Chapter 3: Old Hatreds...
"Ya know, you could just use OUR maps and we wouldn't have to do all this work," Malcolm grumbled to William. William let a half smile cross his face as he continued to copy the much more detailed map the Shadows had. Malcolm was right, but where would they be if the Shadows decided this partnership was no longer viable? William, of course, keep that thought to himself, though, no need to stir that kettle up.
"It would, but having multiple copies of a map is always a good precaution. Besides, this way we can have two full maps in case we need to split our commands," William said, avoiding the truth by hiding it behind valid advantages. Malcolm gave a low grumble, but seemed to accept the point. William could well understand the feeling, copying the highly detailed map was a practice in both tedium and perfectionism. But those same small details were the most important parts of the map. It was still amazing how much the Shadows had managed to learn.
"I have to admit, I did not think your maps would be this detailed. Some of these places are even in Society-held territory," William said, trying to keep boredom away with conversation. Malcolm's grumbled ended as he gave William a proud smile.
"Yeah, the Spectres pride themselves on that level of detail. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they could tell me the shoe-size of every giantess the Society has out here, assuming I could give them a good reason to find out. Though the stuff on the Society areas was more dumb luck than anything. We got here before they did and happened to scout those areas first. They wouldn't be near as detailed otherwise," Malcolm admitted, but still keep a smug look. William could understand it as this would have been impressive even for Spec-Ops. Yet he couldn't help but notice how these "Spectres" didn't seem to be directly under Malcolm. Why else would he have to give them a reason for info?
"It sounds as if theses Spectres are not exactly under your command," William said, hoping to pull some information out of Malcolm. Allies or not, it would still be wise to learn as much about their command structure as they could. You never knew would someone would be in the wrong place at the wrong time... It happened more than once to Squads out in the field.
"Ehh they are and aren't. If I sent them a request for the position of X giantess or what's at Y location, they would get on it immediately, but that's about all the authority I have over them. Exactly where they go, what they do, and how they get the job done is more up to them and their own hierarchy. Which is on a need to know basis, before you ask," Malcolm said with a slight shrug. He did add a pointed look at William at the last sentence, though, making it clear they were not part of said need to know.
"We will have to know, eventually. When we face the Society on the battlefield, we need to be united in purpose and command," Darius said, entering the conversation from across the room. He had been studying the maps of the area around Rome, but looked away from them long enough to give his own look to Malcolm.
Whatever Malcolm had intended as a response, however, was lost as the flap to the tent was thrown open. One of the Shadows, dressed in their usual ghillie suit-like furs and branches, rushed into the room and gave a quick salute.
"Report from the Spectres, sir. Roman patrol has been spotted in Recon Area 29 heading southwest. No deviation in two hours of recon," the Shadow, a runner most likely, reported. Both William and Malcolm abandoned their work to rush over to the map Darius was looking at. By the time they reached him, he had already found the reported area and had his finger resting on it.
William looked over the area and a wave of dread sweep over him. Area 29 was southwest of a large river that marked the end of Roman territory...and northeast of the edge of Society held territory. Those Romans were heading straight into the lionesses den... a den that would be on high alert thanks to their escapades in the Middle School.
"Ahh shit, they're heading right for Lindale," Malcolm said, voicing William's own fear. This had been a potential issue when they had thought of finding the patrols, but both William and Darius had though the Romans would be smarter than this. They had made a error of assumption in assuming they would skirt the edge of their lines or just observe them. Instead, the Romans were charging right into a death sentence. Damn, William should have taken into account how UNskilled the Romans were in anti-Society tactics!
William glanced over to Darius and saw his mask crack just enough to reveal his own frustration at the blunder. It was repaired almost instantly, however, and he turned to look at William.
"Get everyone ready to move, leave anything we don't have to take. I want our best on the Oval ready to fight in ten minutes," Darius ordered as he started to bundle up the maps. William nodded and started to leave, but stopped mid-stride as he had an idea.
"I'll get Gerald on the soldiers so I can focus on helping the Shadows board," William half-said, half-suggested. The Shadows were not used to getting onto Pyrrha and were going to need help learning how to do it properly, not to mention how not to freak out. William's time would be better spent getting them on as fast as possible while Gerald worried about their fighters. Darius paused for a second before giving a nod of approval to the idea.
"Wait...shit, what should I do then?" Malcolm said as William turned back to leave again.
"Get your runners out and ask the spectres to give us the quickest and least patrolled route to Area 29. And try to keep that patrol alive long enough for us to get there," William heard Darius say as he rushed out of the tent. He left the two to worry about that as he began to yell orders out to everyone.
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Sanders couldn't help but be surprised, again, with how quietly Pyrrha could move. After their sudden and frantic departure from the house, Darius had made it clear that they needed to be as stealthy as possible for the trip. Pyrrha had taken to the challenge like a fish to water and the people on her back seemed to make more noise than she did most of the time. Since then, they had been following a path the Shadows had set for them with markers and camping runners that took them dangerously close to Lindale. The path was winding and meandering, which had slowed them greatly, but had proven to be clear of any major patrols...so far.
It was still a bit unclear why this Roman patrol was so important. The rush to move had left no one with time to explain things and the only person Sanders had to ask was Gabby, who was just as confused. Now, however, Samantha and Gabby had switched places on Pyrrha's head and the smaller woman was within earshot of him.
"Hey, Samantha, can I ask you something?" Sanders said, making sure to keep his voice down. She turned to him and nodded before moving closer. It was hard to imagine how bad she had been at moving on Pyrrha a few weeks ago with how good she was now.
"What's so important about reaching this patrol?" he asked her once she got close enough to whisper to. She thought for a second before looking up to him to answer.
"Well, if I had to guess, it might be the only way we can get the Romans to see the video. From what I've heard, they are so xenophobic that they'll fire at anyone, even just small groups. So, even if we just sent one person, they'd probably shot them and not listen to a word we said. Even Jessica would be shot to pieces trying to reach them," Samantha answered, using Pyrrha's...other name for her. Sanders was still a bit unsure if she was right about that, but it would explain a few things. But the implications...
Pushing that to the side, Sanders nodded as he started to get the idea. If they showed the patrol the video they would, undoubtedly, want to show it to the rest of their comrades. And a small patrol who owed their life to them would be unlikely to shoot first and not bother with questions.
Sanders was going to ask if Samantha knew why the Romans were so xenophobic, but stopped mid inhale. Pyrrha was starting to sniff the air more than normal and her ears began to lower. Sanders motioned Samantha back to pass the word down as he moved closer to the edge of Pyrrha's head.
"What is it Pyrrha?" he whispered out as he lowered himself down into a crouch. Pyrrha was silent for a second before taking a few more sniffs.
"Fairy-thing. Fairy, but not.... familiar...and close," she whispered out before lowering herself down to the ground, keeping her torso just above the trees so as not to snap them. A fairy-thing? What the hell was that suppose- Oh no... A wave of fear hit Sanders as an idea what she meant entered his head...
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Sanders had been adamant in going with Malcolm and his Shadows. Malcolm didn't really get why he wanted to go so badly, but he had decided argueing wasn't worth the time. As long as Sanders could keep quiet and keep up, Malcolm didn't care too much if he came with them. Never knew when that machine-gun of his would be a life-saver.
Malcolm had to fight back a bit of nerves as the catmonster, Pyrrha, lowered them to the ground. It was still hard to believe the Phoenixes had tamed a catmon- no a SMART catmonster. Jesus did some people have all the luck... then again he had been saved by a giantess who had turned traitor so.
Those idle thoughts were banished as Pyrrha's hand tipped down to let them off. Malcolm's mind snapped back to the job and he motioned for his hand-picked team to follow him down. They moved into the bare forest and began a quick jog to a nearby hill. Malcolm gave a quick glance back and was pleased to see Sanders falling in and keeping about as quiet. Well he WAS an ex-Ranger, he should know how to be stealthy.
Malcolm brought the team to a halt at the hill and gave some quick hand instructions. His team nodded in understanding before a few dispersed out in various directions. Best to make sure there was nowhere the fairy could run in case thing went pear-shaped. He then motioned for Sanders to follow him and the last three members of his team.
They made their way forward a few steps up the hill before lowering down into a squat. They continued most of the way like that, moving from cover to cover, till they reached the lip of the hill. Malcolm got down onto his belly to crawl the rest of the way and his team followed suit. They crested the large hill Pyrrha had taken cover behind and began to scan the area.
A second or two passed before one of his team made a small click noise. The group turned to him and he pointed off into the distance. Malcolm followed his finger till he spotted the fairy as well. And fuck what a fairy it was... Most fairies were only about a hundred feet tall, but this one...fuck it had to be at least TWO hundred! Not only that, but it looked more like a young teenager rather than a small girl. Was this some kind of new model? Whatever it was, it was a good distance away, maybe seventy-five yards or so, but if it got closer... Malcolm knew a dead fairy would draw attention, but a live one with a report would draw a lot more.
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Sanders felt his heart drop as he saw the fairy. Flonne... No, please no... Hurting her the last time had been bad enough, now he was going to be forced to kill her?! He...he couldn't. She hadn't chosen to betray them, hadn't chosen to be on the wrong side! But...but...
No...no he was not going to make the same mistake again. The whistle he keep in his pocket was proof of the foolishness of trying to save everyone. Flonne was gone... all that was left was the monster the Society had turned her into. A monster he would put down.
Sanders began to pull out his machine-gun, but a hand stopped him from pulling it out. Sanders glanced over and saw Malcolm looking at him. He shook his head and pushed the gun back into its large holster. Had...had he realized what Sanders was about to do? How had-
Turning back to Flonne, Sanders saw her turn her head toward them. For a brief second, he was almost positive she was looking right at him. And it wasn't the new, massive and scowling Flonne, but the happy, giggly one he remembered so well. But the second passed and Flonne's eyes scanned past him. Sanders had to fight to keep the tears that were suddenly welling up to erupt as he realized what he had almost done.
Sanders didn't even notice Flonne fly off away from them. It wasn't until Malcolm tapped him that he looked up. Flonne was gone... he chance gone as well. He should...should...no, NO! He might not be able to save everyone, but he WOULD save her! The sweet innocent girl who had become like a step sister to him was NOT going to die a slave to the Society! No matter what, Sanders would save her. And the whistle could be damned if it tried to stop him.
Sanders keep his tears hidden away as he, Malcolm, and the other Shadows returned to Pyrrha. The rest of the trip proved uneventful...
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Pyrrha hated this place. She keep her nose covered with both hands to try and keep the smell away, but it didn't help. The rotting, nasty smell got through despite her hands. She wanted to leave and smell something other than rot.
"Sanders...it smells bad..." Pyrrha whined as she nudged her mate with her pinky. He turned away from where the new people were watching the video to look back at her. He rubbed her pinky and gave her a sad smile.
"I know, Pyrrha. But we can't leave yet. Once the Romans are done I promise we'll get out of here," Mate Sanders said in a soothing tone. It didn't help the smell become any less bad, though, and Pyrrha couldn't help but let out a sad whine. She wanted to gooooo...
Pyrrha tried to get her mind off the smell and glanced around the place. There wasn't anything of interest here, just smelly bad food, bags of stuff, and the dead bodies of her sisters. Bodies that were still warm and didn't smell of rot and bad yet... Pyrrha felt her stomach grumble and began to reach to pu- NO! We are not cannibals anymore! STOP IT!
A sudden sharp pain hit Pyrrha's head and caused her to stop dead. OWWW! That annoying pain keep happening, what was causing it?! Worse, it always seemed to leave her lost and confused on what she had been doing...like right now. What had- oh right her sist... ewww. Had she really been about to try and eat them? That was disgusting! Why would she try to do that?
"I know I'm getting hungry too, Pyrrha, we'll go hunting once this is over. Maybe do a bit of fishing if we can find a spot near the river," Sanders, suddenly, spoke up. All of Pyrrha's thoughts from before were thrown aside at the mention of fish. Pyrrha's head whirled around to Sanders, causing enough wind to make him stumble. She moved so close that her nose began to press into him, but Pyrrha didn't care. All she cared about was fish!
"Really?!" she asked, barely able to keep from wiggling in excitement. She LOVED fish! So tasty and delicious plus they came with water too! Sanders got his feet back under him and chuckled as he patted her nose.
"Well, that part of you certainly hasn't changed. I can't promise we will, but I will do everything I can to get us a chance to fish," Sanders replied with a happy smile. Pyrrha didn't care about the first part or not being able to promise, all she heard and cared about was it was fish time! YAY! Pyrrha couldn't help but giggle in joy as her hands wiggled in anticipation.
Pyrrha was about to nuzzle into her mate and thank him when she noticed someone coming toward them. She started to ignore him till she realized who it was. The glaring man...Darius... Pyrrha's good mood vanished in an instant and she had to fight not to inch away. She didn't like him facing her, didn't like looking at his eyes. Something about them made her feel...wrong. Thankfully, those eyes were focused on her mate. She didn't like thinking like that....but she did.
"Sanders," the glaring man said as both he and Sanders exchanged a nod, "The Romans are almost finished with the tape. If you don't mind, I'd like you to help us convince them to assist us."
"Sure, I don't mind," Sanders said before turning back to Pyrrha. Oh no...
"I'm going to go help Darius for a minute. Don't move, Pyrrha," Sanders said to her. I'm not a damn animal, I can understand what is going on! Pyrrha felt an odd sense of anger come from...somewhere, but pushed it away as she nodded.
"OK," she said and forced a smile onto her face. Sanders gave her one last pet before turning and following the glaring man. Pyrrha's odd anger was replaced with sadness as she saw her mate leave. He wasn't leaving long and he wasn't going far... but she still missed him. He is a good man...
Pyrrha's thoughts came to an abrupt end as she felt someone start to rub her cheek. She turned her head and found Kitten Samantha smiling up at her. Pyrrha's sadness was thrown away as she got a big smile and nuzzled into her small kitten. She's not nearly as small as she was, though. She has grown into a fine woman, one to be proud of. Pyrrha was a bit confused by those thoughts, but decided to ignore them as she purred from the tiny hug Samantha was giving her.
"Sorry I haven't seen you in so long, Jessica. But Jacob...he's been taking what happened to his dad badly and I can't just leave him to drown in his own anguish," Samantha said as her hug loosened. Jessica? That wasn't her name it was MY name. Wait...no that wasn't right either. Pyrrha was Pyrrha not Jessica...right? Right. Right. So why was Samantha calling her Jess-
"Are you sure he is the one? Are you sure he deserves you, Little Lady?" she asked, having to fight with all her might to stay in control. Samantha looked up at her in shock and stumbled back a few steps. It was tempting to demand an answer before... but Samantha deserved a moment to absorb this. Tears began to form in her eyes, but she blinked them away before nodding.
"He is. I know he is hot-headed, stupid, and stubborn...but he tries with everything he has and..." Samantha paused as she looked away, "And he was the one who gave me the courage and drive to follow your example. He gave me the push I needed to strive to be like you and now...now we have changed places. He wants to change, Jessica, to be a real hero like his father, just like I want to be a hero like you. So I'll help him, and he'll help me, and we'll be stronger than either of you could ever be because of it. I...I know it," Samantha said putting on a look of determination through her tears. Her own tears began to well up inside as well as an overwhelming sense of pride and love flowed in. Samantha... you still thin- But her thoughts were torn away as the cat surged back again. She was losing the fight, the cat was furious now and would not be denied. But despite its savage fury, Jessica still managed to force a smile onto this bo Pyrrha jolted back and glanced around in anger. What was that?! Who had attacked...? But there was no one there...well...no one who looked to be attacking her. What had just happened? And...and why was Kitten crying into her cheek? Pyrrha didn't understand what had just happened, but hugged the kitten to her anyway. She stroked her head as best she could and gave some soft purrs to try and comfort her. But that only seemed to make her cry more.
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"If you are watching this...then I am, likely, dead," an old man who seemed somewhat familiar said. If this Darius was telling the truth, it was Gregor Manchent, a very well known and intelligent man from Atlanta. He had been instrumental in getting the early infrastructure of Rome up and running and had been a beacon of hope back before...before the Society decided they were done with helping. But that was if Darius was telling the truth.
Victor had seen Gregor back during those days. He had been a worker back then, just doing his part to try and rebuild their lives, and had seen him a few times a work. If this was Manchent then the few years that had passed had been very unkind. Back then, Gregor had been full of energy and cheer, seemingly always with a smile on his face. Now...now he looked like a man on the edge of snapping in two who had aged well beyond his years.
"Is that Gregor?" Victor asked Chandler as the video continued, deciding to get a second opinion. The darker skinned second was silent for a second before giving a frustrated shrug.
"Not sure. I never saw him back when he visited, but he does match some of the descriptions. More importantly, though, I don't know of anyone else would could design something like that," Chandler said, nodding toward the computer. It was a good point. These "Phoenixes", as they called themselves, certainly didn't look to have the expertise to design such a fine looking computer. Hell even Roman engineers would be hard-pressed to make it, perhaps they should see this video through.
"This is bullshit, are we reall-" Gordan started to say, drowning out the video.
"Shut up and sit down, Gordan," Victor ordered as he made his decision. They would watch this video to the end and leave escape till after. Gordan looked less than happy, but obeyed nonetheless. More than a few others seemed to have similar opinions, but none voiced their objections. They knew better.
As the video continued, though, those angry and disinterested looks began to fade. Seeing Manchent back when he was still the man Victor remembered cast any thoughts of escape, despite the prime opportunity they had, out of his head. There was no doubt this WAS a video made by Gregor Manchent. And considering the warning he gave at the beginning, they needed to see this to the end. By the time Henry's death was shown, no one in the squad looked the less bit interested in fleeing.
And then it came...
"Yabaize..." Manchent managed to say before his eyes, slowly, shifted away.
"The origin of the beam that started the Shrink Disaster....is Yabaize...The same Japanese town that the Society's HQ is in...They did it...Those monsters did it… I didn’t want to..." Manchent trailed off as he went back to staring off into the distance.
The words hit Victor like a bullet. Dear God...Dear God....dear...God... Victor wanted to think something else, to do...anything else, but the shock... He lowered his head into his hand as he tried to keep listening.
The rest of his squad looked just as stunned as he did, but still they watched. Watched Manchent confirm his findings, watched him reach out for help from someone, watched him make his last message... By the time the video turned off, Victor's squad barely registered it had stopped. The Disaster...had been the Society's doing.
Memories of that day, suddenly, began to flood back into Victor. His father who had been getting a surgery at the exact wrong time, his brother who had been on a plane heading to see his wife and daughter, his best friend who had been helping him do some repairs to his house and had a plank on his shoulder, his son who had been on a school trip to a museum... All either dead or lost forever....all because...all because....of THEM...
"Son of a BITCH!" Gordan suddenly yelled out as he tossed his helmet to the ground with all the force he could muster. It skidded away and didn't stop till it was a good ten yards away.
"My mom, my sister, my friends, my LIFE! All gone because of them..." Gordan said, giving voice to the same rage that was taking hold of everyone there.
"And then to act like they're here to save us, the arrogance," Nancy added as her fists clenched together. Victor had to fight to keep his own face from twisted with the right hot rage he felt for the sheer horror of it all.
He had never liked the Society after their change of heart, but hadn't outright hated them. Indeed, he had harbored some doubts in the stories of them being the aggressors, as did many others in Rome. But, after seeing this, those doubts had been completely dispelled. A group capable of this scale of cruelty was fully capable of attacking helpless people.
The angry chatter died down and Victor looked up to see Darius and two other men moving toward them. One was much older and wore the usual outsider rags, but the other... The other's armor looked like some kind of mix between outsider furs and modern flak armor. Victor hadn't seen armor like that since cop shows had become memories. What was an outsider doing with armor like that?
"An enlightening and horrifying video. Truly brings what we are fighting against into focus," Darius said, forcing Victor to put the armored man to the side, for now.
"I trust now you see why we need to unite together and pool our strengths," Darius said with an annoyingly superior tone, as if this was all unneeded ceremony. Victor didn't bother hiding his scowl and he could feel the rest of his squad's anger beginning to refocus.
"You want us to work with YOU?! HAH! What the hell would we ever need YOUR help with, outsider?" Gordan said as he folded his arms and sent his own superior stare back at Darius. Chandler looked about to reprimand him, but Victor waved him down. It was a valid question, even if it was said in a rather harsh way.
Darius' eyes turned to Gordan and gave him a stern glare. After a second, he turned to the side to look at something. The squad followed his gaze to the slowly rotting corpse of one of the catmonsters. Darius turned back to them without a word as his face gained a scowl of its own. Victor, though, couldn't be angered by the lack of answer, the implications were more than valid.
"Point taken," Victor said, stopping Gordan before he let his anger speak up again, "However, we only needed your help out here. Behind the rivers, we are well protected and need no aid." Darius' glare turned to look straight at Victor.
"For now, but what happens when we fall? What happens when the Society crushes us and the other groups and move their borders to yours? What happens when they bring their full might down on you?" Darius asked as his eyes seemed to punch through Victor. Victor keep his own eyes locked on Darius, but couldn't help but think on his questions. And entire world to pull from... An odd thought, but horrifyingly in its implications.
"We will fight them off like we always have. They can bring as many giantesses as they want, they will all die under our guns," Morgan said to a few cheers and agreements from the others. Victor, though, was less sure. That thought of the entire world coming down on them...
"Are you really that selfish? Are you really happy to sit behind your damn rivers and let the rest of the world burn?! You've seen what the Society has done, seen the crimes they committed, and you STILL want to just sit back and do NOTHING?!" the armored man suddenly yelled, his face now scowling in anger. Victor's doubts were tossed aside as fresh anger surged into him. How DARE this...OUTSIDER call them selfish?! More than a few of his squad looked about to tear into the bastard, but Victor cut them all off.
"You DARE to call us selfish? We opened our homes, our lives, our resources to outsiders just like you. And in thanks we were betrayed by those very people! Hundreds killed, our homes devastated, and most of our supplies stolen or destroyed. WE were never selfish and for it WE were punished! If we are selfish it is only because yo-" Victor started as he moved toward the man, considering whether to punch him or not. He never got the chance, though, as Darius suddenly yelled out.
"ENOUGH!" he bellowed loud enough to make even some of the outsiders at the tamed catmonster glance their way. His gaze sweep over them, lingering a bit more on the armored man, before he spoke again.
"I wanted to spare you this, but if you are truly going to cling to the illusion of your town's invulnerability then I have no choice. Rome. Is. Doomed. Maybe not today, or this year, or ten years, but it WILL fall," Darius said in a near growl. Gordan looked about to say something, but a vicious glare from Darius caused him to pause just long enough for Darius to continue.
"Are you aware you are facing a world-spanning organization that can pull resources from hundreds of thousands of places, has more soldiers than you have citizens, and has equipment that far outclasses your own? And you think you can hold them off forever? You've seen what they are willing to do to get power, do you think they won't do anything and everything to break you? Do you think they won't bring in REAL military equipment to force you out if they must? Do you think they are above carpet bombing your precious city just to make sure you are all DEAD?! The best your town could hope for is that the Society turns Rome into another Atlanta, another slave state. Is that the future you are striving for? One where you and your children are ruled by the very people who doomed us all?!" Darius demanded as his gaze sweep over them again.
"Please understand, you will never get this chance again, never have the opportunity to break free from the shackles that are moving toward you, never be able to make the people who destroyed our lives pay for their crimes, and never be truly free again. Instead, all you will have is a future of comfortable slavery, like those in Atlanta. A life ruled by the very people who destroyed everything we loved and cherished. I understand your reluctance, but we have to put our hatreds aside if we are to win," the older man said as he joined in, his tone much softer and gentler. Victor and a few others glanced away, but the verbal assault continued.
"You have two choices, Romans. Cling to your hatred and begin teaching your children how to be good Society citizens, or put it aside and help us stop this madness before it consumes the last bit of hope we still have. Manchent gave everything, EVERYTHING just to bring this truth to us. Are you, truly, going to ignore it?" Darius finished as he stopped in front of Victor. Victor looked down at the shorter Darius for a moment before glancing to his squad. More than a few looked away, unable or unwilling to commit to a choice, but a few...a few nodded in silent agreement including Chandler and Nancy. Victor turned back to Darius and let out a sigh.
"Even if we agree to help, we don't speak for our entire city," Victor said, trying to avoid having to agree to helping outsiders. Despite that, though, Darius' glare softened considerably.
"And I wouldn't expect you to. Which is why we want you to help your people learn the truth. Let them see what the Society truly is and then you can decide to help or not. Is that fair?" Darius asked, taking Victor by surprise. Tha...That was all he wanted? He didn't want a full agreement or even an assurance? This... sounded far too good to be true... however...
Victor glanced back over the Chandler. His second had a worried look, but nodded all the same. He was worried about this deal as well...but their people DID deserve to know. Ignoring the part of working with outsiders, everyone in Rome needed to know the evil that was nearly at their doorstep. Even if...even if it was what Darius wanted.
"It is fair enough."
Roman equipment guide, section 21: Glidesuit
The glidesuit is a new development of the Poole's Foundries R&D. Based on the wingsuits used by thrillseekers before the Shrink Disaster, the glidesuit allows a soldier to leap from heights and perform controlled glides at speeds they could never hope to reach on foot. Equipped with air-powered jets and grappling systems, the glidesuit allows for near 360 movement and gives a soldier unparalleled maneuverability.
Most importantly, however, the suit is easy to use and easy to learn. Below you will find instructions in the operation of your suit. Make sure to memorize its operation and its upkeep as improper maintenance can lead to injury and death. Poole's Foundries takes no responsibility for either.