Chapter 4

  “I said shoot her!” Underwood screams.

  “No.” I calmly reply. This man is mentally unstable.

  In High School I had a Rugby coach just like him. He had half the squad lined up on on one side of the field, half on the other and had us run full tilt into each other, one at a time. I was already over six feet tall at 16 so I just ran down the opposing teammate. I broke his collar bone. That was the last day I played Rugby.

  “She has to know what it feels like to be shot in a controlled environment.” Underwood says. Underwood has a bug up his arse with Maria. She survived, what the frick is the issue? Is it because he wanted another soldier instead?

  “If it's part of training, how about we shoot you?” Stinger says.

  “This is dumb.” Underwood turns his gun on Maria, Stinger and I point our guns at him. “You know, she won't be hurt if I shoot her.”

  “You will.” Stinger says. Underwood sighs and holsters his gun.

  “We're a team, all that's going on is beyond what we signed up for, we only trust each other here. So no, we're not going to purposely shoot each other for no fricken reason. Now if you want us to start running extracts stop giving us crap orders like this that'll only lower our moral and send us out.” I say. He's not a soldier, nor a team player.

  “You are not in charge here, I am.” He says back with a sneer.

  “Perhaps it best we break for lunch.” Paris says.

  “And you are not in charge here either.” Underwood snaps back.

  “I insist, on a lunch break.” Paris says in a firm tone.

  “Fine, lunch sounds dandy.” Underwood says, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

  “Underwood, we need to talk a minute.” Paris says as we leave. Hopefully it's a productive talk, Sargent Paris is clearly an experienced Officer, maybe he'll get Underwood to back off.

  We slept last night in isolated cells, part of me was fine with that. With these visions it feels weird with the three of us sleeping in the same room. Sitting down to eat we're all pretty quiet. I haven't seen any of the rooms with a window yet. Looking around I don't see anyone other then us eating.

  Maria is messing around with her hair, she seems a bit frazzled. I didn't really pay attention to the fact her hair was done up in a bun. “Ah crap.” She says, the bun on her head opens up, she just puts her hair in a ponytail and tries to use her fingers like a rough comb to straighten it.

  “How long have you been growing your hair?” Stinger asks.

  “A long time, it's about three feet long.”

  “Oh, so it drags on the ground behind you.” Stinger says.

  “All this high tech equipment and they can't get me a brush?”

  “Hey, did you hear what I said?” Stinger asks.

  “Yeah, we both did, it wasn't really funny. So Frankie gave me a way to contact him in case we need help.” I say.

  “Considering our Commander is a psychopath we may need to contact him.” Maria says.

  “It feels like it's more in regards to the suit. Has anyone noticed anything odd with the suit since yesterday?”

  “No change. I honestly think you guys are overreacting with the suit, it's just a suit, we're all much stronger. I can't wait to get in the field.”

  “So what are we going to do if Underwood tries to get us to do things we don't want to do?” I say.

  “We're a team, not their team.” Stinger says.

  “I agree with Stinger, we're a team.” Maria says.

  “Good to hear guys. So it's us versus the world.” I say, putting my hand out.

  “A bit dramatic Goliath.” Stinger says with a smile. Stacking his hand on mine.

  “Teammates to the bitter end and all that go team crap.” Maria puts her hand on ours with a grin.

  “You two don't have to mock me.” I say with a smile.

  My mind drifts to another place.

  I'm in a bar with the woman that was by the pond and the man who drove up in the truck. It's an old style bar, the smell of cow dung and beer wafts through the air, twangy music with lyrics of a mans awful luck plays.

  “You two don't have to mock me.” I say.

  “Brother, you just were not born for farming. Neither was I, that's why I joined the army. You want to raise Emu, damn brother, I think it's time to cut you off. All these old time Texas boys will kick you out of the state if they catch wind of your giant chicken farm.”

  “Well they need to wake up and face the future; it's 1997, Emu are the future. Well that's what I hear.”

  “What's an Emu again?” She asks.

  “It's an ostrich.” He says.

  “Not quite, it's less then half the size of an ostrich.” I say.

  “Why not go with the bigger one?” She asks.

  I pause, not sure what to say next and we all laugh.

  “Well, it's my turn to stay with Pa tonight.” The man says to me, “I'm sure glad you're taken care of him, I would watch him more but I'm shipping out tomorrow. Are you going to stay and keep my brother company hun? It's kinds of sad if all he does on his night out is sit around drinking on his own.”

  “Yeah, we'll be fine.” He reaches over and kisses her. She whispers something in his ear and he smiles before heading out.

  “Ok, so we're going to dance.” She says.

  “Ah, come on, you know I don't dance.”

  “No way, I couldn't get your brother on the dance floor with a shotgun pointed at him, but you, I can see from the smirk on your face I can wear you down. Do ya wanna dance?”

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  “No.”

  “Do ya wanna dance?”

  I'm laughing now.

  “No.”

  “Do ya wanna...”

  I stand, “Hey darling, do you wanna dance?”

  “You read my mind!” She says with a laugh.

  We hit the dance for and dance a few fast pace songs. I have been spending all my spare time caring for Pa the last year since Ma passed. He's sick but they don't know what it is. It's nice to just have fun. A slow song starts playing.

  We look at each other, we're both hesitant.

  “Um, take a break?” I ask.

  “I don't want to just yet.”

  “Yeah, me either, really.”

  “It's just dancing, put your arms around me and whisper to me about the Emu.”

  We put our arms around each other and dance to the slow music.

  “I swear I shouldn't have told you guys.”

  She laughs.

  With her head on my shoulder I close my eyes.

  I open my eyes to Stinger, Maria and I with our hands stacked in the cafeteria.

  “We need to not do that anymore, both of you.” She stands and walks to the exit, the guard seems to be informing her she's not leaving. She gets a drink of water and sits at the far end of the room.

  “Did you see anything Stinger?”

  He looks distant, like he's seen a ghost. “Yeah. It was like a dream, I was with a girl in a bar, his brother was talking about Emu's. I had to go, when I walked out of the bar I woke out of the dream state and Maria left the table.”

  “You didn't see them dancing?”

  “No. Are these people us?”

  “I have no idea.”

  Looking over at Maria I realize this won't work, I walk over to her.

  “Ok, I agree we need to not let the suits touch, I have no idea what's up, but we still need to stick together.” I say.

  “Yeah, you're right. I don't like where this is going if we see more into it.”

  “Stingers scene cuts out when he leaves the bar. I think we only see what happens when we're there with the person. I don't like where it's going either. So, I mean, just to check so we know, you dreamed as well last night?”

  “Oh yeah,” She blurts out with enthusiasm. He face turns beet red when it hit's her why I asked. “Sorry, um, I mean yes.”

  “Ah, Ok.”

  Paris strides in the cafeteria, a stern look on his face. We congregate over by Stinger.

  “Ok, so I will be running the rest of your training and field work, Underwood will order me, I will order you. I was told to make it very clear you're to be a soldier now Maria, we need to work on your fitness level some but you seem in decent shape.”

  “I trained to run in school, Paris, um, Sargent, Sargent Paris?”

  “Excellent, do a lot of running so that's a good start. And either one is just fine for this group, no need for the formal 'Sargent Paris'.” He looks around before continuing. “Let get the hell out of here, we're going straight to running skinjacks, this surrounding is poison. Keep your helmets on at all times once you leave the building; use code names only, don't let others see your faces.”

  “Maria doesn't have a code name.” Stinger says.

  “That's fine, we'll sort it out latter.”

  “So just where is this location? We boarded the submarine then they brought us here.” I ask.

  Paris smiles “Follow me.”

  We walk down the hall and outside. It's not as I expect; looking across the river I see Manhattan Island. They blindfolded us to transport us here, took us to the boat and just circled around to take us across the river.

  It's mid afternoon, a cold November day. The suit is keeping me plenty warm, the tactical winter gloves are keeping my hands warm, the bullet resistant helmet that covers our heads is warm enough. The helmets have a heavily modified tactical viewer, full HUD display with Specter presets loaded.

  We see a standard grey, four door vehicle pull up, the window rolls up.

  “Get in kid, it's too cold to keep the window down.” It's Frankie.

  The four of us load in, Paris sits in the front. We're all on edge in the back as we pile in, not wanting our suits to touch.

  “Wait, Paris, would you mind sitting in the middle back here?” I ask.

  “Why?” He asks.

  “It's, um...”

  “The suits need more breathing room, technical thing.” Frankie says.

  Frankie definitely knows all about the suits. I wonder what it would take to get him to open up? We rearrange the seating to something we're all more comfortable with. “Buckle up kids.” He floors the car, taking us on a wild bumpy ride to the city.

  We're walking up the stairwell we're almost at the top floor.

  “Are you slowing up in your old age Frankie?” Paris calls back to him.

  “Listen kid, come talk shit to me when you're in your 90's climbing four flights of stairs.”

  Wait, 90's? He doesn't even look 40.

  “Pretend you didn't hear what Frankie said team, it's classified.”

  “Are you going to be saying that a lot?” Stinger says.

  “We'll see.”

  Paris opens the door and we walk in. It's a grey bare concrete ancient looking room. Flipping my tac helm to the Hype view it looks the same. This part of the city must be a no go zone for Net Lords, they didn't even make a virtual view of it.

  I can hear a woman talking, very faint.

  “Who's a sexy bird?” She asks.

  “Arrark, I'm a sexy bird. Who's a sexy beast?” The bird says.

  “I'm a sexy beast.” She says, laughing, the bird laughs as well and she laughs even harder. “Who keeps me sane?”

  “Sexy bird.” It says.

  “Bird you're crazy.” She laughs and the bird mimics her laugh.

  Frankie knocks on a door. “It's us, I'm knocking so as not to walk in on you changing.” Frankie says, rolling his eyes.

  “Frankie, that was 2 years ago, just come in.” She replies.

  We enter a room, there has to be over 20 monitors, equipment, what looks like a digital storage unit. There is a very tall thin woman with steel blue eyes and shoulder length hair. And a large black bird.

  “Yes, I know how long ago it was but you still harp on it.”

  “Arrack, dirty old man.” The bird says.

  “I swear I didn't teach him that.” She says with a grin. “And it wasn't so much that you walked in on me but the fact you always burst into rooms. I see no one for 2 months and the door flies open randomly, you scare the shit out of me when you do that.”

  “Lenny doesn't mind.”

  “You and Lenny have been out here for decades, he just picks and chooses his battles. Remember the toilet clog?”

  “I was pretty drunk...”

  Her eyes widen as she looks at me.

  “Oh my, Goliath. I haven't seen you for a month, I was wondering where you went. Not that I was watching you, well, I mean I watch everything...” she trails off.

  “Arrack, sexy beast, sexy beast, sexy beast...” the bird keeps saying.

  “Stupid bird, shut up.” She says to it.

  The bird stops then mimics her laugh.

  “Team, take the helmets off and I'll introduce everyone.” Paris says. We take off our helmets, she doesn't take her eyes off me. I realize I'm gazing straight at her as well, I turn my attention to the Raven. “Ok, it looks like you know Goliath, there is Stinger and Maria, team, this is Jodi.”

  “And Edgar, you'll get used to him.” She says.

  “Nice to meet you Jodi. You named him Edgar?” Maria says.

  “Actually, he named himself. I'm not sure who tamed him but they're likely not around anymore. He flew up to me when I first came here screaming 'no-no-no'...”

  “No-no-no-no” Edgar frantically repeats as he flaps about.

  “Sshhh Edgar, calm.” Jodi says. Edgar fly's over to her shoulder and seems to calm down.

  “Arrack, sexy beast.”

  “I really didn't teach him to say that, he seems to say that when he likes someone, or when he's pleased with someone. Anyways, I asked him what his name was and he said 'I'm Edgar.'”

  “I'm Edgar, I'm Edgar.”

  “He enunciates the phrases he knew when I meet him with a deeper tone, I think his former owner was a man, based on some of the pretty vulgar phrases I've, discouraged, him from saying.”

  “Aarack, I'm a badass.” Edgar says.

  “Cute crow.” Stinger says.

  “Raven.” She corrects him.

  “Right.”

  “I'm a raven, crows are pussies.” Edgar screams.

  We all laugh, Jodi seems embarrassed.

  “I 100% did not teach him to say that.” She says.

  “Jodis' a bad girl.”

  “You stupid bird, he started saying that last week. He's like a child. Oh, and watch your belongings; he likes to take small shinny items and hide them." I find it kind of endearing she's embarrassed by what her raven says.

  Edgar lets out a throaty warble.

  “Ok, so as we can see by looking around the room this is a surveillance room for the city. Jodi will be your forward Intel Operative. The Net Lords have cameras all over the city, Jodi hacks in to the feeds and consolidates info, is able to switch between seeing the Hype and the real world with cameras and has video drones at her disposal. Pick a room on this floor, that'll be your personal quarters. Lenny has agreed to build a more secure entrance, there will be, a hidden entrance. It'll make more sense when you see it. We're going to have more of us here Jodi, this room will be busier, might I suggest you set up in a room as well?”

  “Oh, yeah that makes sense.” She says.

  “Ok, lets take a bit to get settled, we have an skinjack we're going to shadow at 2000.”

  We all move to the hallway.

  “You're taller then I thought you would be. I'm sorry, you kind of stand out in the surveillance.” Jodi says.

  “You're pretty tall yourself, not many women are even close to my height.” I say.

  “Hey, come here.” She takes me to the room at the end of the hall, looking inside it's a big room on the corner of the building. “It's a double room, you should stay here, big room for a big guy.”

  “Sounds good. Where does the side door go?”

  She grins, her look lingers as she leaves the room through the side door. I see the main door open in the room Jodi went in, it's Stinger. “Sorry Stinger, this is my room.” She says.