Avalanche HQ, Medical Ward, 1435
The steady beep coming from the various devices attached to Marco would sound relaxing if not for the circumstances. It had been a day since the operation at the airport and he still hadn't regained consciousness. Alexis was with him since they had finished his surgery at Sandstone General Hospital and still hadn’t had time to sleep since they brought him to the office infirmary. He’d received a massive amount of injuries in Prussian City, enough that the Cherub wasn’t sure how he survived in the first place. By all rights they should be getting ready to bury him. She finished the last of her test and looked down at the chart before shaking her head. Everything was far from good.
In another part of the building a very tense Richard Spencer had calmed down and was awaiting the arrival of his interrogators. The head bag really wasn’t necessary; he knew where he was, given who his captors were. But things were different now. Last time he was a bargaining chip, used to get back their own prisoner. Now he was pretty much guaranteed a painful interrogation followed by a hopefully swift execution. He definitely remembered one of them mentioning the Colonel being in critical condition and on his way to the hospital. A painful interrogation indeed.
The door opened and in walked Kelly and Renae along with Carrie pushing a rolling cart. Unfriendly was a nice way of describing the look on the Penance’s face. She wasn’t allowed to be in the infirmary until Alexis gave the all clear so she decided to help with serving dinner. Richard watched the Penance carefully, the last time he saw her he was sure she was dead.
Kelly drew a breath to steady herself and sat down. “Get something to eat and do it quick, you have a long night ahead of you and you’re going to need your strength.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not be tortured on a full stomach.”
Renae scowled at the man while she loosened the straps holding his hands to the chair. “What makes you think we’re going to torture you?”
“It was just a hunch. You have me at your mercy and considering everything that’s happened and my poor luck… let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Unless you try to escape no one is going to harm you. The Colonel would be very disappointed in us if we did such a thing.”
“Can’t have that I guess.”
Kelly kicked the underside of the table and startled both of them. “Don’t get cute, I’m going to start asking questions again and you’re going to start answering. This is Renae; she’s taking the place of Alex who is busy making sure that the Colonel is going to live. If he dies then your problems will be over.”
Richard rubbed his wrist where they were tied down then took a deep breath. Despite how she phrased what she said he knew it wasn’t a threat, it was a fact. If Readman died she would kill him on the spot. “I’m going to answer as best as I can, but I have my own question before we get started.”
“You get one for free; better make it a good one.”
“Is my harem ok, Gwyn and the others?”
Kelly’s glare softened, she thought that he was just putting on an act back at the warehouse, but he really did seem to care about them. As much as she despised the man sitting across from her she had to respect the fact that he wanted to make sure they were ok. “Your harem has been healed and are in their pokéballs. We’ll let them out one at a time to make sure that they get something to eat but if they try something funny we won’t hesitate to take them out. Gwyn will have to remain in her pokéball for her own safety.”
“Her own safety?”
“It’s that or the Ghostrider will probably shoot her. I'm hard pressed to decide if I want that to happen or not. I have no control over Henrietta at this moment and she's way stronger than I am, if it comes down to it she will kill Gwyneth and I won't stop her."
Richard pushed his plate to the side and sat back in his chair. "I understand, the Ghostrider will either exact her revenge or pardon her. If these things don’t happen the she will hunt us at her leisure."
"As long as you understand. Now tell me about..." Kelly's first question was interrupted by the firm and frantic pounding on the door. "Enter!"
Alexis burst through panting and shaking, the clipboard held firmly in her hands but creaking under the pressure of her grip. "We have a problem; I need to see you outside."
"Go ahead and tell us all now, Spencer may need to hear what you have to say."
"Yes ma'am, the Colonel's surgery went well and physically he is completely healed. The problem is that he is unresponsive to any form of stimulation, and has been that way for twenty-nine hours. He scored a 3 out of 15 on the Glasgow scale."
Kelly could see the worry and dread passing in the Cherub's eyes and tried her best to stay calm. "What does that mean Sargent?"
"It means he's in a coma, I have no idea how long it’s going to last.” The glass pitcher of water Carrie was holding shattered under the force of her hands closing around it. All eyes turned to her and her eyes turned to Richard who recoiled in fear of the Penance. “Carrie, please go to the infirmary, he’s resting right now and you can keep him company.” Carrie dropped the remains of the glass on the floor and rush out of the room as quickly as she could. “If I didn’t send her out she was going to kill you, just wanted you to know that.”
Richard cleared his throat and loosened his collar in an attempt to cool off in the suddenly very hot room. “She’s a dark-type; I thought you couldn’t read the minds of dark-type pokégirls.”
“I don’t have to be a mind reader to see what was behind those eyes. She was going to gut you right here. Anyway, I talked to Elise and she’s going to arrange for us to get ahold of some equipment to monitor his progress.” Alexis pulled the broom and dustpan from the bottom of the cart and proceeded to sweep up the broken glass. “We can monitor his vitals from here but we’ll have to take him to the hospital for his CAT and MRI.”
Renae moved the cart off to the side, she was going to have to mop the floor but she would get to it later. “Chesra is going to be devastated when we tell her.”
“It’s her fault that he’s like that in the first place, where is she?” Growled Kelly.
Alexis flipped through the papers on the chart and handed one to Kelly. “The last time I saw her she was curled up in a ball in her room. I'll go talk to her as soon as I'm finished checking on the Colonel. I'll run this back to the kitchen."
Kelly took her seat again and looked over the paper. "Mr. Spencer you have no idea how fortunate you are right now? The Colonel had four broken ribs, a cracked sternum, broken arm, concussion, considerable blood loss, and a ruptured spinal column. If we didn't get to him when we did you'd both be dead right now. Now tell me, who was the pokégirl that attacked the Colonel back at the airport?"
Richard sat forward and rests his hands on the table. Now that he had been abandoned there was no reason to keep quiet. "Her name is Andzral, a Bondage Elf that belongs to the man who's trying to capture you and kill your colonel. I don't know his name, no one has ever used it around us and he didn't give one when we were introduced."
Kelly nodded and started writing down notes to go along with the audio and video log that was being kept. "Ok, what were you getting by doing this?"
"A paycheck." Renae frowned and began tapping her fingers on the table. "What? I was just doing the job I was told to do, I work for IGS as a Field Operative, I get my assignments and do the jobs I'm asked to do. Then I got assigned to assist some league official. The guy was all cloak and dagger, never showed his face, didn't like to meet in person, and normally let his pokégirls take care of the business."
Renae crossed her arms and sat back. "So you've just been doing as you're told, blindly following whatever orders you were given? No matter, tell us about the pokégirls this man has."
"You know about Minerva, she was one of the higher ones but didn't seem to be one of the favorites. Next was Delilah, Dark Queen, she's a lone wolf. No one knows why she helps, or where she goes when she's not around. Even the man in charge has no control over her, which is good, she's one of the most powerful he has in his arsenal and I've seen her prove it. Andzral, Bondage Elf, that was the first time I've ever seen her in action. Otherwise she would be around but hardly ever spoke. I only know the name of one of the last three, Evelyn who seems to be a favorite. There are two more but I don't know anything about them."
"Why are you being so open about this? I'm not complaining mind you, but you don't seem to be holding anything back." Said Kelly, she had done her share of interrogations and most at least tried to give bad information or dodge questions. Richard appeared to be freely giving them what they wanted without a fight.
"Why shouldn't I be? You've been trained in this kind of thing, hell I'm sure you were trained in counter interrogation too. You have nothing to lose by just killing me and I know it. I got left twisting in the wind. Andzral didn't give a damn about us, I know that now. So, I'm going to be as helpful as possible with the sliver of hope that you let me and mine live after you got what you want. If I'm wrong and you kill me anyway then I hope I gave you enough information to catch the son of a bitch that hung me out to dry."
Kelly nodded and set her pin aside. "'Silence and loyalty are two different things, one you can buy the other you have to earn.' I guess he didn't do either."
Richard laughed at the quote. "You're right about that."
_____
Henrietta was slowing getting her bearings and trying to remember who she was. Thankfully no one had the heart to throw away any of her possessions. Old pictures and momentous of a life that felt foreign to her. She was surprised to find that she had a room all to herself, one of the few private rooms in the whole building.
She knelt down in front of the bed, opened the footlocker and began going through its contents. The first thing to catch her eye was a framed picture of her and the man in the coma. She was wearing a formfitting dress and a pair of painful looking shoes, holding up a mug of beer while the man beside her had his arm around her waist and a cheesy looking grin. The next picture had her knelling over the same guy in the middle of a boxing ring; she was clutching her arm and looking worried.
"Why can't I remember any of this?!" She yelled and slammed her fist down, flames shooting from her collar.
Rebecca had been passing by in time to see the red flash or light coming out of the door. "Rietta, is everything ok?"
Henrietta turned abruptly to see the tiny girl floating in the doorway. "Sorry, you are?"
She had been told that her Beta had lost her memory but never though she would have forgotten her. "I’m Rebecca; you normally called me Becky or Becca. I've been with the unit for a little over three years and you were my Beta for the majority of that time."
"Beta? I was a Beta in the unit?"
"Yes ma'am, technically you still are. You named Selena as the Field Beta while you travel with the Colonel and from what I understood you were the Co-Alpha of the harem, alongside Chesra of course."
Henrietta kept the two pictures and closed the lid of her footlocker before sitting on it. "Chesra... I saw her earlier. She's a Beta too?"
"Yes ma'am. You, Chesra, and Mina are all Betas and our team leaders. Kelly is the unit Alpha and Head of Avalanche, though Colonel Readman is the unit commander. He's the man in the pictures with you."
"Mar... Marco Readman. We're close?"
Rebecca crossed her legs Indian-style and floated in the air as she thought about it. "That you are ma'am. I believe you have been with the unit for six years. Those photos were taken three years ago after you two fought about him not taming you... or any of us for that matter. You won and became the Beta of the Extraction team, then he took you out to dinner and the second picture was taken."
Henrietta nodded then scowled as a still couldn't remember everything. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"I'll tell you everything I can."
_____
Chesra was a whole different issue all her own. Her spirit was crushed after she discovered she was the one who almost killed her master. She couldn't even be in the same room as he was, she didn't deserve to be. Kelly had chewed her out something fierce after the debriefing, and officially removed her from the position of Beta. In reality Kelly didn't see a Fallen Angel as being fit leader. This was compounded by Chesra's refusal to train or do much of anything else until she was forgive by Marco. After she had been healed she had gone to her room and hadn't come out.
Marco and Kelly's Office
Chris sat patiently in the chair waiting for the Duelist to finish with the last of the papers. She had been staying at the office since they returned from Prussian City and the place was starting to feel like a second home to her. She had even helped to tame a few of the girls when asked.
Kelly had been busy making phone calls and dealing with the interagency backlash of dealing with IGS. The director of the agency didn't like the idea of one of her operatives being held and interrogated. By the time she heard about it though it was already too late and Kelly was happy to release him. Richard and his entire harem had been very cooperative and were released unharmed, with the exception of Gwyneth who was alive and in a foul mood considering what happened. Kelly signed and filed the last of her paperwork before pulling out what appeared to be a small flip-book. She glanced at the holo-screen and wrote something down before tearing it out and handing it to Chris.
"What's this?" Asked Chris, though looking at what was obviously a check.
"Payment for services rendered, we all really appreciate the help."
"I can't accept this. To start, I owed you all anyway. Secondly this is more than what I make in two months at the station."
"Well you didn't owe us anything. We did a favor then you did us one in return. I did say that you would be working for the IRS and the military, you just didn't think anything of it at the time and a good chunk of that is hazard pay."
"Oh, well thank you... and thanks for letting me stay here are you sure Marco won't mind me sleeping in his room."
"He doesn't sleep here anymore," Kelly chuckled at the strange look Chris gave her. "If you want to know why, ask Mina. Anyway, the reason I asked you here is because I want to offer you a job. I've seen how well you get along with the others as well as how you handle yourself in the field so I was wondering if you want a job as a Handler?"
"What would I be doing exactly?"
"Helping to keep up with training, taming, paperwork as it pops up, and other things as required. Which is a sly way of saying assisting in field operations."
"Wouldn't I need to be in the military, go through bootcamp, stuff like that?"
"Nope, Handler is a position we can contract out for. Seeing as you work well in the field and are willing to help tame the others, something the Colonel doesn't do, I think it would be a good fit. So what do you say?"
Chris thought about it for a second. "Can I have a few days to think it over?"
"Sure, there's no rush and the position is always opened. I will go over a few things just to sweeten the deal though."
A little while later found Chris in the common area with the Indigo and Delta teams. Most were talking about what happened with Richard and his harem as well as going over the details about what happened in Prussian. Arianna and her parthenogenic sister Zianna were playing chess and sharing information. Everything stopped when Chris entered the room and all eyes locked on her.
"I'm still thinking it over." She said before taking a seat next to the chess board.
Renae looked up from her book and nodded. 'Kelly didn't tell her, not my place to say anything either.' "We appreciate your patience and understanding. It’s been a rough week."
"Not a problem, any good news from the infirmary?"
Zianna shook her head grimly. "No, as you know the surgery to repair his spine was successful but he's yet to regain consciousness. The Silver Princess won't leave his side, she feels responsible."
Arianna moved her rook then looked up. "But she's there, hell Henrietta's there, Chesra's been locked away since she got back. She won't train, she won't talk to anyone, she hardly eats, it would be sad if it weren't so pathetic."
Chris arched an eyebrow and looked at the board. "Then I guess that means you're happy to be the Beta."
"Of course I am, even if I know it's only temporary." She caught the perplexed look that Chris had and continued. "We've all been around for years, we know each other and our evolutions. The second the Colonel finishes his R&R and wakes up he'll forgive her and she'll become an Archangel, simple as that."
Chris looked over to Zianna and smiled. "You mind?" The Lupina shook and watched Chris moved her bishop across the board. "Checkmate," Both sisters looked at the board and the obvious move they missed. "Just remember that something’s aren't as simple as they seem. Mina, I got a question for you." The Kunoichi was busy sharpening one of her kunai and looked up when spoken to. "I asked Kelly if Marco was going to mind me sleeping in his room here. She said that he doesn't sleep here anymore and I should ask you why."
Everybody in the room burst into a fit of laughter. Mina on the other hand sighed and ran her hand over a scar going down her arm. "I was sooooo close to getting him that night, had him on the tip of my tongue."
Chris went wide eyed as she thought about what that meant. "You snuck into his room didn't you."
"While he was sleeping; he woke up, panicked, and kicked me out the second story window before he knew what happened." The humor wasn't lost on Chris and she joined in on the laughter along with Mina. "I won't say I didn't have it coming, not long after that he got an apartment away from us. At least Vana thought I was brave for trying."
_____
Later that evening
The night air was crisp and cool, a low and steady wind blew by. Chesra sat alone quietly sulking and wallowing in her self imposed pit of hate, doubt, and shame. Never before had she felt like such a failure. Not only was it the second time she had failed to protect her master, she was the direct cause of his current state. She had taken off her armor, not finding it necessary anymore. Tears fell from her eyes when she thought back to what had happened, how she had lost control and almost killed him. The soft rustling of the grass alerted her to someone approaching from behind. In the back of her mind she was hoping it was her master but new that wasn't the case.
"Here you are, why are you out by yourself?" Asked Chris, the wind began to pick up and caused her to shiver.
"I just wanted to be alone and think about things. Were you looking for me?"
"Of course, I'm worried about you, everybody is."
"What for, I'm a failure. I almost kill Marc... Master. I don't deserve to be here."
"It was a confusing battle, how are you going to blame yourself for what happened."
"I ran him through with a flaming katana, how is that not my fault. I blame me, Kelly blames me, and if Master were awake he'd blame me too. I should just leave and save everybody the trouble of dealing with me." Suddenly she felt a pair of arms wrap around her in a tight hug.
"What would Marco do if he woke up and you weren't there? The first thing he would think is that you were killed in the fight. Then we'd have to explain how you left him."
"He has Henrietta back, he doesn't need me."
Chris took a seat on the ground next to the Fallen Angel and pulled her close. "That may be Henrietta's body but she's not the same person she was before. And even if she were what consolation is that? Her gets one piece of himself back just to lose another?"
"I'm an insignificant part, I won't be missed."
"Tell that to Carrie and Ashley and anyone else you helped to train. Hell say that to me, I still remember your comforting voice telling that everything was going to be ok when you came to my rescue." Chris's voice suddenly got very firm and demanding. "You're not going anywhere, at least not until Marco is up an moving again. If you're going to be punished then it should be by him and no one else."
"But, but..."
"I don't want to hear it, unless you intend to cause him even more pain you don't leave. Am I understood?"
Chesra lowered her head and nodded. "Yes ma'am."
____
Kelly, Renae, Alexis, Arianna, Mina, Zianna, and Selena were sitting around the table in the Ops Con room. As senior members and leaders of Avalanche they all knew the hidden problem Avalanche was facing. Marco had managed to bend, disregard, and even brake a lot of the Indigo Military's rules, he was just very cunning about how he did it. Still there was one rule he couldn't bypass, there couldn’t be a pokégirl only unit. With Marco out of commission and no human handlers that's exactly what they were.
Renae looked up from her tea and frowned. "You didn't explain the situation to her did you Kel?"
"No, we still have time before the situation is dire enough to explain in detail. My hope is that Marco recovers before it becomes critical."
Mina was still looking over his medical records. "He was in really bad shape Kelly, we're lucky he lived through that at all."
Alexis nodded in agreement. "They lost him twice on the operation table. If this were anyone else I'd be talking about pulling the plu..."
"Do not finsh that sentence." Arianna barked out. "The Colonel is strong willed, he'll make it out of this ok."
"Loyal to a fault and you never slept with him." Said Mina in a sarcastic tone.
"Enough you two. Kelly, we all know that Chris will agree to help us. Why not just tell her we need help?" Said Selena.
Kelly rocked back in her chair. "She's done so much for us already, I don't want to make our problems her responsibly. She's been helping to keep us sane as it is."
Renae took another sip of her tea. "Do you like the idea of hiring some random stranger instead?" Everyone at the table shook their head. "At least we can agree on that."
"That and the fact that we like Chris. How much time do we have Kelly?" Asked Mina.
"... Two weeks. I know that Jean and Ashley were just doing what they were told but we would have been better off if they didn't. The distress beacon informed the brass that Marco had some kind of incident. I talked to Butcher today, he said that even though Marco's alive he's not fit to take care of the unit. He said he would hold the inspection team back as long as he could but that he couldn't show too much favoritism."
"Just fuckin great; so we wait and hope that Chris says yes, we hope that Marco wakes up, or we hire someone from the outside. What do we do now?"
"We hope for A or B and pray that C never comes up."
____
Chris and Ariel sat along with Jean, Ashley, the Catgirl Tam in the tub. The two harem girls had been doing everything they could to keep themselves busy and not worrying about their master. Normally when there was something wrong they could turn to Chesra for reassurance that everything would work out for the best. But with the Fallen Angel in such a depressed state and Carrie practically glued to Marco's bedside they were on their own. So they took it upon themselves to help train Tam until an official decision could be made about her joining the unit.
Chris had Tam in her lap and was looking her over to find all the cuts and scrapes of the days training. "How was the workout?"
Jean was the first to sigh out and relax. "It went well I guess, but it didn't feel the same without Master there."
Ashley nodded in agreement. "There's something about having him training with you that just makes it, better. He tries his best, knowing full well that he can't do the same things we can. It's just comforting."
A simple smile played across Ariel's face. "I guess it's one thing to be told to get better and another thing to have him sticking it out with you."
Chris nodded and started washing the Catgirl's hair. "You want to stay don't you?"
"Like you don't, you like it here. Everyone loves us, we get excellent benefits, the pay would be good, and we get to see more of Rietta. What's not to like."
Tam snuggled deeper into Chris's lap and sighed contently. "I would stay just for the giant tub." They all chuckled at the thought.
"Have you been able to talk some sense into Chesra yet?" Asked Chris.
Jean sat back and sighed heavily. "No, and she's a dark type now so Alex can't use her powers on her. Kelly reamed her something fierce too, but that was more out of panic and exhaustion than anything else. Still she's too stubborn to apologize for it."
Ariel looked the fox up and down for a moment. "How do you know that?"
"I'm a psychic-type now, partial mind reading and telepathy. One of those cool things I can do."
"Isn't there a code of conduct with that sort of thing?" The Jenny said in a warning voice.
"Beats me, there could be and I wouldn't be surprised if there was. All the same though, not my rule not my problem."
Ashley chuckled at the tone Jean was using. "I guess you still have a little bit of that attitude hanging around."
"Three years as a cold hearted greedy bitch dies hard, I'm still me and you accepted who I was before. Now I'm just a little bit more pleasant to be around."
"I suppose you're right, I just really hope he comes around soon. Alex said that his body was healthy and fully recovered, but his mind is in turmoil. She tried to work her way in but he's developed strong mental defenses over the years."
Chris tilted her head at the statement. "How in the hell did he do that?"
Alexis had picked just that time to come out of the locker room and made her way into the water. "All things considered it's really not all that surprising. He's had a mild psychic ability since he was a child from what Vana's told us. He also performs mental exercises to strengthen his mind, his Aura Sense is more draining than we think it is. On top of that his delta bond with Chesra and possible one with Carrie is making it even harder. If his mind were a fence it would be forty feet tall with briar patches at the bottom and razor wire at the top."
"I guess we're back to waiting."
'We can do a lot more than wait, I’ll train more and drag him back.' Thought Jean. She wouldn't be able to do it by herself but she had an idea of how to get him back.
A few days had gone by with no reactions from Marco. Since Carrie was there and refused to move she was pleased to assist Alexis in his physical therapy. Henrietta was out on the rifle range. For some reason she felt comfortable just being in that area. She'd seen the pictures of her former self and grimaced we she looked at her now pale hair. Her mood perked up a little when she glanced down at the long black rope of hair looped onto her belt. Her prize after beating Gwyneth to a bloody stump in front of Richard. The Dark Lady was reluctant to give it up but it was either that or a bullet to the head.
Off in the distance she could see a number of PUMA's rolling along the dirt path. Most of the unit was out shopping and used teleport to get around despite their actually having a few vehicles at the office. Henrietta made her way to the doors just in time to see who it was along with Alexis and Kelly. General Butcher was the first to jump out along with Hiyori and wore a concerned look on his face.
The people from the second vehicle behind them began to file out one by one. Each was an official of some form or another. Some from the head branch of the IRS while others were league officials from other branches. The last car carried their pokégirls, eight in total, the personal bodyguards for the officials. Even though they were warned about the investigation/audit of their unit it wasn't supposed to be for another week.
"Afternoon Major, we're here to conduct the unit audit. How is the Colonel's condition?"
Kelly snapped to a salute and took notice of the look on his face, clearly things were out of his control. "Sir, he is resting comfortably but has yet to regain consciousness. I'm sorry to say that most of the unit is out shopping at this time so there are only a few of us here. Do they need to be around or will I be able to answer your questions?"
Lorain Baswell walked up and greeted the Duelist with a polite smile. "Hello Major, we never get to see each other under pleasant circumstances do we. I think you should be able to answer the questions that have us concerned. Is there a place we can talk while the inspectors do their business?"
Kelly put on the best smile she could under the circumstances. Having a lawyer around meant that there were questions with possible legal ramifications attached to them. "It depends on how many will be attending the meeting. But no matter the number we should be able to accommodate..." At that very moment Jean teleported in with Chris and Mina. "Back already? General, this is Jean one of the Colonel's harem pokégirls. I'm sure you already know Mina, the Beta for the Indigo fireteam. And..."
Sensing the urgency of the situation Alexis made a decision on the fly. "Perfect you're forty minutes early, that's promising. Thanks you two for picking her up. Sorry to call you in on such short notice but I had a schedule opening and wanted to get this done. Kelly, I'm going to need to borrow your office for a little bit. It's probably best if you use the Operation Control room, I'll catch up as soon as I'm done with this."
All three girls shared a bewildered look but decided to play along. Kelly shrugged when Alexis grabbed Chris by the arm and pulled her along. "The Operation Control is the best suited for a meeting and I can pull up any information that you need from there. Mina, Jean, please escort our visitors. They are from the investigation teams so be nice, all the same make sure they don't touch anything they shouldn't be touching. And the Infirmary is off limits."
One of the officials walked up along with a Neo-Iczel. The two looked down at her with irritation. "Is there a reason the Infirmary is off limits Major?" Asked the older gentleman.
Kelly returned the irritation in turn and snapped back. "Because that's where the Colonel is resting and he's not to be disturbed. Also one of his girls is watching over him and will attack anyone she doesn't know, so for safety reasons only his harem or Avalanche members are allowed."
The Neo-Iczel had a surprised look then scoffed and turned to her master. "A single girl? I could remove her so we can do our business."
Kelly was done being cordial, she wasn't going to let an unknown near Marco. "I will say it again, no one is to enter the infirmary and if anyone attempts to do so they will be removed from the building, by force if necessary. He is our tamer first and foremost so his safety is our top priority."
"Well then you must be pretty lousy at what you do if he managed to end up in such a state."
Out of nowhere a card appeared in Kelly's hand and began to glow before disappearing. Knelling beside the Duelist was one of her constructs, the pretty boy with the sword. He rose to his feet and drew his blade. Kelly began to glow also as she poured every last drop of her energy into the card. Everyone began to back away from what was looking to be a serious fight.
"Major, stand down!" Boomed Butcher's voice in attempt to bring a halt to the incident. "You, keep that girl under control. I will not stand to have my officer’s duty to their master come into question." Slowly things began to calm down and Kelly dismissed her card. "Who is currently guarding the Colonel?"
Kelly took a deep breath and let it out slowly in an attempt to regain her composure. "Carrie, his Penance."
"I would like Hiyori to stand guard with her. We will follow your wishes and not disturb the infirmary." He turned and looked across the officials. "Is that understood, no one is to go near the infirmary!"
"Carrie knows Hiyori, as long as we talk go ahead of time and make the situation known to her then it will be fine."
The Dire Wolf nodded, remembering the silver Penance quite well. "I will stand guard on the outside so we don't disturb them. Is that better?"
Kelly was grateful of the understanding the wolf was showing and nodded. "That would be fine, thank you. Let's go ahead and get this over with."
~~~~~
Chris had allowed herself to be pulled along the entire way and into the office. As soon as the doors closed she firmed up her grip and pulled the Cherub to a dead stop. She was starting to grow accustom to the various personalities of the pokégirls in Avalanche and Alexis wasn't one to lie, especially to Kelly.
"What was that about? It didn't look like anyone, myself included, had any idea what you were going on about."
Alexis took a seat in Kelly's chair, and tried to figure out a way to explain the situation. "We desperately need your help."
"Tell me what's going on. Who were those people out there, and why did Kel look so tense?"
"Those were league officials and IRS investigators."
Chris blanched at the mention of IRS Investigators, they were normally only brought in on the worst of circumstances. "What's wrong?"
"With the Colonel out of commission and no idea when he'll wake up, Avalanche is currently an all pokégirl unit. This is strictly forbidden in the Indigo Military. We need to have at least one human in the unit or they will send in a replacement to take over the unit. No question that whoever they send would want to fuck us into compliance."
Chris was starting to understand the severity of the situation. They were the most independent group of military pokégirls she had ever laid her eyes on. Each was their own person with their own thoughts on how things should be done but they always came to some mutual understanding. "I see, but what can I do. I'm not military and I doubt my talking with them will make a difference."
Alexis nodded in agreement. "What we have going for us though is the fact that the Colonel named Kelly as the head of the unit. We don't need a leader, we just need a human in the unit. I hate to make it seem like we're just using you, we really need you."
"So if I take the job as the Handler that will get them off your back?"
"Essentially, yes. With you as the Handler we can take care of the rest. Kelly didn't tell you because she didn't want to put any extra pressure on you, that's why she just made the offer and didn't explain everything in full."
"I understand, where do I sign." Alexis was beaming with joy but a stern look from Chris quelled her excitement. "I do plan on giving Kelly a piece of my mind for leaving me in the dark. If we're going to do this then I need to be able to trust you as much as you trust me and this isn't a good start. What would you all have done if I already returned to the police force?" Alex lowered her head and nodded. Chris was right and she deserved better than to be left out of the loop. "Don't be like that, we can clear this all up later."
"Ok, Kel got the paperwork ready in advance. You'll just need to sign a few things to make everything official.
Mina and Jean were doing their best to be civil with the investigators and for the most part they were just people doing their jobs. More so pokégirls doing their jobs and humans supervising. The majority of the building was free reign with the common areas being accessible. The Vault on the other hand was strictly off limits and no one was allowed to touch the unit’s personal belongings. As usual the pokégirls and human females marveled at the sight of the bathroom and giant tub. They passed by the Infirmary where Hiyori was patiently standing guard and waiting to be retrieved by her general.
Meanwhile, Kelly was in the ops room answering interesting and uncomfortable questions as best as she could. Even though Henrietta didn't understand what was going on Kelly brought her along just in case questions about the law came up. They had been at it for over an hour and while things weren't going poorly the constant barrage of questions was starting to grate on the Duelist. The inspection had been finished and everyone made their way in. Finally things were coming to an end, and to a boiling point.
"I'm not sure how many other ways there are to put this. The Colonel is fine and should be back on his feet soon. I don't see why we need another Colonel to come in and oversee our unit." Argued Kelly.
Lorain flipped through a stack of papers she had and stopped. "Your Cherub... Alexis, her personal medical reports indicate that he's been in a coma for a week. There have been no improvements in his condition and no indications that he will wake at all. I'm sorry to say this but we can't let your unit to continue activity without a human present."
"Marco is a human, and technically speaking he is present." Replied Henrietta.
"Semantics, he is comatose and there for unable to see to your needs. He may as well be dead." The Neo-Iczel stated sarcastically.
"Watch your mouth, if you can't I'll shut it for you." Threatened Kelly. "If our Master were to die then we wouldn't have anything to discuss."
General Butcher cleared his throat to get her attention. "Major Kelly that's enough. Sir, I'm not going to warn you again. She talks out of line one more time and I will dismiss you both. I'm sorry Major but given the circumstances we have to appoint another officer to oversee the unit."
It was just at that time that Alexis and Chris made their way in. The Cherub had a beaming smile and was holding a manila folder. "Sorry it took us so long to finish ma'am but everything is in order."
Kelly quickly took the hint and sat back in her chair, a smug sense of satisfaction washing over her. "Excellent work Sargent and just in time. This meeting and investigation is over. I thank you all for your concern, thank you for intruding, please vacate the premises."
Everyone was confused by her sudden shift in attitude and dismissal of the entire situation. "So you're consenting to the introduction of a replacement Colonel until such a time that Colonel Readman is fit to return to duty?" Asked Lorain, in an attempt to get a handle on the situation.
"Not in the least bit, but circumstances have changed and we no longer need a supervisor."
"Who is this person?" Asked one of the investigators.
"This is Christina Reynolds, the new Handler for Avalanche."
"What! You can't just appoint some random person as a Handler. She has no military background or training, she can't make sounds decisions on the best course of action to take in an operation."
The Duelist sat up from her relaxed position and looked the investigator dead in the eyes. "First of all she isn't some random person, she is a friend of ours, the Colonel included. Secondly, we've worked together before and she shows quite sound judgment in the field. Also Miss. Reynolds is a proud and dedicated detective of the Sandstone Police Department. As the Head of Avalanche she doesn't need to make those decisions, that's my job. The Colonel appointed me to this position and I take my job very seriously, I don't do things half assed and I don't send my teams in halfcocked. When we go out it's because lives are on the line, human or pokégirl it doesn't matter. That's how our unit was founded and that's how it will continue to run."
Not a peep could be heard after she finished speaking. Finally Lorain spoke up. "Be that as it may, General Butcher already made his decision. You can't just change that by adding the Handler now."
"Alex, please hand Miss. Baswell the paperwork."
Being a lawyer she quickly took the papers and began reading them over. Nothing she saw was going to change what had happened, until she got to the bottom. Not only was the paperwork signed and dated it was also time stamped. She let out a deep sigh and looked to the lead investigator. "These papers are time stamped for over a half hour ago. This contract was binding and legal before General Butcher ever made his decision. As it stands Avalanche is clear to continue operations with Christina Reynolds as their Handler."
"Are you sure about that? They just did it, it can't be legal." He shot back in frustration.
"I know MY job and I know legal documents, this is legit." She stood up abruptly and began gathering her things. "General, we're done here. Major, I understand that you're all very busy and apologize for taking up your time. When Colonel Readman wakes up be sure to give him my warmest regards. You and I on the other hand need to get a drink sometime."
Kelly let out a breath she wasn't even aware she had been holding and nodded. "I'll have to take a rain check. Unless we get orders, until the Colonel is back on his feet we won't be going anywhere."
Everyone began to file out, Jean and Mina leading the way to make sure they didn't get lot. Butcher, Kelly, Alexis, and Chris were left in the room. Kelly's head slowly lowered onto the table with a thud. She could only hope that the General wouldn't be too upset with her.
The low rumbling chuckle he let out startled her for a moment, though she continued to let her head rest. "That was well played Major, I think you earned Baswell's respect."
She picked her head up and sat back. "I didn't mean to run roughshod over you like that. My apologies."
"I'll let it go this time, I just didn't want you to snap and take the head off that Neo. Even if she could use a lesson in manners. You are aware that I would have taken control of the unit myself right?"
Alexis shrugged and stared putting the chairs back in their proper places. "We couldn't take that risk. If that didn’t happen and someone else was going to be in charge they would no doubt attempt to tame each and every one of us. Not something I want to think about.”
Butcher thought to himself for a moment and nodded. "I understand, that would be a reasonable fear for a group such as yourselves. This unit has operated for a long time with a great deal freedom. Having some outsider come in and start telling you how to do things wouldn't set well."
Chris took one of the now vacant seats. She hadn't spoken when she came in and the wide number of high ranking and unfriendly eyes didn't help. "I guess you wouldn't just be worried about the human either. This outsider would also be bringing in their own harem and they would try to seat them into the positions that the Avalanche leaders hold. Unless they have to go through the Major first."
Kelly smiled for a quick second. "That's the first time you've called me Major."
"Well I work for... with you now. And while we're on the subject that was pretty fucked up. How dare you leave me out of the loop, if we're going to work together you can't do that. You know I wouldn't mind helping."
Kelly nodded and understood completely. "I'm sorry, we've spent all this time trying our best to never rely on others, even Marco. You spend enough time being independent in a world that sees you as second class and you forget how to ask for help. I didn't want to throw the teams problems at your feet, to burden a friend with our worries. But, as a friend you deserve better than to be left out and I apologize."
Chris sighed and slumped back in the chair in a huff. "So she takes the wind right out of my sails. Here I am, all geared up to yell at you, now I feel like the asshole for even considering it."
Butcher was laughing again, whose expense it was at was anybody’s guess. "I already think she's going to be a great addition to the team. Now let's go and check on Hiyori, she hates guard duty." The four of them made it to the infirmary and found Hiyori waiting patiently in front of the outer doors. She snapped to attention when they approached the area. "Is there anything to report?"
"All clear, no one even bothered to get close."
Kelly moved past them and opened the door, she was only mildly surprised to see the empty void on the other side. Apparently the sound of unfamiliar voices was enough to put Carrie on alert. "Carrie it's me, everything's ok."
The dome rippled then faded away to reveal the clear hallway. "I see that she's very cautious about outsiders." Said butcher.
The Penance came from around the corner and greeted them while wiping the tears from her face. She lowered her density back to her softer form and motioned for them to come back. 'I heard voices, had everyone left?'
Neither Butcher nor Hiyori understood sign language and with her being dark-type Hiyori couldn't read her mind either. Kelly didn't bother translating, hoping that her reply would be enough for them to pick up on the question. "The investigators have departed and we are still in charge of the unit, thanks to Chris. Has our guy shown any improvements?" Kelly took the depressed head shake as the 'no' she expected to get and watched Alexis check the charts. "What's it look like Alex?"
"No changes in brain wave activity, his physical health is fine though. Now all we need is for him to wake up."
Hiyori looked at him and grimaced in focused concentration. "I can't access his mind, I normally don’t have any issues with it unless the human has the Blank Mind blood gift."
Alexis took her chair next to Carrie and groaned heavily. "He has unnaturally high mental defenses and we believe that he's delta bonded to one, possibly two, dark-type pokégirls. We haven't managed to crack it yet and I'm hesitant to really try and force my way in. Can't do much but wait."
Butcher gave the Cherub a gentle pat on the back. "Give him some more time, he'll come around soon. I read the report and a whole lot went on. I'd like to help more but I have no idea on where to start."
That tale tell soft ringing of bells alerted them to someone coming into the infirmary and Carrie shivered slightly. When they made the call to inform Vana of what had transpired there weren't the proper words to describe how mad she was. They were all just fortunate that she couldn't come immediately. With any luck she had calmed down.
There was no denying the family resemblance between Marco and Vana, but now another family member was one the scene. Erica, his teenage sister, brown eyes like daggers and a worried expression that mirrored her mothers. She was the first to run to his bedside and wrap an arm around him. "He looks fine, he just won't wake up?"
Vana sighed heavily, it was going to take some time to explain the full situation to her. "He's in a coma dear, we're not sure when he's going to wake up. Kelly, I want to know EVERYTHING. Spare no detail, the ones responsible are going to pay."
Both Butcher and Hiyori shared baffled looks. They had managed to piece together that the woman was Marco's mother but her approach and attitude was disturbing. "Miss. I'm General Butcher. I'm guessing that you're his mother?"
"There is no need to guess when you can ask General. Vana Readman, she is Erica Readman. I am here to make sure that those responsible for putting my son in such at state are brought to some form of justice." Kelly and Carrie shuddered, now they knew where he got that phrase from.
" 'Some form of justice?' that doesn't sound very healthy for those involved. All the same I don't think that would be best."
"Do not try to tell me what would be best. Someone has earned a lot of bad karma."
Hiyori stepped forward next to Butcher, her fur bristled in aggravation. "I understand you're upset, but please do not speak to my General in such a fashion."
"Young wolf, do not assume to tell me what you understand. And General, no it won’t be healthy, if they are lucky I will just kill those responsible. If all I do is get my hands on them once they will be met with never before seen levels of despair. Bad luck, and extreme misfortune will infest their pathetic souls for all eternity!" A glass beaker shattered under the pressure of her psychic aura.
Alex had lost her temper as well. "Everybody out! This is not the place for this to happen. Kelly will be happy to explain everything I'm sure but do it somewhere else. If anything comes up I'll let you know." All eyes turned to the Cherub but her scowl never faltered. "Out! Erica and Carrie can stay but the rest of you need to go." One by one they began to file out of the room leaving only the three of them. "I'm sorry about that, but your brother needs peace right now."
The teen nodded and smiled, appreciating the deed. "Thank you Alex. I wish there was something I could do to help."
Carrie waved her hand and stared signing. 'Send her to Chesra. Maybe some partial forgiveness from his family will bring her out of her shell.'
She thought about it for a moment and agreed. "There is something you can do to help your brother when he recovers. This is really delicate and very important. You remember Chesra right?"
"Yes she's the nice one whose been with my brother the longest. You want me to go get her?"
"No, we want you to go talk to her. A lot happened during the fight we had and she accidentally stabbed him and put him in his current stare." The look Erica gave her almost rivaled the one her mother carried. "I'll spare you all the details, it wasn't as much her fault as she thinks it is but she is in a depressed state. She refuses to be in his presence until he wakes up and has the chance to punish or forgive her himself. As a family member I was hoping that it could come from you."
"She nearly killed my brother, why should I or he forgive her?"
"I don't know any other way to say it so I'll just put it out there. Even though you're very bright for your age you're still young. The Colonel would forgive her because that's the kind of man he is, he'll understand what happened and that it was out of her control. She's been with him the longest and would never intentionally cause him harm. I think the fact that she evolved into a Fallen Angel is punishment enough."
Erica's face softened and she considered what Alex was saying. On the many times Marco had brought Chesra, Kelly, or even Henrietta home with him she could tell they were close. Over the years she began to view them as big sisters and had even gone to Kelly when her body started going through its own non-pokégirl changes. If he could forgive her than she could do the same. "I'm not going to promise anything, but I will go and talk to her."
Alexis could sense the intent in her words and knew that everything would be fine. "That's all I can ask, Carrie can you escort her to Chesra. This is Carrie, part of your brother’s harem and a sweat heart at that. She's a Penance so she can't speak but she'll attempt to answer you the best she can."
The Penance nodded and stood up while motioning for the teen to follow.
They made their way to Chesra's room and made their way inside. Even though she never had a need to take off her armor in the past she had managed to accrue additional clothing that she took a fancy too. Her current state of dress being a shirt and sweatpants. The room was dark and felt cold when they entered. If they didn't look closely enough they would have missed her sitting alone in the corner of the room with her head down. She didn't bother to look up when the door opened then closed, assuming that someone else was attempting to try and console her.
"I'm not hungry and I don't feel like talking. Just leave me be."
"You're going to talk to me." Erica said in a teary voice. Carrie had done her part and left to return to her master's side.
Chesra hugged herself tighter, she recognized the voice though it had gotten deeper yet more feminine since the last time she heard it. How could she face a member of his family after what she had done. Never the less she was going to face the music eventually. "I guess you're here to yell at me?"
Erica flipped the lights on the get a better look at Chesra. She almost couldn't believe the pokégirl sitting in front of her now was the same one she regarded as another big sister. The vibrant hair, the powerful disposition, and the self-confidence were gone and all that was left was a hollow shell. The teen took a seat on the bed closest to her. She was still learning about pokégirls in school and they hadn't covered Fallen Angels yet but she knew Chesra didn't look good.
"I’m not here to yell, you look like you've suffered enough. I just want to know what happened. You would never intentionally hurt him, I know this. Just explain it to me."
"I... I lost control, Master was so mad and so hurt when Carrie went down. I could feel all of it, I made a bad decision that cost me the little bit of control I had left. Then I was blinded, blinded by rage and by my opponent, before my vision came back she had tricked me into stabbing him." She held herself tightly again. "I can still feel it, his body slumping down, his head resting on the front of my armor. I evolved on the spot and haven't been able to be near him since we got him back." Her eyes were still down cast and the tears flowed freely onto the ground. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that this happened. You may punish me however you see fit. I give you that option in his place and whatever you deem fit will be done."
Erica couldn't believe what she was hearing. Chesra was giving her free reign to do whatever she thought was a just punishment for a clear accident. "I forgive you... but I have also decided on your punishment."
Chesra looked up to see the soft eyes of the teen, they almost mirrored her Master's perfectly. "What will you have me do, Mistress Erica."
"Please don't call me that, you know our family doesn't believe in such things. As a part of it you should know better." She waited for Chesra to nod then continued speaking. "You're going to get yourself cleaned up, put on your armor, then go to see my brother."
Chesra wanted to refuse, she was honestly hoping for something more physical. Even being handed over to Vana was slightly preferable to the last part of what she was ordered to do. Never the less those were the orders she was given and she was going to follow them.
An hour later found her sitting alone with Marco. Alexis and the others decided to give them some private time and went to make sure Vana wasn't trying to disembowel anyone. Chesra couldn't understand why she was so nervous. The man was unconscious and even though she had a delta bond she wasn't getting any emotional feedback. She took a seat next to him and pulled his hand against her cheek. Part of her was hoping that her being there would cause him to wake up.
"You have a strong little sister Master, though I would never wish such a thing she would make a great pokégirl. I have no idea where to begin. I can't express how sorry I am for what I did, accident or not. I never told the others about the hurt look in your eyes staring back up at me. I don't know if it was from the pain or from your knowing that it was me on the other end of that blade, all I can do is hope that you show me mercy when you wake. That choice isn't mine though, I will gladly accept any punishment you deem worthy... You have my vow, even if it kills me I will exact my revenge on the one responsible." She placed his hand back in its resting position and kissed him on the lips with every last drop of passion she could muster. "I'm going to go now but I will be coming in to check up on you... like I should have been from the start. I'm going to go back to training, I've wallowed in pity and doubt long enough."
~~~~~
Vana, Butcher, Hiyori, and Erica had left the building after getting a full briefing on what had happened. Once things had been explained the impromptu inspection stared to make sense. There were just too many people with the power to call upon a surprise inspection for them to narrow down who the guilty party could be. Not long after they left the rest of the unit appeared. The girls had returned from shopping and were in a fairly good mood. That was until Arianna just about ripped the door off the hinge.
"WHO THE FUCK WAS IN HERE TODAY?!"
Everybody stopped and looked at her, clearly confused by her outburst. Jean walked up along with Chris and Kelly. The Duelist was the first to speak and clearly wanted answers. "What's the meaning of this, what's wrong."
"Who came into our home!?"
"The investigation team came in way eariler than we expected. Lucky Chris accepted the job as our new Handler. Now, what's the problem?"
Arianna didn't even attempt to calm down and preceded to vigorously sniff the air. "She was here, either she was here or someone very close to her was here."
"Who!"
"That whore of a Bondage Elf, someone soaked in her scent was here. All the scents of the investigation team are mingled together so it's hard to just pull one out of the air
Everyone stood in dead silence watching her sniff the air, then yell in frustration. "Calm down, it couldn't have been her, she couldn't have been here. Just like you can't forget a smell I'd never forget that face."
"I am not going to calm down! They, somebody was here and I'm going to find out who. The scent is fresh, I can track it from here." There were several reasons why Arianna was known as the Blood Hound of Avalanche. First she had the best nose in the unit, with her sister Zianna coming in second, secondly she was the most blood thirsty in the unit. Sure most of Avalanche enjoyed battle but thanks to the nature of her evolution it was almost a craving of hers and once she locked onto a scent she couldn't let it go.
"No, we'll come up with a plan first then we can figure out a way to track and trap the persons responsible."
"We're wasting time talking about it. I'm going!" In a burst of dark power she disappeared into the shadows.
"Oh for fucks sake!" Kelly screamed in frustration. "I can't believe I made her the Beta. Zianna, can you try and track her down and bring her back?"
"I don't even know where to start, and she isn't wearing her locator watch either. I can only hope that she loses the train and comes back."
_____
|
Alpha- Kelly- Duelist |
|
Delta |
Echo |
Indigo |
|
Beta- Chesra- Fallen Angel |
Beta- Henrietta- Ghostrider |
Beta- Mina- Kunoichi |
|
Emaline- FireMaiden |
Field Beta- Selena- Caphoochie |
Zianna- Lupina |
|
Kim- Bombshell |
Rebecca- Smokey |
Renae- Ice Maiden |
|
Nikki- SexSlash |
Alexis- Cherub |
Isabella- Mecha Musume |
|
Arianna- War Hound |
Lily- Gloomy |
Leona- Lamia |
|
|
|
Tam- Catgirl- School |
Harem
Chesra- Alpha
Henrietta
Carrie- Penance
Ashley- Peekabu
Jean- Dark Kitsune
Handler
Christina Reynolds
Ariel- OfficerJenny
Auxiliary
Tam- Catgirl