Chapter 16: A New Weapon

January 25, 2024 11:54 AM

Derek let out a sigh of relief as Hope came into view. It had been a long trip and he was looking forward to having a bed to sleep in. Even more than that, though, he was looking forward to seeing his boy again. A scout from Darius had found them yesterday and told Derek Jacob and the rest had arrived in Hope, but he wouldn't feel completely at ease till he saw his boy for himself. He just hoped Jacob hadn't caused any trouble.

His soldiers looked just a relieved to see Hope as he was and a short cheer went up from them. A few started talking among themselves while others stretched and put their weapons away. Derek waved the squad leaders off to let his soldiers relax a little, they deserved it. No reason to keep them in full military formation when they were right at home's doorstep. If anything happened here, they would all be dead no matter their formation or readiness. A sobering thought, but Derek saw no signs of any Society in the area.

They headed into the maze of rubble and made their way to the front entrance. Derek wanted to come in from this direction so he could look down on their city and see just what they were fighting for. It was always a good reminder that he wasn't fighting just for revenge, but for people's lives as well. It was not the equal to their lives before, by any measure, but it was a life of moderate safety. That was more than anyone else out here had and was worth fighting for.

Derek shook off his thoughts as they exited the maze. A few soldiers were near the drain's entrance, looking out over the area. They gave the all clear signal and Derek had his men scramble to the safety of the drain. He waited for them all to arrive before moving into the drain himself. The soldiers in the area welcomed them back and gave them all a bit of a cheer. Seemed news of their successful mission had got out. That was good, Hope needed a boost in morale.

As he moved past the cannons, Derek began to hear a dull roar coming from inside the drain. He looked over his soldiers heads and could see the front most stopping at the railing to look down at something. Derek pushed his way forward to see what was going on. He reached the railing of the ramp and was stunned by the sight.

Down in the slum part of the city, a massive celebration seemed to be going on. People were cheering and dancing and making merry as...as buildings were being built in the area?! What the hell was going on? He had tried more times than he could count to get Darius to help those people and, always, he had been adamant about not being able to. Now th-

Derek realized who was responsible for this once his eyes settled on a huge figure towering over the celebration. The catmonster, Pyrrha, was there and looked to be helping build the new structures. Seems Sanders had taken it upon himself to help them. As wonderful as it was those people were finally getting help, Derek worried if Sanders had put everyone here at risk by doing it. He needed to talk to Darius right now, if the worst case had just happened...

Derek turned back to his men and found them eying the celebration with eager anticipation. A large number of cook fires were burning and they could smell the cooking meat even from here. Derek had work still to do, but his soldiers deserved to have a rest. Doubly so if his worst fear was true as they would find themselves right back in the fray. Dammit, if that happened he would strangle Sanders with his bare hands, catmonster or not.

"FORCE!" Derek yelled to get their attention trying to push aside his anger for now, "You did well on the mission. I could not have asked for a better result nor desired one. Because of that, consider yourselves all on leave as of this moment. Go enjoy yourselves." A cheer went up from his Force at the news and most of them began to sprint down the ramp to join the party. The others seemed just as eager, just unwilling to run as they headed down the ramp. Even his three squad leaders had big smiles on their faces as they headed down the ramp. Derek let them go as he turned to one of the soldiers on duty to confirm his suspicion.

"Soldier, what is that celebration for?" Derek asked as the soldier glanced back at it in longing, but stayed at attention.

"Sanders, sir! He and the catmonster went out last night and brought a large amount of wood and food back for the slums. When they found the gift, the people there started the celebration and it has been going on since," the soldier said, confirming Derek's theory. He thanked the soldier and let him get back to work as he headed down the ramp.

By the time he reached the bottom, most of his soldiers were long gone, either to the party or to their families. Derek would have liked to head to either one, but his duty demanded he go to Darius first. He needed to give his report and make sure Sanders act of kindness had not doomed them all. He headed for the HQ and made his way up into it. The soldiers guarding the entrance snapped back to attention when Derek came into view, having been looking at the party. Derek gave them a knowing look before heading into the HQ.

Darius was in the command room, as usual, and was studying a number of maps on the table. The telegraphs were as busy as ever and ticked away as reports were sent to and fro. Derek ignored the reports, for now, and headed for Darius. Darius keep studying the maps for a second before glancing up at Derek.

"Derek, anything new to report from your trip?" Darius asked with a glance.

"No, sir. Everything was quiet," Derek answered as Darius nodded.

"Then this is about the celebration then?" Darius said as he looked up to face Derek, his face impassive.

"Yes, I-" was as far as Derek got before Darius held up his hand.

"I have already had scouts check where the timber came from and if any trails were left back to Hope. Sanders did his homework and took the wood from many different places. He even made them look to have been crushed by a passing catmonster rather than ripped out of the ground. Even if a patrol found them, they would think it was just a feral moving through the area. There is no need for alarm or concern, so let them enjoy themselves," Darius said as he turned back to the maps.

Derek let out a sigh of relieve at the news. He had not been looking forward to ruining those people's enjoyment with news that their hero had doomed them all. They had suffered enough without having their hopes squashed yet again. Now, they could enjoy their celebration in peace, for now.

"Besides, we have more important matters to discuss. I sent out orders for our scouts to search the areas around our frontiers for any signs of Society activity. Their reports are coming in now and, thankfully, paint a much better picture than before," Darius started as he moved aside to let Derek see the maps as well. Derek moved up and smiled in pride as all of them showed the Society pulling back.

They were no longer right on the border of the southern reaches but now a few miles south of them, and looked to be pulling back yet further. The eastern parts were reporting much the same, now that the Snakes were dead and not leading the Society straight to them. Shame they all had to die, but after their raid on that supply base and murdering of everyone there, civilians including, they had it coming.

"The plan worked then, the Society are falling back," Derek said with relieve. Still, success or not, Darius had put his soldiers AND his son in harms way on a hunch. Derek was going to make sure that didn't happen again.

"However, that still does not mean I agree with your plan. You put my entire Force at risk on a hunch that could have ended with all of us dead. I-" Derek started to say before Darius glared up at him.

"We do not have time for this nonsense. This victory has not ended the war, Derek, only delayed our defeat. When we have won, you can bemoan my tactics, or you can takeover and use your own. Till either of those things happen, keep your damn morale qualms to yourself and focus on the here and now," Darius said with a harsh glare. Derek felt a wave of rage go through him at that and he was tempted to smash that glare off Darius' face. He might very well have if Darius hadn't turned away.

"Speaking of, I need you to go to the celebration and find Sanders and Pyrrha. Bring them to the closed side of the armory as soon as possible. Tell Sanders its time for our first test, he will know what it means," Darius said as he went back to the maps. Derek's rage cooled as it was replaced by confusion. Test? What test? Derek had no idea what was going on and that was very unusual for him.

"Test?" Derek asked, hoping to get some answers. He was disappointed as Darius ignored him. Derek had worked for Darius long enough to know that meant he was getting no answers right now. If he wanted them, he was just going to have to follow orders and wait for them to come. His anger came back as he whirled around and stomped his way out of the HQ. Damn him and his ice cold heart, using him and his soldiers like they were pawns and keeping them in the dark. Not for the first time, Derek wished he had Darius' keen strategic mind so he could takeover, but Derek was no fool. He knew he was nowhere near as cunning or smart as Darius was. And, as much as he hated to admit it, Darius' often times cruel leadership had saved them more times than Derek cared to remember. He sighed as his anger gave way to a sad acceptance. Damn this cruel world they lived in...

Derek made his way out of the HQ, back down the ramp, and into Hope. The streets were unusually empty and lifeless. Considering the dull roar of the celebration, Derek could guess where everyone was. Even from here, Derek could see the back of the catmonster as it worked to help build the new homes. Derek was still very leery of letting that thing into Hope, and having it so close to civilians, but he supposed he owned it some leeway. It had saved his son and all of Squad 3...

Derek moved through the empty streets and tried to find a way into the celebration that would put him close to Pyrrha. He figured Sanders would not be far from it, or at least he better not be, so best to start looking for him there. He was about to head down a street that was looking to be his best option when he noticed a figure standing nearby. Doctor Kimberly was standing outside her clinic looking toward the party. She didn't seem all that happy about it and was taking a few drinks out of a wineskin that undoutably had moonshine in it.

Derek headed over to her and stopped at the stairs leading up to the clinic. Kimberly looked down at him and nodded a greeting before turning back to the party. She took another sip from the wineskin before shaking her head.

"Want a drink?" she offered Derek. He shook his head and waved the shine away.
"You're lose," she said in reply before taking another drink. Derek could tell she was a little buzzed from the alcohol, but far from drunk. He knew from experience she could hold her liquor quite well and to not challenge her to a drinking contest. She grumbled as she looked at the party and shook her head again.

"All he had to do was fetch some wood and food and suddenly he is fucking Jesus come again... Men and women put their lives on the line everyday to keep this place safe and they never get celebrated or praised. All they get is a trip to my clinic to get patched up and sent back, or a bonfire farewell ," Kimberly said as she took another swig. Kimberly always hated that they didn't bury their dead, but there was nothing for it. There was no room in Hope for a cemetery, doubly so one that would need to be so large, and putting it outside would only draw attention to them. Derek wasn't thrilled with it either, but he understood that necessity overruled feelings. Kimberly, though...

"I couldn't careless about what they think of Sanders. All that really matters is those people, finally, got the help they needed. That, at least, is worth celebrating," Derek said, hoping to get the conversation away from Sanders and his new popularity. He did agree with Kimberly that his soldiers deserved that praise more than Sanders. But, on the other hand, Sanders was the one who had found a way to help the people in the slums. That was worth some praise as was giving something for the slum people to celebrate. Lord knows they needed something to...

"I suppose that is true. Sad that it took an outsider coming for them to get that help. An outsider who only managed it because of his pet monster," Kimberly said as her voice became more bitter. It looked like his plan to move the conversation away had failed. Kimberly took another drink before she continued.

"There are far better heroes, far better people, that deserve a celebration in their honor. Sanders is no hero, just a man who has a catmonster at his call. And yet that is what they are calling him, a hero," Kimberly said as her free hand tightened into a fist.
"They've all already forgotten the real heroes. The ones who gave everything they had to protect us. The ones who had nothing but their own will and skills to fight with, who fought giantesses without monsters, who saved...saved..." Kimberly stopped as she slammed her fist into the railing of the stairs. She closed her eyes and looked away from Derek as she sniffed back some tears. Derek sighed to himself as he realized what this was really about.

He moved up the stairs and wrapped his arm around Kimberly. She didn't try to resist, but didn't move to welcome the touch either.

"I miss him too, Kimberly. And so do a lot of people here, even if they don't show it everyday. He was a great man and deserved better than he got," Derek said in as comforting a way as he could. Kimberly's head lowered as she stopped trying to fight the tears. She covered her face with her free hand and whipped away the tears as they came. Derek pulled her a little closer and Kimberly returned the half hug.

"I..I know they do, but its just... There was never a celebration for him, no monument or anything to remember him with... He made all this possible and yet... and yet Darius is given credit for Hope and now this...upstart comes and.." she stopped as she shook her head again. She started to raise the wineskin to her mouth again when Derek took it from her grasp. He took a very long and drawn out drink, enjoying the burning sensation it made down his throat. He finished it off before looking back to a confused Kimberly.

"You are wrong about that. Jason does have a monument to him and we both see it everyday. Those young boys and girls that join up, ready to give their lives so that others might keep theirs, are his monument. Jason was the first to make that choice and his legacy comes through your door everyday. And everyday you tend to it to make sure it doesn't die completely. Which is why you need your wits and not this," Derek said as handed her back her wineskin. She looked back to the door and looked to fight back another wave of tears. She, suddenly, wrapped both arms around Derek and buried her head in his chest. Derek was taken a bit off guard at first, but gently hugged her back as she weep into his fur coat.

They stayed like that for a few seconds before Kimberly lifted her head from Derek's chest. She looked up at Derek before pulling herself up just high enough to give Derek a light kiss on the cheek. Derek couldn't help but blush a bit at the kiss as she pulled away from him.

"Thank you, Derek. I...I need to get back to my patients and...his legacy," Kimberly said with a sad, but content smile. Derek nodded as he thought back to his own loses and how nice it would be to bury them in Kimberly's embrace. But both had agreed long ago that it would never work as neither wanted to go through that lose again. It would ease the pain in the short term, but cause much, much more later.

Derek turned back to the party and headed down the stairs. He hadn't gotten far before Kimberly called out to him again.

"Derek," she said as he turned to look at her in the doorway, "Make sure we don't lose this hero." Derek nodded with a half smile and Kimberly returned it. She turned back and headed into the clinic as Derek turned to the party in the distance.

Derek arrived in the celebration itself a minute later. He was a bit taken aback seeing just how happy and cheerful everyone was. People he had known never to so much as break a smile were laughing and carrying on with people as they ate or helped move supplies around. Kids were moving through the area playing tag or other such games, acting like real kids rather than traumatized refugees. Even a few of his own soldiers were in the crowd having just as good time as everyone else. Whatever jealousy or lingering annoyance he had at this celebration was dispelled thanks to their happy faces. Whatever risks or potential problems were worth it now that he had seen them.

He weaved his way through the crowd, getting greeted here and there and welcomed back. Derek returned the greetings and spoke shortly with a few people. Part of him wanted to join in on the celebration and go back to being just Derek for a few minutes, but he still had responsibilities and duties to see to. He excused himself from all the talks and keep heading toward the looming figure of the catmonster.

He was about halfway to the catmonster when his nose was assaulted with a smell that nearly caused him to droll all over himself. Meat...slow cooking meat mixed in with some mushrooms and a hint of shine as well. Derek had been living off rations and jerky for the last few days, along with the rest of his Force. They had been enough to keep him from starving, but were far from a real meal. This, though...

Derek found himself wondering slightly off course now and toward the smell. His stomach was overriding all other concerns save getting to that food and there was little he could do about, not that he wanted to. Derek followed the smell to a large open area where a big cookfire had been made and was being used to cook large haunches of meat. A number of dead deer and boar carcasses were laying nearby, slowly being cut up by a few blood-covered butchers. Near the cook fire were a number of women handing out portions to people waiting in line. One of them caught Derek's eye as she turned to hand a piece of meat to a small kid.

Samantha noticed him a second later and waved to him. Derek snapped out of his hunger-driven stupor and remembered what he had been doing. And, more importantly, that he still had not seen his son or heard how the trip went. Samantha would know about the trip and, likely, where Jacob was. Darius had said to get Sanders ASAP, but Derek thought his son was more important than whatever secret plan Darius was hatching. He headed over to Samantha as she stepped away from the cookfire.

"Commander, its good to see you arrived back safely. I was going to give my report of our separate mission when I heard you were back, but...well..." she said all straight laced, though she began to falter a bit at the end. Derek gave her a calming smile as he chuckled a bit.

"It's fine, Samantha. Helping feed the people in the slums is a good enough excuse for me. Just bring me up to speed and we will forget all about the lateness," Derek said as Samantha brightened a bit and nodded.

"Yes, sir, thank you. The trip was rather uneventful. Sanders had Pyrrha go back every few hours and create fake trails to throw off pursuit and Jacob keep us on course for Hope. We did not come across any Society forces on our trip and arrived without incident two days ago," Samantha said as calmly as if she had rehearsed it. In fact...it was a bit TOO much like she had rehearsed it. It would not be the first time she had tried to protect Jacob from his own stupidity. 

"No incidents...are you sure, Samantha?" Derek asked as he narrowed his eyes. Samantha didn't so much as blink as she stared back at him.

"Yes, sir. No incidents," she replied with a unreadable mask for a face. Derek tried to pierce that mask to find the truth it was hiding, but Samantha's mask was too well made to punch through. Threats and intimidation wouldn't work either. Derek had learned that Samantha was more than willing to stand up to him to protect Jacob, Force Commander or not. To be honest, though, Derek was kinda glad that she was, it showed just how much she cared for his son.

"I see... that is good to hear. Thank you for your report, Samantha. Before you get back to work, though, do you know where Jacob is?" Derek asked, giving up on getting the truth out of Samantha. Her mask didn't shift at all as she stared at him for a second.

"Yes, he is over with Pyrrha and Sanders helping build the new homes," she said with a hint of a smile breaking through. Derek had to fight not to looked surprised at the news. Jacob working with Sanders AND Pyrrha?! Now he KNEW something had happened during their time together, though whether it was bad or not he was torn on. Derek managed to keep his face impassive as he nodded.

"Thank you, Samantha. Oh and make sure some of that meat gets put into storage," Derek said, trying to get his mind off his shock and onto something else. Samantha's smile spread as her mask fell away.

"Darius already beat you to that, sir. He had most of the food taken to storage along with a good bit of the wood. Would have taken more if Sanders hadn't stopped him. Tell Jacob I said hello when you see him," Samantha said as she went back to the cookfire. Derek should have guessed Darius would have done that as soon as he heard about the new supplies. A bit odd he would have given in to Sanders and not taken what he wanted, though. Then again, Sanders did have a catmonster and the popularity of the masses now. Darius probably figured it was best to give in this time.

Derek let Samantha get back to work as he started back toward the huge form of Pyrrha. He hadn't gotten far before he starting kicking himself for not getting some of that food while he was there. Too late now as he had put off finding Sanders long enough. He would just have to come back later and suffer till then.

Derek moved past a few buildings that were having the finishing touches put on them by some workers. These homes were small and rather simple, but would be palaces compared to what the people here had lived in. Beyond these nearly finished homes were a few that just had their frames up. These had a larger amount of people working on them, including a few Derek recognized as being soldiers. A large pile of wood was nearby and was being cut into the planks needed for the homes. Derek smiled as he saw Jacob helping move the finished planks to the homes and making sure each home had enough planks to keep its construction moving along.

He was tempted to go over to talk to his son, but he didn't want to disturb him while he was doing important work. He would save their talk for later along with some praise for his good work here. Derek weaved through the workers and headed to the far end of the area. High above, Pyrrha's huge form loomed over him, squatting down to get a better look at things. Her massive rear was hovering in the air near him and Derek had to admire how toned and firm it looked. Derek tore his eyes from her huge ass, and the giant tail swinging above it, to the house itself she was squatting in front of. The catmonster had a completed frame of a roof in her hand and was carefully placing it onto the wall frames of a house.  He spotted the form of Sanders near the wall frame, yelling orders up to Pyrrha.

"Little lower. Easy, Pyrrha. OK, hold it," Sanders said as he nodded to three other men. The three of them moved to the frames and began to secure the roofing frame to the rest of the house as Sanders smiled up at Pyrrha.

"Good girl, still up for more?" he asked to which Pyrrha gave a happy meow. She, slowly, let go of the roof frame before looking around herself as if making sure where she could move to, but stopped when she noticed Derek. She gave him a suspicious look and watched him as he made his way to Sanders. Derek ignored the massive stare he was getting as he focused on Sanders. Sanders smile faded a bit when he noticed Derek coming toward him.

"Derek, glad to see you made it back safely. Here to help with the construction?" Sanders asked as he started to move to help secure the frame as well. Derek stopped him before he moved off, though.

"No, though I will later. Right now, though, Darius needs you and Pyrrha to come to the armory. He said its time for the first test," Derek said, trying not to look confrontational. He had every intention of helping once this was done, but his duty as a soldier came first. At least until he saw what they were testing. If it turned out to be something pointless he would have Darius' hide and duty be damned. Bastard had no right keeping him in the dark like this when he was the second-in-command.

Sanders looked angry at first, but softened when Derek gave his reason. Sanders sighed as he looked around and seemed to debate whether he was going to agree or not. He nodded, though as he turned back to Derek.

"Alright. Give me a second to get Pyrrha moved away from here and then we'll head that way," Sanders said. Derek nodded and let Sanders go as he headed for Pyrrha and the workers.

"Hey! You guys think you can handle things here while I go take care of something with Pyrrha?" Sanders asked the workers. They all gave him a sure or go ahead in reply. Sanders nodded and headed to Pyrrha. The catmonster had stop eying Derek by then and was bending over to look at the workers better when Sanders got her attention. She raised him up to her head far above and slowly began to work her way away from the build site. Confident that Sanders would make his way to the armory, Derek started heading that way as well.

Despite her far larger steps, Derek arrived at the armory ahead of Pyrrha. The catmonster had to take each step in her crawl slowly as she made her way to it, careful not to crush anyone or anything. As she got close enough for her steps to make the ground rumble, Darius, Jimmy, and Doctor Helman all came out to wait for her arrival. Jimmy nodded a hi to Derek which he returned, but Helman and Darius ignored him in favor of Pyrrha. Helman looked to be on the verge of a stroke as he waited in anticipation for her arrival.

Pyrrha seemed less than happy to see Helman and even less pleased to see Darius. Her ears flattened a bit at Darius, but Sanders seemed to soothe her a bit. She lowered him back down to the ground before sitting on her knees, still looking ill at ease.

"Sanders, thank you for coming and bringing Pyrrha. We are ready to begin the final tests of the platform and make sure it works properly. If you would be so kind as to have Pyrrha come to the far side of the armory, we will get started on fitting it to her," Darius said with an agreeable smile. Sanders nodded and turned back to Pyrrha. While Sanders talked to Pyrrha, Darius turned to Derek.

"Do you remember what Sanders wanted us to help him with?" Darius asked getting a raised eyebrow from Derek.

"Yes, why?"

"Because we are going to help him. However, his overhearing of his old partner realizing he is still around makes this a race, a race we cannot afford to lose," Darius answered as his usual emotionless mask came back. Derek was a bit surprised by this, though wasn't at the same time. Some part of him knew they were going to help Sanders the moment Darius had sent him on that suicide mission. Didn't mean he liked it, though.

"So you really think he is telling the truth and that whatever Manchent left is that valuable?" Derek said as Darius began to lead them to the far side of the armory as well. This part of the armory was always covered in a large towel and was where the most secret of weapons were made. And since it was off in its own corner with nothing near it, it was easy to keep anyone from wondering in or making some stupid excuse for why they were there. Society might not use spies, but other groups did.

"I believe he believes he is telling the truth. I, also, believe that if whatever is in Lindale is truly valuable, the Society will be heading that way very soon. While I would prefer to wait for that proof, if we did we would be too late to reach it. Instead, we will just have to risk it being unimportant and wasting our time rather than risk losing something that could be valuable," Darius answered as he moved a flap cut into the towel and headed into the area. Derek followed and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what was being built.

The entire area walled off by the towel was covered with wooden scaffolds which surrounded a huge metal...thing. On top of the metal construction looked to be a number of small buildings made of various things. Gigantic cables of spider webs, woven together, were hanging down from the huge metal construction. A few workers were still moving about the thing checking a few things and other such stuff. The construction site was easily several stories tall and had, undoutably, taken weeks to get to this point.

Derek stood there, gaping at the sight as Helman pushed past and Jimmy joined him. Sanders came in and, thankfully, stopped dead in stunned surprised as well. At least Sanders hadn't seen this thing either... Darius motioned for Sanders to join him, but had to come back and nearly drag him away to join him and Helman. That left Derek with Jimmy at the entrance.

"What...is this thing?" Derek asked, finally recovering from his shock. Jimmy got a proud smile as he looked over it.

"My pride and joy that's what. Biggest thing I have ever helped build and the most complex. To put it in lay man's terms, its a giant backpack for Pyrrha that can, also, serve as a base of operations," Jimmy said as he looked over his work with a pleased eye. Derek's shock only grew as his brain caught up with what his ear had heard. A backpack for Pyrrha that was a base of operations...fuck they had built a mobile base to go on Pyrrha!

"No...no, there is no way you could build something like this and expect it-" Derek started to say before Jimmy interrupted him.

"And expect it to work? Of course I expect it to. Both me and the Doc have been working on this round the clock since Darius gave the order. For good reason too. Imagine having a base with a full compliment of soldiers ready to deploy and able to move as fast as a catmonster. And then, once they are deployed, having catmonster support. This could change everything for us, your mission proved that. If we can start hitting their patrols and actually win with minimal loses...well," Jimmy said nudging Derek a bit.

Derek glanced down at the nudge as his mind finished the thought. If they could do that...the Society might never find them. Even better, they could advance outward farther than before, maybe even raid some of the outlying towns in New Atlanta. If they could start doing that with a modicum of success it might force the Society back on the defensive... Shit, they might have the game changer right here without going to Lindale.

Derek moved up to where Darius, Helman, and Sanders were talking and caught the last bit of the conversation.

"-and get her to go under the platform, we can take care of securing it to her," Darius said as Sanders looked over the area. He seemed a bit worried as he looked over things, but nodded.

"I'll try, but I'm not sure Pyrrha is going to be thrilled to have that thing on her. Keep your people away from it till I give the word, alright?" he said. Darius nodded and Sanders headed back out to get Pyrrha. Helman was nearly jumping around with giddiness as he dashed off to make a few final adjustments, yelling for Jimmy as he went. Jimmy sighed and followed leaving Derek and Darius alone.

"You were planning this from the very beginning weren't you?" Derek said with a bit of annoyance in his voice. Darius didn't answer.
"You could have filled me in, at least, and told me-"

"Told you what? That I trusted Sanders to side with us and that I was going to use a large portion of our resources building a device that would be utterly useless if Sanders or his catmonster proved uncooperative? How would you have reacted to that before you saw Sanders and Pyrrha in action?" Darius interrupted with a harsh glare. Derek opened his mouth to protest, but closed it as he realized exactly what he would have done.

"Derek, I do not enjoy leaving you in the dark, but it is necessary at times. You, after seeing what that catmonster is capable of, know how much this could change everything. I could not risk you ruining it over paranoia, however well founded it might have been," Darius said in a more soothing tone. Derek sighed to himself as his anger turned to acceptance. As much as he hated to admit it, he understood why Darius had done what he had. This truly could change everything...and he could have easily ruined it.

"I understand. I will try to be less...close-minded," Derek said getting a humph from Darius.

"Don't be. Knowing you would never go for the plan lead me to consider alternatives if our "hero" had proven unworthy. The adjustments being done could easily have been used on our other trump card," Darius said with a slight smirk. Derek felt a bit better knowing his paranoia had helped in some small way. And now that he thought about it, this device could work on it as well. Still, it was best to keep that card hidden till the last possible moment. Surprise would be its best advantage.

"I see. In that case, I have to wonder why we are going to Lindale. This could change our war effort and we have the Society pulling back. Now seems a perfect chance to strike back using this rather than running off on a wild goose chase," Derek said, still stumped as to why Darius would go for this. Even if Manchent had left something, it couldn't be that useful if it hadn't saved him or been used by the good Doctor. Not to mention, if Sanders story was true, it hadn't helped his friend from being killed.

"It is and it is not. Sanders told you his old partner realized what had killed the Ranger, correct?" he paused while Derek nodded, "That means we have lost the element of surprise. Most likely, those giantesses that are still out on patrol will be much more wary of any catmonsters they meet along with being lured into ambushes. And, while I do have great faith in Doctor Helman and Jimmy, this project has still been untested. We do not know if it even works or how effective it will be. It needs to be tested and doing so by throwing it straight into the fire would be too risky. Instead..." Darius stopped and, much like William loved to do, waited for Derek to fill in the rest. It wasn't too hard now that Darius had explained it.

"Instead, we will go on this potential goose chase, test the back pack to make sure it works without having to go straight into danger, and keep Sanders happy and working for us," Derek finished getting a nod from Darius.

"Exactly. I do not have much hope in finding anything worthwhile in Lindale as well, but Sanders WILL leave us if we do not go with him and Pyrrha will go with him. We cannot afford to lose either at this point," Darius added as Derek nodded his understanding. Now that he understood what this was all about, he felt more confident in this mission. Goose chase or not, they would still be able to work out any kinks with the backpack before they took it into a combat situation. That alone was worth the delay in taking the fight back to the Society, doubly so with them only having one of these things.

Derek felt the all to familiar rumbling of a giant thing moving long before the towel started to move. A number of workers pulled it aside to reveal the backpack as Pyrrha, with Sanders on her head, moved toward it. Pyrrha gave it a curious look before glancing upwards toward Sanders. Sanders said something to her and she put him back onto the ground. By then, the towel was pulled all the way back and everyone had moved away from the backpack.

"PYRRHA COME!" Sanders yelled up at Pyrrha as he moved toward the backpack. Pyrrha followed him till she got to it and stopped at it. She poked it a few times and gave it a wary look. Sanders called out to her and motioned for her to follow him under it. Pyrrha bent down and looked at him, but didn't look keen on getting under it.

"Come on, Pyrrha, its not going to hurt you! Pyrrha!...PYRRHA!" Sanders yelled, but the catmonster just glanced between him and the backpack. Darius sighed beside Derek as he rubbed his temples.

"Derek, go get some of the meat out of storage, see if that will get the damn thing under there," Darius said with an annoyed look. Derek doubted that would work, but...he glanced at Sanders a smiled to himself.

"Got a better idea," he said before heading toward Sanders. Darius gave him a curious look as he watched him go. Sanders keep trying to coax Pyrrha under the backpack, with no success as Derek headed for him. He stopped when Derek was a few feet from him. Derek made sure Pyrrha was looking as well before turning to face Sanders completely.

"Derek, stay back. I'll get her un-" was as far as he got before Derek rushed him and smashed his fist into his face. Sanders went tumbling to the ground with a cry of pain and fell flat onto his back from the blow. Barely a second later, a booming hiss erupted from Pyrrha as Derek turned to see the office building-sized catmonster rushing toward him, crawling along the ground under the backpack. Derek sprinted back away from its huge form as fast as his legs could go, but not fast enough.

Pyrrha's massive claw came crashing down in front of him, blasting him backwards from the impact. His ears were sent ringing from the blast and he scrambled to his feet. He tried to run again, but barely had gotten to his feet when the claw came racing back toward him. He swore as it wrapped around him and lifted him into the air. He gasped for air as the hand lifted him face to building with Pyrrha. The catmonster let out another angry hiss and tightened its grip of Derek. Derek grunted in pain and started to feel things going dark. Shit...maybe this...wasn't such...a good...idea...

"PYRRHA STOP!" Sanders yelled from below as Pyrrha's grip loosened. Derek sucked in a huge lung full of air and coughed a bit as he felt his mind clearing a bit. Pyrrha glanced downward, but only for a second before locking back onto Derek.

"PUT HIM DOWN PYRRHA!" Sanders yelled again. Pyrrha turned away from Derek and looked down at, assumedly, Sanders. She gave a low growl in response and looked about to turn back to Derek when Sanders yelled again.

"PYRRHA! NOW! PUT HIM DOWN NOW!" Sanders yelled, this time sounding actually angry. Pyrrha glanced back up at Derek, and gave a low growl before lowering him part way to the ground. She let go of him a few feet from the ground causing Derek to crash to the ground. He grunted from the impact, but was too relieved to be out of her grip to care about the rough landing. He laid there a moment and groaning in pain.

Sanders moved over to him, his face looking a bit swollen, and offered him a hand up. Derek took it and let himself be helped up. Only to wind up on his ass again when Sanders repaid his punch in kind. Derek swore as his face roared in pain from the blow.

"Next time, I'm not saving you're stupid ass from Pyrrha. Want to commit suicide, do it without Pyrrha's help!" Sanders yelled, looking furious about what just happened. Pyrrha, though, smiled at the punch and rasp-berried at Derek, getting a fair bit of spit on him. Derek rubbed it off as he got back to his feet, making sure none of his ribs were bruised from the squeeze.

"It got Pyrrha under the backpack didn't it? And as long as I stay near you, she won't move while they get it hooked on her now, will she?" Derek said with a slight smirk. He was rather proud of that idea. Dangerous, sure, but he could see nothing short of it was going to get Pyrrha under there and stay under. And, most importantly, it had worked. Pyrrha was lying on the ground and in the perfect position for the backpack to be put on her.

Sanders looked about to protest, but stopped. He threw up his hands and shook his head, before walking over to Pyrrha. Derek let him go as he looked up to see Pyrrha was right where she needed to be. Workers were already moving up the scaffolding to get things ready while Helman shouted orders. Darius nodded to Derek before turning to watch the work. A few possible bruised ribs was worth a potential weapon like this.

Sanders managed to keep Pyrrha from moving or wiggling around as the workers began to set the backpack onto her. It helped that all Derek had to do was move toward Sanders to get her to lock all attention on him. It took a large number of them to pull the spiderwebs into position, though Pyrrha did help a bit. With the shoulder straps around her looped over her arms, they moved to the waist straps. These took a bit longer, as Pyrrha once again seemed ill at ease by it. Thankfully, Sanders managed to coax her into helping them pull them around her waist so they could get them secure. With the backpack secured to Pyrrha, the workers went about setting up straw dummies all over it. Derek headed back over to Darius while the last few were put into place.

"Guessing those are to test it," Derek said as he looked at the dummies. Darius nodded as an "all finished" call went out. The workers began to move away from the scaffolding and to safe areas. Sanders stayed with Pyrrha, keeping her calm by petting her cheek as Jimmy and Helman headed to them. Helman hurried over and took up position to watch as he hurried Jimmy along.

"Hurry up, Jimmy. Finally, its time to see my greatest work go into action," he said with a school boy's enthusiasm. Jimmy shook his head and sighed to himself.

"Yeah, not like I helped or anything..." he grumbled as he checked for the all clear signs from the other parts of the work area. With everyone clear of the backpack, he gave the thumbs up to Darius.

"Sanders! You can proceed with the test now!" Darius yelled to Sanders. Sanders nodded and said something to Pyrrha. She lifted him up onto her head before getting up on all fours. She stopped for a second when she bumped the backpack and bent down a bit. Sanders said something to her, probably trying to calm her and coax her in playing along. It seemed to work as she, slowly, got on all fours, lifting the backpack up as well.

The huge metal construction groaned a bit as it was lifted up, but didn't fall apart or show any sign of breaking apart. The starwmen on it all looked OK and, for now, things seemed to be working. Pyrrha moved back a bit from the scaffolding and her steps caused the springs on the bottom of the backpack to moan. Helman and Jimmy watched the dummies with baited breath as she took her first step. They barely even shook has her knee hit the ground, same with her next, and the next, and the next.

Both Jimmy and Helman let out of sigh of relieve as the shock springs worked perfectly. Ridding bareback on Pyrrha had been more than a little rough, but those springs would make the rocking minimal on the backpack. Darius smiled and gave a nod of approval to them both. They keep watching as Sanders had Pyrrha move a bit quicker back and forth, turning from side to side, and testing that the shock springs worked in any direction. Each and every time, the dummies barely lost any straw at all. They worked better than well, they worked perfectly.

"Very well done, both of you. Helman, consider your little pet project given a green light and Jimmy, your request is approved," Darius said to them both. Helman cackled like a madman just told he was exempt from all laws while Jimmy gave a sigh of relief. He thanked Darius as Darius turned back to Pyrrha and Sanders.

"Sander!" he yelled up to him, getting Sanders to stop Pyrrha.
"Have Pyrrha stand up, we are going to test the other part of the system!" he yelled. Sanders gave a yes sign before going back to talk to Pyrrha. Pyrrha looked a bit apprehensive, but moved back to her feet nonetheless. She rose up as the backpack, slowly, slid into its secondary position. The metal floor unlocked from its position and rolled down along some metal rails before curving back around and up, making a lip.

A number of the dummies had been tied to the "floor" with web ropes to represent gunners and such. They weathered the change without much trouble and looked secure enough. Those that were not, however, were not quite so good. Most fell into the lip where, Derek assumed something soft was ready to catch them, but some seemed caught on the floor and being crushed by the metal plates or crashed into the buildings built onto it. Two even came tumbling out of windows in some of the buildings and fell past the lip. Both Helmans and Jimmy's excitement died with the dummies.

"Looks like we got some adjustments to make...another long nighter," Jimmy sighed as Helman moved up to Darius.

"This...doe-"

"No, this doesn't change what I said. I doubted this part would go off without a hitch, anyway. Once its back on the scaffolding, get to work fixing those problems," Darius said with a just a hint of annoyance. Both Helman and Jimmy nodded as Darius turned to the armory.

"Derek, we need to talk in private. Helman, you're in charge here. Once the backpack is off Pyrrha, she and Sanders are free to go," Darius said as he walked away. Derek followed after Darius as Jimmy gave another long sigh and Helman chuckled a bit. He wasn't sure he would have left Helman in charge, but it wasn't his call.

Darius and Derek headed into the armory and to a small office near the entrance. Darius waited for Derek to close the door before he spoke.

"With the test looking promising, we need to discuss who we are going to bring on the mission to Lindale. Currently, I want my own first squad and your third squad to come along, but I am unsure who else we should bring," Darius said. Derek got a wave of both fear and anger at that suggestion.

"My first squad would be a better choice, Derek. Third squ-" he started, though Darius interrupted him.

"Your first squad is not indebted to Pyrrha for their lives. I am loathe to trust even my own squad to go along with riding a catmonster which means I need a squad I know WILL accept it. Out of all your squads, third is the most likely," Darius said with an annoyed tone. Derek's fists clenched as he felt his anger rising. Darius KNEW Jacob was in third and what him coming would mean. Derek wanted his son here where it was safe, not out there testing a new weapon. A weapon that has just shown could be deadly to them as well!

"Darius, I will not let my son go on this mission," Derek said with a harsh glare. Darius returned it and the two stared the other down. Darius, however, scoffed as he turned away.

"Fine, reassign him to another squad, but we are still bringing third," Darius said with a dismissive wave. Derek let out his held breath and tried to reign in his anger. He had gotten what he wanted so there was little point to staying furious. Indeed, he still needed to keep his wits to make a good team for this mission.

"That's acceptable. Two squads, though, is still a bit short-handed. We might want to bring a third," Derek suggested, trying to move things away from that argument. Darius nodded, apparently just as willing to move on, and rubbed his chin in thought.

"Perhaps a squad from the northern Forces? They know the land and General Holcomb will not miss one squad," Darius suggested. Derek frowned a bit at that notion, though.

"True, but many of his squads are green and untested. I would rather not have an entire squad of rookies on this trip," Derek said, getting a nod of agreement from Darius. The two thought for a moment before an idea came to Derek.

"What about one of Gerard's squads? That fire attack cost them a good many troops, but he still has a number of experienced people left. Would give his new bloods a chance to get bloodied and we would have enough senior people to keep them from doing something stupid," Derek suggested. He left out bringing Gerard himself for a number of reasons, not the least of which being he was a pyromaniac. The only reason his usual lose cannon style was tolerated was because of his skill with flames. The fire attack might have been Darius' plan, but it was Gerard's skill that managed to pull it off.

Darius thought for a moment, mulling over options, before nodding.

"Yes that is a good idea. So we have my squad, your third, and one of Gerards, we can leave which to him. We will still need a few specialists. Jimmy is going to come to make sure the backpack stays in working order and to give him sometime away from Helman," Darius said with a slight smirk. Poor bastard deserved sometime away. Helman could be....well there really was no words for it. And his skills at jury-rigging would be a God-send if something went wrong with the backpack. Derek nodded his agreement to that and thought about what else they might need.

"Might want some heavy firepower just in case. Pyrrha is strong, but even I could tell she couldn't take that giantess alone, not without getting banged up anyway," Derek suggested, thinking back to how Pyrrha barely stopped that blow from hitting the mountain. And that had been a wounded giantess too. Darius nodded his agreement and both came to the same agreement on who to bring.

"Henderson and Taylor," they both said in unison. Henderson was the best shot in the Phoenixes with a air cannon and Taylor was one of the best spotters. The two had blown the brains out catmonsters mid-charge, nailed the wing of a fairy mid-flight, and even brought down a giantess before it even knew someone was there. Even better, Pyrrha would make the perfect platform for them to fire from.

"Once we are done, I'll go tell Jimmy to start rigging their cannon onto the platform," Derek said, getting a smile and a nod from Darius.

"Very good. The only other specialist we will need is a scout. Normally, Lindsey would be the obvious choice...however..." Darius sighed to himself as he looked to the side. Derek felt the sadness of losing her coming back and he had to fight back a bit of tears. The last time they had spoke had been their usual jabbing at each other...if he had known... No, no use in that.

"Yeah...I think all our as skilled scouts are in the South and pulling any of them back would be...problematic," Derek said. Darius took a second to nod his agreement as he turned away from the wall he had been staring at.

"Yes, we can't afford to pull any of them back. We cannot leave Hope less defended while we are on this mission....but I can't think of anyone with Lindsey's skills who is free," Darius said with an aggravated tone. Derek raked his brain for someone they could use that was not busy, someone cl-...

"William," Derek said getting a stare from Darius. "William is free."

"No. He is needed to ke-" this time it was Derek turn to interrupt.

"Sanders just took care of that problem. The people in the slums will be too busy enjoying their new homes to cause any problems. I know you two don't see eye to eye, but the old man is the only one with the skills we need," Derek said as Darius turned away with a scoff. He was silent for a moment before his shoulders drooped and he sighed.

"Fine...William is our scout. Tell everyone that is going to be ready to move out tomorrow. We can't wait any longer than that," Darius said with an annoyed look. He brushed past Derek and out of the office. Derek watched him go and couldn't help but smile a bit. Turn about was far play you bastard. See how he liked having someone on a mission he didn't want.

Oral information on "Original 12":

"Finally heard about them, did ya? Hehe, yeah I know about them, but to tell the whole story of them would take all day. I know how you young people are so let me just give you the quick story. It was back when the Society first started killin folks and attacking towns. A man named Jason Hambly started rounding up people to make a group to help save folks and get them to safety before the Society attacked. He managed to get eleven other people to come with him when he set out and they decided to call themselves the Phoenixes. Yep, that's right son. This was how the Phoenixes got started.

The original twelve went all over the place, warning villages of the attacks, helping people find places to hide, and even slowing down the Society when they could. But, it was dangerous work and more than a few of them died. But, as they lost people, more joined and swelled their ranks. Wasn't long before they started to get some serious numbers and...well who knows how things would have wound up if it had keep going like that.

Sadly, Jason was a bit too heroic for his own good. Crazy fool went rushing into a town that was being besieged by three giantesses, trying to save a few people. He never came out...

Hmm? No, no, Darius didn't takeover after Jason. A woman took over after Jason and lead the Phoenixes for a while before Darius took over. That is a whole nother can of worms that we can get into later.

...Oh yes a few of them are still alive. Darius and Derek are both originals, as is Doctor Kimberly. I am pretty sure there was a fourth person who was an original, but I haven't seen them around in a long time. Might have gotten killed or not, hard to say. Either way, I would show those three some respect, young man. They've been at this for as long as anyone could be.