Speed And Agility (2)
“I brought her, aunty.” Phesx Caolia spoke to Sofia, who ignored them after welcoming them in. Sofia waved her hand backwards, saying, “That's alright. You can go. Leave us ladies alone. Go to your mission, errand boy.”
Phesx Caolia looked at Lisa, who looked back at him with an innocent pout, and shrugged before politely smooching her forehead. Then, just before he left, he groped her butt and slapped it. This left Lisa with a blushing face and a delicate pout.
After Phesx left, she tiptoed towards the scary, ‘high-end’ doctor. Sofia hurried her and grabbed her over, making Lisa yelp before showing her the monitors. Lisa looked at them and frowned, not understanding anything.
“I’ll say it out clearly, you don’t need to come here again for ‘that’.” Sofia hid her excitement as she told Lisa this. However, Lisa was dispirited. Seeing that, Sofia blinked before smiling. “Let me finish. Your IUA has shown some results, look here. Does this image look similar?”
“I remember it. It’s similar to when I was diagnosed of it. Is there anything different?” Lisa frowned a little less, squinting her eyes. Sofia had a sad expression before changing it for a congratulatory one, “It’s here. Phesx’s semen has been directed and maintained here after… coitus. Now, this is the original one from back then. See?”
“Gasp!” Lisa opened her delicate lips, widening her eyes as she held her tummy. There was a chunk of her womb where the damaged tissue was repaired!
“Here, you can use these from now on to continue the ‘treatment’. It’s still unknown if it will work in this way, but that’s why we can keep experimenting, right? You should petition to exit the household. I heard Em feels lonely lately.” Sofia said, blinking and making Lisa feel contented.
Nearly bursting tears out, Lisa held her mouth with her right hand before asking, silly and confused. “Eh? If Phesx knew I would be out of the previous experiment, why did he keep touching me?”
“…” Sofia looked at her, helpless. Lisa pouted and blushed a bit more. Sofia shook her head and admonished her, “Little girl, you have to start respecting yourself. No more lewd thoughts around men. Don’t think you can do whatever you want when you’re just recuperating.”
“Mn!” Lisa nodded, vowing to let go of her ‘old’ life. Of course, this was something that a whole other person in the world, Phesx, wouldn’t nor had to deal with.
… As he walked into the administration facilities, he saw 1 truck ready to depart. Paul wasn’t promoted, nor was Phesx Caolia, but the former’s status was clearly different to a few months ago. In this important, advancement mission, he was to lead a full team, while Phesx Caolia was also to lead one, albeit smaller.
They were a full platoon of 24, packing the truck to almost the limit with their military bags and some extra equipment, heavy and lethal. Some machine guns were put at the side, ready to install them after arriving at a bridge.
Just as Phesx Caolia walked to the truck after signing up at the respective administration facility, he found León walking nearby, targeting him. Phesx Caolia just continued walking without saying anything, but felt his military bag become heavier out of nowhere.
He looked back. León was pulling on his tent with a slighting smile. Phesx Caolia stopped and turned around. León kept smiling before voicing, “I heard you’re going for the instructor position, too? What can a child who can’t even melee others teach the new recruits? Learn your place, no?”
“What. Have something to say?” Phesx Caolia ignored those words. León dropped his eyelids halfway before crossing his arms. He stood before Phesx, nearly chest to chest, but that was only because of his elbows nearing Phesx’s chest.
“That’s right.” León said with a firm tone. “I’ll be waiting here to see if you’re really going to ever be considered an instructor. Whether you believe it or not, my aim has improved, and my status in my team is growing. Soon, I’ll be a team leader. What about you? Still riveting in your 1st class promotion? Can you at least show you can be of help to others? If not, then don’t think being stupid will get you far!”
‘“Ugh.” Phesx Caolia lowered his head and flicked his forehead, feeling dizzy with this stupidity. After his pause, he gave León a look before gesturing towards the platoon he was joining. “Something tells me you wouldn’t dare take my place right now if I offered it.”
“…” León went silent with Phesx’s words, but he wasn’t finished. “You know, those sounds might sound well anywhere. But they are shit coming from your mouth.”
Step, step, step. With that, Phesx Caolia turned around and dragged his head around in the air, resuming his walk to the platoon. León was left behind, wordless. His slightly opened, silly-looking mouth closed, pressing. His eyelids scrunched, looking a little vicious…
“Hey!” - “Welcome to the field, kitty.” - “Mn, came to down it to 7, then?” Phesx Caolia met his old comrades getting up the truck, already honed by experience, as a few of them had bullet scars from nearly making a nest in their limbs. He looked at the last to greet him before shaking their hands brotherly. “I’m fine with 8.”
“Hahahaha!” A few comrades laughed, with others shaking their heads. The kid had returned, and he became more resolute. Just what he needed to continue.
“You’re all cute, but listen now.” A man walked to the rear of the truck, grabbing their attention. Phesx Caolia sat on a seat beside Paul as every soldier in the platoon looked at their warrant officer, leader of this platoon.
“The road to the north is clear. We’ll check in with some brothers and sisters on our way there. Our objective is the road leading to our side. We’re going to start a blockade that’ll help the encampment gain control over the worker districts, the western half first. Now, I’ll delegate you. Make use of your expertise, because I’m not choosing you by your pretty faces. They don’t match, anyway.”
The officer began giving each team leader their team members before selecting 2 team leaders to act as squad leaders. Paul was one of them. Em wasn’t here, relaxing from some wounds he suffered on his feet and was recuperating for the following 2 months.
Phesx Caolia was given 2 soldiers under his command to lead a team, both belonging to the team he worked with before. He was the last team leader to be named, gaining him a few shoulder slaps and cheering. There were few female soldiers in the platoon, but they were as brotherly-sisterly as the others.
“Now, both squads will bring a little toy to the sides of the bridge. We’ll start there. No matter what, it’s the highest structure, so unless a warplane comes, we’ll be safe from snipers.” The man continued. A soldier raised his arm. The man stopped and pointed at him. The soldier nodded, “What if it’s a tank?”
“Then we’ll see it from 10 kilometers away, soldier.” The man disappointingly responded before resuming, “The orders are to impede any movement coming from the west. Unless they are thin and walking with weak steps and wearing tight clothing, nobody can get close.”
“You know your training. Now, understood?!” The man loudly questioned his soldiers. They yelled in response, “Yes, sir!!”
“Aight, good boys and girls. Enjoy the wind.” The officer said, leaving them baffled as he entered the front of the truck.
“Qué mierda.” A soldier exclaimed when the officer went inside. The window to the front opened, with the man’s voice sounding, “I heard that. 1 hour at the rear. Go!”
“…” Phesx Caolia was left speechless. That was one of his soldiers. The squads were divided into 9 soldiers. Paul led a team of 6, with Phesx a team of 3. The other squad had 4 teams, the squad leader led a team of 3, while the others were all teams of 2.
Paul was about to touch Phesx’s knee with his own, when Phesx Caolia stood up and reported, not requested. “I will take his place, sir. He’s my soldier.”
“…Aight, commendable! Half an hour!” The man went silent, while his face could be seen scrutinizing Phesx Caolia from the front. He then said before closing the back window. Phesx Caolia nodded before sitting at the rear. However, he really liked it. It was like the ‘strong’ wind helped him breathe.
“What Hellcat? He’s a cerberus, look!” Someone whispered. Phesx Caolia grinned, feeling bullied a little as his soldiers kept a straight face, but even Paul laughed it off. The other soldiers watched as Phesx Caolia hugged his rifle and took his helmet off, letting his slightly long male hair wobble everywhere.
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… Hours later, with the soldiers turning their asses to sit at the rear, not daring to put their bags in that place, in case they flew away, they neared their destination.
They departed at 4 AM, more or less early. Along the way, they ate some dry cookies, and drank a bit from their canteen. The rain was toxic, and will always be, but they were fine. None had plagues, as the last person to suffer one had those blackish tentacles sucking inside near their butthole; was confirmed clean for the mission a week earlier.
Now, all that was needed was for them to complete their task. While a bit of rain descended on them, they didn’t need to cover themselves, allowing their canteens to be rapidly filled. As such, well-fed and not thirsty, they stepped down the truck at nearly 7 AM.
Phesx Caolia brought one of the machine guns with him, while the other squad hurried down to meet with the hidden soldiers nearby. Paul’s squad waited at the truck, with the warrant officer’s team of 6 chatting them up. The officer selected the veterans on defensive points to be under his command, while the others had notorious survival and cooperation skills.
At last, they saw a few soldiers appear atop the broken buildings around them. They analyzed each other before the fake debris was pushed away, giving the truck a clear, open path to the road connecting both districts.
The truck advanced slowly while the squads and the officer’s team protected it. There were many cars left behind, forming smallish paths that required very slow movement, making their first step towards their objective one that tested their patience.
The numerous tall buildings around were emptied, but a rat or nimble cat can always sneak in. However, they didn’t have time to go up and down those tall, wide buildings. They had to follow and secure the truck, as all the heavy ammunition was in it. They had limited explosives, but those could be very useful, too.
Phesx Caolia and his team weren’t the fastest, as they needed precision instead. But they had the most stamina in the platoon. Paul used them to snake their way between long alleys made by several vehicles, securing their weak spots.
Meanwhile, the team at the truck checked their rear and always high up at their sides, wielding some small but precise rifles to counter snipers from up-close. In short, their power wasn’t as potent, but it could work still.
Like this, hours went by, all spent walking with their heavy military bags and weapons, checking every spot they could afford to take a look into. Phesx Caolia began sweating when his wet clothes met with the heated sun and clear sky after a cloudy morning.
… The bridge they were to secure a defensive line at the very least for a week was just a bit over 100 meters from the worker districts’ perimeter into the road. It was the tallest in the road, and it was built to supervise the traffic speed and in case an accident occurred.
It had a rising platform so the workers could attend to it if something happened to it. Now, however, while it still had some equipment there, it had been deserted, with most of the road filled with cars.
When the civil war broke out, tens of thousands of people were forced to flee on foot, not just here, but at every interconnecting road in Preut between districts. One could only imagine the immense disorder back then.
After exiting the district and entering the road, they all got into the truck again. Phesx Caolia and Paul were at the front of the back of the truck, watching the few kilometers-long road ahead. At least until Paul frowned, “Strange. Not many cars were pushed away. Some criminals or preis should have done it.”
“Any of the two?” Phesx Caolia, whose sight was a little higher up, turned to Paul and asked, feeling funny. Paul nodded, knowing what he was thinking. “Yeah. We’ve found indications that Prei and the scum are actually in cahoots. Who would’ve thought?”
“How so?” Phesx Caolia asked, thinking of how it all started for him. Paul tilted his head to the right, biting his upper lip, “We saw some refugees talk with hiding criminals and others before they began fleeing. Although they were routed, part of their retreat seemed organized. Then, we interrogated a few people, and they detailed us the ‘newcomers’ appearance. It all points to those prei.”
“Hmm, so a maybe-maybe.” Phesx Caolia craned his neck and said, returning his attention to the front. Paul nodded, feeling a little exasperated, “Well, yeah.”
“…We’re here! Get down and get working!” A few minutes later, with the truck stopping before the rising platform, like a ramp, the soldiers came down the back with their warrant officer’s orders.
Phesx Caolia and Paul were the last to step down. After everyone else walked down, they pulled a few hooks on the floor, from a couple of small indents, before getting down the truck. The floor everyone had walked on let out some steam before it became loose.
Some soldiers began sliding it out and down of the truck to act as a support, while others took things out of the hidden compartment and slid them down the floor-ramp. The remaining soldiers picked them up and separated them. They were organized and barely exchanged words. It looked like they’ve worked together for long, but this was just etched into their militarized minds.
Not only Phesx Caolia and the squad leaders helped, even the warrant officer and his team cooperated. It was already afternoon, and the sun would start a shade of orange in this building-less part of Preut. They didn’t want to work with the only lights in the road telling others where were they, and what they were doing, even from more than 10 kilometers away.
While Phesx Caolia was no technician, he basically became a bit of a supervisor as he accommodated the machine guns and advised the working methods of some soldiers. Of course, he further helped his team, wanting those credit points going to him even more.
Another hour went by, with the soldiers growing a little bothered. Thus, the warrant officer let them rest. It was too late, after all. They could send word tomorrow about the defensive line being established.
At this moment, Phesx Caolia and Paul walked side to side as the world turned orangish, although not that much. There was still time before that magic beauty nobody cares about.
“So, I heard you did present a form to become an instructor?” Paul asked after sharing their serious thoughts on kittens out of boredom. Phesx Caolia vacantly nodded. Paul grinned victoriously before tapping Phesx’s back. “See? I knew you were made for this. Now, we’re talking. You’re younger, but there should already be talks of your promotion to corporal.”
“Hm. It shouldn’t be that easy.” Phesx Caolia commented, just to be polite. Paul widened his grin, “It’s nothing crazy, you know? Promoting after gaining this much population was your luck, but your subsequent moves were the encampment’s luck. Even if small, I know a piece of our fellow soldiers’ rage when we were counterattacked back then came from your part in it.”
“Alright, then.” Phesx Caolia shrugged, not giving it second thoughts. Paul suddenly became serious, though. “But to become an instructor isn’t the same. Well, it is ‘here’, in the encampment. But in the army as a whole, it is nothing but guiding new recruits.”
“Well, it’s not like we’re being selected to become special forces’ instructors, you know?” Paul commented after his speech, sounding playful. Phesx Caolia stopped and tilted his head rightwards, looking at Paul ahead. “That’s where we’re going?”
“Hahaha, you get it, at last.” Paul returned and slapped Phesx’s shoulders, hugging them. Walking together, he looked ahead and preached to the young boy, “There are instructors who help the seniors when new recruits join the army. They were the ones to be recognized.”
“Sure, you could, as an ‘assisting’ instructor, educate the new recruits, even yell at them. Personally teach them, advise them, and guide them, but it is the senior instructor who brings all the attention, memory, and credit to themselves.” Paul sighed a bit profoundly. Phesx Caolia looked at him, realizing of the desire Paul had towards a profession like this.
“As for you, with a few touches to your approaches, you could be rapidly recognized by Prequa’s military camp before the big battle. You’ll have a solid position and no longer be seen as cannon fodder in the ‘big and high’ peoples’ eyes.” Paul said, but as soon as he finished, Phesx Caolia shook his head.
“No, I won’t do that.”
Paul was taken aback. Phesx Caolia lightly smacked his lips open, “I tried doing your way, Paul. But it’s not me. I tried because I wanted, and now I’ve seen. My way is very different. I don’t know what could be, or what will I end up like, but that is what I have to do.”
“Whatever it is?” Paul asked, understanding, and showing his comprehension. Phesx Caolia looked at him and ever so slightly nodded, “Whatever I am.”
“…Welp, just make sure that little head of yours doesn’t grow cocky, mm?” Paul warned before grabbing Phesx Caolia’s neck and hooking it with his arm before rubbing the top of his head. Phesx Caolia let it happen, helpless at melee, and also not really bothered.
They were walking atop the bridge. It had a ramp connected to a small pathway in the middle of the read, with only those coming from the worker district able to drive into. The ramp was more than 100 meters long, leading to a very tall base supported by a few, strong columns at the sides. There was a small path leading forth for several dozen meters before it stopped, where most of the reading equipment and electrical systems could be checked and repaired.
Its lateral sides were 50 meters wide, or so, with their length wholly covering the road’s width. With this, the entire road was supervised once upon a time, but now, it was a solid blockade in the making.
Phesx Caolia and Paul were near the ramp, on its northern side, on the right, as the world around them turned orange, and the sun was no longer a hot mess. Just as they were walking further into the northern side, Phesx Caolia stopped and stiffened.
Below, the warrant officer held the truck’s radio with a frown. Interference made it really difficult to understand, but because of the other side’s anxiousness, he didn’t remember how protected the truck’s radio is. For it to have interference when all clouds left the zone several hours ago, it had to be something causing it.
“… crsshhh… we didn’t see it before! Y-… gotta- now!” The warrant officer frowned, not understanding as he shook his head. “I can’t understand you, what is- huh? Is that a chopper?”
Chuff, chuf chuf chuf, chuff chuf chuff chuff…
A large helicopter barely showed as the man looked outside the truck and upwards. It was distinctive mostly because of its contrast with the setting sun, but it was so large that it seemed just a few dozen meters from the ground, when it clearly wasn’t.
However, that wasn’t the only thing that was in the air, flying, and very, very fast. Phesx Caolia tackled Paul down, barraging his left heel at Paul’s right shin, and with their arms on each other’s shoulders, falling to the ground with him. At the same time, the warrant officer felt like time stopped, as a warhead appeared just before him, larger than his torso.
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!
…