CHAPTER 51 – CLEANSING
DATE POINT: MAY 30th, 7 A.U. (AFTER UNIFICATION)
LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, NEAR JUPITER,
ABOARD UTRN INDOMITABLE WILL
CAPTAIN HENRY O’TOOLE
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Henry walked through the door into the hospital wing with Ariana following closely behind. From across the room, one of the MA’s on duty announced his arrival.
“Captain on deck!”
“At ease.” Henry said as he beckoned over the closest Hospitalman.
“So good to see you, Captain, how can I assist you today?” She asked with a bright smile.
“I’m here to see Paul and Brandon, see how they’re recovering.” Henry replied.
“Awesome! I’m sure your visit will mean a lot to them,” she replied before adding, “They’re both getting pretty stir crazy. The rumors of a new mission haven’t helped matters.”
“Oh, I can imagine. Who would be most ready to receive a visitor first?” Henry asked.
“That would be Lieutenant Herrera, he just finished his PT and is resting in bed now. Paul should be done with his session shortly. Dr. Silvar’Esh is also around here somewhere, I’ll see if I can find him and send him to Paul’s room.”
“Sounds good, lead on.” Henry replied with a raised hand and a smile.
They followed closely behind into one of the recovery rooms. Brandon sat upright in bed with a wince before he clamped down on his facial expression and forced a smile.
“Hey Captain, hey Ariana. I wasn’t expecting to see you today. If you’re here to check up on my leg, I’m afraid I don’t have any good news to share. The docs are talking about possible medical retirement. Judging by how long it’s taking just to regain my ability to walk properly, I’m afraid they might be right…” Brandon replied in a miserable tone.
“Were they at least able to remove the infection vacuum pump like they were talking about?” Henry replied.
“Yeah, they removed that two days ago. Man, that thing sucked. I mean, I’m glad it saved the leg, but that was still easily one of the most uncomfortable things I’ve ever had to deal with. Even with that gone, my femur is being held together with metal and screws and they had to remove a lot of dead muscle. Even in the best case scenario, I’ll probably never get to fly again. Patriot pilots are required to be able to fight equally well in or out of the suit…”
“Honestly, we can’t really afford to lose you if we can possibly avoid it. I’ll have to speak with the Alderei to see if there is anything they can offer to help your recovery. Dr. Silvar’Esh says the Solar Warden will be fully stocked with an advanced medical wing. The refit has been delayed slightly by the war, but I have been reassured that it should be here within the next two weeks. There’s gotta be something we can do.” Henry replied.
“Don’t. Just… please don’t get my hopes up. Flying is my life, sir. I’d do anything for the opportunity to get back in the saddle. I don’t even care if you ground me to the ship for counter-boarding ops for the rest of the mission. I want to fly again.”
“Alright, in that case I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help get you back in the pilot’s seat. You’re definitely still grounded for the time being, that hasn’t changed. Neither has the fact that you are one of my best soldiers, even with your recent lapse in judgement.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, sir. I know this is far from a guaranteed solution, but I’ll take any chance I can get, no matter how small.” Brandon replied.
“Good. For now, just focus on your recovery. I’ll be back to check on you as soon as I can. I’ve got a tight schedule to keep, and I’ve got to check in with Paul still.” Henry said as he motioned towards Ariana.
“You ready?” Henry asked her.
“Yep, let’s go. It was good to see you Locust.” Ariana replied.
“Hey, Captain… if you run into Gardner, would you ask her to come and see me? Has she asked about me at all?” Brandon asked.
Henry looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, she’s asked about you, and no she is not able to freely travel the ship, though I can arrange an escort for her to come and see you if you like. Why do you want to see her though?” Henry asked with folded arms.
“No real reason… we were friend’s before all this happened, and I wanted to see her. I know she’s potentially compromised and all that jazz, but I can tell that it’s still essentially her in there. I’ve gotta imagine she’s feeling pretty isolated right now. Might do us both some good to be able to chat.”
Henry and Ariana looked at each other while he mulled over the answer. At last, he turned back towards Brandon.
“Alright, fair enough. We are currently allies, even if they represent a massive potential security risk. I want to trust them, but I would be derelict in my duty if I didn’t keep a close watch on them. I hope you understand that I will expect a full report from you afterwards.”
“What kind of report?” Brandon asked with his eyebrows furrowed.
“You know her as well or better than anyone. I want you to watch for differences from the old Gardner. I want to know of any signs that her loyalty or mindset is being manipulated, no matter how subtly.” Henry replied.
“Alright, I can do that. Thank you again, sir, for everything.”
“Good. I’ll have her sent down before they depart for the next mission. We’ll be back to check on you soon.”
Henry smiled for a half second before he clapped Brandon on the shoulder and made his way out of the room. As soon as they left, Henry nearly ran into a pretty blonde in the corridor.
“Sorry Captain!” She said as she twirled around and caught herself against the wall. The moment Ariana left the room in their wake Henry caught a short glare between the girls before they both began to smile while they stared thunderbolts at one another.
“Sarah.”
“Ariana.”
“You should really be more careful, you know. Being such a dainty little thing like yourself, it’d be a real shame if you got yourself hurt, now.” Ariana said with a smug smile.
“Well thank you, for your genuine concern for my safety. I have a special night planned with Preston, and I’d hate to disappoint him. Especially not after the fireworks last night.” Sarah replied in a sweet tone as Ariana narrowed her eyes.
“Good for you! I’m just so darn happy for you two, I could just burst. I’ll bet those few, happy memories will be enough to carry him through the next long, lonely couple of months that we’ll be spending together in the field.” Ariana replied.
“Ariana…” Henry growled in a low warning.
“He loves me, and I love him. I think we’ll be just fine. But just in case, you do bring up a good point. We’ll just have to spend as much time as we can making all kinds of new, happy memories together until he has to leave again.” Sarah fired back.
“Sounds like a wonderful idea, you do that. It’s a great, big world full of temptations down there after all. He’ll need a good friend by his side down there someone to take great care of him in your place.” Ariana replied. “Anyway, we’re here to see Paul. It’s been a real treat running into you like this. I can’t wait to do it again.”
“Oh, it’s been something alright. I’ve got patients to see as well. I hope you enjoy your evening. I certainly know I will.” Sarah replied as she turned with a victorious smile, though Henry noticed her white knuckle grip on her tablet.
Henry scowled as he turned towards Ariana. As soon as she was out of earshot, he pulled Ariana to the side.
“What the hell was that all about?!” He hissed.
“Nothing, Nurse Smiley over there just likes to brag about how she bagged Preston like it’s somehow going to make me jealous or something. It’s harmless, it’s just her clumsy attempt at protecting her relationship, meanwhile Preston and I are just friends.” Ariana replied with a roll of her eyes.
Henry stared her down with folded arms and narrowed eyes.
“Friends don’t antagonize their friend’s girlfriends. I know you know how dangerous the line you’re walking is, so cut it out. The last thing I need is drama brewing in the middle of one of my best fire teams.” Henry replied.
“Oh, come on, it’s all harmless fun. She’s a two-faced bitch who likes to mess with me, so I have to do it back! She and Preston aren’t going to last anyway, it’s obvious to anyone with eyes. When it does break apart, I can assure you that it won’t be my fault.” Ariana replied.
“You still very well might get the blame for the fallout if you don’t cool it. Don’t engage with her in the future, nothing good will come of it.”
Ariana huffed and looked off to the side before she finally replied.
“Fine. Paul should be discharged any day now, anyway. Visiting him was the only reason I’ve even had to see her as often as I have. I suppose I could just politely ignore her attempts to pick a fight in the future. I can be the bigger person here.”
“Good, rationalize it however you want, just keep the peace. If they split up based purely on their own dysfunctions that’s fine. The last thing you need is to be seen as the wedge that broke them apart, even if it’s not strictly true. She could easily spin things that way and people would believe her.” Henry replied.
“Fuck them! I don’t care what they think. If they want to believe a lie then that’s on them. I’ll know the truth, and so will those whose opinions actually matter.” Ariana scoffed.
“You may not care what the gossipers might say or think, but how would you feel if Jenkins was amongst them?” Henry could see the internal turmoil playing itself out in her expression before it settled into an icy stare as she looked back forwards.
“Then he wouldn’t be the man that I thought he was. Look, I agreed to keep things civil, can we agree to drop this subject? Paul’s room is right over there.”
Henry looked over at Ariana for a moment before deciding that the point had been made.
“Fair enough, now let’s go see him.” He replied as he walked over towards the room she had indicated.
Henry paused at the threshold of the door and gestured Ariana through. Paul sat up in bed with a quizzical look on his face. In the corner of the room, the Alderei sat on a floating hard-light chair while he worked on a holographic display.
“Captain O’Toole, how good to see you. I will be working over here if you need me.” The Alderei said with a waive.
“Good to see you Doctor. I do have a few questions for you, but we can circle back to those later. I’m actually here today in order to see Paul.” Henry said.
“Oh, Captain, you do care. I’ve only seen you twice in as many weeks, I was starting to get worried.” Paul replied in a voice positively oozing with snark.
“What can I say? It’s been hard to break away. I’ve been putting in sixteen hour days trying to keep things running around the ship while I negotiated our new alliance. I’ve been getting regular updates on your recovery though.” Henry replied.
Not gonna bait me that easy, dude.
“Oh sure, I get it. Easier to just read the reports rather than speak to the guy. Delegation is a beautiful thing for efficiency, yet utterly fails at adding that personal touch.” Paul replied with a laugh as Paul affixed him with a flat stare.
“Huh. I didn’t know you were longing for a bit of the Captain’s personal touch.” Ariana said with a smirk. “Had I known, I’d have dragged him down here a little more often. Would you like me to leave you two alone?”
“Nah, pale redheaded guys ain’t really my type, no offense, Captain. Plus, what you have with Chantal is so darn special, I’d hate to see you throw it all away for a single night of relentless domination.” Paul said with a rather disconcerting smile as Henry fought to suppress a shiver of revulsion.
“Charming. Now I’m going to have to work to scrub that visual from my brain. Let’s just move on; how’s your recovery going?” Henry asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
“You’re welcome, it’s the least I could do! Now admit it, you missed me and my shining personality.” Paul replied with a snicker.
“Just answer the damn question, Paul. I have a lot of action items left on my list for the day.” Henry said.
“Oh, you’re no fun today. Fine, recovery is coming along a little ahead of schedule, and I’ve completed most of my PT goals. According to Doc Ock, I should be ready to slowly resume my normal workout schedule as early as next week. I can expect to make a full recovery, thankfully, but it’ll be well after you send out your next op. Hate to miss it, but recovery comes first.” Paul replied.
“How did you know about that?” Henry asked.
“I’m a spy first and a soldier second. Gathering and parsing through rumors to sift for facts is second nature to me. I can also tell you that your plan is pretty solid up until the part where you want to nuke the facility. That would be a huge mistake.”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Henry folded his arms and stared Paul down for a moment.
“I’m still working on the plans, and I haven’t discussed this with more than a handful of people, none of whose loyalties are in question… How did you…?”
Henry’s eyes shot open in alarm as he answered his own question.
“Wait… you have a backdoor into my files, don’t you?”
Paul raised his gargantuan hands in the air and smirked.
“You got me. Also, before you ask, I neither can nor will remove it. It hasn’t been a problem up ‘til now, and so long as you don’t overreact about it, there won’t be any problems in the future. I’ve already pledged my undying loyalty to you and to cover for you in my reports to HighComm. You have nothing to worry about, so nothing has to change.” Paul replied.
Henry raised a single eyebrow and clenched his teeth as he mulled over the revelation. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes then affixed them upon the eyes of his left-hand man.
Play it cool.
“I’ve suspected as much for some time. I suppose the mere confirmation of fact has its own value. Your loyalty is in question only because you lied to me, even if only by omission. We have been over this before, you should have told me.” Henry snarled as he stared Paul straight in the eyes.
Henry couldn’t help but feel a certain deep primal reward as Paul cowered back for a moment. The feeling was amplified ten-fold because of the massive size difference between them; Henry had no illusions that Paul could utterly break him if they came to blows now. He had to admit there was tangible value in still being able to keep his assertion of dominance, for however long he could keep it.
“Henry’s right, Paul, absolutely right. I want you to think about that before you inevitably try and wriggle out of it. How many other people are you reporting on? Are you spying on me too? What about Dr. Silvar’Esh?” Ariana grilled him before giving Henry a sly wink.
Sometimes I wonder who handles who in that relationship. Henry thought while trying to keep a straight face. Paul looked back and forth between them at a loss for words for once.
“Do not concern yourself with my security on this topic. Lieutenant Karst couldn’t hack my systems if he tried. My personal AI assistant loves nothing more than to counter-hack, copy over the data, then destroy devices. Not that one can even properly hack a quantum computer anyway… If he had tried, I would know.” The Alderei said from his corner without even looking up from his work.
“Noted. Don’t mess with the gray’s computers. Look, I am far from the bad guy here. Henry, you asked me to keep tabs on people, remember? HighComm has demanded much the same. That’s the deal when you’re working with intelligence agencies. Surely you aren’t so naïve, people? If you had any sense, you would be paying attention to everything, too. We’ve been over this before, Henry. Honestly, this is getting a little tiring.”
“You didn’t tell me about your root access into my private files, Paul. I’m not an idiot, I can recognize when you’ve built a straw man to burn. Now, let’s just stick to this one very specific problem.” Henry replied.
“I have root access into just about everything in the ship, just like you do, well... almost. There’s only a few things I can do that you cannot. If, god forbid something happened to me, you would get that access automatically. Something happens to you, Alvarez gets yours. It’s built into the very programming of the ship. Again, I’m not the bad guy here, so let's not blow this out of proportion.”
Henry stared through him, scanning for any signs of deception for a long minute before he spoke. As he did, his anger cooled ever more by the second. Even as the tide of anger ebbed, the bedrock of his suspicion remained.
“Stay out of my files, Paul. I am going to extend a small sliver of trust and you will need to employ however heavy a dose of discipline you need.”
“I’m loyal, Henry, but I can’t change who I am or my role. I see how I messed up, after the whole cipher incident I should have known better. I shouldn’t have kept this from you, and I promise I will never do it again.”
Henry studied him again fresh and let the tension of the moment marinate while he took his time to decide. Paul simply stared back with a certain stoic intensity that made it very difficult to disbelieve. His attention was instantly diverted as a text popped up in his expanded consciousness.
CAPTAIN – POTENTIAL MULTIPLE CASUALTY SITUATION DEVELOPING WITH ANUBIS IN THE WEIGHT ROOM. ARE YOU ABLE TO BREAK OFF AND INTERVENE? IF YOU MOVE FAST YOU MAY STILL BE ABLE TO DEESCALATE. WORKING ON ROUTING ADDITIONAL REINFORCEMENTS NOW
-- CMDR ALVAREZ
ON IT, DO WHAT YOU CAN IN THE MEANTIME, BUT KEEP IT OFF THE INTERCOMM FOR NOW.
WHO ARE YOU SENDING?
-- CPT O’TOOLE
LANCE IS ON SITE NOW BUT HAS HIS HANDS FULL. VICTOR AND LUCAS ARE INBOUND NOW WITH A TEAM OF MA'S.
THE SITUATION IS DETERIORATING RAPIDLY.
-- CMDR ALVAREZ
ON MY WAY
-- CPT O’TOOLE
“Captain? What’s wrong?” Ariana asked,
“Paul, if I asked you to gear up and fight, or at the very least to look intimidating, could you do it?” Henry asked.
“First can you at least tell us what’s going on?” Ariana replied as she stepped in front of Paul. A flash of inspiration hit Henry at that same moment.
“Hold that thought, I might have a better solution. What’s going in is there’s a fight brewing in the gym with Anubis and some of our own. We need to intervene before someone gets killed.” Henry said before he turned over to look at the Alderei.
“Dr. Silvar’Esh, do you have one of those infiltrator robot summoning grenades in that pouch of yours?”
“Eviscerator Grenades, you mean? I have one here with me, though I am loathe to use it. I was given this one strictly for my own personal protection. Were you not supplied with four of them already?”
“Eviscerator grenades, that’s right! Thanks. Ours are stored in a secured armory well out of our way. I will gladly replace your grenade with one of ours when this is all done, but we need to move fast.” Henry said.
In a span of mere moments, the Alderei stowed and deactivated his hard light workstation and pressed a button on his harness that activated his armor. He then pulled another module from his dimensional sling and attached it to his back. After another moment, six metallic arms grew and solidified from his back. Four of the arms had blades on the end and the other two over his shoulders appeared to end in some form of weapon barrel.
“I will join you. It sounds like you will need help.” The Alderei said as he re-slung his pouch and reached in to retrieve a grenade covered in glowing runes.
“Are you sure about this? You are too valuable an asset to us to put you at risk lightly.” Henry replied.
“I have spent more years working with our military and intelligence teams than you have spent alive. I assure you; I am quite capable of protecting myself.” The alien said with utter confidence.
“Count me in.” Ariana said with a serious expression.
“Me too. I may not be in a condition to fight him alone, but I can at least armor up and shoulder a rifle.”
“If things go well, you won’t have to fire it. I’m not intending to pick a new fight today, but I sure as hell am going to end it. Victor will be joining us on the way, and I can have him tank Anubis for us if the situation unravels.”
Henry looked around one last time at the assembled team and nodded.
“Let’s move, there’s no time to spare!”
SHORTLY BEFOREHAND….
DATE POINT: MAY 30th, 7 A.U. (AFTER UNIFICATION)
LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, NEAR JUPITER,
ABOARD UTRN INDOMITABLE WILL
AMBASSADOR VANESSA GARDNER
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“I appreciate your concern, but we’ll be fine. Nobody will mess with us after the Captain forbade it, don't forget, we also have a guard. It took me two weeks to convince Alvarez to let me do this, and I intend to follow through. You know, you worry too much sometimes.” Vanessa chided Anubis with a laugh. He simply affixed her with a blank stare in reply.
“Now come on, I need to blow off some steam and there’s no better way to do so than to hit the gym. Well… at least not with your clothes still on.”
The way that his cheeks burned red even through his darker complexion was frankly adorable. He was actually fairly attractive under all the armor, even with the elongated skull. Not that she was in any position to judge, as she herself was an over meter tall freak with a similar skull shape to his. The dysphoria she felt when she looked at her new body in the mirror was a daily reminder of her situation. Her newly acquired shapeliness was nice... kinda, but the stares and comments that accompanied it had dampened that enthusiasm right back down again.
In her last body, she had effectively been asexual, which she had struggled with for years before she came to accept it. She had lost more friendships over feelings she couldn’t return than she cared to count. Now, unfortunately, she had begun to crush on her stoic protector, hard, and she had none of the proper tools to handle it. In some ways, life had been so much simpler then, and she’d never truly appreciated it.
Great, now I’ve made him uncomfortable. Jeez, girl, can’t even freaking flirt right… Think, girl… just say something!
“Oh, don’t get like that big guy. I was just making a joke. Now come on, the gym awaits. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” She said as she grabbed his massive bicep and gave It a gentle squeeze.
She had to catch her breath for a moment afterwards as she felt a growing warmth between her legs.
Fucking hormones…. Are you laughing God? Must be the cosmic joke of the century to revive the Ace girl in the body of a love goddess…
“I do not fear these Adamu for my own sake. My lady, I worry only for your safety. There is much hatred for our kind amongst your people, and they see you as one of us, not them. I know all too well of the evils that weigh upon the hearts of even the best of men.”
“Oh, come on, not everyone is like that. Most people are good, honest folks at heart. You just gotta give them a chance to show you.” Gardner replied.
“For many years I have sat in judgement of the hearts of men. I have good reason to believe as I do. Fear, greed, envy, malice, all are corruptions that can infect even the purest of souls, given the right circumstances. We are all slaves to the weaknesses of our flesh. I do not begrudge you your optimism, but I cannot bring myself to share it with you.” Anubis said.
He continued to stay still and stared off into space for a long moment before he looked down at her with the slightest of smiles. She gave a sigh which devolved into a chuckle before she replied.
“Don't forget, you also had a rather skewed projection of the population. Kings, nobles and the powerful often develop such traits in the quest for power, if they did not already exhibit them beforehand. How often did one of the common people get to weigh their hearts? I’d be willing to bet the average person would be far more likely to live the type of life that would gain them access to the afterlife than the average noble.”
Anubis studied her intently for a moment, almost causing her to blush at the attention.
“You make a compelling argument, my lady. It was not often whatsoever that one of low birth was granted access to the rites of immortalization. Even so, I do not believe the gap to be as wide as you claim it to be, as all those born of flesh are inherently fallible. It is likely that the truth lies somewhere in between our perspectives.”
Satisfied, she nodded back at him while she led him through the corridors to the gym. Lance went along ahead of them and sparked up a conversation with the MA at the door in a hushed tone before he nodded and waived them in.
“That’s fair, I’ll keep your words in mind though, and keep an eye out for trouble. We’re here anyway, so we should probably drop the subject for now.”
The moment they walked through the door, all conversation seemed to cease. There were more than a few concerning glares, though most people returned to their tasks shortly after. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the opposite wall, causing her to feel like a stranger once again in her own body. A gentle hand laid itself across her back, which snapped her back to reality.
“Are you well, my lady?” Anubis asked with genuine concern visible in his emerald-green eyes.
His eyes contrasted quite nicely with his dark olive skin and reddish hair, she thought. The combined effect made him look both exotic and handsome with his perfectly symmetrical face and wide jaw. She forced herself to look away as she realized she was staring.
“I know you had planned to exercise, but we can always return another time if you are feeling ill.” He continued.
“Ah… no… I’m feeling alright… thanks. I think that a good… long workout is precisely what I need.” She managed to reply somewhat breathlessly.
What is wrong with you!?! Focus, girl!
She wrestled with her emotions for a moment longer before she turned and smiled at him.
“Come, let me show you how these work. We’re way too big for most of the machines, but there is still plenty we can do with free weights, plus I want to see how much you can bench.” Gardner said with a wicked smile as she poked his rock hard pecs.
The room was full of people performing their mandatory daily PT. The three of them weaved their way through the room past the boxing ring at the center. The people fighting stopped and began to stare at them with naked contempt.
“The hell are they doing in here?” She heard from somewhere behind her.
Just ignore it…. She thought as more snippets of conversation reached her improved hearing. Very little of it was good or promising.
She looked over to her right towards the free weights. Several people stared back with unfriendly looks while others averted their gaze or vacated the area. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end as a sense of dread welled up from within.
“My lady, there are many people here that appear hostile to us. What would you have me do?” Anubis asked as he stared down those who remained in their way.
“Be ready to get us out of here if anyone does something stupid. Nobody here should be foolish enough to actually threaten us, but let’s not antagonize them, just in case.” She replied with as much confidence as she could muster.
“All right everyone, the show's over. They’re here to work out just like the rest of you. Mind your own business, that’s an order!” Lance barked out from behind her.
Vanessa turned back and mouthed a thank you, and Lance replied with a curt nod. She turned around and walked up to the bench press with a smile on her face just to have a marine cut in front of her while his spotter stared her down in challenge.
“We called next! Wait your turn!”
Oookay… She thought as she turned to the other bench press next to it.
“I’m using this after him, and he ain’t done here yet. Go away and play with your Xeno boyfriend.” Their spotter snarled.
Asshole! Fine.
“Move along Xeno lover. This gym is for humans only, and you aren’t one of us. Not anymore. We wouldn’t want you to get hurt now, would we?” A voice called out from the boxing ring behind her.
”All we want is to work out in peace, guys. We aren’t looking for trouble.” Vanessa said as she turned herself around to look at the various hostile faces around the room.
“You’re making a big mistake Brock, don't be an idiot. You and your goons only just got out of the brig last week. The captain isn’t going to be so merciful this time.” Lance warned as he stepped in front of her.
“Get fucked boy scout. You think I care what the captain has to say? He’s just as much of a xeno collaborator as you are. You all have those grey alien brain chips controlling you anyway. His authority is compromised! The only good giant is a dead one. We sure as shit shouldn't be jumping in bed with them!” Brock replied as a chorus of angry voices jeered in agreement.
“You don’t know what you are talking about. That’s not how the neural supercomputer works. The captain and I have full control of our own faculties, while you seem to have lost control of yours. Now stand down, I’ve already called in extra MA's. It's not too late to back away from this.” Lance said without breaking eye contact with Brock.
“What is the short one in the combat arena saying? If he dares to threaten you, we will rip out his tongue and sever his limbs from his body to make an example of him.” Anubis snarled.
“Stay your hand, Anubis. Let Lance handle this. We can’t be seen as the aggressors here.” Vanessa replied.
Anubis merely huffed as he began to stretch and crack his knuckles.
Please don’t do anything stupid…
“Quit speaking your xeno gibberish and speak English! Let me guess… was he threatening to kill me? Go on, make me a martyr, I dare you! You’ll find out just how many more of us there are than you think. We've been waiting for this opportunity. You’re not the only ones who can call in backup.”
The ring of people surrounding them slowly tightened inwards as the rest of the crowds made their way to the exit. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see several of them removing the plates from the bench press bars. A handful of newcomers rushed into the gym from outside to join the growing crowd.
MULTIPLE THREATS IDENTIFIED;
COMBAT MODE INITIATED
“This is insane, we are allies! Nobody is trying to kill you or anyone. We have a mutual enemy between all three of our species, and a lot of common interest! That is why the Captain agreed to an alliance! It has nothing to do with alien supercomputers or brainwashing, we are going to need each other!” Vanessa shouted as the combat stims began to flow through her system.
“Don’t listen to her! That’s exactly what a double agent would say before preparing to stab us in the back! Remember the Earth! It was your kind that burned our cities and murdered our families in cold blood! The dead demand vengeance, they demand purity in spirit, and clarity in focus! What are our lives in the face of the billions they've killed? Don’t let her honeyed words fool you, their alliance is a poison pill! The blood of our ancestors and of our families is on their hands! If the Captain is too blind to see it, then it is up to us to act in the best interest of mankind! Leave nothing to chance; we don’t need them or their false alliance! Kill them.” Brock ordered before he slipped between the ropes.
“This is a big mistake! We’re not a threat to you!” Vanessa shouted as she was charged by three men brandishing weights and bars as makeshift weapons.
“We shall protect you, my lady! These mongrels will beg for our mercy before this day is done!” Anubis roared as he manifested for himself twin blades of pure null matter and rushed to block their path.
Right as she opened her mouth to protest, a heavy bar smacked her on the back of the head and dazed her as she spun around. She only just managed to dodge a follow up swing as a man screamed in agony behind her and she backhanded her attacker.
“Anubis! Stop it! If we kill them, we’re no better than what they accuse us of! We must…!”
A series of deafening pops rang through the air as chaos consumed them all.
“Gardner!” Lance shouted as he wrestled with a handful of marines.
She looked down with her ears ringing as a pair of red spots began to spread on the front of her chest and she slumped forward.
I… what? No...
She looked up and saw Anubis skewer the man who shot her before he tore him in half. He bowled through a pair of men trying to hold him back in his mad rush towards her. The last thing she saw as her vision began to fade was a steel bar that swung towards her face before everything went black.