Chapter 7: Distrusted, but Needed

January 11, 2024 7:13PM

Derek was angry. No, he was beyond angry, he was...there wasn't a word to describe what he was to be honest. It was bad enough Darius was letting this damn Society bastard live, but now he wanted to get his help AND let him get back to his catmonster?! Derek couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"Darius are you mad?! We can't let him get back to that monster! He could turn it o-" Derek started to say before Darius shot him a glare that got him to stop.

"We will discuss this in private, Derek. For now, however, let's get out of this cell and get our new...ally a meal. While he eats, we can talk," Darius said. Derek growled out an annoyed sigh, but nodded his agreement. Now they were feeding him too...

They headed out of the prison area and back into the HQ proper. Derek made sure to keep the prisoner in front of him and grabbed three more guards to come with them. Darius might be sure he was not a spy, but Derek was still unconvinced. They left the prisoner, and the three guards Derek had grabbed along the way, in the kitchen of the HQ while they headed to a small meeting room a few rooms down. Derek shut the door and turned on Darius.

"You actually believe that story AND want to let him get his CATMONSTER?! Even if he IS on our side, who is to say he can keep it tame? And do I need to remind you he was part of the reason we LOST Manchent?!" Derek said, the memory of that failure still stinging. If only he hadn't let down his guard, he could have killed that fairy and Manchent would still be alive. He would have told them whatever truth this obvious spy was lying about and... but there was no use dwelling on could be's.

"All the more reason we can't just kill him. It is possible Manchent told him something. However, in case he is lying, we are going to take all due caution when we take him to the catmonster. And, we are going to MAKE him show he is with us," Darius said his face the same unmoving stare. That wasn't the response Derek had wanted, but at least it showed Darius wasn't letting his guard down completely.

"And how are we to take "all due caution"?" Derek asked, crossing his arms across his large chest.

"By having you and Lindsey watch him ever step of the way. I am going to recall Lindsey once we are done here and she should arrive back tomorrow. You, her, and Sanders will then go and retrieve the catmonster. Both of you are to stay near Sanders and be prepared to kill him should he show any signs of betraying us," Darius said, much to Derek's relief. Darius wasn't taking any chances if he was calling Lindsey back. Between the two of them, that spy would get caught and get his just rewards. Even if Derek had to take matters into his own hands and make some evidence.. And while a catmonster was a deadly enemy, Derek would be bringing his laser cannon to even the odds. He had killed more than one with it and with Lindsey backing him up, he would kill another.

"Fine. At least it will be one less catmonster to deal with," Derek said, but stopped as Darius cleared his throat.

"There is more. Whether Sanders proves true to his word or not, I have a mission I need your Force to do. My orders in the HQ will buy us a few days, but we need to stop this advance if Hope is to survive," Darius said. He turned to the table and took out a small piece of torn paper from his fur belt. He unrolled it to reveal it as a small map of the area around Hope. It was roughly drawn with charcoal and was far from perfect, but it was good enough to get the idea.

"To accomplish that, I want you to take your soldiers south while I go back to the eastern bases with mine. I will make sure the Snakes are found and whipped out by the Society. With them dead, the Society should stop their pursuit of them and not move into our territory, doubly so thanks to what you are going to do," Darius paused as he moved his finger back down to an area well south of their Southern watchposts.

"I want you and your Force to head for this area between Kennesaw and Marietta. You are to lure one of the Ranger Patrols into the area, using whatever method you deem appropriate. Once the patrol arrives, I need you to whip it out, giantess and all," Darius said causing Derek's eyes to widen.

"You want my Force to take on a Ranger patrol by ITSELF?! I would be lucky to have even a fourth of my soldiers live through that kind of attack!" Derek said in horror. A single Force vs a giantess...a giantess with Ranger support no less. If any of those Rangers caught them before they lured the giantess into a trap or, God-forbid, found them without them realizing it...

"That is highly likely, but it is our only option. The Ranger patrols will keep advancing unless given a very good reason to stop. The fake bases will slow them, but not stop them. The only way we can stop them is by causing the lose of another Ranger patrol. Assuming Sanders is telling the truth about being a Ex-Ranger, they are already down two squads. The lose of another would force them to reconisder the marets of advancing so rapidly. And, the other Ranger patrols are sure to waste time searching both Marietta and Kennasaw for the Resistance that killed their comrades," Darius said. Derek was still in slight shock from what was being asked, but still was aware enough to know Darius was right. Even if the Society did keep pushing, the Rangers that were sent toward them were sure to go AWOL looking for the killers of their comrades. A few fake bases in both of those towns could keep them busy for months... But a single Force?!

"I can see the merits of it, Darius. But only my Force? Darius, there has to be someone else you can send along," Derek said, almost pleadingly.

"I would send another force with you, but there are none to send. The Southern forces will all be busy making those fake bases and buying you the time needed to do this. Any Force from another region would take too long to arrive and this has to be done ASAP," Darius said as Derek still tried to digest what was being asked of him. He...he had told himself he would be ready for this kind of mission, but to actually be given one...

He could have suggested Taylor's Force go instead, but that would still send people off to die. Even worse, they would be people that Derek were sure could not succeed. Taylor's Force was a more support Force than a front-line fighting Force like his. If any Force could manage to kill a Ranger patrol by itself, it was his. But the loses...

Derek looked at the map and begged it to show him another way, but nothing came to him. He was no grand strategist, just a battlefield commander and this sort of large scale planning was beyond him. That was why Darius was the leader and not him despite...

"Alright... when do you want us to move out?" Derek asked, already knowing the answer. His soldiers deserved a few days of rest, but...

"Tomorrow. The longer we wait the greater chance of one of our watchposts being found. If that happens this will be all for nothing," Darius said, just as Derek feared. His soldiers would only get a full day to rest...but it couldn't be helped. Anymore and they might be resting forever along with everyone in Hope. He wanted to let despair take him, but Derek was still the second-in-command. He couldn't fall to despair no more than he could let anyone else. He had to keep his hopes up if he wanted to protect Hope.

"What will Taylor's Force do while we are both gone?" Derek asked, trying to get on another subject.

"They will stay here as reserves and guard Hope. The Marauders might decide now is the perfect time to attack and I want someone here to make sure they reconsider," Darius answered getting a nod of agreement from Derek. The Marauders were not likely to strike at them in the middle of winter, but they had done stranger things before. And with the Society pressing into them, they might decide now was the perfect chance.

"Alright. I'll go tell my soldiers to pack up and start getting things ready," Derek said as he headed for the door. Good God...how was he going to tell them that they had arrived only to march off to their death?

"One more thing, Derek," Darius said getting Derek to turn back.

"Make sure you keep Sanders close and tell no one who he is. I don't want him killed before we know if he is a spy or not. And if he is not, that catmonster he has would be invaluable to your mission," Darius said with his dead stare. Derek sighed as he remembered he had to babysit him an-... Derek felt white hot rage suddenly fill him as his mind realized what Darius had just done. That...god-damn fucking BASTARD! He was using his own soldiers as fucking insurance!!! Derek whirled on him and stormed back toward Darius.

"You BASTARD! You have no right to play with my soldiers lives like this! You are sending them off to die no matter WHAT I do! Either death by catmonster or death by giantess!" Derek roared out glaring down at the much smaller Darius. Darius, however, didn't move an inch. He returned the glare full force before he answered.

"I am saving Hope, THAT is what I am doing. If you are so worried that Sanders is lying, then do whatever you feel is necessary to safe-guard your soldiers, by all means. But make sure you realize just what you are throwing away for nothing more than a suspicion. Oh an make sure to get his equipment back from Helman too," Darius said. Derek's fists clenched shut and he was sorely tempted to beat Darius to death. His fist came down and smashed into the table, smashing the corner apart as Derek whirled around. Damn him...DAMN HIM! Derek stormed out and slammed the door behind him.

Derek plowed through the halls heading back to the kitchen and found Sanders eating some deer jerky he had found. He slapped the food out of his hand and hauled him up to his feet with one arm.

"MOVE! The rest of you go back to your posts," Derek ordered as he shoved Sanders down the hallway. The guards were quick to scatter after seeing Derek's rage and Sanders seemed to get the hint talking would end badly for him. He keep quiet as Derek had him lead them to the exit of the HQ, Derek giving him directions. Derek didn't even want to be in the same space as Darius right now and the sooner he got away from him, the better.

After a few minutes of walking, they came out of the HQ. Sanders climbed down the ladder and the two guards at its foot keep an eye on him as Derek climbed down after him. Derek reached the wooden platform and saw Sanders staring in awe at the scene below them. Derek's rage diminished as he looked out on the sight as well. He always loved this view and, even now, it calmed him a bit.

Hope spread out below them in all its wonder and ingenuity. Built into an old, covered, highway gutter, the city was well protected from the elements and passing Society troops. A bridge had been built going over this part of I-75 and the bridge's support had been buried into the ground right next to the gutter. Some animal before the shrink had dug through the dirt to make a nest in the gutter and had made a large open area between the drain in the gutter and the bridge support. The large open area had been its nest, but was now the perfect spot for the city. Even better, the constant flow of rain water from the drain gave them easy access to water and the means to grow food. Dams had been rigged up in the channel that lead the drain water to a cleaning plant somewhere to stop the water when it started to run out and could open again if it rained too much.

Up top, the bridge had collapsed at some point after the shrink and had blocked the road with its rubble. The Society had cleared it back when they were not the monsters they were today and, ironically, made the place even better for them. Above the gutter, debris from the bridge made for horridly uneven ground full of cracks and crevices, all perfect for hiding in. The large cement ramp leading into the gutter itself had been blocked up with some of the debris, but they had shifted it enough to keep one side mostly clear of water, while the other let it flow freely. Next to the dry side, a massive wooden ramp had been built to get from it to the dirt ground of the nest beside the drain itself, while a large waterfall let the water pour into their man made drain lake.

In the dirt itself was the actual city of Hope. A large number of buildings made of various materials: cardboard, cans, wood, and anything else they scavenged, were placed at random intervals around the area. Around them were tents made of torn cloth, shredded paper, and pretty much anything and everything that the winter people lived in. People in furs and sown together bits of cloth moved through the city going about their business in droves. A number of kids were in the open areas playing any number of games and generally having no care in the world. A number of fields of mushrooms and other plants that didn't require sun were near the lake, though they were mostly empty. Smoke from various cook fires were everywhere as were people trading off the last of their crops and such things. A large market was set up in the middle of the city with "stalls" set up in various locations. Pretty much anything of worth was up for trade, including rooms in houses.

Behind the city, was the massive bridge support that held the armory, R&D, and other such places. All of the military facilities had been cut out of the concrete of the massive support foot to make sure they were safe and to keep people from wondering in. A number of people were near the support training with their guns and rockets as supplies were moved about and taken stock of. The entire city was buzzing with activity and you would never know it was threatened to be whipped out by looking at it.

"Holy shit...This place is...nothing like I thought it would be," Sanders said as he stared in amazement. He looked back up at the HQ above them and Derek couldn't help smirk as Sander's face paled when he realized where it was. Darius had been the one to insist the HQ be in the concrete cover of the gutter and, now that it was finished, Derek had to admit it was a brilliant idea. Not only was in safe from practically anything, it also gave them a perfect spot to look out into the highway AND to get out into the debris above them. Hope would still fall to an all out attack, but it would not fall easily.

"And we want to keep it that way. Darius might trust you, but I don't. Do anything I think is suspicious and I will make sure its the last thing you do. Now move," Derek ordered as he traded his smirk for a glare. Sanders shook out of his awe and grumbled a bit before heading down the wood ramp that lead to the city proper. Derek followed on his heels and made sure to keep a hand near his hidden handgun.

They reached the bottom without incident and Derek got Sanders to head toward the bridge support in the distance, making sure to steer them away from the city proper. The last thing he needed was Sanders slipping away in the crowd. Sanders did as he was told and looked more interesting in looking around in wonder than plan an escape. Of course it could all be a ruse and Derek was not about to fall for it. Dammit, it would be so easy just to shoot him, but Darius' words were still fresh in his mind. Damn him...

"You need to build more houses," Sanders said as they passed a number of tents set up by the winter people. Most of them eyed Sanders with suspicion, but welcomed Derek or gave him respectful nods. Derek returned them before he answered.

"We have plenty. These people are only here because its winter. Once it warms up and they don't have to worry about freezing, they will go back to their normal homes. And you should worry more about yourself," Derek said as he shoved Sanders forward to make him go faster. Sanders cursed under his breath from the shove, barely catching himself. A few of the people around gave a light chuckle from the display.

Of course, none of them knew Sanders was ex-Society, assuming he was. If they did, Derek had no doubt they would be grabbing any weapon they had to kill him. Most of them, probably, just assumed he was a criminal or a soldier who had done something worth being punished for.

Sanders stayed silent as they left the tents behind and headed into the practice area. A few people glanced at them, but a yell from an instructor got them to focus again. The instructors all gave "Sir"s, salutes, and other greetings to Derek as he passed. He returned them as he pushed Sanders into the cement support structure itself.

"You must be pretty high up the chain around here for all the respect they give you," Sanders said, glancing back at him. Derek growled at him and shoved him back to facing forward. Derek had no interest in talking with Sanders or giving him any hint of their command structure. Sanders, though, didn't seem to get the hint.

"Is that all you are going to do? Growl and shove me? Not even going to at least say something?" Sanders said causing a flash of anger to go off in Derek.

"Fine, shut the hell up," Derek said before shoving him roughly into the door leading to their destination. Sanders grunted as he hit the wooden door and glared back at Derek. He said nothing, though, as he opened the door. He started to move through but stopped as he gaped in wonder. Derek shoved him out of the way before going in himself.

They entered into the R&D room of the Phoenixes and the near constant noise of the place. A few people were scattered about the area, either combing through massive piles of parts for things or trying to rig together some new weapon. A few wooden work benches covered in damaged parts were everywhere along with half-finished weapons and other things. In the far right corner was a large jury-rigged smelter and forge, belching smoke and heat. Their head blacksmith, Henry, was busy hammering away at a piece of metal while his assistant was bringing over choice pieces of metal from the parts pile to put into the smelter. There was no telling what he was trying to make, but Derek was excited to find out. Henry only used this place to make something if it was important or special. Otherwise, he just used one of the forges in their manufacturing area.

In the far left corner was a small alcove with a number of plants, roots, and other such things scattered about. Doctor Hambly was not there and neither was any of her nurses. Most likely, they were busy treating all the new people who were coming in back at the clinic. Hopefully she wasn't working herself to death again...

In the middle of the room, however, was the men Derek was looking for. "Doctor" Helman and his suedo assistant, Jimmy, were doing...something. Helman was a large man with a equally large belly. A huge white beard and mustache covered most of his face and his white hair went nearly down to his back. He wore a large leather apron stained with all sorts of things, including some things Derek would swear was blood, over a patch-worked labcoat-esque coat. Jimmy was nearly the exact opposite. Short but well built, Jimmy looked like a light-weight boxer with just enough muscle to give some definition to him. He was clean shaved and his hair was trimmed neatly. He wore simple patchwork clothing along with large leather gloves and boots.

"Jimmy, pick up that stick...slowly...carefully. OK, now AGITATE THE HELL OUT OF THAT SNAKE!" Helman said pointing into box laying on its side on the bench. Jimmy sighed as he began to poke the, thankfully, long stick into the box, getting some rattling from the box for his trouble. The look on Sanders' face was probably the very same Derek had as he realized what was in the box. He cleared his throat as they got closer, both staying well away from the box, and Helman glanced over at him.

"Ahh, Derek, you are just in time for my latest weapon! One of the people who live outside managed to catch a rattlesnake, quite the find I must say! If we can harvest its venom we can use it to poison anyone who attacks us! Even a giantess will be in trouble with snake venom running through their veins!" he said looking rather smug with himself. Sanders was silent as he just stared in bewilderment, but Derek was used to this sort of thing.

"Doctor" Helman was not a true Doctor, having never gotten a Doctorate in anything. Still, the man was brilliant beyond compare. He had designed not only the air-cannon that Henderson used, but also the special flak missiles that were actually effective on the giantess' shields. Many of the improvements made to their weapons were his ideas and all of their heavy or special weapons/devices were his own creations. In fact, the forge Henry was using to make some special device had been the brain child of Helman.

However, Helman was also more than a little crazy and many of his ideas, while somewhat sound, were just too bizarre or impractical to use. This...was one of those times. Yes snake venom would be a potent weapon on giantesses, doubly so for the ones out on their own. However, it would require them to harvest enough venom to actually affect a giantess AND actually get it into the giantess. And while the venom would kill them given enough time, they would still be dangerous till then.

"Doctor I...don't think that will work all that well. How are we supposed to get it into the giantess without being noticed? And even then, how to we survive long enough for the venom to kill her?" Derek asked. Helman opened his mouth to answer, but closed it as he began to stroke his massive white beard. More than a few people thought the mad scientist looked a bit like Santa and Derek could kinda see it when he didn't have that mad smile and crazied look in his eyes.

"Hmm...that is a good question. Yes..Need to look into that...Actually, a weapon that could be used without the giantess knowing you were there might work better. Yes...YES! A silent weapon that the giantess doesn't even know has hit till its too late! Hmm...Need it to get past their shield though...." Helman said as he began to wonder away from them. Jimmy mouthed a thank you as he tipped the box back upright and placed a sheet of metal over its top along a large gear to keep it in place. Derek relaxed a bit too with the rattlesnake put away.

While Helman was the brains, Jimmy was the hands. Having been a Marine mechanic, a carpenter, and a car repair man, Jimmy knew just about anything there was to know about building things. His Marine days had seen him have to jury-rig and generally Macgyver solutions on the fly. He had keep those skills fresh with his other jobs, generally enjoying coming up with inventive solutions. Those same skills were ungodly useful now as normal parts and proper tools were basically nowhere to be found. That didn't matter in the least to Jimmy who just found shit that worked or made things that worked. Anything Helman could dream up, Jimmy could build with Henry's help.

"Jimmy, do you have the gear our latest prisoner had with him?" Derek asked, leaving Helman to continue to ponder whatever he was pondering. Derek had learned it was best to just leave Helman alone when he got like this.

"Yeah, its right over here," Jimmy said as he lead them to a table nearby. On it was  what looked to be a large machine gun, a medical kit, some rope, three syringes full of something, a pair of goggles, a large shield, a mace, a knife, and some flint. All of it looked like standard issue Society equipment, just slightly more dirty than usual. The machine gun, however, grabbed Derek's attention to most and caused a flash of anger in him.

"Where did you get a gun from?" Derek said as he whirled on Sanders. Sanders face paled a bit as he stammered out a few words.

"WHERE?!" Derek demanded his fists clenching together. He KNEW this bastard wasn't being straight with him and that gun was proof of of it. The Society didn't make guns anymore. Dammit he was going to strangle this bastard with his own tw-
That catmonster would be invaluable... Derek swore in his mind as he fought back his anger to let Sanders answer. Again Sanders didn't answer, but Jimmy spoke up for him.

"Maybe I can jog his memory," he said spinning the gun around so the bottom of it was facing them.
"Those torn wires on its bottom, those are from a control system used to operate the gun. Meaning this came off a Society robot and, considering the damage, was taken from it by force. Hell, even ruined the ammo belt for the gun making it a really shitty machine gun," Jimmy said looking a bit miffed about that. Derek turned back to Sanders and glared at him. He hadn't mentioned a robot at all and yet here was a weapon off one.

Derek wanted it to be proof Sanders was a spy, but part of him knew that didn't make sense. Why would the Society give him a ruined weapon? Better yet, why would they give him a gun at ALL, much less one as advanced as this? They didn't even give their Rangers guns. And, if they had given it to him, why ruin it like that? Still, it did prove Sanders hadn't told them everything and that was bad enough.

Derek glanced around and noticed a number of people were watching them now. He growled in annoyance before pulling Sanders back toward the medical study area that was being unused. He gave everyone who was looking their way a glare that got them scuttling back to work. He didn't need word spreading about this.

"You never mentioned fighting a robot or getting its weapon. What else have you not told us?" Derek growled out, still determined to get an answer.

"I...I didn't want to talk about it. Things...happened that I would rather not talk about," Sanders said looking away from Derek. Derek eyes narrowed as he tried to will Sanders' face to reveal what he was thinking, but all he saw was shame. That wasn't good enough for Derek.

"Too bad, you either start talking or you are going to suffer an accident in here," Derek said glancing over toward a bit of metal sticking out of a pile nearby. Sanders looked up at Derek in anger and gave him a death stare that Derek returned. The two stared the other down before Sanders relented and sighed to himself.

"Fine...Yes I fought a robot. I did it to entertain a damn giantess that caught me trying to escape. I managed to kill it by ripping its own gun off and using it against it. Then the giantess....well..." Sanders looked away again as his face blushed a bit with embarrassment and shame. Derek was confused for a second before realization hit him like a brick. Oh....ohhhh....suddenly Derek felt a bit guilty at having pushed so hard. Sanders could be lying, he tried to tell himself, but the look on Sanders face was telling. Someone didn't look that shameful unless they had done something shameful.

"I...I see...I..." Derek tried to think of something to say, but his mind was blank. Instead, he just motioned for Sanders to head back toward Jimmy and his stuff. Sanders went as Derek swore like a sailor in his head. Just his fucking luck...

"What...what else did he have?" Derek asked trying to get something else on his mind. Jimmy gave them both a confused look, but didn't press for answers.

"Right... Well, he had a standard issue mace and shield, typical Ranger weapons. Knife is just a knife, though its better made than anything we have. Same with the rope and the backpack. The medkit has some proper bandages, disinfectant and such. Doctor Hambly would love to have this so I'll just keep it till she or a nurse shows up. The goggles are just night vision goggles. Sure Lindsey would love to have these or any of our scouts really. Not sure how long the battery will last, but anytime is better than none. All of this is pretty standard kit for a Ranger so its probably all stolen, " Jimmy said before stopping in front of the syringes.

"These, though. Well, both me and Helman have no idea what they ar-" Derek interrupted him when he got a good look at them.

"Their nano-bots. Rangers have them and use them to heal from wounds quicker," Derek answered looking closely at the vial to make sure. Sure enough, they looked exactly like he remembered them looking. It had been a long time since he had seen one, but he still remembered what the vials looked like. And what they did...

Both Jimmy and Sanders looked at him in dumbstruck silence. Jimmy recovered and shrugged a sure, but Sanders did not recover so fast.

"How do you know what they are?" he asked in confusion.

"I have been fighting y- the Society for years now. I have overheard a lot of talking and they talked about these things more than once," Derek lied as he put the vial down. Sanders had no reason to know the truth and that answer worked just as well.

Sanders still eyed him a bit suspiciously, but didn't get a chance to talk as Helman came back over.

"Nano-bots you say? Interesting...very VERY interesting...Would you mind if we keep these for now, Derek? I would love to run some tests on them. Snake venom might not work, but killer nano-bots...oh my the possibilities... JIMMY! I need a microscope! Start building the case and I will find a piece of glass to use!" Helman yelled before running over to another pile of parts and diving through it. Jimmy sighed to himself and shook his head.

"When he remembers what he was doing, tell him he can keep the nano-bots, but try to keep him reigned in, Jimmy. I'll take the rest save the medkit, give that to the Doc when she gets here," Derek said getting a nod from Jimmy as he went after Helman. Derek wasn't sure which of them had the tougher job at times like this.

Derek gave the backpack, rope, flint, and goggles to Sanders. He slid the knife into his boot, the machine gun's jury-rigged strap around his shoulders, and carried the shield and mace in his hands. Sanders sighed and shook his head when Derek took all the weapons, but Derek ignored his sighing and pushed him back to the exit of the R&D room. From there, he had Sanders lead them to the armory so he could store this stuff. Sanders would get his equipment back when he was on his way to his catmonster with Derek and the rest of his soldiers, all armed to the teeth.

With Sanders' equipment stored away, Derek had to get his soldiers ready to move out tomorrow...and that meant telling them their mission. Derek was not looking forward to this, but he had to tell them at some point. Best to get it out of the way so no one got too comfortable. Derek lead the way to the barracks, his mind so distracted he forgot to have Sanders lead, and entered into it.

This part of the barracks held his Force and was pretty much the same as the rest of the barracks. It was a rather large room with straw beds lining the walls. A few had torn bits of cloth or leather as cover while some had none at all. A few even had trunks at the foot of the bed that the soldier had either traded for or made themselves. Tables and chairs were scattered about the middle of the room along with a few practice dummies, including a large one with thirteen notches carved in it. It was their giantess kill count that Martin had built before he had been killed. Thirteen giantesses...it would need another notch when they got back. Assuming they came back. In the back of the room was the names of everyone who had been on the Force and died, carved into the cement. Over fifty names were on the wall and Derek dreaded how many more would be added.

 A few of his soldiers were inside the room either resting in their straw beds or playing cards with their badly drawn carboard stand-ins. They all turned and began to stand as they noticed Derek come in. Derek waved them back down as he sighed to himself. Damn Darius...when he got back from this...

"Clinton, Shawn, Margery, go find the rest of the Force and tell them to meet back here ASAP. The rest of you, start getting your stuff cleaned up," Derek said, unable to keep his usually forceful voice. His soldiers looked between themselves before slowly rising to carry out his orders. The looks on their faces was enough for Derek to tell they knew bad news was coming. Derek sighed to himself as he headed into his private room. He was about to shut it when he found Sanders in the door way. Right...him... He had almost forgot about Sanders. Derek felt his anger at him swelling again.

He pulled the spy into his room and slammed him down onto the chair before Derek sat down on his bed. All he wanted was to be alone right now, but he didn't dare let Sanders out of his sight. Derek sighed to himself as he tried to think of what to say to his soldiers...what he could tell them to inspire them and not...not crush them. A single Force against a Ranger patrol....fuck what was he SUPPOSED to say?

"What are you about to have to tell them? If its about having to get Pyrrha, you do-" Sanders started to say. Derek interrupted him by slamming his fist onto the stand next to his bed.

"Shut...the hell up. The last thing I want to deal with is you," Derek said with a glare. Sanders didn't take the hint though.

"I know you don't trust me, but Pyrrha won't hurt any of you as long as I-" Derek leap to his feet and grabbed Sanders by the throat. He lifted him off the ground and began to choke the life out of him as his anger at Sanders, combined with his misplaced rage at Darius, erupted out.

"You think I am worried about your stupid CAT?! I would welcome having to hunt one down with my soldiers if it meant not having to send them against a damn Ranger patrol. Yes, my force of forty soldiers has to fight and KILL an entire Ranger patrol! And you think I am worried about you and your fur-ball?!" Derek said before tightening his grip. Sanders kicked and struggled in his grip, but Derek was far the stronger of the two. He saw Sanders' face slowly turning red just as a knock came at Derek's door.

"D-Commander, everyone is here," Jacob said from the other side of the door. Darius' words flashed through his mind and Derek let go of Sanders. Sanders crawled away from Derek, coughing for air and choking on his own gasps. Derek glared down at him and felt the urge to give the same treatment to Darius. But doing that wouldn't change anything and Derek had already had his chance to see a way out of this. As much as he hated it, this damn spy and his damn cat were the only chance him and most of his soldiers had of coming back alive. Soldiers that included his son... The very same man who had a helping hand in Derek's greatest defeat might very well be the only chance his son had of surviving this. Damn Darius, damn Sanders, and DAMN the Society for making this world! Derek knelt down and picked Sanders up off the ground and pulled him to his face.

"You better not be fucking lying about wanting to help us OR having control of that cat. So help me, if you are, I will make sure you suffer far FAR worse than any of my soldiers will. You will wish I had used your face as a break back on the train by the time I am finished," Derek growled out before dropping Sanders to the ground again. Derek stomped past him and was about to open his door when Sanders coughed out some words.

"I...am not....lying," Sanders said between coughs. Derek didn't even turn to look at him as he opened his door. Jacob was at the door and got a worried look when he saw him. He looked back at Sanders gasping on the floor and gave his father a very confused look.

"Bring him and keep an eye on him. If he so much as breathes wrong snap his neck," Derek said as Jacob's confused look turned into a stone cold one. He walked up to Sanders and pulled him to his feet before following Derek out into the briefing room.

All of Derek's soldiers were in the meeting room and had already taken seats. Most of them were talking with each other, but they all feel silent as Derek entered the room. Derek motioned for Jacob to stay near the door with Sanders as he walked to the front of the room. He took a deep breath as he stopped in front of everyone.

"We have a new mission. One that is...hell, I see no reason to lie to you. One that is most likely a suicide mission," Derek admitted. Lying to them wasn't going to make the mission any less dangerous. If anything, it would make it more so. His soldiers didn't react at all to the news, to his pride. They sat there, silently, waiting for him to continue.

"The Society's patrols to our south are still advancing and will, in few days, be on top of our watchposts. I don't need to tell any of you what that means. Darius has already sent orders out to make false bases to try and slow them, but it will only buy us time. Time that will run out. Therefore, we need a way to stop their advance completely," Darius said, keeping his voice even and calm despite himself.

"To do this, Darius has ordered us to go to the southern regions. We will lure a Ranger patrol to an area between Marietta and Kennesaw, attack it, and whip it out," Derek finished. His soldiers all stared at him for a second before looking among themselves. He knew none of them would say it, they were too good for that, but they were all thinking it. Thinking that he had to have said that wrong or something.

"I did not say that wrong. We, alone, will need to take out a Ranger patrol. No other forces can be spared to assist," Derek said, trying to keep his voice level. Dead silence greeted his statement. A few people looked down at the ground, some rubbed their faces, Jacob looked over toward Samantha who looked at him, unsaid words flying between them. Damn Darius and damn this cruel game he was playing on them. These were good people who deserved better than this.They deserved....they deserved the truth.

"Jacob, bring him here," Derek ordered getting Jacob to snap out of his silent conversation with Samantha. He brought Sanders forward to Derek as the rest of the force stared at him in a mix of confusion and curiosity. Derek waited till Sanders was next to him to continue.

"This is Sanders, a self claimed ex-Society Ranger. He claims he is here to help us. More importantly to our mission, he claims he can control a catmonster that will help us kill the giantess of the Ranger patrol," Derek said unable to not smile a bit as Sanders looked at him in panic. Jacob swore as his face turned into a glare along with practically everyone in the room.

"Everyone get a good look at him and remember his face. If he doesn't come through, I want you all to know exactly who got us sent on this mission. And I want you to make sure he dies as slowly and painfully as possible," Derek said as everyone in the room stared at Sanders. Squad leaders Susan, Jeremy, and Fulton all glared the most out of everyone and Derek knew they were memorizing his face. Derek would have to keep Sanders close now to keep him from being killed, but he was going to do that anyway.

"Hope you can back up what you claimed, Sanders. Everyone here is counting on it. And your survival depends on it too," Derek said with a smile as he clapped Sanders on the shoulder. Sanders didn't respond as he stared back at all the glares of hate.


Organization of Phoenix Military: Report sent to all Force Commanders

To help better organize our Military, I have changed the compostion of our forces. Read over the changes and memorize them. -Darius

Groups: Groups our the largest organizations. There are only five of them in total: South, North, East, West, and Central. The cardinal groups are in charge of supporting and protecting their region along with working with watchposts to stop threats from reaching the interior. Central will be a reserve group ment to reinforce any group or meet severe threats. Southern and Eastern Groups will be the most numerous with North being the second. West will be the second smallest while Cental will be the smallest of all, but will be made of the best troops we have. General Holmes will lead South, General Faine will lead East, General Williams will lead West, and General Holcomb will lead North. I will command Central myself.

Forces: Forces are the second largest and are composed of, usually, around fifty to a hundred soldiers. They will be lead by a Force Commander and who will report to the General of each region. Each General will be in charge of assigning people to the rank of Force Commander.

Squads: Squads are groups of ten to twelve people. All forces in possible giantess areas should be split into squad to minimize the possiblity of the force being spotted in full. Squads will be lead by squad leaders who are assigned by Force commanders.

Fire teams: At a squad leaders' discretion, a squad may split up into two/three man fire teams.