Chapter 7: Distrust and Tattered Alliance

Chit could hardly believe what he was seeing. All of the stories he had reported on, all the drama he had seen unfold, all of it was NOTHING compared to this! A man, an outsider no less!, riding atop a catmonster and fighting to keep Rome safe from a giantess in riot gear. Chit couldn't have made up this story even if he had been given the characters. And he, HE , got to report it to the people of Rome... If he wasn't so busy being stunned he would have been on cloud nine.

"Something is happening now... The giantess has tossed away the powder from before! The man...I-I think he shot her visor, it's hard to tell from here. But the powder she was holding is definitely gone. The giantess looks very unhapp- SHE IS TRYING TO CRUSH THE BRAVE MAN!" Chit yelled as he continued to report what he saw, his reporter instinct overriding his shock. He was about to say what he knew would follow, but stopped mid breath as the catmonster snatched the man away just in time.

"She got him! The catmonster has the man, ladies and gentlemen, the hero is safe! The catmonster has jumped off the giantess now. It looks like they might start figh-" Chit's words were cut there as a massive explosion rocked the bridge. Chit ducked down as the explosion blasted out, the shockwave hitting him despite being on the roof of one of the buildings-turned fortresses. It was soon followed by three more, stopping Chit from reporting what was happening by their soundwaves. As the explosions died away enough for him to talk, Chit watched in shock as the bridge began to fall apart.

"They've blown the bridge! The bridge is collapsing and the giantess... she's fallen! She has fallen through!" Chit said in joy as he watched the giantess tumble down into the water along with a good chunk of the bridge. But then his eyes caught movement and he saw the catmonster making a mad sprint for the stable part of the bridge.

"The hero and his catmonster are trying to flee the bridge! Its collapsing too fast, oh God they're not going to ma-" he paused partly on purpose as the catmonster made a last ditch leap to reach the remnants of the bridge. It took him fighting not to give a yes as it slammed into the edge of it and managed to hold on.

"They made it! The hero and his catmonster have made it! People of Rome, I have never seen such braver in all my years as a reporter! To take on a fully armored giantess on a bridge rigged to blow, and still make it out alive... I just wish we knew this man's iden-"

"It's Sanders. Sanders Cutter," a voice said from behind Chit. Chit whirled to find another outsider, this one with unwashed black hair and a glare that was...unnerving. But the glare softened into the faintest hint of a smirk as the man turned to leave.

"Ummm... thank yo... Y-yes his name is Sanders Cutter, ladies and gentlemen! The hero who saved Rome from certain destruction!"

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It was the day after the battle for the bridge and Jacob was wishing the battle was still going on. At least that would have been easy to deal with. Despite saving the city, the Roman soldiers showed little interest in welcoming them. They had been allowed to keep their weapons and move beyond the bridge, but had been "greeted" with a near battalion of troops soon after. William and Darius spent a tense half-hour talking to the Roman leader before they were lead to an old, slightly overgrown, football stadium. They had been locked inside and allowed to make camp, but guards had stood watch the entire time.

Morning had brought Darius yelling for them to get ready to march and it wasn't long before they were heading to the center of the city. And now here they were being paraded down the street like some kind of trophy. If this was how Romans treated “guests”, he would hate to be their prisoner.

As the Phoenixes continued their march, Jacob looked around at the street. It seemed that the new, shrunken, city of Rome had been built in the more commercial part of the old town. Most of the buildings they passed still had slowly rusting business signs, but the buildings themselves were still in decent condition. There were a few buildings that looked to have either been abandoned or just not used, but they were the minority. The road itself was, also, rather well maintained, though more than a few potholes had just been covered with large planks of wood. All and all, though, the small town looked more like a proper city than an abandoned town.

Sadly, the buildings were not the only things lining the street. All along their route were Roman citizens, watching them with suspicious and hateful eyes. While the soldiers had been less than welcoming, they at least had the courtesy not to stare in clear hate. The civilians, though, had no such reservations. A few whispered to one another while others gripped homemade weapons in hand. Jacob had no doubt those weapons would be hurled at them without a second thought if the Roman soldiers hadn't been flanking their column. For now, fear or respect for the soldiers was keeping the crowd from turning to a mob. But that was the nasty point, for now...

Some loud sneers and yells came from Jacob's left and Samantha gripped her rifle a bit tighter. The tension in the air was nearly suffocating and Jacob pulled Samantha a bit closer. Her grip loosened as she leaned on him, but her nervousness was being felt by everyone. If this keep up...

Jacob scanned the crowd again and was confused to seem them turn away from the Phoenixes. Mumbles and whispers began to drift from the crowd, but its tone had changed completely. Rather than angry or hateful whispers, it was more like shocked gasps or awed surprise. Jacob glanced down at Samantha and she looked just as confused as him. And then the confusion turned to shock as a cheer came from someone in the crowd.

That single cheer was taken up by more, which were joined by claps and, soon, turned into a virtual roar of approval. Jacob, Samantha, and most of the Phoenixes stared at the sudden change before turning back to see what was going on. Far behind them, just now coming into view, was Pyrrha and Sanders. Pyrrha had the platform back on her back, though not secured, while Sanders stood on her head as usual.

Pyrrha looked around in confusion at all the cheers, but soon started to giggle and smile back at everyone. Jacob couldn't see Sanders well enough to see his reaction, but he could imagine it. Ugh... it pissed him off that Sanders was getting the hero treatment AGAIN. He was about to grumble in annoyance when something squeezed his hand. He looked down to see Samantha staring up at him.

"Let them have this, Jacob. They did earn it. Besides, it got them to stop glaring at us," Samantha said with a smile. Jacob sighed to himself before nodding in acceptance. She was right that the tension was gone completely now. And...and yeah the two had earned it... Bah...

Turning back forward, Jacob continued forward with most of the Phoenixes, the others getting the message once they noticed the others, and headed toward the massive courthouse near the center of town.

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Terence shook his head as the cheers grew still louder. A chant of Sanders, Sanders, started up as the "Hero of Rome" and his mighty steed moved closer to the Mayor's office. Built into what had been the courthouse of the town, the office was a virtual monolithic building that sat near the center of the new city. A large statue of two boys suckling on a wolf was proudly displayed in front of it and its base had become the official pulpit for addressing the town. Terence had heard the wolf thing was a call back to the original Rome in Italy, but had never bothered to learn the story. He had better things to worry about, like the current situation.

"How did they learn his name?" Terence asked half to Dixie and half to himself. Dixie, Mayor Cortez, and Terence were all standing on the base of the statue, looking down at the pseudo parade the Phoenixes and Shadows were putting on. The representatives of the various houses and the other Captains stood at the bottom of the statue's base watching the parade as well. Terence would have preferred this to stay a small, UNimpressive gathering, but the Mayor had overridden him.

"Chit found it out, somehow, and has been reporting about it near nonstop since the battle," Dixie nearly growled out in anger. Her distaste for not only allowed the Phoenixes in, but CELEBRATING their arrival was evident on her face and in her tone. Terence wasn't exactly pleased, either, but was more annoyed by Chit sneaking into their lines than Sanders becoming a hero. Personally, he was more interested in their "hero" helping smooth over the inevitable tension between his people and the new arrivals than being angry at his sudden rise to stardom. Dixie was far from alone in her hatred of outsiders, no matter what they did or offered. And if Sanders becoming a hero helped ease that hate then, fuck, he could be Terence’s hero too.

As the parade neared the steps to the office, Darius, William, and Malcolm broke off to head up towards them. The rest of the Phoenixes and Shadows stopped at the wooden ramp built over the stone steps, they were far too large for anyone to use now, and began to mill about. By the time the three commanders reached the top of the base, the entire column of outsiders had come to a halt, including Sanders. Terence gave each a nod of greeting as the Mayor moved forward and shook each hand. More than a few of the representatives, and his Captains looked... less than happy with the greeting, but keep their mouths shut. With the pleasantries done, Jody moved to the lectern to speak. It took him a few calls to quiet down before the cheers died away.

"My fellow Romans... these few days has been of unprecedented magnitude. A day where much that we thought we knew, was proven to be a lie, where the horrible, terrible, truth came to light, and where the peace we have enjoyed so much has been shattered. We learned the truth of the Shrink Disaster, learned the truth behind so much death, destruction, and evil. And with that knowledge, we have had to accept still more hard truths. Truths that we could no longer be separated from those outside of Rome, that we could not stand alone against the vile Advanced Science Society!" the Mayor said, his voice carried through the area thanks to radio towers set up around the area. Despite his passioned words, however, there was little cheer or approval of them. It seemed most of Rome was still working on the accepting hard truths part... But if this dissuaded Jody, he showed no sign as he forged ahead

"I know many of you disagree with that assessment. That you are still suspicious and filled with doubt about the outsiders intentions. I understand that wariness, that lack of trust. I was there all those years ago, when another group of outsiders took advantage of our carelessness and trust. But the times have changed ... the nature of the world has changed. We no longer fight nature, beasts, and disease for survival, but the organization responsible for the deaths of BILLIONS! An organization that has lied to us and tried to destroy us! An organization that will pay IN BLOOD, for destroying so much of what we hold dear and, even now, STILL tries to stamp out what little of our old lives we have built!" Jody continued, this time getting cries of anger and agreement from the crowd. The outsiders were still a... touchy issue, but making sure the Society paid was anything but. Hell, more than a few of the people in the crowd had marched on this very office to DEMAND war be declared. And it wasn't hard to understand why.

"That anger you feel, that need for justice to be done exists in the outsiders before us as well. They have seen the truth, brought it to us, so that we could see the TRUE enemy that stands before us. An enemy too terrible to face alone. Our armies are strong, our weapons beyond compare, but facing an enemy as terrible as the Society demands assistance. Assistance that we must accept, for without it we will fall where united we would have stood. And if you need proof, look no further than our hero, Sanders!" the Mayor continued, the cheers of approval dying as the outsiders were brought up, but the boos and hisses stopped by the mention of the "hero". Terence had to give Jody credit, he knew how to work people. It was part of the reason he was Mayor. Part of...

"Outsider though he may be, Sanders risked himself to hold the bridge long enough for our brave engineers to destroy the bridge, thus saving Rome from the Society's attack! He is an outsider, but feels just as furious as any of us. And if he can be a model for what we should all strive to be, why can't other outsiders be as well? So Romans, I ask you to let go of your suspicions and welcome these outsiders, the Phoenixes and Shadows, as our guests and comrades it the fight against the Society. A fight that myself and the congress have agreed must be fought. So from this day till the day the Society answers for ALL of its crimes, we are at WAR!”

The cheer from the people was almost deafening as angry and furious voices erupted over the area. Even some of the Phoenix and Shadows were taking up the yell as Rome, finally, awoken to the danger that had been around it for years. Terence prayed it was not too late… and that this united purpose would let Rome accept the help it needed.

With the speech over, Mayor Cortez motioned for the large group to follow him into the massive building. Terence was glad that was over and they could  now focus on the far more important issues. The bridge might have been brought down, by scouts were already reporting Society forces moving to surround the city. And then there was the report Victor had given him... and ONLY him...

The sabotage of the bridge's defenses had been too well coordinated to be a small forces doing. While the death of the traitors below the bridge was welcome, they were too small and too low on the chain to be the full conspiracy. Which meant there were still traitors among them... traitors that would be itching to bring Rome crashing down. Terence was glad the Mayor had agreed to keep that knowledge on a need-to-know basis. The last thing they needed was witch hunts causing their people to turn on one another. For now, they needed to come up with a plan. A plan to find the traitors, kill them, and break the siege Rome was now under.

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William followed behind Darius as they were lead into the massive building by the Mayor, Terence, and the other commanders of Rome. Two large double doors had been cut out of the actual, fully-sized, doors and allowed them inside. The entryway, which was beyond massive to them, had been heavily converted and made into a more sensible sized office for the Mayor. Various rooms were set up around the area with various plagues stating their purpose while more than a few desks were scattered about with various people working at them. What the rest of the building was used for William could only guess, but it was definitely used considering the elevators built next to the stairs and small doors leading further into the building.

The Mayor lead the group to a large room off to the side of the main entrance. Terence opened the door and ushered everyone in while two, heavily armed, Roman's stood guard. Inside was what looked to be a conference room hastily converted into a war room. The large, rather well made, table in the center of the room had a detailed map while small pieces of plastic had been set on them to make out units. Even from a cursory glance, William could see things were looking grim... Any paintings or other distracting elements had been removed, but the dust markings of their placement were still there.

"Everyone take a seat, this meeting will, most likely, be a long one," Mayor Cortez said as he motioned for everyone to sit. William, Darius, and Malcolm all sat together while Terence, his second, Dixie, and the three Captains under him took seats almost opposite to them. Ahh what a wonderful start to their new "alliance"... Cortez seemed to notice the tension as well and cleared his throat to try and distract them from it.

"Good, well... why not start with introductions. We are all, now, in this fight together so we should at least get to know one another. If you would," Jody said, forcing a smile as he motioned for one of them to lead off. Darius' usual scowl didn't so much as twitch and William sighed as he realized h-

"Sure. I'm Malcolm leader of the Shadow’s advanced scout group. This bundle of joy," Malcolm paused as he nudged Darius, drawing a slight glare, "is Darius, the leader of the Phoenixes. And the old fart is William, his second." William added his own glare to Darius', even if he WAS an old fart, but Malcolm ignored them both. Sadly, his attempt at humor seemed to go over as well as an actual fart. None of the Captains so much as smirked while Terence seemed to inwardly groan at their reactions.

"Yes...well you already myself and the Commander so why do-" Cortez started, but didn't finish.

"River Captain Waring," the first of the Captains said. He was a large man with balding blonde hair and looked very unhappy to be here.

"Northern Captain Fitchett," the second said as he crossed his arms. He was smaller than Waring, but not by much and his black hair was shaved down into a stubble causing it to blend a bit with his skin.

"Reserves Captain Freeman," the last said with a scowl that would give Darius a run for his money. The man was the smallest of the three, but was packed with muscle and looked about ready to spring across the table to choke them. Oh boy...

"Staff Captain Dixie," the woman who had been with Terence said, somehow managing to look more angry and distrustful than the first three. Ho boy... Whatever tension Malcolm had dispelled was back with friends and William had no doubt even reaching to scratch would be enough to start a gunfight. He had known the Romans hated outsiders, but this... No wonder Terence had been less than thrilled with them wanting to come to this meeting.

Thankfully, Terence cleared his throat, causing the four to look in his direction. Some unspoken command passed through them and all four tried to hide that they wanted to kill them. At least Terence seemed to have realized they needed each other if they were going to survive this... Hopefully the Captains would learn that too before they were all crushed underfoot.

"Well...now that...that is out of the way, I suppose we should get started. Umm, Commander, why don't you bring all of us up to speed," Mayor Cortez said, a bit of worry still evident in his voice. William wasn't sure if he was just scared to be caught in the crossfire or understood what the shattering of this alliance meant, but, either way, moving on was the best move. Terence turned his glare from his subordinates and nodded in agreement.

"Of course. To be blunt, or situation is far from ideal. Scouts moving along the river have reported catmonsters, fairies, and even a few giantesses patrolling the river banks. Their not in substantial numbers, but there are more than enough to spot any major attempts to land troops on the other side. More than likely, they are not looking to cross the river, but are making sure WE can’t cross either,” Terence began, tracing a route along the rivers lining Rome’s borders.

“The real threat is on the northern border. A large force of Society troops have moved into the area, overnight. They haven’t made any moves to attack, so far, but they have started to make a sizable barrier using debris, wrecked vehicles, and dug up dirt. If they manage to complete it, we'll have to break that barrier before we can make any attempts to attack them... while they can just walk right over it to get at us," Terence said pointing out the beginnings of a plastic wall on the northern part of the map.

"Their trying to bottle us in...keep us and the truth of their crimes 'contained'," Malcolm said with an edge of anger in his voice. He was right. William and Darius had worried about the Society doing just this the moment they realized they would need to get Rome's support. Rome's great defensive position also made it the perfect place to keep them pinned. And no matter how good Rome' defenses were they could, and would, be ground down. The Society had a virtual limitless supply of troops to throw at them. Their troops, however, were very much finite.

"Indeed. And with them watching the rivers, that route is the only real way we have of moving out in large numbers. The northern area was already dangerous because of its openness, add in a massive barrier at the end of it and… well I think we can all imagine the chances of us breaking it once it is finished...." Terence agreed before looking over the group. William was glad to see the Captains all focused on the map and the danger this new information brought. At least they could forget their hate and distrust long enough to listen to their Commander.

"We should move out ASAP, then, and make sure they do not finish that wall," Captain Fitchett said, reaching for the plastic piece that represented his forces and moving them to the wall.

"My troops have been made ready, our guns loaded [i]properly[/i]," he shot a glare toward Waring who returned it full force, "and our ammunition has been topped off. We can be in the field within two hours of your orders, Commander."

William had to bite back the temptation to tell him how foolish such an idea would be. The Society would, of course, be prepared for such an attack and in that open ground, would have every advantage they could want. Those troops would be marching into a slaughter, doubly so with their inexperience. But foolish or not it would be best to let Terence kill the idea. The Captains were more likely to lis-

"You would be marching into a massacre," Darius said, causing William to whirl toward him in shock. The Romans did as well, but their shock quickly turned to anger. Even Terence looked annoyed, and rightly so. Yes that plan was foolish, but some level of tact was somewhat called for! Doubly so when the Romans were, already, so ready to hate them. The unabashed truth would not serve to help bridge that gulf. Hell, it would just dig it deeper!

"Do not take such a tone with me, outsider. Just because you managed to help stop that assault on our bridge does no-" Fitchett started to say, but was cut off by Terence.

"Enough," Terence said, giving Fitchett a glare to silence him. The Captain fell silent, but didn't hide his rage. Nor did the other Captains. What the HELL was Darius doing, trying to make the tension between them worse?!

"Darius, I understand you have more experience combating the Society, and I will take your advice very seriously because of it. But please show some respect to my officers," Terence said, in a surprisingly diplomatic tone. It was more than fair enough and Will-

"I will show respect when I receive it and if stating simple facts upset your officers, they need to be sent back to boot camp. The situation is simple, your troops will not win a straight fight with the Society. They are too inexperienced and ill-prepared to face the Society in an open battlefield. Doubly so when the Society will know you are coming," Darius said, forging ahead with whatever mad plan he had come up with. Dammit, what was he DOING?! Was he trying to get this alliance dead and them with it?!

"You fucking disrespectful scum. Our Commander tried to be kind and you throw it back into his face like THIS?! I will cut your ton-" Dixie started to say, but was stopped as Terence, once again, intervened.

"Captain, that is enough! Darius, PLEASE refrain from-" Terence tried to say, but was interrupted by Freeman.

“Why are we cotowing to these damn outsiders? They are nothing special, they are not proper soldiers! Let us kill them and face the Society as WE wish and dri-” the Captain started, but stopped as Darius slammed his fist on the table. He stood up to face the Romans with a look just as angry as any theirs.

"Face the Society? FACE THE SOCIETY?! Your soldiers have been sitting behind those damn rivers for YEARS, resting and getting fat. Most of them have never even SEEN a giantess up close, much less had to fight one thundering toward them like a killer skyscraper, or face down a catmonster all while hearing your friends be swallowed one by one, or fend off fairies as they carry your comrades away into the sky, never to be seen again. WE have, though. WE have faced down the worst the Society can throw at us and survived. WE didn't have rivers and full-sized guns to keep us safe, WE had to learn to fight them while you did NOTHING. And yet you have the arrogance to act as if we are lower than you, lesser than you. When in fact it's the other way around. WE are the superior force, WE are the ones saving YOU,” Darius yelled in fury. The Romans were so stunned by the sudden change that none of them had time to become furious, but William knew it was coming. The moment the surprise faded, Darius would be lucky not to be shot. And yet...and yet everything he said was all too true... but this was NOT the way to go in saying it.

“And you can get angry with me pointing those facts out. Pointing out how ill-prepared for this war you are, pointing out how stupid you are for thinking a frontal assault is anything but suicide, pointing out how your ungrateful town of elitist asswhipes would all be DEAD if not for us, pointing out how you have treated us like the enemy despite us risking our LIVES, and paying with our lives in some cases, to try and HELP you. But it doesn’t change the truth. That everything I said are the hard facts," Darius said as he leaned back to stand up straight, the anger fading a bit to turn back into a hard glare. The Captains' faces all twisted into utter rage and more than one of them started to reach down. They stopped, however, as Terence held out his hand and began to pace around the table toward Darius. While his face looked calm, William could see the lava-like rage bubbling behind them. Whatever Terence was going to say, though, never got the chance to be said. Darius turned that red hot fury to ice with his next words.

"And you have traitors amongst you," Darius said causing Terence's words to catch in his throat. The rage that had carried him over seemed to smack right into a wall of cement, leaving Terence unsure what to do. The other Captains looked to have similar reactions, but William focused on Terence. If they lost him to...whatever Darius was trying to do...

"Those are dead, we killed them all," one of the Captains said, William didn't see who. Darius didn't look away as Terence closed his eyes as if to sigh inwardly. And well he should... because if the Captain honestly believed that...

"William, instruct them," Darius ordered, his eyes still locked onto Terence. William let out a sigh and debated not getting into this. But...well they were already neck deep into whatever Darius was planning so...

"The fact the traitors knew exactly what to hit to disable the bridge's defenses, and the Society knew what to bring to neutralize what the traitors couldn't knock out, suggests that the traitor was high up the chain of command. Much higher than the grunts that were killed below the bridge. More than likely, they were sacrificial pawns to the main traitor, or traitors, and their loss was inconvenient, at best. Worse, the fact the Society knew exactly where to hit and where to go after the attack failed shows that they know your defenses almost inside and out. Simply put, the Society knows too much for the traitor to be low on the command totem pole. Which makes the suggested attack all the more dangerous. They will know you are coming before you even start to march..." William said, trying to sound as diplomatic and neutral as he could. His efforts were wasted, however, as the Captains still glared at him in anger. Dammit Darius, they might have listened if you hadn't made them furious right from the get go!

"This is ridiculous. Are we really going to believe these outsiders and their far-fetched tales? Those traitors were the only ones and-" Captain Freeman said before being interrupted.

"They are right," a voice that had been silent for a long time said. Everyone turned to look at the Mayor, who had buried his face in his hands at some point. He pulled them away as he let out a long sigh.

"The Phoenixes are right about the traitor. I know... because I was one of them."

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It had been a good day. After so long on the campaign trail, so much work getting his message out, so many long nights helping to fix the damage caused by the attack, it was finally, FINALLY paying off. He was Mayor, Mayor of the town he loved so much. The town he wanted to help remake.

Jody smiled in approval of his new title as he took another swig of moonshine. The liquid burned its way down, but it was a welcome burn. Soon enough, that burn would mix with his drive and help fix this town. He would make sure this mistake was NEVER made again and the people of his town would be safe. Tomorrow would begin the real work, but tonight... tonight he was just going to enjoy himself.

Leaning back in his chair, Jody turned to stare out the massive window by his office. It was a lovely night with the stars spar-

"Good evening, Mr. Mayor," a voice, distorted by something, suddenly said. Jody coughed as he nearly choked on his shine in shock. He tried to turn to see who was there, but his chair refused to budge.

"Uh uh, stay looking out that window or you will be the late Mayor," the strange voice said, now right behind him. Jody froze as he noticed something descend into his field of vision. A gun...and not a jury-rigged one like they had. A real, proper, gun... Dear God how did this person have one?!

"Someone wants to speak with you, Mr. Mayor," the voice continued before dropping something into his lap. Jody leap back instinctively before looking down at the device. Oh God... it was a cellphone. A proper one just like the gun. Who...how...where?

"Answer it," the voice demanded and Jody leap to obey. He raised the phone to his ear and gulped down his fear.

"H-Hello?" he said, trying to hide his fear, shock, and apprehension.

"Good evening, Mr. Mayor. I am sorry to be calling you so late, but I wanted this call to be...private," a female voice said from the other line. Jody opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The voice, after a second, continued despite his silence.

"Since I know you are going to be a very, very busy man I will keep this short. Your town has been hit with a nasty disaster, a disaster that has propelled you to your status. However, another could come just as easily, Mr. Mayor, and the next... well let's just say that the Society is not in the habit of leaving loose ends," the voice said with a slight chuckle. Jody's blood froze in place as a fresh wave of fear hit him. The Society... here? Then the gun...the cellphone...dear God they have gotten into his office! And this person...

Jody started to turn toward the figure behind him, but the pistol smacked into his cheek, forcing him to look forward again.

"Now that you know the stakes, and that we can get to you, your family, EVERYONE when we want, I am going to make you an offer. A very generous one at that. Seal Rome away. Keep the other Resistance groups out, keep your troops in, and maybe...maybe we will show mercy and make Rome the next Atlanta. Fail any of that and... well you haven't heard of Macon have you?" the voice said, this time with no humor at all. And she was right...he hadn't...

"I hope you enjoy your time as Mayor, Jody Cortez. Make sure to keep this phone around. We will be in touch," the voice finished before the line went dead. Jody stared out the window in terror, shock, and disbelief for what seemed like an eternity. By the time he got enough sense to turn around, the figure was long gone. And no one had seen them leave or enter...

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Silence filled the room as the Mayor finished his story. William had nursed fears of this being the state of Rome's upper ranks. That, somehow, the Society had gotten control of them and forced their sudden isolation. Distrust and hatred to outsiders made sense, but their unwillingness to even leave their territory had always seemed odd. They, certainly, had the military force to expand, but never had. And now William knew why...

The Captains all stared at the Mayor in stunned silence, their anger at Darius forgotten. Terence looked just as stunned...and then he wasn't.

"You TRAITOR!" Terence yelled as he lunged toward Jody. Jody had just enough time to look up before Terence had his hands around his throat. The Commander lifted Jody out of his chair and off the ground and Jody's legs began to thrash in panic.

"THIS is why you never let us train?! THIS is why you keep us sealed in here?! THIS IS WHY YOU MADE SURE WE NEVER LEFT?! SO YOU COULD DOOM US ALL OR SELL US INTO SLAVERY TO THIS MONSTERS!!" Terence yelled as the Mayor started to gag from his windpipe being crushed. William, along with Fitchett and Waring, leap to his feet and rushed to grab Terence. Even with the two Captains help, it was a struggle to pull Terence off. The Mayor feel to the ground with a gasp and coughed as his body tried to suck in the air it needed. Terence thrashed and continued to scream in rage as he tried to pull away from them.

"Commander, calm down! Please, we can't just kill him!" Dixie said as she moved to block his path to the still coughing Mayor. Terence seemed to calm down a bit from his words, but William made sure to keep a good grip on the Commander.

"No...no we...we can't. But we can hang him for the traitor he is," Terence said as he seemed to get himself back under control. Dixie nodded in agreement before motioned toward the Mayor. The Captains released their Commander and moved to pull the Mayor to his feet. He didn't resist, but stammered out some gibberish as he tried to catch his breath.

"P- please. There... there is-" he tried to say but a blow to the stomach from Waring silenced him. Tears began to stream down his face and he hung limp in the Captains' arms. There was no resistance, no attempt to explain, just limp acceptance…

William stared at him and frowned. This...this wasn't the attitude of a traitor who had been caught or one trying to deceive his fellows. This was more like one who had realized the terrible mistake he had made. Which meant...

"Wait, we should hear him out," William said, blocking the way for the Captains to leave. They and Dixie glared at him in fury and even Terence looked pissed at the idea, but William wasn't going to relent. If Jody had been a traitor, then maybe he could help find the rest. And William had dealt with enough liars both before and after the shrink to know Jody was not faking those tears.

"He is right. If nothing else, he might know how to find the other traitors. Besides, we can always kill him AFTER we question him," Malcolm injected with a shrug. Terence didn't look happy with the idea, but his anger turned to a low simmer as he nodded.

"True enough. Let him talk," Terence ordered as the Captains lifted him back onto his feet. The Mayor sniffed a few times before nodding a thanks to William and Malcolm. The nod only made Terence more angry and William had to fight not to tell him to get to talking. His life depended on it.

"Please... please understand. If I had known what they had done, known the..." he stopped as he fought back a fresh wave of sobs. Terence, however, simply rolled his eyes and stomped toward the Mayor.

"If you don't tell us someth-"

"They killed my family!" Jody suddenly yelled out, causing Terence to stop in surprise. Jody shook his head as he fought off another sob.

"My wife and son...were on the way back from his daycare. They couldn't get out of the car after... My wife dug her fingers into nubs trying to claw out the window, but... He was four...only four..." Jody said between sniffs and sobs. He took in a deep breath and looked directly up at Terence.

"I deserve to hang for helping them. I do, but please... please let me help before I do. Let me do SOMETHING to make those..those MURDERERS pay! PLEASE!" he begged, trying to throw himself onto the ground, but unable to thanks to the Captains holding him.

The room was silent save for the sobs from Jody and William let out an internal sigh. He felt for Jody Cortez... a man who thought he was saving his town, but was only delivering it right to the very people who took away his life. He couldn't imagine the horror and anguish it had caused. How he had keep it together this long was a mystery William wasn't sure he wanted to solve.But it did put more than a few points in the “let him live” category.

Darius, who had been silent and still through this, moved past Terence and glared down at Jody. William had a bad feeling Darius' gun would soon be out, but his hand didn't so much as shift.

"What do you know of the traitors?" he asked, getting Jody to look up at him in surprise.

"Wha-...I... I wish I did know more of them. I know some are in high positions, high enough that them being in restricted areas wouldn't draw attention. After that phone call I keep finding notes hidden in various places in my office or in other rooms in the building saying they were watching. They... they even had pictures of me meeting with Terence or the representatives," Jody said, his tears drying a bit. Terence's fists clenched at the news, but William was fairly sure it wasn't due to anger at Jody. The traitors had gotten far into his organization, and he hadn't realized it till right now...

"I never saw that figure who delivered it to me again. Anytime they wanted to contact me, they would leave a note with a date and time on it. The phone would ring at that time and they would give me new instructions. And the things that woman would know... It was like she was sitting there in all of our meetings," Jody continued, shaking his head in disbelief. The angry looks on the Romans had been replaced with worried ones as they looked between each other. It was good to see they COULD think of the implications when they were not blinded by anger and hate. And the implications this raised were… beyond bad.

"I...I wish I knew more, but...but that's really all I know..." Jody said as his head lowered again. Terence stared at his ex-Mayor for a long while, his face unreadable, before clenching his jaw.

"Hang him," was all he said before turning back to the map.

"That would be a mistake," Darius, quickly, said before the Captains could haul Jody away. Terence turned a barely contained glare toward Darius.

"Why?" he half demanded half growled as he stared right into Darius' eyes. Even his Captains looked worried, despite all wanting Terence to take a swing. Probably because they knew it wouldn't be just a swing depending on what Darius said.

"Because he isn't a traitor, not anymore. Now, he is a potential tool. He is still the Mayor your people voted in and, thus, has pull with them. We can use that to help our cause," Darius answered, his voice level and even despite the glare Terence was giving him. That answer didn't seem to satisfy Terence in the least and he turned to full face Darius.

"You've seen the hate that lingers between our two groups. Hate that won't go away unless we work to make it go away. As is evident, I am not good with such tasks and I doubt you are either, if you were you would have unseated Jody long ago. Which means he is the best person here to help bridge that gulf, to heal the wound he helped make. Besides, we know we can trust him, now. Which is more than we can say about any of the other political people here," Darius finished, still as calmly as ever. Terence still looked less than happy with this suggestion and his glare didn't slacken in the least.

"Commander, you can't be considering listening to this damn outsi-" Fitchett said, before stopping as he realized his mistake. Terence's glare shifted to look at him and the Captain clamped his mouth shut tighter than a oil drum.

"You can see it, Commander. You know this alliance is the only chance either of us have of winning this war, but it can't last if this hate for all outsiders continues. If you think you can run the army, AND combat that hate then kill him. But if not... if not he is too useful to simply kill. For now," Darius added, getting Terence' glare to move back to him. Terence stared down at the shorter Darius for a long few minutes, his face a mask of anger.

"Let him go," Terence spit out as he closed his eyes in frustration. The two Captains looked less than certain of the order, but knew better than the question them. They released the Mayor and he let out a relieved sigh.

"Than-"

"SHUT UP!" Terence yelled as he whirled on Jody. Jody shrunk back as Terence almost moved toward the Mayor.

"Don't talk to me or my people. Just fix that hate and stay out of my way," Terence said before motioning for his Captains to take their seats again. They rushed to obey his order and both William and Darius did the same. Malcolm shook his head and made a whew sound before falling silent.

"Since you have made it rather clear we are...ill prepared for this war, in a number of ways, why don't you tell us what you would do, Darius?" Terence said, giving a glare at his Captains as they looked about to voice objections. Darius nodded before standing back up.

"You were correct that we cannot allow them to finish that wall. With it completed, our chances of escape or getting reinforcements become practically zero," Darius started, but had to stop as Waring gave a snort.

"Reinforcements? And where are we supposed to find those?" he asked with a snide tone. Terence sighed to himself, but still turned to hear Darius' response. He didn't answer, however.

"From the rest of my people," Malcolm said with a slight smile.

"The vast majority of the Shadows forces hadn't arrived when we meet the Phoenixes. Which means most of our firepower and numbers are not here, their outside Rome. If we could get in touch with them and give them a copy of Manchent's message, they could spread it all over AND help us force the Society to break off this siege. The Society would have to commit to a two front war or fall back. And with us and any other Resistance groups we manage to recruit constantly harassing their supply line as well..." Malcolm let that hang with a nasty smile. Terence nodded in understanding, and his glare softened a good deal. Even his Captains seemed hard pressed to find a reason to say no to this plan.

"So how do we get in communication with the other Shadows? The Society have us, practically, besieged," Dixie asked, her tone far less hostile than it had been. That was a good sign, though Terence’s still simmering rage probably had more to do with it.

"By sneaking a small team across the river. The Society does have patrols along the river, but those patrols can't watch the entire thing. If we launch a few teams, of no more than five or six people, they can slip past the Society lines and link up with the Shadows. Once that is done, we can use some of our...methods of communication to share intel and plan attacks," William answered, making sure to avoid saying WHAT those methods were. After all, Jody had all but confirmed someone, or someoneS, high up in the Roman leadership was a traitor. There was no reason not to suspect the Captains. They looked less than happy to be left in the dark, but in this they would just have to get over it. Besides, Terence didn’t seem to mind.

"A dangerous plan... if those teams are found they are doomed and if none manage to make it through..." Terence said, rubbing his chin in thought. The Captains, however, looked less than sold.

"If we do nothing Rome, itself, is doomed. It will take time for the Society to shift a large force away from their other objectives and toward us, but they will eventually. We need to make sure they can’t just sit back and pin us up like cattle to be slaughtered while that force gets organized. This plan will make sure they can't," Darius said, tapping the map for extra point. Terence was silent as he considered the point.

"...Point taken. We will do this your way then, Darius. How should we make these teams?" Terence asked as he leaned back in his chair. The Captains seemed a bit annoyed, but still turned to face Darius. Well at least they looked open minded about this plan… or at least smart enough not to have Terence’s rage turned on them.

"In secret. These teams can accomplish more than just getting information to the Shadows, they can, also, help us narrow down where the traitors are. For that reason, I think it best each of your Captains only know of one of the teams," Darius said as his eyes shifted to look at each Captain. The reaction was quick and nasty as all four yelled in almost unison, each declaring their anger at the insinuation that they were a traitor.

"I DID NOT," Darius yelled, managing to get the four to fall silent, "say any of you were the traitor. In fact, I would find it unlikely. However, each of you have staff officers, quartermasters, and other support personnel that all COULD be the traitor. Any orders you give have to pass them by in some manner and a smart operative could, easily, learn a great deal of your activities through those channels. Therefore, it makes sense to have each of your staff only know on ONE team. That way, we can narrow down the location of the traitor, or traitors," Darius said, actually being somewhat diplomatic in this case. The rage that had filled the Captains dimmed a bit at the explanation and Terence gave a very soft nod in agreement with the assessment.

"It...is a passable plan, but what's to stop the traitor from simply letting the team through so as to hide themselves," Captain Freeman asked as he leaned back a bit.

"The fact that letting any of the teams through will mean letting the truth of the Society's crimes out. One of the biggest reasons they want us pinned in is to contain the truth of the Shrink Disaster. If even ONE team gets through, that truth will spread like wildfire. Simply put, the traitor, and the Society as a whole, can't afford to let any of the teams through. The traitor will have to act," Darius said, getting a nod of agreement from William. He was right on the money with that. Manchent's message was too damning to risk escaping just to save a double agent.  The Captains looked disappointed by the fact none of them could fault that logic. Terence though, seemed to brighten at the words.

"Get reinforcements and force the traitors to show themselves... A well made plan, indeed. Very well, we will do as Darius recommended. Captains, head back to your command posts and await my orders. When we have picked the team you are to send, I will send my orders. Till then, you are to be on ready standby. If the Society does want to challenge us again, I want us ready," Terence ordered. Despite the fact they still looked unhappy, the Captains still saluted and filed out of the room. William had a feeling this plan was going to run into trouble, and that trouble was going to link back to them, but there was little he could do about it. Hate and distrust were not easily cured...

"Malcolm, I want you to stay and finalize who is going on which teams and their routes. William and I need to get back to the Phoenix's camp and get a few things prepared," Darius said, rising from his chair. William gave him a raised eyebrow and wondered what those "preparations" were, but knew better than to ask.

"Not a problem. I'll send Roan with the details once we get everything set," Malcolm said before shifting along the chairs to be closer to Terence. The two started to go over the map as Darius and William headed out the door.

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Samantha couldn't help but chuckle as Christina and Jessica continued to play. The little girl had no fear at all of the building-sized catmonster and was busy climbing up her forearm, giggling the whole way. Jessica was just as happy and, softly, blew on the much smaller girl to make a "wind" to blow Christina off. So far, the little girl was proving too tough for the wind to defeat.

"This is, definitely, a sight I never expected to see," Madyson, Christina's mother, said with a smile. Samantha nodded in agreement as Christina pulled herself to the top of Jessica's arm. She leap up and down to celebrate her victory and Samantha had to fight to pull her eyes away from the pair.

"Yes... it is certainly an odd one. But a lot of...odd things have happened recently. Least of all being here in Rome," Samantha said as she turned to look around, as if sure things would be different this time.

But nothing had changed in the last five minutes and they were still in the old open-air stadium. The stadium hadn't been much before the shrink, just a fenced off track and football field with two grandstands on either end, neither of which wrapped around. Since the shrink, not too much had changed. The grandstands had been left to slowly crumble away with time and weather and the track was starting to crack with growing plants. The field had been totally overgrown, but had been tended enough to make it into more of a park than a true forest. Most of the Phoenix and Shadow troops had pitched their tents and shelters in that park, preferring the slightly softer dirt to the unyielding cement. Samantha, though, had toughed it out so she could sleep where Jessica had wound up. The track was the only open space big enough for the massive woman.

"Yes... I never thought I would be here either. Just wish it was somewhere more secure," Madyson said, frowning as she turned to look in the direction of the river. Only a single block of crumbling buildings blocked the river from the stadium and, even with the bridge gone, it was a worrying distance. Doubly so for a mother worried for her child.

"I know... but at least we are far safer here than out there. And I am sure the Romans will let us move deeper inside once they are...sure of us," Samantha said, having to fight not to think back to the angry, hate filled looks she received before. Madyson was spared that walk, thank God, Samantha didn't want to unspare her.

Madyson sighed and nodded in agreement. Some more giggles got them both to look over at Christina. She was running around in front of Jessica while Jessica tapped her finger down trying to catch her. So far, the little girl was "outpacing" Jessica, but the finger was getting closer... Both of them couldn't help but smile to see the two having such innocent fun.

Sadly, the good cheer came to an end as yells of a very different nature started up. Samantha and Madyson turned to see Taylor and a few other Phoenixes argueing with a Roman soldier. Neither could hear what it was about, but Samantha had a feeling it was soon to be trouble, doubly so with Taylor involved.

"Stay here," Samantha said as she got up and rushed to the scene. As she was heading toward it, she spotted Jacob moving toward it as well. She moved over to meet him and they both headed to the scene. The two had to push through a few people before reaching the center of what was going on.

"-nt to leave and YOU can't stop us!" Taylor said, thrusting her finger into the Roman's armor. The soldier glared down at the shorter woman before smacking her hand away.

"I can and I will. My orders are clear, no outsiders are to leave unless they are approved by the Commander," the soldier said as a few more of his fellows moved toward the crowd. All of them were armed with their rifles and had their impressive armor on as well. This was beyond stupid, the Romans could mow them all down with ease and if that happened...

"Stop it! Everyone calm down, we shouldn't be trying to start a fight!" Samantha said as she plowed her way forward and stood between Taylor and the soldier. Taylor had a surprised look for all of a second before it shifted into one of utter hate. She glowered at Samantha and looked about to say something.

"Listen to your smarter friend . Go back and keep quiet before we fill you outsiders with lead," the guard said as he started to turn away. Samantha didn't even need to look at the faces of the Phoenixes around her to know that was a HORRIBLE way to word that.

"Excuse me? Was that a threat?" Jacob said as he came thundering forward, a few people yelling in agreement. Taylor looked even less happy to see him, but remained quiet as the guards turned back to face them.

"And if it was?" the guard asked, moving back toward Jacob. Jacob's eyes narrowed as his hand drifted toward the cannon on his back.

"That's some fancy armor you are wearing. I wonder how well it stops lasers," Jacob said with a low growl. Oh no... no nono, Jacob had to stop this wa-

"Say something like that again, outsider! I dare you!" another of the guards yelled before pulling out his gun. The response was immediate as, suddenly, everyone had their weapons pulled and ready. Samantha struggled to say something, anything to stop this, but nothing was coming and oh God someone was going to shot an-

"STAND DOWN THIS INSTANT!" a voice yelled out causing the tension to shatter as everyone turned to the source. William, coming back from the meeting, thundered towards the scene with Darius following behind. The glare Darius had on his face, and the look of rage on William's was enough to get the Phoenixes to stow their weapons, including Taylor. It was too late to avoid the old man's wrath, however.

"What the bloody hell do you think you were doing?! Are you trying to get us all killed? Start a little mini-war with the Romans while the Society sits outside and laughs at our stupidity?!" William demanded as his gaze swept over the group, even passing over the Romans as well. No one answered, as Darius moved to join his second.

"Since you all have so much energy then we will put it to use. Get back to camp, start cutting trees, and build us a proper barracks and command post. I want it done before the end of the day. Everyone who wasn't part of this can help as well, I am sure your comrades will be grateful for the work," Darius said, his voice level despite the glare he gave them all. There were no moans or groans in response, just subdued yes, sirs as the group filed away. Even Taylor looked bleak at the prospect of their punishment.

"Jacob, come with me," Darius said causing Jacob to stop and blink a few times. Darius motioned for him to follow before heading off in another direction. Jacob gulped a bit before heading after him. Samantha wanted to follow, but knew better. If Darius wanted her along, he would have asked.

"Don't worry, he isn't in trouble. Well, no more than everyone else," William said as he put his arm on Samantha's shoulder and started to lead her away as well. Samantha was a bit confused by the sudden change in direction, but let the old man lead her. The fact his furious face was back to his usual more jolly look helped A LOT.

"Got to say I am a bit disappointed. That could, easily, have ended our work to ally with Rome and yet you didn't seem to do much to stop it. Not exactly a good showing," William said with a sigh, his jolly face fading into a more... sad look. Samantha turned to face him and had to fight not to get angry.

"I..I tried but they wouldn't listen! And that guard only made things even worse wi-" she started to say, but stopped as William came to a stop. He let out a long sigh before shaking his head.

"You tried, once. And then you froze and let Jacob take the lead. A poor choice, even if he is far better than he was. I really thought you could do better, doubly so with how well you did with Jacob," William said as he walked a few steps away and shook his head. What... what was he talking about? Did for Jacob? What had she done for Jacob? William turned back to face her and must have seen her confusion.

"Turn around and tell me what you see," William said as he motioned behind her. Samantha turned and saw Darius, Jacob, and Susan all talking. It looked as if Jacob was actually listening and seemed willing to do whatever he was being asked of. Good, he needed to be more open to working with their leader.

"That wouldn't be happening if not for you. The old Jacob would NEVER have been so willing to listen. Granted, Derek's... condition has some part to play in that change, but it could just as easily driven him to be even LESS cooperative. The fact it didn't is because of you," William said, causing Samantha to look back at him. No... no that wasn't... she didn't...

"But, obviously, you still have a lot to learn. And, since being the second in command is far more work than I thought it would be, it seems only reasonable I offer you to be my new staff officer," William said with a smirk. Samantha's thoughts ground to a halt at the offer. Staf...office.... But that... she would be... the sudden rise in...

"I...sir, I... There are far better people for that job I can nam-" Samantha started, but stopped as William held up his hand.

"There isn't. Not just because of your potential, but also because of who you are. And what you know," William said, his smirk fading. What...what she kne- And then she realized what he meant. And what he REALLY wanted her to be a staff officer for. Yet...yet... A loud giggle caused Samantha to glance over to Jessica. And she knew what she had to say.

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Jimmy had to fight the urge to cuss as he headed to Darius. Fucking idiots, he had been hoping to focus on the platform, now he had to help build a fucking barracks and command post cause the assholes couldn't NOT start shit. When he fucking got back...

Darius was just finishing giving orders to both Jacob and Susan when Jimmy entered earshot.

"-son is of the utmost importance, understood?" Darius asked getting a yes, sir from both. He nodded and sent them off with a wave before turning to Jimmy.

"Be easier to get the platform back in working order without having to do construction," Jimmy half said, half grumbled. Darius motioned for Jimmy to follow as they started back toward the "base" of the Phoenixes.

"You are your workers are exempt from that order. I need you to get the platform working and back on Pyrrha ASAP," Darius said, his voice with a barest hint of worry in them. Jimmy gave Darius a studied look as they entered the “forest”. He had served under him for a few years and had picked up on a few things from the, usually, taciturn leader. One of those was to know when ASAP really meant NOW, and this was one of those times.

"Platform got a bit banged up in that fall. Should be able to do a few quick fixes to get it back on, but... well it might be a bit bumpier than it was," Jimmy paused to see if Darius' look changed. Seeing that it didn't , he just nodded.

"We'll make it work."

"Good. And if you see Sanders, tell him I need to see him,” he said with that same unsaid NOW.

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Victor gave a nod to the guards standing outside the conference room. They returned it before moving to let him inside. He opened the door and found Commander Terence and the Shadow leader, Malcolm, inside still pouring over a map. Neither looked up as he moved into the room.

"It would be better to have my Shadows carry out these missions. Your troops are just not trained to do this kind of spec-op job," Malcolm said, a bit of frustration in his voice. Terence shook his head and sighed.

"I understand that, but that's all the more reason for my people to go so they CAN learn how to do them. Besides, the point of this is to-" Terence stopped as he noticed Victor had entered the room. He stopped and leaned back which cause Malcolm to notice him as well.

"Oh...fuck fine we'll stick to three, two split," Malcolm said throwing a hand up in frustration. Terence seemed to hide a smilel before giving a small nod of appreciation to Victor. Seemed he had arrived just in time to force a choice, a choice in their favor. Well he was always glad to help, doubly so when it required no real work.

"Glad we have come to an agreement. Victor, I need you to round up two of our best scouts in each company. Once you picked who you want, have them report to their company Captain and give the Captain thi-" Terence started to say as he moved to hand him three envelopes , but stopped as the door burst open. Victor, barely, managed to avoid Dixie as she came rushing in and stumbled to a stop next to Terence.

"Co-Commander! Captain Fitchett has dis...disobeyed your orders! He is moving his troops out to engage the Society!" Dixie said, having to pause to catch her breath. Terence shocked look turned to fury as he leap out of his chair, knocking it to the ground.

"He is doing WHAT?! GODDAMMIT! Come on, we have to stop him before he gets himself, and his troops, killed!" Terence said as he started to storm out, Dixie trailing behind.

"Wait, Commander! We still need to-" Malcolm starting to say, but Terence interrupted him.

"Victor, did you get my orders?"

"Y...Yes. Best two in each company, send them to their Captains and deliver these to them," Victor repeated as he grabbed the three envelopes. Terence nodded before grabbed one of the envelopes.

"It's now only two. Good enough?" Terence asked Malcolm. Malcolm sighed but nodded.

"Yeah, it will work. Go stop your idiot Captain and I'll make sure the missions are carried out," Malcolm said. Terence nodded before storming off for real.