บท 197: Vol. III Chapter 65 “Thank you for your cooperation.”
Chapter 64 "Thank for your cooperation."
Sara's day had reached its end. She finished another long day of dull briefings and pointless meetings by going to the gym.
While her father still held command, he hadn't made a decision in months. Everything ran through her. After what he'd done, alongside the attacks on Farmborough and the Vault, he'd stuck to the arrangement. He'd backed Sara's every call, and hadn't tried to circumvent her authority even once. Part of her wished he'd at least try. At least then he would seem like his old self.
"Boss." Crixus arrived for his evening weight session. He'd come back after the attack on Farmborough, taking Grimm's role as instructor to new recruits.
"Did you bring your sticks?" She asked, eager to work on her swordplay.
"I didn't." He lied, Sara could tell. "Maybe the elder can fill in." Crixus had worked hard to get back on speaking terms with the elder.
"Not a bad idea."
Sara took the long way round the perimeter wall to reach her father's personal quarters. His quarters were the same as they'd always been, minimalist and neat. She lingered at his desk, gazing at a photograph of the two of them on her seventh birthday. The first one they shared as a family.
Her father had bought her a dress, frilly and pretty. Sara told him she didn't wear dresses. He'd taken her shopping for the day and let her pick out a biker jacket. They ate cake while he had it cut to fit. The same jacket she wore in the picture.
Next to that, a picture of her father and his husband. It appeared to be two friends sharing a drink in a bar. Sara had taken the picture, an hour after the two of them had been married in secret.
She found his sword bag propped against his locker, the only thing in the room covered in dust. He always took great pride in the blade that held his name. Trying to live up to the good king from the story. It looked like he hadn't touched it in months.
Sara found her father in his office, going through the paperwork she despised doing. "I need a sparring partner." She saw him smile. They'd spent countless hours sword training together, it always helped clear her mind. She put the heavy, reshaped rifle bag on the table in front of him.
"Shit." He unzipped the bag, reaching into the hidden pocket. "I got you these in Lost Hills, it went right out of my head. Sorry." He handed her a stack of comic books.
He'd taught her to read with comics like this, instilling a lifelong love for tales of horrors and heroes. After any kind of deployment, he'd bring at least one back for her. A tradition she'd missed. "Do you still need Unstoppables twelve, fourteen and nineteen?" He asked, remembering her near obsessive collecting from over a decade ago.
"Actually John got me fourteen for my birthday." She smiled at the thought of her birthday party John threw for her at the Rest.
"You know I had fifty men searching for a copy at one point." He laughed for the first time in months. "I'm pretty sure some of them still are."
"Thanks Dad." She saw a glimpse of the man she knew. "Still need a partner."
"Alright." He took out the pair of foot long, hardwood sticks.
They made it to the gym before Sara's radio squawked into life. "Excalibur Outpost, Excalibur Outpost, Whirlwind in the blind. Code red casevac inbound. Request trauma team and stand down of all security." Charlie sounded worried.
"Confirmed Whirlwind. Eta?" Sara started running for the yard, her father to the infirmary.
"Right the fuck now!"
Sara switched over the base loudspeakers. "This is Tempest. All personnel stand easy. Friendlies inbound. Repeat friendlies inbound." She burst through the door in the yard, seeing confusion on the faces around her.
The Velo appeared overhead as if from nowhere. Its high tech engines and sleek airframe instantly drew everyone's attention. Sara didn't know why Charlie asked for the stand down, then something detached from the aircraft. The black shape landed and Sara remembered Rosie's pet robot.
"This is a medical emergency. I will not accept interference." The killer robot held its ground as the two dozen knights and scouts drew their guns.
"Stand down!" Sara barked as she ran, putting herself in the line of fire. The Velo touched down behind her.
"Hey, that's Whirlwind." One of the scouts yelled as Charlie got out. "Stand the fuck down!" Seeing one of their own injured spurred Recon into action, disarming or blocking those foolish enough to ignore them.
"Thank you for your cooperation." Janey turned, following the stretcher.
Sara saw Paul on the stretcher, barely alive. Twisted and broken, like so many of her friends before. They rushed down the corridor and crashed into the operating theatre. "He's got a punctured lung, internal bleeding, compound fractures of the tibia and femur. BP is dropping and pulse is thready." Charlie reeled of the injuries to her husband. The surgeon didn't move.
"Why the fuck is there a weapon of mass destruction in my operating theatre?" Doctor Callahan sounded more angry than afraid. She glared at Janey.
"My designation is Janey. I am here to assist." The mere fact Janey answered back unnerved her more.
"Remove it. Now." The surgeon demanded. Sara looked to her father. As they were wondering how to go about removing a killer robot, Janey lunged forward. Her robotic hands clicked into a different shape, and snatched the pistol from Paul's holster.
"I'm afraid I must insist." Janey aimed at the surgeon. Everyone looked to Charlie.
"You heard her." Charlie drew her pistol.
"Alright let's get a line in him and crack that chest." The surgeon and her team went to work. Soon calming as Janey provided vital medical information.
"What happened?" Sara asked as Charlie stared down from the observation room.
"Jones called a meet. It was an ambush, or it went bad, I don't fucking know." Charlie turned, tears in her eyes. "Brandon's missing. We think Jones has him." Charlie put a hand on her shoulder. "Rosie's on it, John's with her. Matt and Grimm for backup."
"When did this happen?" The elder asked. Sara could already see the damage this would do. The attack on the Vault had wounded her father deeply.
"Less than an hour ago, sir." Charlie made sir sound like a four letter word.
"I'll scramble the QRF." He started to leave.
"It's too close to the Glassedlands for birds. Comms have gone dark as well." Charlie's attention drifted back to the window.
"If I was out there, I'd want John and Rosie looking for me." Sara found hope in the man she'd trained and the incredible things Rosie could do.
Sara paced in the small observation room. Charlie tried to give a debriefing but couldn't focus on anything but Paul. After four hours, the surgeon came up to them, followed by Janey.
"He's stable, they're closing him up now. We'll keep him sedated till the swelling goes down." Callahan took a deep breath. "Paul's spine was broken. We repaired the damage, but you should be prepared to accept he may not regain the use of his legs." She delivered the bad news calmly. Charlie looked to Janey.
"Doctor Callahan's assessment is correct." Janey answered. "However, she does not know Paul." Somehow the robot seemed the more human of the two.
Janey's head whirred round, facing Callahan. "My apologies for pointing a gun at you. I estimated a ninety eight point nine percent chance that I would not have to shoot you."
"You know, I've got a herniated disc scheduled for the morning we could get done in half the time. If you'd like to assist?" Callahan seemed almost giddy.
"Of course." Janey started to leave.
"Has Rosie checked in?" Charlie called out. Janey's head turned right round.
"She has not."
"Does it normally go around pointing guns at people?" The elder looked less than pleased.
"She." Charlie snarled. "She was frightened."
"I didn't think she could get frightened." Sara could hardly blame her.
"So you not only brought a walking, talking, killing machine on base. You brought one with bad programming. Do you have any idea of the damage it could do?" Her father never liked machines.
"She came here to save Paul from the damage you did." Charlie spoke through a clenched jaw.
"You're running around, outside the chain of command. No back up, no air support. Playing fucking dress up with raider scum. And you're surprised when things go bad?" The elder let his frustration get the better of him.
"Motherfucker!" Charlie lost her temper, launching herself at the elder. Sara managed to get between them, holding Charlie back as they screamed at each other. In all the commotion, they didn't notice John till he entered the room.
Sara knew right away, she could read his face. Still she didn't want to believe it. "It is my duty to report that Sentinel Brandon Cross was killed in action a few hours ago." John looked right at her. "I'm so sorry, Sara."
The fight drained from Charlie and her father in an instant. Both of them sat back down, heads in hands.
"What happened John?" Sara clung to her training, trying to stay on mission.
"You sure you want to know?" John's look worried her.
"No more secrets John." Sara couldn't handle any more secrets.
"Jones turned him, set him on Rosie while he escaped. She put him down." John spoke in a flat, calm tone. Sara could see the rage in his eyes as if she were looking in a mirror.
"Is she ok?" Sara asked, hearing how stupid it sounded.
"No." John's calm slipped for a moment. "There's more. Jones said he recognised Brandon, and a blonde woman."
"From where?" Sara couldn't begin to imagine how their paths crossed.
"The day he was turned." John kept himself from looking in the elder's direction. She did the same thing.
"Wait." Sara's practical nature found a question worth asking. "Is Rosie sure, I mean greenskins all look alike." She got her answer before John spoke.
"Son of a bitch took pictures. She said it was like he wanted torture both of them." He couldn't keep the anger from his voice. "She took out the raiders and blew up his chem lab. There's nothing left."
"I want to talk to her. Where is she?" Sara didn't know what she'd say, only that she wanted to talk to her.
"I took her home. She's in no shape for a debrief Boss." John sounded protective.
"I just want to talk to her." Sara still couldn't say exactly why.
"Alright." John put aside his objections, showing his trust in her.
Sara sent John to start the bird. She waited for two Recon scouts to arrive, old friends of Charlie. They didn't take the loss of their venerable former commander much better. She couldn't be around it, or her father, but forced herself to walk with him.
"I'm so sorry Sara. I never thought…" The elder stopped, leaning on the wall.
"I know you never meant for any of this." Sara couldn't find the anger and hate she'd expected. Only a deep and profound sorrow for her father.
"All that matters now is our response. I need you focused for that."
"We will purge them all in fire." The hate in his voice sounded better than guilt.
Sara hopped in the waiting bird, signalling John to lift off. Minutes later they were in the air. The roar of the engines, mixed with the shudder of the airframe washed out any other thoughts. She saw John get up from the pilot's seat and sit next to her.
"That's a neat trick." It took her a minute to realise no one sat in the cockpit.
"Rosie showed me." He said, after putting on a headset. "I thought you might want to talk. Or not."
"Not." Sara didn't want to talk, or think. John took her hand, and didn't say anything.
Upon entering the Rest, Sara found herself almost envious. And not for the first time. She followed John to his house, watching as he took a moment before stepping in. She saw Matthew first, sitting at the table. Halfway through a bottle of whiskey. Brandon had been a father to him as much as her. He looked at her and wept.
"It's alright." Sara put her arm around him. "We're going to be alright." She sat and poured herself a drink, subtly leaving the bottle out of reach.
"How's Paul?" He asked, desperate for good news.
"Stable." She sipped the fine whiskey. "But he's not going to be match fit anytime soon." She tried to soften the news. "Where's Rosie, I need to talk to her."
"She's sleeping." His tone suggested leaving her. She looked to John.
"I'll check on her." John eased the bedroom door open. "She's not in there." He looked worried.
"Grimm was here, I'll go ask him." Matt headed out.
"I'll check next door." John followed.
Sara found herself alone for the first time since finding out. She noticed the old coffee tin by the sink and remembered what it contained. The back door clattered as the dog came running in, drawn by the shaking of the tin. She fed the dog a treat, enjoying the company that didn't talk.
The familiar scent of a cheap cigar wafted in through the open back door. For a moment she thought it'd all been some terrible mix up. That she'd step out and see Brandon standing there with a smile and story. Sara knew better, and stepped out. She found Rosie knelt on the cold ground, trying to keep a cigar burning without smoking it.
Sara sat with her, taking the lighter and cigar from trembling hands. She'd always seen Rosie ice cold. Surviving all those years underground, not to mention her escape. Now she looked like a frightened girl.
"I can't see his face." Rosie whispered, shame in her voice. "I can only see…"
"You need to change the context." Sara took her hands. "Close your eyes. You remember your wedding, when you and John were dancing. We came over, I danced with John. You danced with Brandon."
"I remember." Her eyes opened, filled with relief. "I'm so sorry Sara."
"You did what he would have wanted. I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I'm grateful he's at peace." Sara didn't know what she'd have done if Rosie hadn't cleaned things up. "Did he say anything that might put us a step ahead?"
"He asked me...then he showed me…" She started to sob, reliving it. Sara got her up and inside, putting her to bed.
With a burning cigar in hand, Sara slipped out the back. Looking for the still she just about remembered. Sara found the still and poured herself a tin cup of the strong and sweet moonshine. She sat and made a silent toast to her step father. The man that trained her, the man that taught her to think outside of established doctrine. She tried to think like him now.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the older man till he stood before her. "Good evening sir." Sara got her feet, her manners and how to show respect drilled into her by both her fathers. "My apologies, I just needed a quiet minute."
"Don't apologise. That's what this place is for." Robco smiled, putting her at ease. "I'd like to join you if that's alright."
"Please." Sara wouldn't refuse her host. He poured a tin cup and sat next to her.
"To your father. Can't say I really knew him, but he struck me as a good man." He clinked the cup in her and threw back the drink. So did she. "How are you feeling?" He asked almost casually.
"I'm a soldier, raised by soldiers. You lose a man, you take his ammo and keep fighting. But this doesn't feel like that." Sara didn't feel distraught, or angry, or much of anything.
"No one grieves the same way. Some folk cry, some scream and holler. Some folk spend so much time worrying about the worst happening, then when it does…" He trailed off, helping Sara see something.
"Clarity." She understood the absence of feeling. She needed a mission. "Can I ask you something, sort of a fresh eyes thing?"
"Sure." He poured them both another.
"The thing that did this. It...he's out there, with hundreds at his command. And wants nothing more than to hurt the Brotherhood." She pushed past his worried look. "Why hasn't he attacked us? It's no secret where we are, it wouldn't take much to find out our numbers. He has us outnumbered three to one."
"Well, I imagine you're well defended up there." He answered.
"Not that well defended. Not as if we've got..." Sara got to her feet, seeing things clearly for the first time in months. "John said you were smart." She threw back the strong shine. "Thanks for the drink."
"Anytime." He called out as strode away with purpose.
John and Matthew sat round the fire, the crackling the only sound. "On your feet." They looked back blankly. "I'm putting Charlie in command of Recon, she'll need a second." Her tone got Matthew up.
"Yes sir." He started gearing up.
"What's the plan Boss?" John stood ready for a fight.
"Change the context." She smiled, knowing her uncle would have liked her idea. "Are you still friends with the woman on the radio?"
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