The Glass House: Chapter Twenty Two
Sep. 28th, 2008 02:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wolfanficsTitle: The Glass House
Author: Sashataakheru
Beta: The wonderfulrana_narsilion <3
Fandom: The Chaser/AusComedy RPS
Starring: Adam Hills, Sepulchre (OC), Wil Anderson, Hamish Blake, Craig Reucassel, Tim Minchin, Julian Morrow, Chas Licciardello, Charles Firth, Chris Taylor, Andrew Hansen, Caleb (OC), Dr Rachel Hardy (OC), Antoinette Laurent (OC), Dr Samantha Reddings (OC), Dominic Knight, Shane Cubis, Gregor Stronach, Tim Brunero, Andy Lee
Pairings: Andrew/Chris; Adam/Hamish; Jules/Chas; Rachel/Antoinette(/Samantha); Adam/Seb; Adam/Wil; Craig/Caleb; Adam/Wil/Tim; Andrew/Craig, Wil/Chas; implied Tim/Craig, Hamish/Andy (after a fashion. XD)
Word Count: 4,444 *is orsum* XD
Chapter: 22/32 [Previous]
Warnings: language, grumpy!emo!Andrew
Rating: FRAO
Disclaimer: I don’t know them, not associated with them, just a slashy fangirl admirer with a very active imagination.
Author’s Notes: FYI, fullwing = winged human capable of flight. Halfwing = fullwing/human halfbreed, usually unable to fly, sometimes have vestigial wings, but can be removed to pass as human and not as winged.
Summary: Having moved their base, the rebels have to rethink their plan of attack. Andrew steps up to help and continues fighting the voice in his head. Seb makes his first appearance at their new hideout and the news isn't good.
Chapter Twenty Two
Adam had gathered Tim, Wil, Hamish, Andy, Charles, Andrew, Julian, Craig, and the Chinese delegation together the next morning. He wanted to discuss their next move. Clearly, the planned rebellion would have to be changed to reflect their new location. There were Army bases out here they hadn't bothered to take into account in their original plans as they didn't think they'd be directly facing them. Now they would have to plan for that, and there were more out here than in the city.
They were all standing around the basement pool table, amused by the ghosts walking around them. It had become the unofficial war room, where Adam could plan everything they needed, and there was plenty of room for them all to fit. Adam had made sure there were no bugs anywhere in the room, since it had been an official Government building in the past. Finding nothing, he was satisfied that they were safe for now. Charles handed out drinks to everyone before finding a spot in between Craig and Chas.
"We need to reallocate our forces. We've got seven bases out here we'll need to take out before we can reach the city. We should also be aware of our position up here. We've got a much better vantage point now than we used to have. We can ambush much better now, because we have the mountains on our side. We can see when they're coming far sooner than we could at the warehouse. So instead of three main battle groups, I think we should have a mix of battalions and guerilla groups. If we can draw the army bases out and pick them off, we could take their bases for our own use and monitor their movements from there while the rebellion is under way. It would give us an advantage to get hold of a secured base and more weapons. Does anyone have a problem with that?" Adam said, using the pool balls as props as he arranged them on the table.
"I think we'd be stretching our resources even further. Do we want a speedy rebellion or not? I thought we didn't want to give them a chance to regroup? Guerilla war against the bases will take too long. We need to storm in there and take them by force. It's the only way we can proceed fast," Wil said.
"We don't even know the make up of those bases. You know the Army likes to mix them around to confuse us. We need more intel about those bases before we can plan any attack on them," Tim said.
"What's the most direct route from here into the city anyway?" Adam said.
Hamish fished out the maps and lay them down in front of everyone. "We're here, right? So the most direct route is to follow that main road east until you hit the city. But there are three bases along that road as it stands, and another four close by. The longer route is less guarded, but has more difficult terrain. I wouldn't suggest we use it as a main route. We could send some guerilla fighters down that way though. See, it doubles back that way. You could hit two of the bases and not be seen down there. Could we use that as a distraction while we force the main contingent through on the main road?" Hamish said.
"Hmm, it's possible. I think we need to get some scouts out there to see what the land's actually like. We need to know if we can actually get vehicles down there or not. Wil, want to organise that? Get some of our best fullwings and go stealth. Don't engage in battle. This is purely recon. Bring back as much information as you can, and try and observe how many troops you think are in each of these bases. We need to know that in order to work out how large a force to send, should we go with that option. Any other ideas?" Adam said.
"Frankly, I think you should avoid that pass completely. Look, there's another road going south that leads around that way. There's only one base out there. We could take that easily and recruit the troops there and kill any detractors before moving on. I'd rather not antagonise seven bases first up. One won't be missed. Seven will be. We don't want them catching wind of what we're doing until it's too late to stop us," Craig said, pointing out another route on the map.
"We'll scout that too then. I'll arrange three groups of five and we'll head off as soon as we're done here," Wil said.
"Go armed as well in case you're spotted and have to fight. I'd rather you didn't though. I don't want them catching onto our new location too quickly, if at all. Just go and watch and be invisible," Adam said.
"Will do. I'll go get them organised now. You can fill me in when I get back," Wil said.
"Okay. Good luck," Adam said.
Wil patted Adam's shoulder as he left, grinning back at him. Adam turned back to the map. He placed different pool balls where the bases were, and where they were, trying to work out the best way to attack.
"How much of an air force do we have anyway? I was under the impression we were purely a land force, apart from the fullwings," Charles said.
"We've got a few planes, but they're not here, they're at another safe haven. They're too far away to use here. All we have are tanks, trucks and a couple of armoured vehicles," Adam said.
"So what kind of force have we got here anyway?" Charles said.
"I'd say we were about 1000 strong. We're lucky we found this town. It's big enough to house everyone. I'd say our numbers are about 60% fullwings, 25% halfwings and 15% humans," Adam said.
"I was thinking. Since we nicked so much stuff from the Army, how easy would it be to pretend we're just another patrol and pass through that way? That's how we've been getting through checkpoints. We could load up the tanks and trucks with the fullwings, and have halfwing and human drivers to avoid suspicion. If we were lucky, I reckon we could pass through those bases with no trouble at all," Charles said.
"That's a very dangerous suggestion. Do you reckon we could do it, Andy?" Adam said.
"Anything's possible. Though it would be reliant on correct uniform, correct convoy order, and enough experience to bribe our way through. Actually. I just had an idea. How about we send a small group through, pretending to be official army, with directions to gather them all up from the various bases because there's trouble in the city? While the bases are empty, the rest sneak down and take them and raid what we can from them before turning on them. If they're out there and just have their guns, they'll be defenceless. We could crush or convert enough to double our force for our assault on the city. It's totally risky, but it might work. We'd need to get a feel for how many are in each and their allegiances first though so we know which buttons to press," Andy said.
"And you're forgetting that two of those are Air Force bases. This one here, and this one over here. Planes. I strongly suggest targeting those first and working on the rest later. Once we have planes, we'll be more powerful," Chas said.
"That's just so you can fly again, Chassy," Julian said.
"Damn straight I wanna fly again. If we have those planes, we can make the other bases surrender faster as we drop bombs on them," Chas said.
"Adam, I strongly suggest that plan of attack. Air Force bases are not manned by Army soldiers. They're manned by Air Force pilots. They're not soldiers. They'll be easier to take because they're not as strongly armed. They can still fight, mind, but they won't be as experienced at infantry combat," Andy said.
"Let's wait until we get more intel about the bases first before we decide on a strategy. In the meantime, let's concentrate on sourcing weapons and stockpiling as much as possible. I don't want us caught unaware by another raid. Now, I've got some grenades that need picking up in town. Anyone want to volunteer?" Adam said.
"I'll go, if you like," Andrew piped up.
"You sure? I wouldn't want to push you or anything," Adam said.
"I'll be fine. Besides, I'm sick of sitting around on my own. Let me get out there and help. At least then I'll feel useful," Andrew said.
"Alright then. But take someone with you, just in case," Adam said.
"I can do it alone. I'm not a baby," Andrew said.
"Okay then. Do it alone. But don't be too long, and don't get caught," Adam said.
"Don't worry, after what I went through last time, that's not going to happen," Andrew said.
Andrew didn't notice the concerned look Charles had as he glanced at him. Clearly, he wasn't sure Andrew should be working so soon either, but Andrew wouldn't be dissuaded, and he did have a point. Adam needed everyone on hand, and that meant Andrew too.
The meeting wrapped up soon after and Andrew headed out to pick up the grenades after gathering the information he needed from Adam.
Andrew scuffed his shoe against the curb, staring at the bitumen. He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, trying to stave off the cold. What was he doing waiting here at this hour? Oh, that's right. He was picking up stuff for Adam. A box or two of grenades from an ex-Army man, who'd smuggled them out and wanted in on the rebellion.
Andrew was glad that he was on his own. It meant he had time to do some recon of his own. Though he was tired. Was he rushing into this too soon? Adam and Julian had wanted him to rest a bit longer, but Andrew had insisted he was fine and wanted to get back to work, so they had reluctantly agreed. Andrew wanted to feel like he was doing something instead of sitting around doing nothing. Besides, sitting alone meant he was often left with his own thoughts, and at times, that scared him shitless. No, the better he was out doing something to distract from his troubled dreams.
"Stupid Adam and his stupid meetings and damn him for sending me out here in the cold to do his errands for him," Andrew muttered.
"Are you the guy Adam sent me to meet?" a voice said from behind.
"I might be. Who are you again?" Andrew said, turning to face the man.
"William. I got the grenades Adam wanted. Let me say just how difficult they were to track down. He can thank his lucky stars I was able to get a mate to get them off or he'd have been out of luck. These things are harder to get hold of than hen's teeth," the man said.
"Right. So what am I taking back to His Majesty?" Andrew said, unable to stop the sarcasm in his voice.
"A coupla crates of these babies. You got a truck round here somewhere we can load 'em into?" William said.
"Yeah, back alleyway. Out of sight. This way," Andrew said.
He led William round the back alleyway where the first box of explosives was delivered. Andrew was thankful he didn't have to carry them. They looked heavy, and Andrew hated doing manual labour. Once the first box was in place, Andrew followed him to retrieve the second box.
As Andrew was leaving the alleyway, he got his shoe caught in the grate on the edge of the street and fell forwards. He came crashing down to the ground, leaving his shoe stuck in the bars. His head hit the pavement hard, and there were the quickest flashes of a cave and Craig invading his mind. If he hadn't noticed them, he may not have given them much attention. He wondered where the cave was and why it was important. He couldn't remember if there was even a cave anyone in the rebellion used. Dismissing the visions as a symptom of crashing his head against asphalt, he paid more attention to his sore body. There was an audible groan of pain as Andrew attempted to get to his feet, thoroughly annoyed at now being injured. He'd have to yell at Julian when he got back.
"You alright mate?" William said, coming over to help him up.
"Fantastic. Never been better," Andrew said as he wiped the blood from his nose.
He went over to retrieve his shoe from the grate only to find his sock had been ripped as the shoe had been caught in the gutter. And it was his favourite pair too. And no, it didn't count that they were one of many identical pairs of white tennis socks. They were still his favourite pair.
He returned to the safe haven with the things Adam wanted, thoroughly angry, aching and minus his favourite pair of socks. Adam was going to become acutely aware of just how angry Andrew was after completing his little errand. Even if Andrew had insisted on taking the errand in the first place.
But first, a slight detour. The voice had other things it needed Andrew to do before it let him go back to the safe haven since Andrew was out here all on his own and unsupervised. Andrew headed south, away from where he was supposed to be going, needing to visit someone first.
Some hours later, Andrew drove the truck back to the new safe haven, making sure he wasn't seen entering the abandoned township. There was an alley at the back of the warehouse where they had stored the weapons they had left that hadn't been used during the surprise attack. Chas and Chris were there to meet him, ready to store the grenades safely in the warehouse. Andrew parked the truck and got out to unlock the doors.
"You took your time. Did you get 'em? He didn't bash you for them, did he?" Chas said, noticing the bruises and the bloodied nose.
"Uh, no, that was me catching my foot in a grate and falling over. I wrecked my favourite pair of socks," Andrew said angrily, pushing the key into the lock to open the back doors to the truck.
"Oh, man, wait til Julian sees that. If anyone was going to hurt themselves on an errand simply by tripping over, it'd be you, Andrew," Chas said, trying to hide his laughing.
"It's not funny, you know," Andrew said, pushing the doors open and grabbing a box of the grenades. "There's one more box. Will one of you two grab it?"
Chris obliged, and Chas was left with the task of opening doors for them. Chas led them down into a dark basement storage area underneath the warehouse. Sure, it was a dangerous place to store weapons, but it meant only arriving at the warehouse and transporting them inside. Julian was working on a munitions dump for the more explosive things in their arsenal, but until that was ready, under the warehouse would have to do. It's not easy to build something and remain undetected, so work progressed very slowly.
"Put them up here with the other grenades. How many do you reckons' in a box, anyway?" Chas said, coming to a stop at some half-empty shelves.
"Looks around 50 but you'd have to count them to be sure," Andrew said.
"Better I do that so you don't go blowing yourself up, hey?" Chas said, again trying not to laugh.
"Shut it, or I'll rip your gills out," Andrew said.
"You'll rip my gills out? I don't have any gills, unless you're planning to go back in time and attack me as a foetus," Chas said.
"Just -- shut up, Chas. I'm not in the mood for your jokes," Andrew said, sliding the box of grenades onto the shelf. He turned and stormed out of the basement, not bothering to wait for Chris.
"He's a touchy little shit when he's injured, isn't he?" Chris noted, stifling a laugh.
"I heard that!" Andrew yelled back.
Chris and Chas couldn't help themselves laughing at that as they made their way out of the basement and back towards the main hall.
Andrew headed straight for the medical people to get his head fixed. He sat there grumpily as they dealt with him. He was not in a good mood. His head ached, sending sharp pain into his skull. He took the painkillers they offered him, dry swallowing them, before heading off to scold Adam for sending him out on his own.
He stopped halfway down the corridor towards Adam's room, hand pinned to his temple as the stabbing pain increased. He screwed his face up, trying to make it go away.
'Forget, dear Andrew, forget. It is not yet time,' the voice cooed.
"Who are you? What? Why are you talking to me?" Andrew said into the air, confused and scared by the voice he could hear in his head, clear as day.
'Hush! HUSH! He approaches! Silent now! Forever hidden!' the voice hissed at him.
The pain quickly diminished and Andrew looked up to find Julian approaching him instead of Adam. He sped up as he saw Andrew leaning against the wall, seemingly in pain.
"Hey, Andrew, you alright, mate? What happened to you?" Julian said as he came up to him, standing in front of him.
"Just - tripped over, that's all. Nothing to worry about," Andrew said, fending him off.
"Shit, you don't look so good. Come on, back here. Let's get you sorted out," Julian said, taking him by the arm, determined to take care of him.
Andrew tried to refuse, but his head was dizzy and he did appreciate the attention. He let himself be led away to Julian's room where Wil was waiting. They'd been going over the intel they'd managed to retrieve about the military bases below them. Julian sat Andrew down on a chair and got him some water. Andrew felt surrounded as Julian and Wil hedged him in on both sides. Andrew curled back into the chair, feeling a tad claustrophobic. He wasn't sure he wanted them so close to him.
"You alright, Andrew? You've been a tad jumpy since the attack," Julian said, resting a hand on his thigh, concern washing over his face.
"I-I'm fine, really. It just - you know, it came out of nowhere and all," Andrew said. 'Bullshit. You knew it was coming. Hell, you gave the order,' the voice goaded. Andrew whimpered, pressing a hand against his forehead as if he was in pain again.
"Andrew? Do I need to force you to get help? If you're not well, tell me now, or I'll make you get help. I can't have you like this. I need you. Just talk to me, please. I don't like seeing you like this," Julian said.
Andrew tried to resist, but Julian's concerned look was what broke him. "Voice - in my head. Tells me things. Please make it stop. It hurts me," he whimpered, clutching his head. The façade was too hard to keep going anymore. The false memories weren't as strong as they once were, and niggling doubts had become more serious. Clearly, whatever it was in his head was lying to him and manipulating him. He'd have to tell Julian about it. He'd know how to fix it.
"A voice? How long has this been going on? What does it say to you?" Julian said, unsettled at this development.
"Since… since they took me. It talks to me, tells me it'll look after me, tells me to forget things. Made me order the raid, gather intelligence, spy against you. I… I don't like it. It scares me," Andrew said quietly.
'Too close! Too close! They mustn't know! Hush now, child! Be silent!' the voice said, scared of being discovered.
Andrew brought his knees up to his chest, curling into himself tightly, sobbing quietly. The voice was scaring him. He wanted it to go away, but he didn't think he was strong enough to fight it.
Julian grabbed Andrew and pulled him into his arms, wanting him to fight it, whatever it was that was in his head. "Come on, Andrew, you can fight it. Tell it to go away. It doesn't own you. You'll be alright," he said.
'Do as he says! We will fade away, but not for good! We will call you when we need you!' the voice commanded.
"I'm going mad, I swear I'm going mad. This is not happening to me. Take me to Charles. I only want Charles! Please, don't leave me alone with Chris. Craig-Craig, he-"
"Shh, it'll be alright. We'll take you to Charles, alright? Come on," Julian said soothingly, trying to calm his anxiety.
Andrew settled once he heard Julian agreeing to his wishes. Charles would make everything better. Of course he would. He could only trust Charles. Charles would make it all better.
Andrew let them pull him to his feet and lead him off to Charles. Andrew ran into Charles' arms as soon as they arrived, desperate for his company.
"What's up with him?" Charles asked, holding him close as Andrew curled up into his embrace.
"Said he has a voice in his head that tells him things. He wanted to be brought to you. Look after him, will you?" Julian said, not sure he should reveal what his intentions were.
"What, you can't look after him?" Charles said.
"He wanted you. He calmed down when I agreed to take him to you. I don't know what else to tell you," Julian said.
"Okay then. I'll see what I can do. Catch you later," Charles said as he watched Julian and Wil leave.
"Okay, now I'm convinced they brainwashed him. That voice in his head made him do things against us. We can't blame him for that. Part of him is still fighting it though, much to my amazement. He wouldn't have told us about the voice if he wasn't fighting it still. We need to know if we can still save him, or if he'll still be triggered into carrying out whatever it is he's been programmed to do," Julian said, leading Wil back towards the offices.
"Seb?" Wil said, guessing Julian's destination.
"Yeah. If he doesn't know, no one will," Julian said.
They came to the shrine door and entered quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone. Seb hadn't appeared since they'd moved, but he had talked with Adam, so they knew he was still around. Even if he could still talk to them, it was better than nothing. They knelt before the shrine and lit some incense for him, setting it in the bowls of sand in front of the shrine. Neither considered it religious to keep a shrine set up here and talk to Seb as if he was a God. It was like they were talking to an old friend more than anything.
"You cannot save him. He will be triggered. But he will not die, or harm anyone. His spirit will prevent some of the more terrible aspects of his programming from eventuating. Be thankful that is all that will happen," Seb said to them before they could even ask him anything.
"He's a resilient little shit, isn't he, in spite of looking so fucking fragile," Wil said.
"At least we know he's not going to get himself killed," Julian said.
"I would not be so frank with you normally. I do not take it upon myself to warn you of what is to come. I am no oracle, or master of Fate. But it is pertinent to warn you that you may never be able to heal him completely. There are some things that just cannot be undone, and this is not something I have any power to prevent. Human minds are too fragile and the forces at play here are unknown to me. Do not make him fight. It will only get him killed. Take care of my Andrew. He will need all your support and compassion. It is none of his doing," Seb said gently.
"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Julian said.
"No. Nothing else will help. Go, prepare for battle. You will need to be ready. War may come sooner than we anticipate," Seb said.
Julian and Wil murmured their thanks and left the shrine room in peace, heading off to find Adam and Tim and discuss their final battle plans.
Andrew curled into Charles' warm embrace, feeling safe again. The voice had subsided somewhat, as had the pain in his head. He wanted to sleep. He clung to Charles as if to stop him leaving. Charles held him tightly, trying to comfort him. All he could think about was what Julian had said to him about Andrew.
"You got a voice in your head, mate? Why does that make me very worried about what they did to you?" Charles murmured.
Andrew was too sleepy to hear him properly. The voice was back, whispering soothing words to him, overriding Charles' voice, caressing his mind and making it obedient.
'Hush, hush, my child, do not speak of us to anyone. We must remain secret, hidden, until the time is right. That was bad, speaking out like that. We do not speak about these things. Keep silent, remember our mission. We will call you when we need you. Until then, forget and pretend nothing's wrong,' the voice said.
Forget? Why must I-
'Hush! Hush, child. Forget. You should not worry your precious head with such things. Keep silent, do not mention us. We will call you when we need you,' the voice said.
F-forget… for…
Andrew succumbed to the voice and drifted into a deep sleep, allowing the voice more time to rewire his brain the way it wanted to without resistance. It had to reinforce the memories Andrew had fought against.
Charles sensed him falling asleep and lay him down, lying beside him to hold him and make sure he knew he was safe. Arms around his slender body, Charles rested with him, concerned at what was going on in his head that had Julian and Wil as troubled as he was.
Author: Sashataakheru
Beta: The wonderful
rana_narsilion <3Fandom: The Chaser/AusComedy RPS
Starring: Adam Hills, Sepulchre (OC), Wil Anderson, Hamish Blake, Craig Reucassel, Tim Minchin, Julian Morrow, Chas Licciardello, Charles Firth, Chris Taylor, Andrew Hansen, Caleb (OC), Dr Rachel Hardy (OC), Antoinette Laurent (OC), Dr Samantha Reddings (OC), Dominic Knight, Shane Cubis, Gregor Stronach, Tim Brunero, Andy Lee
Pairings: Andrew/Chris; Adam/Hamish; Jules/Chas; Rachel/Antoinette(/Samantha); Adam/Seb; Adam/Wil; Craig/Caleb; Adam/Wil/Tim; Andrew/Craig, Wil/Chas; implied Tim/Craig, Hamish/Andy (after a fashion. XD)
Word Count: 4,444 *is orsum* XD
Chapter: 22/32 [Previous]
Warnings: language, grumpy!emo!Andrew
Rating: FRAO
Disclaimer: I don’t know them, not associated with them, just a slashy fangirl admirer with a very active imagination.
Author’s Notes: FYI, fullwing = winged human capable of flight. Halfwing = fullwing/human halfbreed, usually unable to fly, sometimes have vestigial wings, but can be removed to pass as human and not as winged.
Summary: Having moved their base, the rebels have to rethink their plan of attack. Andrew steps up to help and continues fighting the voice in his head. Seb makes his first appearance at their new hideout and the news isn't good.
Chapter Twenty Two
Adam had gathered Tim, Wil, Hamish, Andy, Charles, Andrew, Julian, Craig, and the Chinese delegation together the next morning. He wanted to discuss their next move. Clearly, the planned rebellion would have to be changed to reflect their new location. There were Army bases out here they hadn't bothered to take into account in their original plans as they didn't think they'd be directly facing them. Now they would have to plan for that, and there were more out here than in the city.
They were all standing around the basement pool table, amused by the ghosts walking around them. It had become the unofficial war room, where Adam could plan everything they needed, and there was plenty of room for them all to fit. Adam had made sure there were no bugs anywhere in the room, since it had been an official Government building in the past. Finding nothing, he was satisfied that they were safe for now. Charles handed out drinks to everyone before finding a spot in between Craig and Chas.
"We need to reallocate our forces. We've got seven bases out here we'll need to take out before we can reach the city. We should also be aware of our position up here. We've got a much better vantage point now than we used to have. We can ambush much better now, because we have the mountains on our side. We can see when they're coming far sooner than we could at the warehouse. So instead of three main battle groups, I think we should have a mix of battalions and guerilla groups. If we can draw the army bases out and pick them off, we could take their bases for our own use and monitor their movements from there while the rebellion is under way. It would give us an advantage to get hold of a secured base and more weapons. Does anyone have a problem with that?" Adam said, using the pool balls as props as he arranged them on the table.
"I think we'd be stretching our resources even further. Do we want a speedy rebellion or not? I thought we didn't want to give them a chance to regroup? Guerilla war against the bases will take too long. We need to storm in there and take them by force. It's the only way we can proceed fast," Wil said.
"We don't even know the make up of those bases. You know the Army likes to mix them around to confuse us. We need more intel about those bases before we can plan any attack on them," Tim said.
"What's the most direct route from here into the city anyway?" Adam said.
Hamish fished out the maps and lay them down in front of everyone. "We're here, right? So the most direct route is to follow that main road east until you hit the city. But there are three bases along that road as it stands, and another four close by. The longer route is less guarded, but has more difficult terrain. I wouldn't suggest we use it as a main route. We could send some guerilla fighters down that way though. See, it doubles back that way. You could hit two of the bases and not be seen down there. Could we use that as a distraction while we force the main contingent through on the main road?" Hamish said.
"Hmm, it's possible. I think we need to get some scouts out there to see what the land's actually like. We need to know if we can actually get vehicles down there or not. Wil, want to organise that? Get some of our best fullwings and go stealth. Don't engage in battle. This is purely recon. Bring back as much information as you can, and try and observe how many troops you think are in each of these bases. We need to know that in order to work out how large a force to send, should we go with that option. Any other ideas?" Adam said.
"Frankly, I think you should avoid that pass completely. Look, there's another road going south that leads around that way. There's only one base out there. We could take that easily and recruit the troops there and kill any detractors before moving on. I'd rather not antagonise seven bases first up. One won't be missed. Seven will be. We don't want them catching wind of what we're doing until it's too late to stop us," Craig said, pointing out another route on the map.
"We'll scout that too then. I'll arrange three groups of five and we'll head off as soon as we're done here," Wil said.
"Go armed as well in case you're spotted and have to fight. I'd rather you didn't though. I don't want them catching onto our new location too quickly, if at all. Just go and watch and be invisible," Adam said.
"Will do. I'll go get them organised now. You can fill me in when I get back," Wil said.
"Okay. Good luck," Adam said.
Wil patted Adam's shoulder as he left, grinning back at him. Adam turned back to the map. He placed different pool balls where the bases were, and where they were, trying to work out the best way to attack.
"How much of an air force do we have anyway? I was under the impression we were purely a land force, apart from the fullwings," Charles said.
"We've got a few planes, but they're not here, they're at another safe haven. They're too far away to use here. All we have are tanks, trucks and a couple of armoured vehicles," Adam said.
"So what kind of force have we got here anyway?" Charles said.
"I'd say we were about 1000 strong. We're lucky we found this town. It's big enough to house everyone. I'd say our numbers are about 60% fullwings, 25% halfwings and 15% humans," Adam said.
"I was thinking. Since we nicked so much stuff from the Army, how easy would it be to pretend we're just another patrol and pass through that way? That's how we've been getting through checkpoints. We could load up the tanks and trucks with the fullwings, and have halfwing and human drivers to avoid suspicion. If we were lucky, I reckon we could pass through those bases with no trouble at all," Charles said.
"That's a very dangerous suggestion. Do you reckon we could do it, Andy?" Adam said.
"Anything's possible. Though it would be reliant on correct uniform, correct convoy order, and enough experience to bribe our way through. Actually. I just had an idea. How about we send a small group through, pretending to be official army, with directions to gather them all up from the various bases because there's trouble in the city? While the bases are empty, the rest sneak down and take them and raid what we can from them before turning on them. If they're out there and just have their guns, they'll be defenceless. We could crush or convert enough to double our force for our assault on the city. It's totally risky, but it might work. We'd need to get a feel for how many are in each and their allegiances first though so we know which buttons to press," Andy said.
"And you're forgetting that two of those are Air Force bases. This one here, and this one over here. Planes. I strongly suggest targeting those first and working on the rest later. Once we have planes, we'll be more powerful," Chas said.
"That's just so you can fly again, Chassy," Julian said.
"Damn straight I wanna fly again. If we have those planes, we can make the other bases surrender faster as we drop bombs on them," Chas said.
"Adam, I strongly suggest that plan of attack. Air Force bases are not manned by Army soldiers. They're manned by Air Force pilots. They're not soldiers. They'll be easier to take because they're not as strongly armed. They can still fight, mind, but they won't be as experienced at infantry combat," Andy said.
"Let's wait until we get more intel about the bases first before we decide on a strategy. In the meantime, let's concentrate on sourcing weapons and stockpiling as much as possible. I don't want us caught unaware by another raid. Now, I've got some grenades that need picking up in town. Anyone want to volunteer?" Adam said.
"I'll go, if you like," Andrew piped up.
"You sure? I wouldn't want to push you or anything," Adam said.
"I'll be fine. Besides, I'm sick of sitting around on my own. Let me get out there and help. At least then I'll feel useful," Andrew said.
"Alright then. But take someone with you, just in case," Adam said.
"I can do it alone. I'm not a baby," Andrew said.
"Okay then. Do it alone. But don't be too long, and don't get caught," Adam said.
"Don't worry, after what I went through last time, that's not going to happen," Andrew said.
Andrew didn't notice the concerned look Charles had as he glanced at him. Clearly, he wasn't sure Andrew should be working so soon either, but Andrew wouldn't be dissuaded, and he did have a point. Adam needed everyone on hand, and that meant Andrew too.
The meeting wrapped up soon after and Andrew headed out to pick up the grenades after gathering the information he needed from Adam.
Andrew scuffed his shoe against the curb, staring at the bitumen. He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, trying to stave off the cold. What was he doing waiting here at this hour? Oh, that's right. He was picking up stuff for Adam. A box or two of grenades from an ex-Army man, who'd smuggled them out and wanted in on the rebellion.
Andrew was glad that he was on his own. It meant he had time to do some recon of his own. Though he was tired. Was he rushing into this too soon? Adam and Julian had wanted him to rest a bit longer, but Andrew had insisted he was fine and wanted to get back to work, so they had reluctantly agreed. Andrew wanted to feel like he was doing something instead of sitting around doing nothing. Besides, sitting alone meant he was often left with his own thoughts, and at times, that scared him shitless. No, the better he was out doing something to distract from his troubled dreams.
"Stupid Adam and his stupid meetings and damn him for sending me out here in the cold to do his errands for him," Andrew muttered.
"Are you the guy Adam sent me to meet?" a voice said from behind.
"I might be. Who are you again?" Andrew said, turning to face the man.
"William. I got the grenades Adam wanted. Let me say just how difficult they were to track down. He can thank his lucky stars I was able to get a mate to get them off or he'd have been out of luck. These things are harder to get hold of than hen's teeth," the man said.
"Right. So what am I taking back to His Majesty?" Andrew said, unable to stop the sarcasm in his voice.
"A coupla crates of these babies. You got a truck round here somewhere we can load 'em into?" William said.
"Yeah, back alleyway. Out of sight. This way," Andrew said.
He led William round the back alleyway where the first box of explosives was delivered. Andrew was thankful he didn't have to carry them. They looked heavy, and Andrew hated doing manual labour. Once the first box was in place, Andrew followed him to retrieve the second box.
As Andrew was leaving the alleyway, he got his shoe caught in the grate on the edge of the street and fell forwards. He came crashing down to the ground, leaving his shoe stuck in the bars. His head hit the pavement hard, and there were the quickest flashes of a cave and Craig invading his mind. If he hadn't noticed them, he may not have given them much attention. He wondered where the cave was and why it was important. He couldn't remember if there was even a cave anyone in the rebellion used. Dismissing the visions as a symptom of crashing his head against asphalt, he paid more attention to his sore body. There was an audible groan of pain as Andrew attempted to get to his feet, thoroughly annoyed at now being injured. He'd have to yell at Julian when he got back.
"You alright mate?" William said, coming over to help him up.
"Fantastic. Never been better," Andrew said as he wiped the blood from his nose.
He went over to retrieve his shoe from the grate only to find his sock had been ripped as the shoe had been caught in the gutter. And it was his favourite pair too. And no, it didn't count that they were one of many identical pairs of white tennis socks. They were still his favourite pair.
He returned to the safe haven with the things Adam wanted, thoroughly angry, aching and minus his favourite pair of socks. Adam was going to become acutely aware of just how angry Andrew was after completing his little errand. Even if Andrew had insisted on taking the errand in the first place.
But first, a slight detour. The voice had other things it needed Andrew to do before it let him go back to the safe haven since Andrew was out here all on his own and unsupervised. Andrew headed south, away from where he was supposed to be going, needing to visit someone first.
Some hours later, Andrew drove the truck back to the new safe haven, making sure he wasn't seen entering the abandoned township. There was an alley at the back of the warehouse where they had stored the weapons they had left that hadn't been used during the surprise attack. Chas and Chris were there to meet him, ready to store the grenades safely in the warehouse. Andrew parked the truck and got out to unlock the doors.
"You took your time. Did you get 'em? He didn't bash you for them, did he?" Chas said, noticing the bruises and the bloodied nose.
"Uh, no, that was me catching my foot in a grate and falling over. I wrecked my favourite pair of socks," Andrew said angrily, pushing the key into the lock to open the back doors to the truck.
"Oh, man, wait til Julian sees that. If anyone was going to hurt themselves on an errand simply by tripping over, it'd be you, Andrew," Chas said, trying to hide his laughing.
"It's not funny, you know," Andrew said, pushing the doors open and grabbing a box of the grenades. "There's one more box. Will one of you two grab it?"
Chris obliged, and Chas was left with the task of opening doors for them. Chas led them down into a dark basement storage area underneath the warehouse. Sure, it was a dangerous place to store weapons, but it meant only arriving at the warehouse and transporting them inside. Julian was working on a munitions dump for the more explosive things in their arsenal, but until that was ready, under the warehouse would have to do. It's not easy to build something and remain undetected, so work progressed very slowly.
"Put them up here with the other grenades. How many do you reckons' in a box, anyway?" Chas said, coming to a stop at some half-empty shelves.
"Looks around 50 but you'd have to count them to be sure," Andrew said.
"Better I do that so you don't go blowing yourself up, hey?" Chas said, again trying not to laugh.
"Shut it, or I'll rip your gills out," Andrew said.
"You'll rip my gills out? I don't have any gills, unless you're planning to go back in time and attack me as a foetus," Chas said.
"Just -- shut up, Chas. I'm not in the mood for your jokes," Andrew said, sliding the box of grenades onto the shelf. He turned and stormed out of the basement, not bothering to wait for Chris.
"He's a touchy little shit when he's injured, isn't he?" Chris noted, stifling a laugh.
"I heard that!" Andrew yelled back.
Chris and Chas couldn't help themselves laughing at that as they made their way out of the basement and back towards the main hall.
Andrew headed straight for the medical people to get his head fixed. He sat there grumpily as they dealt with him. He was not in a good mood. His head ached, sending sharp pain into his skull. He took the painkillers they offered him, dry swallowing them, before heading off to scold Adam for sending him out on his own.
He stopped halfway down the corridor towards Adam's room, hand pinned to his temple as the stabbing pain increased. He screwed his face up, trying to make it go away.
'Forget, dear Andrew, forget. It is not yet time,' the voice cooed.
"Who are you? What? Why are you talking to me?" Andrew said into the air, confused and scared by the voice he could hear in his head, clear as day.
'Hush! HUSH! He approaches! Silent now! Forever hidden!' the voice hissed at him.
The pain quickly diminished and Andrew looked up to find Julian approaching him instead of Adam. He sped up as he saw Andrew leaning against the wall, seemingly in pain.
"Hey, Andrew, you alright, mate? What happened to you?" Julian said as he came up to him, standing in front of him.
"Just - tripped over, that's all. Nothing to worry about," Andrew said, fending him off.
"Shit, you don't look so good. Come on, back here. Let's get you sorted out," Julian said, taking him by the arm, determined to take care of him.
Andrew tried to refuse, but his head was dizzy and he did appreciate the attention. He let himself be led away to Julian's room where Wil was waiting. They'd been going over the intel they'd managed to retrieve about the military bases below them. Julian sat Andrew down on a chair and got him some water. Andrew felt surrounded as Julian and Wil hedged him in on both sides. Andrew curled back into the chair, feeling a tad claustrophobic. He wasn't sure he wanted them so close to him.
"You alright, Andrew? You've been a tad jumpy since the attack," Julian said, resting a hand on his thigh, concern washing over his face.
"I-I'm fine, really. It just - you know, it came out of nowhere and all," Andrew said. 'Bullshit. You knew it was coming. Hell, you gave the order,' the voice goaded. Andrew whimpered, pressing a hand against his forehead as if he was in pain again.
"Andrew? Do I need to force you to get help? If you're not well, tell me now, or I'll make you get help. I can't have you like this. I need you. Just talk to me, please. I don't like seeing you like this," Julian said.
Andrew tried to resist, but Julian's concerned look was what broke him. "Voice - in my head. Tells me things. Please make it stop. It hurts me," he whimpered, clutching his head. The façade was too hard to keep going anymore. The false memories weren't as strong as they once were, and niggling doubts had become more serious. Clearly, whatever it was in his head was lying to him and manipulating him. He'd have to tell Julian about it. He'd know how to fix it.
"A voice? How long has this been going on? What does it say to you?" Julian said, unsettled at this development.
"Since… since they took me. It talks to me, tells me it'll look after me, tells me to forget things. Made me order the raid, gather intelligence, spy against you. I… I don't like it. It scares me," Andrew said quietly.
'Too close! Too close! They mustn't know! Hush now, child! Be silent!' the voice said, scared of being discovered.
Andrew brought his knees up to his chest, curling into himself tightly, sobbing quietly. The voice was scaring him. He wanted it to go away, but he didn't think he was strong enough to fight it.
Julian grabbed Andrew and pulled him into his arms, wanting him to fight it, whatever it was that was in his head. "Come on, Andrew, you can fight it. Tell it to go away. It doesn't own you. You'll be alright," he said.
'Do as he says! We will fade away, but not for good! We will call you when we need you!' the voice commanded.
"I'm going mad, I swear I'm going mad. This is not happening to me. Take me to Charles. I only want Charles! Please, don't leave me alone with Chris. Craig-Craig, he-"
"Shh, it'll be alright. We'll take you to Charles, alright? Come on," Julian said soothingly, trying to calm his anxiety.
Andrew settled once he heard Julian agreeing to his wishes. Charles would make everything better. Of course he would. He could only trust Charles. Charles would make it all better.
Andrew let them pull him to his feet and lead him off to Charles. Andrew ran into Charles' arms as soon as they arrived, desperate for his company.
"What's up with him?" Charles asked, holding him close as Andrew curled up into his embrace.
"Said he has a voice in his head that tells him things. He wanted to be brought to you. Look after him, will you?" Julian said, not sure he should reveal what his intentions were.
"What, you can't look after him?" Charles said.
"He wanted you. He calmed down when I agreed to take him to you. I don't know what else to tell you," Julian said.
"Okay then. I'll see what I can do. Catch you later," Charles said as he watched Julian and Wil leave.
"Okay, now I'm convinced they brainwashed him. That voice in his head made him do things against us. We can't blame him for that. Part of him is still fighting it though, much to my amazement. He wouldn't have told us about the voice if he wasn't fighting it still. We need to know if we can still save him, or if he'll still be triggered into carrying out whatever it is he's been programmed to do," Julian said, leading Wil back towards the offices.
"Seb?" Wil said, guessing Julian's destination.
"Yeah. If he doesn't know, no one will," Julian said.
They came to the shrine door and entered quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone. Seb hadn't appeared since they'd moved, but he had talked with Adam, so they knew he was still around. Even if he could still talk to them, it was better than nothing. They knelt before the shrine and lit some incense for him, setting it in the bowls of sand in front of the shrine. Neither considered it religious to keep a shrine set up here and talk to Seb as if he was a God. It was like they were talking to an old friend more than anything.
"You cannot save him. He will be triggered. But he will not die, or harm anyone. His spirit will prevent some of the more terrible aspects of his programming from eventuating. Be thankful that is all that will happen," Seb said to them before they could even ask him anything.
"He's a resilient little shit, isn't he, in spite of looking so fucking fragile," Wil said.
"At least we know he's not going to get himself killed," Julian said.
"I would not be so frank with you normally. I do not take it upon myself to warn you of what is to come. I am no oracle, or master of Fate. But it is pertinent to warn you that you may never be able to heal him completely. There are some things that just cannot be undone, and this is not something I have any power to prevent. Human minds are too fragile and the forces at play here are unknown to me. Do not make him fight. It will only get him killed. Take care of my Andrew. He will need all your support and compassion. It is none of his doing," Seb said gently.
"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Julian said.
"No. Nothing else will help. Go, prepare for battle. You will need to be ready. War may come sooner than we anticipate," Seb said.
Julian and Wil murmured their thanks and left the shrine room in peace, heading off to find Adam and Tim and discuss their final battle plans.
Andrew curled into Charles' warm embrace, feeling safe again. The voice had subsided somewhat, as had the pain in his head. He wanted to sleep. He clung to Charles as if to stop him leaving. Charles held him tightly, trying to comfort him. All he could think about was what Julian had said to him about Andrew.
"You got a voice in your head, mate? Why does that make me very worried about what they did to you?" Charles murmured.
Andrew was too sleepy to hear him properly. The voice was back, whispering soothing words to him, overriding Charles' voice, caressing his mind and making it obedient.
'Hush, hush, my child, do not speak of us to anyone. We must remain secret, hidden, until the time is right. That was bad, speaking out like that. We do not speak about these things. Keep silent, remember our mission. We will call you when we need you. Until then, forget and pretend nothing's wrong,' the voice said.
Forget? Why must I-
'Hush! Hush, child. Forget. You should not worry your precious head with such things. Keep silent, do not mention us. We will call you when we need you,' the voice said.
F-forget… for…
Andrew succumbed to the voice and drifted into a deep sleep, allowing the voice more time to rewire his brain the way it wanted to without resistance. It had to reinforce the memories Andrew had fought against.
Charles sensed him falling asleep and lay him down, lying beside him to hold him and make sure he knew he was safe. Arms around his slender body, Charles rested with him, concerned at what was going on in his head that had Julian and Wil as troubled as he was.