(Reverence 2, 59 / 8:01PM)
Back at the Pacithiest adobe.
Several hours before the raid on the ranch, a bunch of men and women were all sitting on the dining room floor. Their bottoms nestled themselves on the hardwood, nearly twenty to thirty of them all had their elbows touching against one another, as two Pacitheist soldiers stood right in front of all of them.
One of the soldiers had a cowlick on the right side of his hair, while the other soldier had her hair styled in a bob cut. And along the end of the room, stood two women and two men, with one of the men having white spiked hair.
(Christian) All right so here’s the plan.
Taking out a laminated brown paper, Christian pushed his hand to let the other soldiers see the dusted long-width paper. Seeing the outline, many of the soldiers looked at one another as the paper took the shape of an old map with tourist destinations.
(Christian) I’ll return it to Sean’s room when I’m done, but we’re going here, to the Zirardge ranch.
Everyone remained silent.
Not even letting out a muffled voice or a whisper, some of the soldiers began to look down onto the dark wooden floor. As for the other half, some of them placed their hands on their foreheads, swaying their heads from right to left.
Christian lowered his hand that held the map, having it brush his thigh as sucked in an abundance of air before blowing out.
(Christian) I know you guys don’t want to go there, but my brother decided to go in on the strike force without my permission. I just need to get him back, so I’m only asking for your—
(Pacithiest Soldier #1) Are we doing this for your benefit?
One of the soldiers that sat right in front of Christian spoke out, his head still tilted downward with his eyes not yet seen by Christian.
His hands staining the wooden floor with his petrified sweat, bits of his nails began to scrap against the wood. Puckering up a frown, the man’s voice barely held back a long growl from escaping, his vocals on the verge of grinding against the mucus layer of his throat.
(Pacithiest Soldier #1) Why would we risk our lives for your brother… He’s the weakest out of all of us.
(Christian) Jumbo don’t…
The very map that he held with his right hand soon crunched up along with his fingers, followed by his left hand also balling itself into a fist.
To the right of him, Pacifica began to grind both of her teeth while having her mouth sewn shut from her lips. Her knees slightly swaying despite there being no wind, she coldly stared at the bunny-human that resembled more of a human, his long brown hair reaching down to his lower back.
Perking up his button nose, Jumbo began to tilt his head up slowly.
(Jumbo) He has the lowest scores in terms of physical strength and mental capacity. He’s practically deadweight to us.
(Christian) Please stop talking now…
Christian began to lower his head, his right hand shaking violently with the crumbled laminated map going along with it.
All the soldiers around Jumbo soon began to move their bodies away from him without standing up, since they were all squashed like sardines. With hands placing themselves onto the soldier’s shoulders, widened eyes and shaking heads only looked toward his way.
He finally tilted his head upward to look at the barely-containing Christian.
(Jumbo) And you want to save him? Sacrificing all of us just to save your brother? As repentance for what happened with your older brother?
The brown map that already turned into a ball soon dropped onto the floor.
Extending his left hand, Christian soon grabbed Jumbo’s collar, his eyes straining red as his right hand barely contained his implosive rage. Despite his right hand being pulled back, he kept it in place as his breathing intensified, his chest heaving up and down in a fast arithmetic pattern.
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(Christian) Quiet!
(David) Silence.
David garnered everyone’s attention.
Folding his arms, the front end of the hat blocked anyone from seeing his face, as the sun settled deep into the horizon. With no sun to shine on his face, the only thing that David did was straighten his back while holding his hands inside his jacket.
And in that single moment, both Christian and Jumbo seemingly felt like two deflated balloons, with Christian’s anger seemingly jumping out the window. Letting go of Jumbo, he slightly opened his mouth while the bunny-human turned his whole body toward the middle-aged man.
(David) You guys are both adults so act like it. Now son, what happened to Manny wasn’t your fault, but care to explain to your soldiers more on your plan? They follow you, but they aren’t going to die for a soldier’s cause.
Glancing to the right of him, Christian noticed a dropped metal wrench in front of Pacifica’s feet, with the metal denting the floor. A small sniffle came out from her, she walked herself to her corner, pressing her back on the stone-hardened walls.
Slumping down, Christian gulped down whatever dry saliva he had situated in his mouth, clasping both of his hands as he noticed the crumpled-up map below.
(Christian) … There’s info on something in that ranch.
Every soldier perked their heads up.
Getting their attention, Christian looked at each and every soldier who had furrowed brows and pushed-up faces. Unable to walk back and forth since soldiers were sitting right in front of him, Christian clamped both of his feet together, keeping his legs straight and his knees unbuckled.
(Christian) Info that may lead to something. Luke, the leader or commander of The Dark Angels, told me earlier today that he feels like he is being watched. If he feels like he’s being watched, then doesn’t that mean we could be being watched as well?
Bits of sweat soon formed on half of the soldiers in the room, with almost all of them glistening under the single lightbulb hanging on top of the ceiling. As for the two women who kept watch over the old man who was in between them, the woman with monolid eyes and glasses puckered up her lips. As she pressed more onto her father’s shoulder.
(Christian) It’s pretty clear that they were set up from the beginning, most likely the Zirardges, but like the Boss said; any friend of David’s is a friend to the Boss.
Christian then finally knelt to pick up the map that had crumbled like a ball, picking it up with just his two fingers. Showing the clear full view of the country that they were birthed into, every eye and nose pointed itself onto that map.
(Christian) You don’t have to do it for me, hell you don’t have to do it for Luke and his group, but do it for the Boss’s sake. By a raise of hands, who’s willing to accompany me?
Silence only filled the room.
Like a domino effect, one person raised their hand on the back of the group, then another person, and another. Slowly, two people, then four, then eight.
Then the entirety of the group of soldiers, all having a little smirk latched onto their faces. Jumbo, who zipped his lips like a zipper, also slowly raised his hand hesitantly, keeping his face hidden from Christian.
Putting his hands behind his back, he had them hold onto each other as he glanced at every soldier, even looking toward the back where Jenny, the Boss, Iris, and David were. While also glancing to the right corner where Pacifica smiled wryly from.
(Christian) Thank you guys. I promise that we’ll help Sean get that info, and back up Luke and his group while getting back our comrade.
(Christian’s thoughts) And if Sean is correct, there may be some info regarding the location of that cartel group.
______________________________________________________________________________
(Reverence 1, 59 / 10:00AM)
A day prior.
Somewhere in a government office in Lagefor.
The windows latched in a dark tinted state, the smell of cigar smoke and whiskey burdened the room with sin. Inside the room, a large wooden desk held behind a chubby man wearing a flat cap. A man who had turquoise hair as well as a turquoise bushy mustache.
(Doug) Welcome agents, please take a seat.
Four men and women wearing black suits and fedoras soon took their seats in front of the weird-haired man, with the man in the middle already folding his arms and putting his right boot on the desk.
Having a side bang that covered his left eye, the agent had blonde hair with eyelids darkened like dark chocolate.
(Doug) I would like to give thanks in return for my bribe. You made my money’s worth.
(Agent Briggs) Does it look like I did it for money?
(Doug) I suppose you’re not a man who follows money; consider yourself lucky that you’re not cursed by it.
Doug soon stood up from his large seat, adjusting the bottom ends of his brown thin coat. Walking toward the door that led to the other room, Doug hovered the golden door handle with his right hand, as he turned his attention onto the group of agents that just watched.
(Doug) Do you know what’s behind this door?
The spartan next to him, a woman with tinted sunglasses and long dark brown hair, had her right hand cling onto Brigg’s arm. Rubbing it back and forth, she used her other hand to pull her sunglasses down to the lower end of her nose.
(Spartan Alexandra) You know he doesn’t like surprises.
(Doug) That I already know. But then again, everyone needs a good surprise once in a while.
Doug finally grasped the golden handle, letting the door wide open for a person to step out. Upon seeing the person, all four of them jumped out of their seats.
Having their hands hovered over their hips, not a single one of them lost their attention to the man drenched in all black, whose face was recognizable to both Briggs and Alexandra. A bead of sweat rolled down his right temple, Briggs trickled his fingers onto the grip of a German Luger, the metal tickling his skin with its melancholic glow.
(Agent Briggs) Care to explain what’s going on sir?
(Doug) At ease men and women, it’s just someone I’m close to.
The man in all black had both of his hands inside his jacket, with his jacket collar reaching up to his jawline. Despite being slightly scrawny looking, it was clear that he was by no means weak.
Since right in front of the four of them …
(Agent Briggs) Explain yourself, Doug Zirardge.
Was a middle-aged man with ginger hair, with two chainsaws tucked away inside of his jacket.