Chapter 10: Descending Shadow

Alberto and a number of his men walked behind Amber as they made their way back to the refugees. Amber barely even registered them, though, as her mind was still reeling from her arrest. Arrested?! How could she be arrested?! It was no secret that Elder Clim was against any hostile actions against the Society, but arresting her AND all of the others? This had to be some kind of mistake...

Amber had to put aside her thoughts and bewilderment as the temporary camp came into view. The Elves on watch duty looked happy at first, but their joy turned to surprise and confusion when they noticed Alberto. Alberto motioned to them and his soldiers rushed them, weapons out. Amber wanted to stop them, but she knew exactly how Alberto would deal with any resistance. Thankfully, so did her soldiers and they surrendered their weapons without incident, though all of them looked furious. Dammit, what was going on?

With the picket soldiers unable to warn the camp, Alberto's men surrounded it before he forced her to march right in. The refugees all began to gather as Amber approached, but their hopeful faced dimmed as they noticed the grim faced soldiers behind her. Gabby and Roan, in particular, seemed to tense up and Amber prayed Gabby wouldn't start something. Alberto brought them to a stop near the middle of the camp before he spoke.

"By order of Eldar Harris Clim, leader of the Elves, everyone here is under arrest. Surrender peacefully and you will not be harmed. Resist and we will take you in by force, alive or dead," Alberto said without a hint of emotion. Alberto wasn't making a threat, simply stating exactly what would happen. A wave of shock, despair, and anger rippled through the refugees and Amber feared they might try to fight back. Alberto must have noticed this too and gave a loud whistle. The men who had surrounded the camp came out from their hiding places, purposely making noise so the refugees would notice them. Every one of them were armed with guns or bows and they all raised them to fire. The anger died down quickly now that the people found themselves surrounded by armed soldiers. Amber hated every part of this... but at least the refugees wouldn't try to fight a lost cause.

The relief was short lived, however, as Gabby stomped out of the crowd and began to stare down Alberto. Oh no...

"You sack of shit. These people have been trapped in a fucking work camp for months, some YEARS, and you come here to ARREST them?!" Gabby yelled before taking out the gun she had gotten from one of the dead Elves. Amber's fear skyrocketed as the soldiers all turned their weapon on her and Amber did her best to signal her to stop. Gabby, however, didn't even look at her as she glared in fury at Alberto. Alberto returned the glare full force.

"A sad tale, but that doesn't change my order. Now, throw down that weapon," Alberto said as his gun moved up to point at Gabby. Gabby made no moves to carry out that order and a tense moment passed through the area. Suddenly, Roan appeared at Gabby's side and whispered something into her ear. Gabby's eyes left Alberto for a second to glance at Roan, but returned soon after. Her face twisted into further anger, but she tossed the gun down in despite it. Amber let out her held breath as she thanked God for Roan. She didn't know what he had said and, honestly, she didn't care. Atleast he had stopped her...

Alberto lowered his own weapon before circling his finger above his head. His men moved into the camp and began to round everyone up. No one, not even Gabby, resisted and within two minutes they were all on they way to the supply base... as prisoners.

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It still didn't feel real... No matter how long Amber stared at the bars of her cell she still felt like she was in a nightmare. That any second she would wake and find they were still outside the supply base, a few steps away from sanctuary. But this was no nightmare...just a cruel reality that did not care for its own injustices.

Of all the injustices today, the ones done to the refugees weighed the worst on Amber. They had fought, marched, and died to escape one prison... only to be tossed into another by their would-be saviours. She prayed they were being treated with some empathy... Hopefully Gabby and Roan had been left with them, unlike Amber. She had been put in her own cell and left to stew in its isolation. And to wonder how this had happened.

What could Harris have been thinking? Why would he imprison them? Yes they had attacked a farm, but they had WON. Not only that, they had brought back equipment, supplies, and more recruits. But most of all...most of all that victory had cost Holland Clim's life... Was that what this was about, Holland's death?

Amber's thoughts were pushed back as her eyes caught some movement. She looked up from the corner she had sat in and put on a nasty scowl. It vanished instantly, however, as she saw the Base Master, Wade, walking toward her cell. Amber got to her a feet and moved to the bars to meet him.

"Wade! Good, I was worried Alberto had arrested you too," Amber said with relief. She hadn't seen him or any of his people since she entered the base and was starting to wonder what Alberto and Elder Clim had done to them. It seemed her worst fears had been unfounded.

"He has no arrested me yet, and that is a large yet. Elder Clim has been furious since arriving and has not been above taking out said anger on others," Wade said with a hint of worry in his voice. Amber's eyes widened at the news. Elder Clim was HERE?! This...this was far worse than she had thought. Wade noticed her shock and continued.

"I am afraid it gets worse. He and Alberto arrived a few days ago and took command of everything. He had most of my men disarmed and the rest put on patrols. I think he was planning on putting Holland in his place, but... that was before we found out Holland was...gone," Wade turned away and shook his head in sadness. Amber, though, was too busy taking in this news. Holland and his father had been... testy with each other since the Bears and Holland's older brother fell, but for the Elder to come all the way out here... This wasn't boding well for her trial.

"So I get to take Holland's place then," Amber said, more as a statement then a question. Wade sighed before nodding.

"I'm sorry, Amber. If I could I would free you b-" Amber stopped Wade as she noticed some of Alberto's men entering the area. Wade mouthed sorry again before turning to face the MPs.

"Base master," one of them said as they all gave short salutes. Wade returned them.

"Excuse us, the prisoner is to be brought to the trial," the same one said before moving to open the cell door. Wade nodded and, reluctantly, moved to let them pass. He looked to want to stop them, but knew better than to try. Wade was a good fighter, but even he couldn't take four MPs plus the reinforcements that were sure to arrive. Besides...this was her trial. And...and if it was for failing to keep Holland alive...she deserved it.

Amber didn't resist as the MPs lead her out of her cell. She gave Wade a small smile before continuing forward to the meeting hall where Harris Clim awaited. It was all Amber could do to keep a calm look on her face.

The walk to the trial wasn't long, yet it felt like an eternity for Amber. Her mind raced with worry for the others and herself. Elder Clim was not known for leniency, but maybe she could get him to lay the blame on just her. Holland had sacrificed himself to save the refugees and the other Elves... the least she could do was follow his example. Amber took a deep breath and composed herself as best she could as she entered the main meeting hall.

Normally, the large, round meeting hall was used as a briefing room or a communication hub. Tables would have been set up around the area covered in reports and messages. Someone would be reading off or putting up the latest news while others would have been reading through the reports, trying to figure out their next move.

The Elves didn't have much of a central command. All it really did was compile all the information the various Elf squads and operatives found and keep the supply bases stocked. Instead, the Elves relied on individual commanders to make their own judgement calls. This did make any coordinated efforts a choir to organize, but also meant that no one squad knew everything. Even if a Squad leader was captured, their information would be limited to their operating area thus lessening the damage. And it meant a traitor could only do so much damage.

All of that was gone, though. The tables had been moved to make an impromptu seat of court while the walls were lined with chairs and benches filled by other Elves. More MPs were stationed around the area and at least three guarded every route out of the room. Alberto stood waiting next to a small raised podium. And sitting at the judge's seat was Elder Clim... Holland's father. The old man's face was a low scowl and his eyes glared in anger at Amber. Amber had to fight not to shiver as she was moved to the podium. She stopped next to Alberto who gave her the briefest of looks before turning to Harris.

"The accused, Amber Perlman, Elder," Alberto said. Clim glared at Amber for a second more before nodding to the commander. Alberto moved away a few steps, but stayed close enough to spring toward Amber if she tried anything. Even if escape had crossed Amber's mind, it would be futile with this security.

"Amber Perlman," Clim said with a bit of anger already evident in his voice, "you stand accused of betraying the Elves. How do you plea?" Amber winced at the words. Betraying...Part of her thought that was too far... and yet Holland was dead. Perhaps.. perhaps that was the right word for it.

"Elder I..." Amber started, but stopped as she looked down. What could she possibly say to Harris that would make it OK that his last son was dead? But she had to say something.

"I'm so sorry I let Holland die. Please...the failure is mine and mine alone. The others, don't punish them for my mistake," Amber managed to say, keeping her head down as she fought back tears. There was a bit of murmurs from the area, but they quieted down soon enough.

"It seems we have a misunderstanding on the exact nature of your betrayal, and those who serve under you," Clim said with a slight hint of annoyance. Amber looked back up at the Elder and felt a wave of fear run through her. Her AND those who served her? What was he-?

"You stand trial for betrayal because you violated MY standing orders of not engaging the Society. You stand trial because you were STUPID enough to drag nearly a hundred people through the wilderness to our doorstep. You stand trial because you had the GALL to bring outsiders to one of our supply bases. But most of all, you stand trial because you put EVERY Elf in danger by attacking the Society!" Clim nearly yelled out, accenting some of his words with jabs of his finger. The murmurs picked up again as Amber stood there, dumbfounded. This...this was about the attack on the farm?! But...that...how...

"But...but we won! We destroyed the farm and killed the giantess running it!" Amber said, her mind still in somewhat shock from what she was hearing. He was going to punish them...for WINNING?!

"And what good did that do? There are many more farms scattered through the wilderness and thousands of giantesses to take her place. All you accomplished was drawing attention to us! And that is treason of the highest order!" Clim shot back, his scowl only growing. Amber felt like she had been struck. That was what this was all about? THIS?! It was… it was like he didn’t even give a damn about Holland!

"What good did it do? There are eighty good things sitting in a cell in this base! We saved those people from a life of slavery an-" Amber started to say, but Clim slammed his fist on the table to silence her.

"And brought them here, risking our safety for theirs! Raising our need for food just to make your own damn conscious feel better! They are not good things, they are further burdens and threats!" Clim yelled his anger evident on his face. Amber stared at the Elder for a second, in complete shock at what she had just heard. But even more so, to hear some of the people in the audience agree. Amber's fists tightened as fury boiled up inside her.

"If being a decent human being is a crime, then we might as well let the Society find us as we are no better than them! Your son and many of my friends gave their fucking LIVES to set those people free and you call them WORTHLESS! Why don't you go back to the farm and take a giant piss on their graves while you're at it?! We struck a blow to the Society and rather than rejoice in that you want to worry about your own fucking SAFETY?!" Amber yelled, not caring in the least that she was cussing out the leader of the Elves. Eld- no Harris, glared at her in such fury that Amber would have sworn he was going to bust a blood vessel. He slowly stood up and glared down at her.

"My son was a fool. He failed to learn from his brother and paid for it with his life. And whatever pointless act he decided to throw his life away on has no merit on what is best for the Elves. But it seems his poisonous taint does... Alberto, execute Amber, her soldiers, and all of the people who came with her. They can serve as a reminder of the cost of risking our security," Harris said with a tone as cold as the weather outside. Amber's eye shot wide as fear smashed into her. Gasps came out from the gathered Elves and even Alberto seemed taken aback by the order.

"El-Elder ar-" Alberto started to say, but stopped as Harris whirled on him.

"That was an order," Harris nearly growled out. Alberto opened his mouth again, but closed it when Harris' glare narrowed at him. He nodded in understanding and moved toward the still shocked Amber. Oh God... he was going to kill them all! Gabby, Roan, Zack, Kensey, Juliet, the refugees...Everything Holland and the others had died to achieve, tossed away! No... no, she couldn't let this happen she ha-

Before Amber could react, Alberto was on her. He forced her down onto the podium and took out a knife from his pocket. Amber tried to escape his grasp, but Alberto was just too strong. NO NO! She had to do something!

"Is this what we have become?! Is this what we have turned into?! Have we become so terrified of the Bears repeating that we would rather kill ourselves than even THINK of fighting back?! How many of you owe Holland your lives? Are you OK with shitting on his last act? Are you fine with ninety-nine people dying just because they had the gall to fight to survive?! Are you all that much of cowards?!" Amber yelled out, unable to do anything but curse. The knife moved closer and still there was no sign of anyone moving. Damn them...damn them all! She was going to make them pay for this some-

Suddenly, a shot rang out in the hall, causing the knife to move away and everyone to spin in its direction. Amber had to fight to shift her head toward the sound. Near the edge of the benches set around the area was Wade, his gun drawn and pointing up. It lowered to point at Alberto.

"Not all of us, Amber. This... disgrace has gone far enough. Release her, Alberto, even you can see this is wrong," Wade said with a diamond hard glare. MPs around Wade began to grab their weapons, but they never got them out as other Elves from the crowd rushed them with weapons they had hidden on themselves. Suddenly, the MPs found themselves outnumbered five to one by the Elves who had been in the crowd. Not all of them had weapons, but most of them did look ready to fight. Alberto was silent and Amber caught him shift as he looked toward Harris.

"You fools... you stupid TRAITORS! Have you not learned that fighting the Society is pointless?! You will throw your lives away for NOTHING! You will bring the Society down upon yourselves and die just as pointlessly as the Bears! Betrayed by the very people you think you are protecting!" Harris spit out in fury. Amber couldn't see Harris from where she was, but she did see Wade turn a glare toward him.

"Maybe, but they are our lives. If you wish to hide in a hole somewhere, praying the Society passes you by, fine. But you are not dragging all of us down into that hole OR sacrificing innocent and brave people just to help make it," Wade said before he cocked his gun.

"Now [i]put down that knife.[/i]"

There was a short pause before Amber felt Alberto release her. The sound of metal hitting the floor followed and Amber stood back up to see Alberto, hands raised and empty. The other MPs followed their leader's example and dropped their own weapons which were quickly snatched up by the rebel Elves nearby. Amber turned to look at Harris and saw the old man seething with fury.

"Your damn, naive will to fight will see us all doomed. Nothing of the Elves will remain once you bring the wrath of the Society down on us. And it will be all your fault. Your friends, family, EVERYONE dead, because you had to fight," Harris growled out. The room was silent for a moment as Harris' gaze sweep over the room. Amber could see some of the rebels starting to waver and, realizing Wade was not going to speak up, spoke up herself.

"Maybe. But if it does end that way, I can tell Holland that I tried to make his sacrifice mean something. At least I can say I tried to fight what I knew was wrong. At least I FOUGHT rather than hid and waited for the inevitable. I’ve seen first hand the horrors and sheer… inhuman cruelty the Society brings. They won’t stop till we are all dead or their slaves. So if we are dead either way, then better to die fighting," Amber said, returned her own glare at Harris. Harris' anger only grew, but he stayed silent as the wavering rebels strengthened their resolve. His last gambit had failed and he knew it.

"Take them to the cells. Let them take the refugees' place, I'm sure they have made it nice and homy for them," Wade ordered, getting a slight smirk. A number of the rebel Elves began to round up the MPs, Alberto and Harris. They lead them away as Wade put away his gun and walked over to Amber.

"I'm so sorry for making you go through that. I wanted to act sooner but not everyo-" he started but Amber waved him off.

"It's fine. You stopped this madness before it got too far and that is enough," Amber said with a smile. Wade let out a soft sigh before shaking his head with a smile.

"That's enough... Not like you almost had your neck sliced open," he said with a soft chuckle. Amber let out her own short laugh as she realized just how close to death she had really come. Thank God Wade had been here... However, when Amber looked back up at Wade, his face had gotten a far more serious look.

"You do know this is going to be trouble. Taking the Elder prisoner is the definition of traitor. And even if we explain exactly what happened there are some who are going to side with him. We might have just started a civil war..." Wade said as he rubbed his chin in worry. Amber's joy fell away instantly at the thought of an Elven civil war. The casualties caused by that, not to mention the very real possibility of them being found by the Society while they were busy killing each other, filled her with more dread than she had ever had before. Had...had she brought Harris' prediction to reality?

"NO, we can't let that happen! If we start killing each other then all of this will be pointless!" Amber said, panic and fear laced through her voice. Wade nodded in agreement and keep rubbing his chin. Amber wanted to tell him to think faster, but knew she would just slow him down. Wade was one of the smartest people in the Elves and it was only because he refused promotion that he was still a Base Master. If anyone could think of a way to stop this war, it was him. And it looked like he had as he stopped rubbing his chin and smiled.

"We need to go see Harris."

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Alice had failed... She had had three weeks to find Isabella. Three weeks to track her down and bring her to safety...and still Alice had failed. Alice cursed to herself as she looked down at the tracks she had, finally, picked up on. There was no mistaking it as the catgirl's Isabella was riding, its careful attempts to not leave tracks were a dead give away, or where it was heading... Phoenix territory, the only Resistance groups near Atlanta that Alice could not risk crossing.

If Alice still had support she might have tested their wraith, but with no rescue teams or replacement equipment to be had... Alice's fists clenched as she realized she could not follow. The Phoenixes would ambush her before long and getting injured would doom any chance of her helping Isabella and Gabby. Not to mention that kind of fight would draw the Society’s attention faster than anything else. No, it was too risky and Isabella would have been furious if she had risked it. Knowing that, though, didn't make it any easier giving up on her.

If only the Society hadn't picked up their patrols so much. She had caught Isabella's trail more than once, but each time she started to close in she was forced back to avoid a patrol or make a false trail to lead the patrols away from Isabella. It was a poor excuse, though. She had been trained practically from birth to be a hunter... and still she had failed. Damn it...

Pushing her self-loathing away, Alice tried to focus on what to do now. She couldn't follow Isabella into Phoenix territory which meant Isabella would have to deal with them alone. The Phoenixes were dangerous, very dangerous, but they were not stupid. Maybe... maybe Isabella could talk them into helping her. Having a catgirl at her command would certainly help in that regard, though that assumed the Phoenixes didn't attack them both before she could talk. Damn, there were too many unknowns... Alice needed to know what was happening bu.... but she couldn't get in... That didn't mean someone else couldn't...

Alice folded up her map and started her trek back to her jeep. She needed to hurry as every second might count. Alice couldn't get to Isabella, but maybe the Elves could.

Despite her attempts to hurry, it still took Alice a full day to make her way back to Elven territory. The Society wasn't just stepping up their patrols but looked to be going on the offensive as well. The reports Alice was getting through the wrist unit were painting a bleak picture for the Resistance groups caught in their path... And the Phoenixes were not long from being on that list... Even worse, Command seemed to have gone radio silent and Alice was starting to suspect that was not because she hadn't sent out new orders. More than likely, Matilda's death had been discovered and Command had cut her wrist unit out of the loop. While that loss of information was a blow, Command wouldn't know who had taken the unit or where Alice was, she had made sure to remove its GPS systems. Knowing an unknown agent was running around might make Command paranoid and paranoia lead to mistakes. It was a small silver lining… though...

It took yet another full day for Alice to find an Elven patrol. Oddly, the patrol knew who Alice was and seemed to have been waiting for her. They sent her deeper into Elven territory and told her to wait at a specific location, an abandoned moonshining operation. It didn't take Alice long to find the slowly rusting still, it stuck out very noticeably, and she had barely gotten within a foot of it when a voice yelled up at her.

"Alice! Over here!" Gabriella yelled out from Alice's side. Alice turned and had to search a bit before spotting Gabriella and a rather fit boy standing at the top of a small rise. Alice made sure no one else was around before bending down to be closer to their level. Gabriella had a jury-rigged bullhorn in her hand and gave Alice a big smile.

"Good to see you back. Wish you had brought Isabella with you, though," Gabriella said, her smile dimming a bit. Alice felt her shoulders sag a bit as well and she gave an inward sigh. Dammit...she should have reached her. Alice glanced back in time to see the young man giving Gabriella a hard look.

"Nice, just dump some more salt on that," the young man said and Gabriella turned to him in confusion. The confusion turned into realization as Gabriella spun back.

"Shit, no I didn't me-... Fuck, I just meant I wish Isabella was safe too. I know you did your best out there Alice and, considering what we have been hearing, it's a miracle you and Isabella didn't get caught," Gabriella said with a bit of blush showing. Alice waved the apology away, she was more than used to Gabriella's blunt manner, but narrowed her eyes at the last part.

"What you heard?" Alice asked, wondering what information the Elves had gathered during this time.

"Nothing good. Shadow operatives have been bringing in tons of reports about Society attacks on other groups. Not that surprising considering that Command bitch had the base attacked. Word is, everyone in Atlanta, Society or not, is chomping at the bit for payback. Hell the last report we just got was of some group the... uhh.." Gabriella trailed off as she looked to the young man.

"The Snakes lost their HQ and were in full retreat. Our operatives barely managed to make it out before the Society wiped the place out. And their not the only ones, both the Wraiths and Wolves are getting hit hard and almost every large group south of Atlanta is either gone or in full retreat," the young man picked up.

The Snakes already routed? The Society really was going all out. They were not as powerful or as dangerous as the Phoenixes, but they were no pushovers. To be routed that quick while the Society was pushing out in all directions...  This was not boding well.

"Amber?" Alice asked, thinking she might have some ideas.

"She’s inside, but is a bit busy. Running a new Resistance group isn't easy," Gabriella said, causing Alice's eyes to widen. Running a Resistance group?!

"Oh...right, you hadn't heard... well..."

Gabriella and her apprentice, Roan... more Roan to be honest, explained what had happened. To avoid a war between the different factions of Elves, Amber and Harris had agreed to split the Elves. Those that wanted to fight would join the newly made Shadows, lead by Amber, and take the fight to the Society. Those that either didn't want or couldn't fight would stay with the Elves and Harris would remain their leader. At the moment, the Shadows were gathering supplies, equipment, and people before heading out. Part of the agreement was the Shadows had to leave Elven land and never return, but Wade had managed to buy them a month to stock up before they had to leave. As it stood, about 35% of the Elven forces had joined the Shadows and a large part of the spy network had joined as well. More were still joining as word spread, but it was looking like less than half the Elven numbers were going to join, not as much as Wade or Amber had hoped. Still, their numbers were enough to rival most Resistance groups and they didn't have non-combatants to worry about, unlike most other groups.

"Interesting... understand why Amber is busy. Will wai-" Alice started to say, but stopped as slight movement caught her eye. She looked a bit further up the hill as what had looked like just some fallen brush shifted to move aside. Gabriella and Roan both turned to look as Amber, along with some Elv- rather Shadow soldiers in tow, moved toward them. Her clothing was a good bit nicer than it had been before and she looked far more confident than when Alice had last seen her. The sergeant thrust into command had been replaced by a sure-footed leader. Or at least a good actor.

Roan gave a crisp salute to Amber while Gabriella simply nodded to her. Amber returned a salute to both of them, apparently not bothered that Gabriella hadn't saluted before looked up to Alice. Alice nodded to her and Amber returned the nod before getting a smile.

"It is good to see you back safely, Alice. I feared you might have been caught in the chaos that has been spreading out of Atlanta," Amber said, trying to hide the obvious joy she wanted to show.

"Avoided it, but lost Isabella. Headed into Phoenix territory, unable to follow her," Alice responded, having to fight not to cast her eyes downward at having to say how she had failed.

"Understandable. The Phoenixes are one of the more dangerous groups. But, I have good news in that regard," Amber said, unable now to hide her smile as she looked between Alice and Gabriella. Both Gabriella and Alice raised their eyebrows in interest.

"Our spies have reported the catmonster Isabella was using has turned south. More importantly, it has fallen in with a Phoenix battle group."

Alice couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

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January, 22, 2024

Gabby had to wonder just how odd this situation had to look from the outside. Amber had called a meeting of the top members of the Shadows and had invited Gabby and Alice as well. Of course, there was no way Alice was fitting into any meeting rooms so said meeting had to take place outside. And since forcing Alice to have to kneel the entire time would be a bit harsh, Amber had picked the top of the abandoned moonshine still to be their meeting location. So here they were, four people standing on top of a rusty piece of junk while a giantess stared at them. It was worrying how unsurprising this whole situation was to Gabby… Fuck, what was her life coming to?

"Let's get started. Wade," Amber said, motioning for Wade to begin the briefing. Wade had become the Shadows second in command and was, also, the closest thing to a quartermaster they had. Despite having to do two jobs at once, the man seemed to always be on top of any problems or new information that came in. How he managed it Gabby would never know. Wade nodded before turning to face them all.

"We have received some new information on Isabella. The Phoenix battlegroup she was with engaged a Ranger patrol that was nearing the border of their territory. According to our spies in the area, the Phoenixes, with the help of the catmonster, wiped the Ranger patrol out. Giantess included," Wade said, keeping his voice level despite what he had just said.  Malcolm, a refugee turned commander, gave a short whistle before shaking his head.

Gabby wasn't exactly knowledgeable on the odds of Resistance forces vs Society ones, but she did know that Ranger patrols did NOT get wiped out. Take losses, sure, but taken out completely... no that just didn't happen. Of course, the Resistance didn't usual have catgirls of their own or have someone as familiar with Ranger tactics as Isabella was. It sucked that a Ranger patrol had to die, but Gabby knew Isabella would have made it quick for them. If Alice was surprised, she keep it hidden away, as usual.

"How many did they lose doing that?" Malcolm asked, turning a raised eyebrow to Wade. Wade gave him a slight smirk before answering.

"One," was all Wade said, but it was enough to have Malcolm lose control of his jaw. Even Gabby had to fight not to drop her jaw. Jesus fuck, only ONE?! Gabby wished Isabella was here so she could high five the shit out of her for that. Malcolm composed himself a bit before speaking up again.

"Sweet Jesus, only one casualty... That catmonster is way more effective than I thought it would be," Malcolm said before shaking his head.

"Mistake underestimating Isabella," Alice said, whispering so as not to blow their eardrums out and pointing her mouth away to avoid actually blowing them. Malcolm seemed a bit less sure on that, but Gabby nodded in agreement. The catgirl helped to be sure, but that had Isabella written all over it. If Wade had an opinion on it, he keep it hidden..

"Either way, this news makes it even more important we get in contact with Isabella. The information she has and the massive increase in our combat effectiveness makes her recruitment paramount," Amber said, getting the meeting back on track. Everyone nodded in agreement and Amber continued.

"Which brings us to the main point of this meeting. Figuring out how to do that. Wade," Amber nodded to Wade again.

"The simplest method would be to contact the Phoenixes directly. While they are a bit... dangerous, they are not above trading secrets, doubly so when said secrets work against the Society. However, we do not know how secure the Phoenixes are when it comes to spies. We might, inadvertently, hand all that we have learned right to the Society by contacting them," Wade reported, not showing a hint of whether he liked or disliked the plan. Gabby didn't hide her feelings as she frowned at that idea. She might have come to trust the Shadows, but she was still leery of other Resistance groups.

"Dangerous...too dangerous," Alice whispered out, shaking her head a bit to add emphasis. Malcolm nodded his agreement.

"Agreed. Besides, there is no guarantee the Phoenixes would even honor a bargain made with them. Next plan?" Amber said motioning for Wade to continue.

"Very well. I doubt this one will be acceptable, but for the sake of addressing all possibilities... We could take Isabella by force an-" was as far as Wade got before Amber cut him off with an angry chop of her hand.

"Absolutely not. Whether we won or not, we will waste hundreds of lives fighting people we should be fighting with. The only people who would win that battle is the Society," Amber said, giving Wade a bit of a glare. Alice added her own nod, but Gabby wasn't so sure. They did know there was Resistance spies around and who was to say the leader of these Phoenixes wasn't one. After all, Command managed to get a full group to attack the base and that required people at the top. Malcolm didn't look so convinced either, but both knew this wasn't up for debate. Wade shrugged before continuing.

"As I said, I just mentioned it to put all options on the table. The only other way I see us getting to Isabella is managed to get a spy to meet her. Doing such, however, will not be easy. The fact she spends so much time with the catgirl forces our spies to stay well away from her and it's doubtful the Phoenixes will be welcoming to such an attempt. It will take time and luck for this plan to work, but it is the safest," Wade finished, again showing no sign of his own thoughts. The group was silent as they considered the choices. Gabby wished there were more, but she doubted she would think of any viable ideas that Wade hadn't thought of. She was still partily to the idea of attacking, but she knew it was a lost cause.

"Well unless we want to risk everything on the Phoenixes, it seems like our only choice," Malcolm said, making it clear which he would rather do. Amber frowned as she thought for a second before turning back to Wade.

"What is your opinion?" she asked. The Second in Command seemed to sigh for a second before he started to rub his chin.

"Hoping we get lucky is not a recipe for success. However, considering our other options, it might be our only choice. As you said, attacking the Phoenixes would only help the Society and I am doubtful we could win even with Alice. No offense, it's just that the Phoenixes are some of the best giantess fighters in Georgia," Wade said, looking a bit apologetic as he glanced toward Alice.

"Same fear, no offense," Alice said making Wade look less worried.

"Good. As for contacting them, I am less worried of our information leaking as what Darius, their leader, will want. He is far too smart not to realize just how game changing Isabella and her catmonster are and he will be very protective of them. He might purposely try to stop us from contacting her so as to keep her with his forces and the things he might ask for as "trade" for contacting her will be... costly. He will bleed us drive if he can or attempt to absorb us into the Phoenixes," Wade said, a bit of worry crossing his face for the first time. This Darius sounded like a real prick and Gabby was only moving closer to the fighting idea as she listened.

"Which leaves us with hoping for the best. It is not ideal, but considering the alternatives, I think it is the only real choice. Of course, if we knew where Isabella was going to be, we would have a much easier time of creating that luck," Wade finished with a sigh. Both Amber and Malcolm looked far from happy, but it was pretty obvious what they were going to pick. Gabby was going to say something about such good choices, but never got the chance as Alice spoke up.

"Know where she might go," Alice said, her face looking a bit brighter. The group turned to Alice and she continued.

"Isabella interested in Lindale. Headed Northwest out of base when escaped, toward Lindale. Possibly headed there when found by Phoenixes. Might head there again. Worth searching," Alice said in her usual crisp manner. Shit Gabby had completely forgotten about that.

"Oh yeah. Isabella was heading there when I gave her my jeep just before I got shrunk. She didn't tell me what was there, but it had to be important with the way she was dead set on going," Gabby added in. Dammit, how had she forgotten that? Wade went back to rubbing his chin as Amber looked down in thought.

"Interesting... do you think that Alpha-level information is there?" Amber asked Alice. Alice only shrugged in response and Gabby had to give the same. Isabella had gone out of her way to not say what was there. Typical Isabella, trying to protect everyone and just pissing everyone off instead.

"It is worth looking into, but that is a long trip. And there is no guarantee Isabella well head that way. Then there is how big Lindale is and there is no way of knowing if anything is there. I am not sure it is worth the trip," Wade said looking over to Amber. Amber frowned and turned to Alice.

"Go alone if needed. Not long for me," Alice said with a look that made it clear it was a statement, not a request.

"You are sure as hell not going alone. I'm coming too," Gabby said as she moved to stand closer to Alice. A slight frown began to form on Alice, but Gabby waved it off.

"Don't even try with me. I have been dying of boredom here and I'm not letting you have all the fun. Besides, there is better chance we will find whatever it is if we go look together," Gabby said getting a face that just dared Alice to argue. Alice gave a soft sigh before turning away, having gotten the unspoken message.

"That is a good point... Malcolm, how many of our people can we send with Alice?" Amber said getting everyone to look at her in surprise. Malcolm recovered the quickest and got a smirk.

"I think we can spare forty or so soldiers. They'll need a commander and I happen to be rather bored myself," Malcolm said as he glanced toward Gabby. They shared a smile before both Wade and Alice seemed to groan.

"Then I think we have a plan, though I want you to do another mission as well. We have to leave this area soon and need a new place to set up. Before you search Lindale, I want you to set up a secure area near Rome. That should make for a nice new location to set up in," Amber ordered as she glanced at Wade. Wade's annoyed look vanished as he rubbed his chin for a second. He then nodded in approval of this new plan. Alice, though, still looked very unhappy, but now was all alone in her disapproval.

“Hey cheer up, Alice. Now you will have some friends to help pass the time on the road,” Gabby said, giving Alice a sly grin. Alice groaned.

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[same day as Phoenixes leaving Hope on Pyrrha, update when I get to it]

Roan was still feeling a bit woozy as the backpack-turned transport finally settled on the ground. Thankfully he had managed not to lose his breakfast, unlike a few others and didn't have to hear Gabby mock him for it. Despite the rough trip of swaying and heaving, Gabby hadn't so much as burped. Hell, she had been laughing through most of it. Damn she was so awesome.

"Come on, Roan. Let's get you on solid ground before you waste that breakfast," Gabby said as she put her arm around him to help him to the exit. Roan let her guide him as he fought back his motion sickness. This... was going to take some getting used to. Hopefully Gabby would have a chat with Alice on her lack of concern for the people on her back.

While Alice’s jeep would have been far faster, and probably less sickening, it had been deemed too noticeable. Instead, Alice would hike her way to Lindale carrying the Shadows in her newly remodelled backpack. The backpack was pretty old and musty, but Alice had fixed it up with some spare fabric and other supplies. She had lined it with soft pads so anyone getting tossed around would be safe and put all the dangerous equipment in separate pockets. It was a good transport considering how quickly it had been built, but left a lot to be desired when it came to comfort. At least this hidden Elf, now Shadow, relay station had gotten them an early break.

Gabby found a bare tree to set Roan next to and left him to recover. Roan stayed there for a few minutes, letting the swaying slowly fade from his mind. Once the ground stop feeling like it was rolling under him, Roan got up and decided to go find Gabby. He didn't have to look long as Alice was kneeling down nearby, talking to someone. Roan hadn't known Alice for long, but that was long enough to know she didn't talk to just anyone. If she was bothering to speak, it was probably to Gabby.

Running past Alice's massive boots, Roan headed up the small ridge and found Gabby and Malcolm talking to Alice. He had heard Alice's words long before now, but her chopped up and short manner of talk made it impossible to tell what was being talked about. As he got closer, though, he started to get the jest of what was going on.

"-his way then we need to wait for them!" Gabby said, looking both exciting and angry. Uh oh... Roan moved a bit closer to get a better look but made sure to stay out of sight. Time to put some of his stealth training from the Shadows to the test.

"Too dangerous. Will attack," Alice responded making Gabby look more angry. She looked about to say something, but Malcolm spoke up before she could.

"I hate to agree with Alice on this, but she is right, Gabby. The Phoenixes are going to take one look at her and either run or shot. They sure as hell are not going to listen," Malcolm said getting Gabby's wraith turned toward him. He raised his hands to try and calm her as she moved toward him.

"So we are just supposed to let them go? Not tell Isabella what we have learned? FUCK THAT! Besides, Isabella will recognize Alice," Gabby said, stopping only a few steps from Malcolm. Roan started to worry that he might have to reveal himself. He was sure to get in trouble, but it was better than letting Gabby's anger get the best of her.

"Not in control. Not leader. Too dangerous," Alice said with a bit more force. Gabby whirled back onto her titanic friend and the two began a very lop-sided stare off. Despite the size-difference, Gabby didn't back down an inch and Roan felt pride well up inside. That was HIS mentor, staring down a fucking giantess like it was nothing.

"Fucking cowards. FINE, if you are so damn worried then I will stay and wait for her myself," Gabby said as she broke of the stare. Roan felt a pang of fear stab into him at those words. Stay behind? No, she couldn't stay, couldn't leave him!

"Are you insane? We can't leave you out here alone, this is untamed territory! Not to mention if the Phoenixes veer off course you will be completely screwed. Hell they might just shot you even if you DO run into them," Malcolm yelled in anger. Gabby turned her glare toward him, but Malcolm stood his ground this time.

"Is right. Far too dangerous. You ARE coming," Alice said, her voice booming out at the last part. Gabby turned back to her massive friend and the two began to stare each other down again. However, it was Alice who broke off the stare as her hand moved down and planted itself in front of Gabby, crushing a number of trees as it came down. Alice's eyes narrowed as the implications were made obvious. Alice would make Gabby come even if it meant having to carry her. And at her size, it was anything but an idle threat.

Gabby seemed to get Alice's meaning as well and her fists began to shake in fury. Roan had only seen Gabby this angry back during the battle at the farm and would have been worried for anyone else on the receiving end of that fury. But even with all her rage, Roan doubted Gabby could do anything to hurt or stop Alice.

"Fucking CUNT!" Gabby yelled before turning away and storming toward Roan. Roan swore as he ducked back into cover, afraid that Gabby's fury might turn toward him. However, his attempt to hide was made pointless as Alice's hand moved up and blocked Gabby's path, and his view of the scene.

Roan couldn't help but marvel at how huge Alice's hand was. Even more strange, though, was how thin and smooth the hand was. Normally, it was hard to remember that Alice was just a woman and not some kind of giant monster towering over them like a Goddess. But seeing how...normal her hand looked was a reassuring reminder of that. If she was just a woman, a BIG woman but still a woman, than so where the other Society giantesses.

Shaking off his thoughts, Roan adjusted himself again and tried to listen in. Sadly, Alice's hand was blocking most of the sound as well and he could only hear bits and pieces. Gabby was yelling something, but he couldn't make out what.

"Throw life away. Isabella furious," Alice responded her look unchanged. Dammit, Roan wanted to hear what was going on. Deciding the risk of discovery was worth hearing, he started to shift around Alice's hand. He managed to stay out of sight as he made his way around the huge hand, just in time to catch the last bit of a sentence.

"-eed you here," Malcolm said, his hand on Gabby's shoulder. Gabby gave him a glare, but the barely contained fury from before looked to have cooled into a low simmer. She turned back and looked up at Alice again. Gabby let out a sigh as her shoulders drooped. Roan felt a bit torn at that look, sad so see his mentor brought low but so glad she wasn't leaving. And then Gabby fell to her knees.

Everyone's eyes shot wide as Gabby collapsed onto all fours. Wha-what?!

"Alice, please, please let me do this. I am supposed to be the rock, the muscle, the...the powerhouse of us and yet… and yet all I did was become a liability. If I wasn’t so stupid you could have gotten Isabella first and not worried about me, you could have saved her! I’m not supposed…” Gabby trailed off as her head lowered even further.

“Please...let me do this. Let me make up for failing you and Isabella..." Gabby, practically, begged. Roan could hardly believe that he was seeing Gabby begging for anything. How... how could she have done that? But, in truth, Roan knew exactly how. It was how he could keep fighting through all the pain she had put him through, all the tests and trials and misery. Because she cared about Isabella more than she did about herself. Just like he cared about making amends for his weakness at the farm more than something as trivial as pain. Roan smiled as he felt his admiration for Gabby grow even more.

Alice's look of surprise faded and changed into anger. She still didn't say anything, however, and just looked away. Her eyes closed and silence hung in the air.

"Go," Alice finally said, her eyes still closed. Even with her usual ability to hide her emotions, Roan could see the anger simmering there, yet it seemed it wasn't enough to stop Gabby after that plea. Gabby didn't waste a second as she got back to her feet and started to run off. She had gotten a few steps when Alice spoke up again.

"Gabriella, dying would be a far greater failure," Alice said as she turned to look at Gabby's back. Roan was a bit surprised to hear a full sentence come from Alice, but Gabby simply smiled.

"Don't worry, you won't be rid of this pain in the ass idiot that easily," Gabby said as she gave Alice a quick smirk, her eyes a bit red. Alice shook her head, but the faintest hint of smile appeared on her face. Gabby took off running again as Malcolm and Alice turned back to one another.

Roan thought of stopping Gabby, of saying goodbye or...or asking her not to go. But he knew that he couldn't do either, because he would end up doing both. He owed her too much to force her to make that choice. Besides, she had done enough for him, made him stronger and prepared him to make his own path. He couldn't stay in her shadow forever and someone else needed her more now. No, it was time for him to grow up and become his own man. And if- no when, she came back, he would be a man worth being proud of.

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The large force of Shields and Swords all snapped to attention as the small passenger jet came to a halt. The ground crew waited till the roar of the engines had died down before moving the ramp to the door. The jet's door opened inward and a fully armed and armored soldier stepped out. Three more followed after her and each fanned out around the ramp, their guns drawn and ready. Nervous whispers filtered out of the assembled Society members as they marvelled at the advanced weapons and armor these soldiers were using. Railguns and heavy flak were far from standard issue...

The whispers instantly died, however, when a fifth figure appeared in the doorway. The woman stepped into the sun and her golden hair shone all the brighter from it. She made her way down the ramp and the soldiers fell in beside her as she moved toward the assembled women. Matriarch Angela and Cathrine gave crisp salutes as the woman stopped in front of them. Both were tense in their bearings.

"My Queen, allow me to welcome you to Atlanta," Cathrine said, her voice carrying over to the crowd behind her. No one in the crowd dared to say anything after having their fears confirmed. In fact, most of them were too busy trying to hide their own fear and apprehension. There were only four Queens in all the Society and they were second only to the Director and Vice-Director in authority. Not only that, but each had earned the rank not just through intelligence but combat prowess as well. To say they were the four of the most dangerous people alive would not be an understatement. And one had arrived in Atlanta.

The Shadow spy wasted no time in fleeing as fast as he could from the area. He had to report this as soon as possible.