure on the property, having been built by the original owners during the Star League Era. Unfortunately, the exterior and supporting elements were the only thing that had been built using whatever magic materials they'd been using back then.
The problem with the barn wasn't anything on the exterior or structural at all. The interior stalls had been built using wood, and the previous owners had let it rot due to misuse and lack of care for the barn.
So I was going to take this week and rip everything out, then pressure wash everything and rebuild the stalls. Then I could see about pricing some milking cows and the equipment to milk them.
But there was an order to things like this. So I pulled open the large double doors, turned on the lights, and climbed onto my tractor. Starting up the internal combustion engine, she roared to life and I moved into the barn.
Then I lowered the bucket and turned the engine off, grabbing my gloves and pulling them on before climbing off the tractor.
I pulled a set of safety glasses onto my face and grabbed the tools out of the tractor bucket. It was time to get to work.
I started with the sections closest to the entrance first and worked my way back, ripping off panel and wood with my hands when I could, and using a pry bar or sledgehammer when hands weren't enough.
That worked for the parts that were screwed into wooden posts and to each other. But for the parts that were anchored into the concrete and metal I would have to come back and try to get those out with some special tools later.
After filling the bucket, I backed the tractor out of the barn and dumped the debris into a spot I'd cleared out for a burn pit. Then I pulled the tractor back into the barn. It was probably going to take most of the week to get this finished.
"We followed the trail to a building in the middle of the Comstar complex," the Team lead for this operation pointed at the satellite photos laid out on the table. "Because Comstar has more advanced methods of detection, we're going old school on this one."
"HALO jump, Gold Lead?" One of the Rabid Foxes asked, a LOKI teammate frowning and speaking up as well.
"Isn't there supposed to be a big storm front heading through?" The LOKi woman asked.
"Yes. Cover of night plus the storm means that hopefully the jump will be completely missed by the ComGuards. Also, we're going to use the stealth suits that NAIS so graciously provided to MIIO for this," the man pointed to a small 'inner' courtyard of the HPG complex. "We're going to try and land here. If you miss your landing spot, fall back and regroup at the safe house. We're going to have to work with what we have for this one. Once we are on the ground, we'll dispose of our chutes and enter the building."
"Rules of engagement, sir?" Luke asked, his salt and pepper hair and mustache a shape contrast to the young men and women around him.
"If they've got a weapon, kill them," the team lead shrugged. "We're here for a potential VIP rescue, not to win hearts and minds. Now, we've all gotten the initial briefing and understand what our goal is. Remember to check your corners and every room on our way in. We don't want to rush this, but we can't afford to slow it down either. There's a risk they kill the VIP."
He paused.
"We don't have any intel on what the inside of the building we plan on breaching is like. So we're in the dark after we hit the ground, both figuratively and literally. Now, if there aren't any more questions, load up your gear and get set for a combat drop. We fly out in six hours."
Red, Blue, and Gold teams all turned to head for the armory, closely followed by Luke.
"I've loaded most of your magazines with subs," the armorer handed each of them a suppressed carbine or submachine gun. "But I want each of you to grab a couple mags of AP as well."
The teams withdrew their gear and ran fit checks on their stealth suits before leaving them in the charging bay they'd put the suits on right before heading for the jump.
"I didn't know you still worked for the agency," Luke grinned and held out his hand for the armorer to shake. "How've you been, Mike?"
"I'm just the armorer now, Luke," Mike shrugged. "Got hurt real bad on an op in what's left of the Capellans. I don't want to retire though, so I've been doing this for the last few years."
"As close as you can get to retiring without actually retiring," Luke chuckled. "I got out a few years ago."
"They reactivated you?" Mike asked.
"Yeah," Luke sighed. "I'm supposed to be consulting on this one. But we both know how that goes."
"Yeah," Mike turned and grabbed some sort of bullpup off of the rack behind him. "I know you're normally not a fan of these, but you might need the extra velocity. This is top loaded, integrally suppressed, and holds fifty rounds a mag. She'll treat you right."
"Thanks," Luke ran through some small familiarity drills. "This should do just fine."
"Godspeed, brother," Mike stood and brought Luke in for a hug and whispered in his ear. "I'm not read in on whatever this is, but I'll be praying for you to make it out safe."
After that exchange, the teams and Luke headed to the airfield, they'd be waiting in the hangars until takeoff.
"So, how'd an old man like you get called back out into the field?" A man with no discernible accent asked.
"Did too good of a job during the 4th Succession War and the clusterfuck of '39," Luke shook his head free of the memories. "Ended up heading up security for a couple of projects afterwards. Then decided to retire about three years ago. Got reactivated as a consultant on this one. And let me tell you, the pay's a helluva lot better this time around."
The teams all chuckled at that and began to go through their usual pre-op routines. Some of them slept, a few ran extra checks on their gear, and some of them broke out a deck of cards and began to play spades or similar games.
The action would come soon, but for now it was the calm before the storm.
GrimmKenway8646
I swear on the green herb!
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2019
- Messages
- 1,702
This be some Metal Gear or Splinter Cell type of covert mission. I like it, ready for more. And I really hope the telephone company gets their teeth kicked in.
Chapter 18
MarkWarrior
Occasionally decent writer
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2019
- Messages
- 889
Chapter 18
The pair of Karnov VTOLs waited while Gold, Red, and Blue teams loaded onto the Tilt-rotors.
"We'll be over the drop zone in thirty minutes!" the pilot said over the radio. "We're not going to be able to deviate from our course if we want to maintain Opsec. Now, the storm surge is strongest over the HPG complex, so we're only going to get one chance at this!"
"We copy," Gold Lead acknowledged. "Just get us over the site!"
With that, the radios went silent, the ramp to the VTOL closed, and the teams began to go over each other's packs.
Luke checked over one of Red Team's Chutes. He secured the harness and tightened a handful of straps. HALO jumps and parachutes were old technology, and the safety procedures had been standardized almost a millennia ago.
Everyone's gear was checked over, and thirty minutes later, the lights went out, and the bay door opened.
"You have a green light!" the Jump Master yelled. "We're over the drop point! Go! Go! Go!"
The teams stood up and began to jump out the back of the Karnov, their night vision devices lighting up the night.
The air rushed by Luke's oxygen mask as he fell. His arms spread out to slow the fall as the altimeter began to tick down in the built-in HUD. Time seemed to slow and simultaneously speed up as the meters flew by.
As they began to reach the 3,000-meter mark, the HPG complex came into view through the darkness and rain, the perimeter lights and buildings illuminating the LZ.
Luke pulled the cord on his 'chute at a thousand meters, and felt a sharp jerk as it caught the wind.
Following his drop buddy, Luke glided into the courtyard, fighting the wind and rain as he descended. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he allowed his body to collapse to the side.
Now on the ground, Luke balled up his parachute and stuffed it into the pack on his back, kicking it to the side along with the oxygen mask and tank before pulling up his PDW.
He was slow compared to the rest of the teams. Gold Team hit the ground first and secured the LZ.. Then Red Team and Blue Team began to stack up on the doors.
In short order, the teams entered the building where they believed the VIP was being held, and the first shots at the ComGuards were fired.
Katherine stumbled back into her cell, her arm covering her chest as she fumbled into the bed, pulled the thin linen sheet around her, and pulled her legs up under her chin.
Her mind hurt. She felt like someone had taken an ice pick and driven it into her brain before digging around through her memories for whatever they could find. She couldn't remember what they asked her. She couldn't remember what she answered.
She just wanted it all to stop. She had no idea how long she had been here. How long she had languished in this room. It was as if both an eternity and no time had passed simultaneously.
She pulled back into her mind; there might be places that hurt for now, but there were also places that were safe and warm—the opposite of this cold, sterile environment.
For a moment, she could almost hear the sounds of the bakery, of the sounds and sights of New Avalon. She thought she could even hear Luke's voice. The bakery owner asking if she was able to stand.
Wait, asking if she could stand?
Opening her eyes, she gasped and pulled her legs further into her chest. She was hallucinating now. He couldn't be here!
"Easy now, Lady Katherine," Luke pulled a backpack off and began pulling things out of it. "We're going to get you out of here. But first, let's get you some clothes on. It's a bit wet and rainy out there."
Katherine just stared for a moment, processing what happened when a loud bang further down the hallway shook her out of the state she'd been in.
"We're going to have to speed this up," A masked figure commented. "Red Team just placed demo charges on part of the facility, when we're gone, it'll level the place."
"One minute," Luke replied. "Katherine, I know this is hard, but I need you to put these clothes and that vest on and come with me."
Not trusting her voice, Katherine nodded and pulled the dark clothing to herself, marvelling at the texture of something that wasn't a linen sheet as she pulled the shirt and plain underwear on before pulling the pants on.
"We weren't certain of your shoe size," Luke said. "But we've got socks and shoes here too."
Katherine slowly pulled the socks and shoes onto her feet and then shakily stood up.
"Help me with the vest, please?" She asked.
"Of course," Luke pulled the vest apart and helped her put it on over her shirt. "You're going to need this too. It's pretty dark out there."
He pulled a helmet out and helped her fasten it as well as the night vision device before handing her a spare handgun and a couple of magazines.
"I know you know how to use this," He said. "But stay behind me, hopefully you don't have to use it."
Katherine nodded shakily and followed the older man as he and the tactical teams led her through the compound.
"We killed everyone on this floor, Gold Two," a soldier with a red chemlight reported. "There's a few holdouts, but they should be taken out when the explosives detonate."
"Copy that," the one now identified as Gold Two replied. "Have them set up the Foxtrot device for exfil now. We get the VIP and our Consultant out as soon as we reach the courtyard."
Reaching the stairs, Katherine simply stared at the number marking this as Subbasement floor fifteen.
"I know," Luke chuckled. "The stairs are a bitch and a half, but we cut the power as soon as we entered the facility. We don't want teams coming up and down the elevators to flank. If you need us to, we can pause and take breaks as needed."
"But not for too long," another soldier added, this one with a golden chemlight in his rig. "I'm pretty sure it's going to be a hot exfil."
With the words said, the teams began bolting up the stairs in teams of two, clearing out each landing before the next team bounded up behind them. All the while leaving more shaped charges behind on timers as insurance when they left.
Katherine squeezed the frame of the pistol she'd been given as she tried to keep up with the men and women around her, gasping for air as they reached floor five.
"I need a minute," She gasped. "To catch my breath."
"You have sixty seconds."
The time seemed to crawl as Katherine sucked oxygen in as much as she could before a soldier tapped her shoulder.
"Time to go, ma'am," he said respectfully. "Only a few more floors to go and then we'll be getting you out of here."
Katherine simply nodded and straightened back up before gesturing for them to start going.
The group rapidly climbed to the surface level to be greeted by a firefight.
"Gold Leader!" Gold Two called out. "VIP is on your six!!"
"The Foxtrot device is set up behind the building," Gold Lead called out as he reloaded his rifle. "We have four of them ready to go. The Consultant and VIP are on the first ones out along with the two wounded!"
"Yes sir!" Gold two responded. "Consultant, we're going to lay down suppressive fire. You and the VIP are going to start running once we begin. Gold Three will hook you into the harnesses!"
One heartbeat passed, then two, and all of the teams began to open fire on the ComGuard's positions, driving their heads down as Luke pulled Katherine behind him.
Katherine ducked down and ran, heading in the direction that Luke pulled her before stopping at the sight of two more soldiers.
"Sir, Ma'am," one of them greeted. "Let's get you strapped into the harness."
Four of them were secured to the device and waited as a balloon began to float into the sky.
"ETA on exfil is two minutes!"
Two minutes later, a Karnov flew above and the balloon was pulled up. Dragging both Luke, Katherine, and two soldiers up with them into the dark and rainy skies…
The pair of Karnov VTOLs waited while Gold, Red, and Blue teams loaded onto the Tilt-rotors.
"We'll be over the drop zone in thirty minutes!" the pilot said over the radio. "We're not going to be able to deviate from our course if we want to maintain Opsec. Now, the storm surge is strongest over the HPG complex, so we're only going to get one chance at this!"
"We copy," Gold Lead acknowledged. "Just get us over the site!"
With that, the radios went silent, the ramp to the VTOL closed, and the teams began to go over each other's packs.
Luke checked over one of Red Team's Chutes. He secured the harness and tightened a handful of straps. HALO jumps and parachutes were old technology, and the safety procedures had been standardized almost a millennia ago.
Everyone's gear was checked over, and thirty minutes later, the lights went out, and the bay door opened.
"You have a green light!" the Jump Master yelled. "We're over the drop point! Go! Go! Go!"
The teams stood up and began to jump out the back of the Karnov, their night vision devices lighting up the night.
The air rushed by Luke's oxygen mask as he fell. His arms spread out to slow the fall as the altimeter began to tick down in the built-in HUD. Time seemed to slow and simultaneously speed up as the meters flew by.
As they began to reach the 3,000-meter mark, the HPG complex came into view through the darkness and rain, the perimeter lights and buildings illuminating the LZ.
Luke pulled the cord on his 'chute at a thousand meters, and felt a sharp jerk as it caught the wind.
Following his drop buddy, Luke glided into the courtyard, fighting the wind and rain as he descended. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he allowed his body to collapse to the side.
Now on the ground, Luke balled up his parachute and stuffed it into the pack on his back, kicking it to the side along with the oxygen mask and tank before pulling up his PDW.
He was slow compared to the rest of the teams. Gold Team hit the ground first and secured the LZ.. Then Red Team and Blue Team began to stack up on the doors.
In short order, the teams entered the building where they believed the VIP was being held, and the first shots at the ComGuards were fired.
Katherine stumbled back into her cell, her arm covering her chest as she fumbled into the bed, pulled the thin linen sheet around her, and pulled her legs up under her chin.
Her mind hurt. She felt like someone had taken an ice pick and driven it into her brain before digging around through her memories for whatever they could find. She couldn't remember what they asked her. She couldn't remember what she answered.
She just wanted it all to stop. She had no idea how long she had been here. How long she had languished in this room. It was as if both an eternity and no time had passed simultaneously.
She pulled back into her mind; there might be places that hurt for now, but there were also places that were safe and warm—the opposite of this cold, sterile environment.
For a moment, she could almost hear the sounds of the bakery, of the sounds and sights of New Avalon. She thought she could even hear Luke's voice. The bakery owner asking if she was able to stand.
Wait, asking if she could stand?
Opening her eyes, she gasped and pulled her legs further into her chest. She was hallucinating now. He couldn't be here!
"Easy now, Lady Katherine," Luke pulled a backpack off and began pulling things out of it. "We're going to get you out of here. But first, let's get you some clothes on. It's a bit wet and rainy out there."
Katherine just stared for a moment, processing what happened when a loud bang further down the hallway shook her out of the state she'd been in.
"We're going to have to speed this up," A masked figure commented. "Red Team just placed demo charges on part of the facility, when we're gone, it'll level the place."
"One minute," Luke replied. "Katherine, I know this is hard, but I need you to put these clothes and that vest on and come with me."
Not trusting her voice, Katherine nodded and pulled the dark clothing to herself, marvelling at the texture of something that wasn't a linen sheet as she pulled the shirt and plain underwear on before pulling the pants on.
"We weren't certain of your shoe size," Luke said. "But we've got socks and shoes here too."
Katherine slowly pulled the socks and shoes onto her feet and then shakily stood up.
"Help me with the vest, please?" She asked.
"Of course," Luke pulled the vest apart and helped her put it on over her shirt. "You're going to need this too. It's pretty dark out there."
He pulled a helmet out and helped her fasten it as well as the night vision device before handing her a spare handgun and a couple of magazines.
"I know you know how to use this," He said. "But stay behind me, hopefully you don't have to use it."
Katherine nodded shakily and followed the older man as he and the tactical teams led her through the compound.
"We killed everyone on this floor, Gold Two," a soldier with a red chemlight reported. "There's a few holdouts, but they should be taken out when the explosives detonate."
"Copy that," the one now identified as Gold Two replied. "Have them set up the Foxtrot device for exfil now. We get the VIP and our Consultant out as soon as we reach the courtyard."
Reaching the stairs, Katherine simply stared at the number marking this as Subbasement floor fifteen.
"I know," Luke chuckled. "The stairs are a bitch and a half, but we cut the power as soon as we entered the facility. We don't want teams coming up and down the elevators to flank. If you need us to, we can pause and take breaks as needed."
"But not for too long," another soldier added, this one with a golden chemlight in his rig. "I'm pretty sure it's going to be a hot exfil."
With the words said, the teams began bolting up the stairs in teams of two, clearing out each landing before the next team bounded up behind them. All the while leaving more shaped charges behind on timers as insurance when they left.
Katherine squeezed the frame of the pistol she'd been given as she tried to keep up with the men and women around her, gasping for air as they reached floor five.
"I need a minute," She gasped. "To catch my breath."
"You have sixty seconds."
The time seemed to crawl as Katherine sucked oxygen in as much as she could before a soldier tapped her shoulder.
"Time to go, ma'am," he said respectfully. "Only a few more floors to go and then we'll be getting you out of here."
Katherine simply nodded and straightened back up before gesturing for them to start going.
The group rapidly climbed to the surface level to be greeted by a firefight.
"Gold Leader!" Gold Two called out. "VIP is on your six!!"
"The Foxtrot device is set up behind the building," Gold Lead called out as he reloaded his rifle. "We have four of them ready to go. The Consultant and VIP are on the first ones out along with the two wounded!"
"Yes sir!" Gold two responded. "Consultant, we're going to lay down suppressive fire. You and the VIP are going to start running once we begin. Gold Three will hook you into the harnesses!"
One heartbeat passed, then two, and all of the teams began to open fire on the ComGuard's positions, driving their heads down as Luke pulled Katherine behind him.
Katherine ducked down and ran, heading in the direction that Luke pulled her before stopping at the sight of two more soldiers.
"Sir, Ma'am," one of them greeted. "Let's get you strapped into the harness."
Four of them were secured to the device and waited as a balloon began to float into the sky.
"ETA on exfil is two minutes!"
Two minutes later, a Karnov flew above and the balloon was pulled up. Dragging both Luke, Katherine, and two soldiers up with them into the dark and rainy skies…