Certain dates in the story lore and our real world line up, but a lot do not. Remember, if something is dated 'wrong,' it's intentional.
And also, I'm going to create a soundtrack for the story. I'm gonna figure out some themes and music that will fit the characters and parts of the story and I'll list them here for you all. I may create a Spotify playlist for you all, even. Who knows?
Lastly, @FieldmarshalV22P2 is a backup account should this one get annihilated. Follow it just in case. The stories will resume there.
XXX
Internally, Brixley was hooting and hollering.
She was jumping up and down and running around the room screaming with enjoyment that Swan was going to work with them.
At last, she was gaining ground with the human and turning the tide that was the iron curtain which had fallen over his emotions and reasoning.
But externally, she was as calm and collected as she felt would be normal. She still had a briefing to get through, and going ballistic because of Swan wouldn't help to finish it.
Despite wanting to look Ana and Ava in the face and tell them to 'suck it' because she was right about Swan, Brixley couldn't help but wonder just what it was that caused the man to finally come to his senses.
Was it his exhaustion? Did he actually think things through? Did he have some ulterior motives?
"Is Callie right? I know he hasn't said anything, really. But could there actually be 'more' to this?" Thought Brixley.
She took a moment to think over their past encounters, and truth be told, Brixley couldn't exactly see an angle where Swan would use them to further some major ulterior goal.
It was clear to her that Swan was just part of a survivor group that were cast into stormy waters and trying to survive the swells.
He didn't seem like he had any major goals for himself, or perhaps even another organization.
"If he wanted to further such things, wouldn't it have made more sense to be a bit more cooperative at the start?" Asked Brixley.
Swan was downright appalling the first days. She would have simply regarded him as a propagandized racist with no higher function besides 'hate anthros' if it wasn't for the fact that he was everything but.
The way he talked about the two passed members of Sako and the internal introspection bore a look into a more complex mind than what a hateful simpleton would have displayed.
Swan was still full of mystery and Brixley knew that she wanted to unravel it.
And the General knew that the best way to unravel it was figure out the small things first, like what made him agree.
Telling her and everyone in the room that he knew Keller personally and as a friend was something he decided to reveal on his own time without any sort of push for that specific piece of information.
Swan would tell her everything eventually, and she understood it would be on his own time. She deduced that she would do her best to guide him towards self expulsion of such things and to try not to hound him too much.
"Trust will go a long way. I need to build it, and I'll start by understanding that there might be some other things about Swan, but nothing too major." Thought Brixley. She decided to continue the briefing there.
"The Furled Fist. We have multiple known locations and as we speak, our scouts and rangers are surveying more probable sections. We are not striking blind in this instance." Said Brixley. She clicked on her remote and a new slide came up.
"Based upon our intelligence, we are able to see that..." As she continued speaking on her briefing regarding the Furled Fist, she noticed Swan come out of his corner and bend down to whisper in Phantom's ear.
The arctic fox leaned back and listened intently before shrugging and nodding, turning to look at the human. The fox began to nod and Swan spoke more.
She couldn't hear the conversation and she carried on speaking, stealing glances to look at the human and the fox.
Phantom had also been one of her closest confidants, alongside Benny and Callie. And Swan had been one of the biggest thorns in her sides for the past half decade.
She paused for a moment to clear her throat and take a sip of water from a bottle, realizing she never once expected this sort of thing to have a probability of happening when that first shot was fired.
Swan said something that caused Phantom to squint and then turn to look directly at the human.
"These soldiers should be considered peer to peer adversaries on a lower part of the scale than... human forces." Said Brixley. She continued looking at the two, noticing that Swan glanced her way when she said the word 'human' and then focused back on Phantom.
After a quick word was shared between the two, Swan leaned back to stand up straight and raised his hand. This action caught her attention, and more so, Phantom scrambling to reach back and get the human to lower his hand.
Brixley made a small pause, yet continued the briefing, trusting that Phantom had good reason to 'batten down' the human's question.
XXX
"As per the briefing you all were just in, we are in very interesting times which are rapidly changing."
Callie sat in a meeting room with a large wooden table in the middle. Turned off screens surrounded them on the walls, and a few plugs for laptops and other devices sat on the table.
Brixley sat at the head of the table, and Callie sat next to her but to the other side of the table. Sako also sat to the sides of the table in front of their General.
And at the other end of the table quietly sat Swan. He had been called to that room and immediately sat in the chair unmoving and leaned back as far as the chair would allow.
"Now, what this means is that everyone will have a role and every role must be done effectively and efficiently." Said the General. Callie nodded, already having an inkling of where this conversation was leading.
A pit formed in her stomach when she noticed that the only people in the room was her, her squad, and Swan.
And based upon Brixley's previous conversations regarding him and Sako...
"Sako... you have been operating at a reduced capacity for three years." Said Brixley. Callie felt her neck run cold. Rita glanced up at Brixley and Echo leaned back in her chair.
"There is no need for you to run at a reduced capacity. I have found a new soldier to be assigned to your squad. He will act as your designated marksman." Said Brixley. Callie glanced at Swan to see that he was frustratedly rubbing his eyes with a hand.
"You gotta be kidding me." He grumbled. Callie watched as Ava sighed and put her arms across her chest while Ana looked down at the desk.
"Seriously?" Asked Ava. Brixley nodded.
"Effective immediately." Replied the General. Callie nodded and blinked, still taking in the news that was presented to her.
"I will hear no complaints. Everything I needed to know about this decision was confirmed last night." Said Brixley.
"That doesn't matter." Said Ava, leaning back and placing a hand on Ana's shoulder.
"Yeah, you're gonna make me work with her?" Asked Swan, gesturing to Ana. Callie noted his tone and general apprehensiveness.
"Swan isn't saying that because Ana pushed him." Thought Callie. She watched as he scowled, but like before, his eyes told a different story. The way he'd take small, yet lingering glances at the cougar let Callie know that he was...
"Concerned. He's thinking about her and her background." Thought Callie.
All noise in the room drowned out, with Swan, Brixley, Ava, and the rest arguing in an orderly fashion turning into a mute droning noise.
Not only had Swan saved Echo's life, he was willingly putting his own abuse by Ana to the side because he understood the context behind such a thing now.
He certainly wouldn't let it go, if the previous interactions with Brixley were anything to go by.
But, by the fact that he was willing to concern himself with Ana in such a way, after everything that had happened in his life and time at the base...
Swan, of all people, holding concern for an anthro, first and foremost, and none other than Ana?
"I have no problem with this." Callie found herself surprised by the admission of her own words, but stuck by them.
The room went silent and Swan put his hands to his face, leaning back in the chair far enough that Callie thought he might simply fall right out of the back.
Ana looked at her with a betrayed expression and Ava looked confused. Rita raised a brow while Echo and Izzy looked between everyone.
Brixley also seemed as confused as everyone else, her own expression dumbfounded as compared to the happy or even angry expression Callie could have foreseen.
Quickly, however, the wolf General recovered.
"From your own squad leaders mouth." Said Brixley, gesturing to her. Callie looked down momentarily and then looked up, hesitantly meeting the ire of her two friends on the opposite side of her.
"Care to explain your reasonings to Sako Squad, Lieutenant?" Asked Brixley, confidently. Callie blinked.
"Oh fuck. Now I have to try and justify why I said what I did. Shit!" Thought Callie.
She looked at Swan, noting the uncomfortable yet stoic demeanor he had adopted. That scowl was ever present, yet his breathing was heightened.
She could practically hear his heart thumping inside of his chest, and she knew that he knew what she had figured out.
"Yes, Lieutenant. Mind telling us 'lowly' NCO's why you're fine with this out of nowhere?" Asked Ava with a snotty tone.
Callie looked at her angry friend in the eyes, understanding her emotions and sympathizing.
The shark knew that Ava would be the most vocal person against Swan because she cared deeply about Ana. Ana was many things, but the main thing was 'scared.' Ana was too scared to speak her truth, and Callie knew that Ana wouldn't dare say anything with Swan in the room.
That's why Ava was so mad: She was being the voice that Ana couldn't have.
In their own little ways, the whole room was speaking up and doing what they were doing because they cared. Strange fashions, but nonetheless.
"Swan saved my friend." Was all she said. Callie looked at Echo and the hyena nodded, her brown eyes big and full of energy.
"He's accurate. Reliable. He gets the job done." Said Callie. The only hiccup was him grabbing his Cetme rifle from his first mission.
"He worked fine with me." Said Izzy. Callie nodded, her next point being explained for her by the rattlesnake.
The diamondback leaned forwards on her elbows which rested on the table.
"The most important thing I gathered was that the missions get done regardless of... things happening. I find it very inspiring that he continues with all objectives despite whatever happens." She said. Callie nodded and glanced to see that Swan had a hand covering his eyes and he still looked frustrated.
"Even when something terrible happens on the mission... caused by him?" Asked Ava. Callie found it surprising that Ava would reference the human that was executed on his first mission.
Ava, and even Ana to a measure, were some of the biggest softies in the group behind the only other person that Callie could think of:
Rita.
Her snow leopard best friend was the worlds most aggressive cuddle machine, and Callie had started a joke that the medic could literally snuggle someone to death.
As Callie thought of this, she felt heat flush her cheeks lightly, and she thought back to the various moments where she and Rita had shared a bed.
Carefully, Callie shifted in her seat when she imagined the two of them in bed for a more pleasurable activity besides cuddling close to each other.
This had been a somewhat common occurrence ever since a few days ago, with Callie envisioning her and Rita doing many things.
She had gone so far as to try and imagine what the fingers of the snow leopard would feel like as they worked their magic on her, or if the rougher feline tongue could make her squeal.
Clearing her throat lightly, Callie pushed those thoughts out of her mind and replaced them with the platonic and proper thoughts.
Now, she thought of the times they had shared a bed not in a sexual manner, as they had not had such feelings for each other, but just to snuggle together after a hard mission or less than ideal day.
Or like the time when the heating in multiple parts of the base went out during one of the coldest winters they had experienced blew through Colorado in 2030.
"I want to cuddle again. I need to ask her if we can soon." Thought Callie. She looked over to her friend in her black uniform. Rita had her sleeves rolled up and Callie could see the splotches on her arm from her spotted fur pattern.
Callie remembered how soft that fur was, and reveled in the fact that it covered her entire body.
Cold blooded anthros were usually paired with fluffy hot blooded battle buddies, as was the case with Echo and Izzy among other soldiers.
It was an older and common practice. The hot blooded and fluffy anthro could help the cold blooded anthro in an emergency situation, as well as generally being able to provide a close source of heat.
"My best friend. My sister in battle. My..." Thought Callie. Her heartbeat quickened and she noticed that her gaze might have lingered for too long on Rita.
"It's simply doing what needs to be done. Not what I want to be done, but what needs to be done." Said Swan. His emphasis on the word 'need' rubbed Callie in an abrasive way, making her recall the very first moments where they were all together during his capture.
"Every moment with her." Thought Callie. Even with Swan and his brash words, she couldn't get her mind off of her friend. Rita was kind, funny, caring, and a truly stand up person.
Rita made her and many people's day brighter with happiness. Callie remembered the various moments that Rita had comforted her and simply been there, showing support and love.
When Katrina and Sabrina died, Callie was inundated by cuddles and physical warmth from her friend. She had also made the entire squad laugh for the first time in months after that happened.
Rita personally tended to her and performed onsite medical aid and post surgery care from when Callie had been shot three times during an operation in South America.
Rita was always a happy and hopeful person. Callie had overheard Echo and Izzy saying that she was recently feeling quite down regarding the end of the war.
Callie knew that she needed to be there for her friend.
"The one that makes my heart flutter." Thought Callie. Light heat flushed her cheeks as she turned her attention back to the conversation at hand, committing herself to navigating such waters later.
"Oh, bullshit!" Exclaimed Ava. She raised a hand and pointed at Swan.
"You do these things for your enjoyment because you're a fucking demon." Said the wolf angrily. Swan recoiled lightly, scrunching his face as if the accusation was ludicrous.
"If I'm a demon, then you must have summoned me. Killing all my friends, forcing me along this path... you sure like complaining about the things you cause." Said Swan.
Ava scoffed and rolled her eyes, running a hand through her curly black hair before she brought her other hand up and mimicked a mouth opening and closing.
"Blah blah blah. Shut up, dipshit." She said. Swan leaned back in his chair.
"Why don't you make me, you overgrown mutt?" He said. Callie hid her smile behind a hand at the banter between the two.
"If you both keep arguing like that, I'll have no option but to see you two as an old married couple." Brixley's calm and uncharacteristic tone for the moment brought Callie completely back into reality.
"That's barely even a woman, Brixley. Ain't no way you just said that."
"With respect, ma'am, that is the most disgusting thing I've ever heard anyone suggest."
Brixley chuckled, a genuine smile on her face.
"Say, Izzy? Echo? Doesn't it seem like they'd be a good couple? They're always grumpy and groaning about something?" Asked Brixley, sarcastically.
Callie watched as Echo brought a hand to her chin and then snapped her fingers.
"That's what it was! I had thought there was something similar about you two! Hey, General! You may be right! Enemies to lovers! Who would have guessed?" Sneered the hyena.
Echo began to laugh loudly, her hyena voice floaty and yippy when Ava groaned.
"I save your life, yeen, and this is the thanks I get?" Growled Swan. Izzy also began to laugh and the rattlesnake also chimed in.
"Oh, I can see it now... eighteen grandkids running around grandpa Swan and grandma grouchy!" Chortled the snake. Brixley laughed and with that, Callie couldn't help but laughing aloud as well, Rita following suit.
Both Swan and Ava sat quietly, annoyed and embarrassed.
When the laughter died down, Brixley wiped her eyes and then did her best to regain her composure.
"So what happens if one of us dies because he does something stupid then he simply goes on with the mission?" Asked Ava. She spoke up the moment the laughter truly died down and the serious tone came back.
"Well, this previous mission showed that Swan can do things by the book. And when it counts, he has your back." Said Brixley. She chuckled once, still amused with the prior joke.
"It was one mission. One! He did one good thing and now he's all fine and dandy?" Asked Ava. The dire wolf looked directly at the human who only glared back.
"Don't forget the last five years, Ava." Reminded Izzy. Callie watched as Ava's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.
"He killed our friends! He's literally responsible for everyone's death in the last five years! He's all that's left!" She exclaimed loudly while thrusting a pointed finger at the man. She stood up from her chair, sending it back to the wall.
The room fell silent, a serious tone taking over almost immediately.
Callie couldn't refute the point that her sniper was making, and the memories of losing Katrina and Sabrina freshly appeared in her head.
Swan didn't necessarily 'kill' everyone himself. In fact, it was still up for debate exactly which human had killed Sabrina and Katrina.
But the message was there.
Brixley looked at the table and brought her hands together, resting them on top. Rita scratched her head and both Echo and Izzy sat silently.
Callie glanced over to Ana to see that the mountain of a woman was looking down at the table with a just barely noticeable quivering lip.
"Ana..." Thought Callie. The cougar was distressed. Normally, she'd be vocal if things like this were happening. But since Swan, a human male was in the room with them...
"He killed everyone and now you want to stick him with us? I can't believe you're doing this to us, General! I literally cannot right now!" Exclaimed Ava.
"I never expected to find myself agreeing with her. You all put my friends six feet under. I dug their graves!" Exclaimed the man. His was quite angry and his tone matched his expression.
"How did you ever think this was a good idea?" Asked Swan. Brixley shrugged, folding her arms across her chest.
"Because I saw what I needed to see in the hospital. When there is a task at hand, you put all of that stuff by the wayside." Said Brixley. Callie looked over Ava, mirroring her General's actions.
"And you, Sergeant, always manage to do the same. It's like seeing two different people." Said the wolf. Ava huffed and sat back down, folding her arms against her chest and leaning back.
"Remember that time you ran a joint op with the Empire's GC-9? Grupo de Contraataque Nueve?" Asked Brixley.
Callie watched as Swan's ears twitched ever so lightly, and she remembered how he had said a quote in Spanish the first day. This made her wonder if Swan was bilingual.
But for the conversation at hand, Sako Squad ran a joint operation with the Empire's best special operations force a few years ago in New York.
That mission turned into a shithole when the human forces managed to decrypt their airwave messages and planned a surprise counter assault of their mission.
The GC-9 was heavily pinned down and lo and behold, Ava went into the blind with an M4 and fought valiantly alongside them, leading them all to victory. It had earned the wolf two medals, one from the Empire, and a hefty amount of ribbons for valiant operation.
The Imperial forces and the APG militaries didn't exactly like each other, and some tension between the sides remained.
But Ava pushed all that aside in a time when it mattered and got the job done much like Swan had done.
"I don't like it." Said Ava. Callie glanced at Swan, seeing that he was as apathetic as ever with that same scowl.
"You don't get a choice in this matter. It's final." Said Brixley. Callie nodded lightly.
"I don't like it because where does the designated marksman usually stay per APG tactics?" Asked Ava. Brixley looked up for a moment before her gaze settled on Ana.
APG fighting doctrine usually placed the designated marksman of a squad with the machine gunner team due to the fact that it was trained to place a machine gun team in an advantageous point on a battlefield.
Those advantageous points were usually high ground, vantage points, and other places suited to being excellent for a person and their DMR to shoot from.
Everyone knew this and the room once more fell silent. Callie looked at Ana as Ava shrugged her shoulders with an exaggerated motion.
"There will be no issues concerning this. Swan is a capable and reputable soldier. I am certain of this already." Said Brixley. Callie watched as a small tear dripped from Ana's left eye before the fur below absorbed it.
Callie glanced around casually, making sure not to bring attention to the thing, and she was delighted to see that she seemingly was the only one who had noticed it.
"And as such, my decision is final. Going forwards, Swan will fill the DMR role and assist Ana with machine gun duties. It's been too long since she's had someone to help watch her back." Said Brixley.
Callie felt sympathy for Ana. The poor cougar was obviously terrified of Swan, and Callie knew that while such a thing could be considered comedic given their proportions, it wasn't too far fetched.
"Maybe things will change. I know Swan well enough to understand his thoughts regarding Ana. Maybe... maybe this can be the start of something different. Maybe this can change some things." Callie felt a glimmer of hope pass through her with that thought.
"I'd reckon it'd be best if you didn't keep me in close proximity with the cougar?" Pushed Swan. He nodded his head towards the still frame of Ana, and Callie once more got the feeling that he was outwardly referencing her pushing him through the door.
"God damn, why is he the way that he is?" Asked Callie, internally. After giving such an abrasive introduction, Swan seemed to hold a lot of empathy for Ana.
Then again, he did say that he knew Keller. And if he aligned Ana with Keller, being that they were both assaulted and abused in horrific manners...
"The biggest conspiracy theory is that there's a heart under all of that bullshit." Thought Callie. She narrowed her eyes, making sure to stay realistic in the idea that one thing, even something major like this, was but a single example of good within a whole lot of bad and downright messed up.
XXX
"I'm aware that you are less than receptive of your placement with Sako." Said Brixley.
She watched as Swan folded his arms against his chest and tried to look her in the eyes. Looking just beyond his shoulder, she gave him the impression that she was looking into his eyes.
"But I am certain that you all will perform your duties as a team. I saw how you worked well with Izzy and Echo. This will be no different." She said.
Brixley was certain that this hopeful outcome would be reality. Swan had been able to put aside the very complaint he had just spoken about, and since Sako had just left with orders to carry on their normal daily routine, it was just her and Swan in the room.
"Because, certainly, you wouldn't do anything to jeopardize a mission again, would you?" She asked. Swan shook his head and Brixley nodded, gesturing that he had given the correct answer.
"I know you are smarter than that, no matter what any of us would think, including you." Said Brixley.
She nudged along the notion that Swan might have developed a sort of inferiority feeling when it came to education, and she was determined to show him that just because he wasn't 'educated' on a grade scale or grading standard that it didn't mean he wasn't intelligent.
"You are a ridiculously smart person, Swan. You don't need to be judged by a grading scale or a standard for that to be true." Said Brixley.
She felt her heart flutter momentarily, and she really liked complimenting Swan and telling him he was doing good.
"I wasn't smart enough to die for what I believed in." Said Swan. Brixley felt the silence that came permeated through the room.
Swan believed that the best thing he could have done was die before things ever reached the point that they did, being the end of the war and what was to come after it.
"I'm trying to have an uplifting moment, dammit!" Thought the General. She kept her mouth shut and took a moment to think, deciding to carry on with her new tactic of masking the more emotional side of what she truly wanted to say in favor of logic and a coolly aloof demeanor.
But Brixley had a secret weapon to use for just this moment. This was something she had prepared to talk about at length with the human, and she would hear no other side.
"That's what you think, Swan: 'I'm too dumb to die for my country.' Did you ever stop and think that you are simply too smart to die?" Asked Brixley. The man didn't respond and she leaned in.
"Survival. It's what you had been doing for the last half decade. You adapted." She said.
"Your own body and mind can't comprehend not living. It's in your nature to live and as long as I am in charge of you, that nature will not change."
Swan looked at her with that standard scowl, a daily resting face that he always had.
Whether he was perpetually angry, had a severe case of 'resting bitch face' as Ava would have put it, or simply looked angry, Brixley knew that she could work with this.
"You're smarter than what you let yourself believe and I know that you will do exactly what I think you will do from here on, which is adhere to mission protocols and think tactically." Said Brixley. She watched as Swan squinted for a moment and opened his mouth.
"Phantom brought up a good point in that briefing. I want to get paid." Said Swan, suddenly. This comment took Brixley by complete surprise but she held her composure.
That was what Brixley saw them talking about. Swan must have raised his hand to try and talk about pay and Phantom stopped him.
"Paid? Didn't you say that money had no relevance to you?" Asked Brixley. Swan shrugged.
"I thought you would want to make this seem like less of a slavery thing. Paying me lessens the blow." Said Swan, begrudgingly. Brixley chuckled.
"Americans. Cash is king." She said while shaking her head. Shrugging, Brixley nodded and thought of some ways to figure out how to adhere to his wish.
She was, after all, trying to rehabilitate the human into their society. Having money for the future would be a good way to start.
"Well, it is against ACMD, which is the APG Code of Military Doctrine, to pay citizens a salary unless they have enlisted. Would you like to join the APG in an official capacity to start with a payroll, Swan?" Asked Brixley.
The human stared unmoving, his expression unchanging. With a smile, Brixley continued.
"Didn't think so. But, I guess I can figure something out. I believe that there may be a way I can start a small savings account for you. And that brings me to something I wanted to discuss with you, Swan." Said Brixley.
The human blinked, and leaned in ever so slightly to let her know that he was listening.
"There are many aspects about the APG that you think you are aware about. I want to say that you have just barely scratched the surface of what we can offer you." She said.
"Officially, you are simply an 'advisor' to the APG; a captured human who wanted to either help us in a military fashion or provided use to us in some other fashion." Explained the General.
"This nets you resources such as food, water, shelter, and a stable environment." Said Brixley.
"If you were to fully join up and enlist with the APG, you'd be granted a full salary, more benefits, and many, many opportunities." She said. Brixley casually clasped her hands together and leaned in.
"I know what you feel towards this, and I know that this isn't something I should have expected you to warm up to immediately. I just want you to know that no matter what happens, the offer is always available for you." She said.
"If you ever want to join, or if you simply want to discuss the APG, my door is always open for you, Swan." This time, Brixley confidently looked the human in the eyes.
"But moving on, outside of this conversation, I had a more personal question about you. It has nothing to do with the APG and it is not tied to such a thing in any way." She said.
Brixley took Swan's silence as a piece of ground gained in the battle to win him over. The fact that he didn't immediately start cussing her out and damming the APG meant something.
"Your Glock. I know it's a standard 17, but would you ever think about having a red dot mounted to it? We have the machinery and optics to do so if you'd want it. That goes for all of your weaponry, Swan." Said Brixley.
The wolf wanted Swan to know that his weapons would be in top shape at all times and that by simply being with them, he would be taken care of.
The human raised a brow and leaned back.
"It had crossed my mind at some point. Jose always wanted a red dot." He said.
Brixley nodded, knowing who Jose was per Echo's briefing.
"Would like us to put a red dot on your slide? We will get you a new holster for it, too. One that would fit on your belt." Offered Brixley.
"Baby steps. We have to learn to crawl before we can run together." Thought Brixley. She sincerely hoped he would accept her offer.
"You know, at the very least, I'm sure that we can come to some sort of, well... arrangement at the very least." Said Brixley. She brought her clasped hands up to her chin and rested her head on them, giving the human a warm smile.
He cocked his head, his eyes widening under that scowl and Brixley knew she made a mistake the mere moment that he moved his head.
"Not that type of arrangement! God! My apologies, Swan. I was meaning that this can be a sort of payment for your good conduct, and an example of what else there is to receive by being a 'part of the team.'" Said Brixley.
She had raised a hand at the start of her sentence to physically put up that blocked in her communication, letting him know she made a mistake in her intentions.
The human sighed in relief and then shrugged.
"Sure. What harm would it bring?" Asked Swan, rhetorically. Brixley smiled and stood up.
"Well, let's go grab your gun and then head to the armory!" She said. She watched as Swan stood up and smoothly moved to the door with her following close behind.
She gave an involuntary smile at the motion, being happy that a cordial mood had been made by her measure.
As they opened the door, Brixley was met with Callie who was standing outside the door.
"Oh, Lieutenant! Is there something I can help you with?" Asked Brixley. The shark looked down at Swan and then looked up at her.
"Uh... no. I'm just here to talk to him." Said Callie. Brixley raised a brow and nodded.
"Well, we're on our way to see about getting the slide of his Glock milled for a red dot. Wanna come along?" Asked Brixley. She looked to Swan and the human shrugged, displaying his ambivalence.
Callie rubbed the back of her neck with a hand, and fidgeted for a moment. Such a thing was uncharacteristic of the shark.
"I was actually wondering if I could speak to him alone for a moment? It would only take a few minutes at most. Kinda like... onboarding for the squad." Asked Callie.
Brixley looked down at Swan then back at Callie.
"Yeah. I'll wait here for a moment." She said. She gave the shark a look, one that she knew Callie was aware of.
"Don't be too rough."
XXX
"I can tell you aren't happy about this." Said Callie.
Swan focused on the tiger shark, narrowing his eyes for a moment.
"And I can also tell that you weren't exactly speaking the truth when it came to Ana." Said Callie. Swan raised a singular brow.
"Why?" Asked the man.
He had the mind to ask a more thoughtful string of words, something with substance, but he was simply just too tired to do otherwise.
His social battery was drained, he was still physically exhausted after being woken a mere hour after leaving breakfast, and worst of all, he was having trouble paying attention to things as well as he did when he was completely on top of his game.
"I had... come to the assumption that you may hold Ana in the same regards as Private Keller. Being that they both were sexually abused." Said Callie, quietly.
Swan kept his look but did not answer. Callie had pretty much hit the nail on the head in her assumption.
"And in doing so, saying that you don't want to be paired with her isn't because she was mean to you, but it is because you feel a certain way about... possibly 'revictimizing' Ana." Said Callie.
Swan didn't like how correct the tiger shark was. Callie looked down at him with a very turmoiled expression, and she also didn't speak.
His silence was his confirmation that she was correct, and he spoke up.
"This doesn't make us friends." He said.
"Hell can come a walkin' all it wants." Thought Swan. Echo was an exception to the norm. Izzy was a tolerable presence.
Other 'friendly' anthros hadn't made themselves known yet. Brixley was being amicable, but that's all Swan felt would come from the current situation.
"I never said that it did. Ava was right, after all." Said Callie. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the wall, the door sitting between them in the wall.
Swan stood still, not moving to match her posture.
"And you are too, you know."
Swan wasn't sure how to register those words. A sworn enemy, one who distinctly had a personal vendetta against him had listened to his woes and told him that they were still worthwhile.
"Okay, look. We can talk about this at a more appropriate time. We have other business to attend to. What I want to know is if you will treat Ana the same way you treated Echo?" Asked Callie.
"Would you stick your neck out for her? Would you help her? Would you have her back?" Asked Callie.
Swan blinked and then shrugged lightly.
"I'm being honest when I say that Echo made it easy because I felt that she would have done the same for me." Said Swan.
Callie paused for a moment then nodded.
"Okay. I appreciate the honesty, Swan. That sort of thing goes a long way with me. I'll... talk to Ana and make sure that we are all on the same page." Said Callie.
Swan nodded and then stuck out a finger.
"This doesn't make us friends." He reiterated. Callie rolled her eyes and sighed, going for the door.
"Loosen up a little. You'd be surprised at what might happen."
XXX
"I'm... nervous, Iz. It's been years!" Said Echo.
Izzy folded her arms across her chest and nodded towards her laptop which was booted and prepared to make a video call.
The two had returned to their room following the not so bombshell of an announcement that Swan was joining Sako Squad.
"Sako 9. Or just Swan." Thought the snake. Each Sako member had a number.
Callie was 1.
Rita was 2.
Katrina was 3.
Sabrina was 4.
Ana was 5.
Ava was 6.
Echo was 7.
Izzy was 8.
And now, Swan was Sako 9.
"Whew... wow. I still can't get over the fact that Brixley made Swan join Sako, and not only that, but Callie gave the green light and he didn't end up causing a big fuss." Said Echo. Izzy nodded at the nervous hyena and once more gestured to the laptop.
With a sigh, Echo nodded and then sat down in front of the laptop. Izzy adjusted the screen to where the camera put both of them and view and Echo thumbed its cursor over the call button.
"Do it, Echo. I want to say hi to your mom and little sisters." Plied Izzy. She lightly punched the hyena on the shoulder and with a nervous gulp, Echo pressed on the call button.
Izzy felt her own heartbeat begin to quicken and Echo was breathing somewhat hard as the call dialed in for what felt like too long of a time for Izzy.
And then, someone picked up.
Izzy saw a familiar adult hyena couple, male and female, appear on the screen.
"Mom? Dad?" Asked Echo. Izzy leaned in as the much anticipated explosive reaction from Echo's parents took place.
"Holy crap! Echo! Hi!" Echo's mom literally jumped up and down with excitement as her dad turned to yell off camera.
"Everyone! Everyone! Echo's calling! Izzy's here too!" Screamed Echo's dad.
"June! Mr. William! It's so great to see you guys again!" Izzy could t help but feel herself tear up a bit as old and well loved acquaintances remembered her.
"Oh! My babies are okay! My babies are okay!" June, Echo's mom, began to bawl. William, Echo's dad, began to comfort her as Echo herself also began to cry.
Izzy saw what could only be best described as a horde of yapping hyena children of multiple ages and heights came running into view.
"Oh my god! Echo!"
"Echo! Echo!"
"Wow! You are muscled!"
"Big and strong!"
"Izzy! It's Izzy, everyone!"
Izzy laughed aloud as more tears filled her eyes!
"Hey guys! Gals! It's so good to see you all again!" Said the snake. Echo coughed and wiped her eyes.
"Mom! Dad! God, it's been so long." Said the hyena. She looked at the screen for a moment before she put her head in her arms and placed them on the table, sobbing quite hard.
Izzy placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder and squeezed it while her family crowded around.
"Echo? Honey? What's wrong?" Asked her mom as she wiped her eyes. Echo continued to sob for a moment as everyone watched on.
It was a few minutes before the hyena lifted her head up and looked at the ceiling.
"I... I almost died yesterday!" She admitted tearfully. Echo's dad nodded solemnly and her mom covered her mouth with her hands.
Her brothers and sisters gasped.
"How?"
"What happened?"
"Are you okay?"
Echo sobbed a bit more and she leaned back into her chair. Izzy felt her own tears fall and she cleared her throat, waiting for the hyena to continue.
"I was on a mission in an old hospital... the floor fell out from under me." Explained Echo. Izzy nodded.
"I was falling. I was about to fall to my death." Sobbed Echo. The hyena wiped her eyes and Izzy watched as the faces of her family were filled with shock and surprise.
"But you lived! Who saved you? I know you don't run missions alone!"
The voice of Echo's younger brother, and oldest brother in the family, broke from over the speakers.
"Ugh. God." Said Echo. She wiped her eyes once more and went quiet before speaking.
"Do you... remember how we've been fighting those same humans?" Asked Echo. Her voice was small and choked up.
Izzy watched as Mr. William's expression turned to one of anger.
"Did those fucks try and hurt my baby girl?!" Roared the hyena patriarch. Echo shook her head and sobbed deeply.
Mr. William's expression turned back into shock and then to confusion.
"No! He didn't, Dad." Said Echo.
Izzy nodded, smiling lightly as she knew what was coming next, but wondering on how they would react.
"He saved me! The... the last surviving human saved my life!" Exclaimed Echo.
"What? But I thought they were vampires who ate us in our sleep!" Asked one of the smaller siblings of Echo that Izzy hadn't met.
Izzy furrowed a brow and squinted. She noticed that June turned to look away from the camera.
"Yeah! My teacher said that humans eat furs! She said that they wanted to make furniture out of us!" Said one of her younger brothers.
Izzy chuckled but Echo didn't say anything.
"Does the human eat the brains of our soldiers?" Asked one of the kids.
"Yeah! Does he drink blood?"
"Are his teeth sharp and like fangs? Rawr!"
One of Echo's sisters gave a fake hissing sound that Izzy thought was totally adorable. A few of the smaller kids yelped in surprise.
"No! None of that is real! What are they teaching you all in school? Shut up!" Said Echo, angrily. The hyena furiously rubbed her eyes.
"This human saved me by almost jumping after me! He caught himself in a piece of rebar! A mortal enemy of his!" Said Echo.
The other side went silent.
"We were wrong. We were so wrong. He's... God! We've messed up so bad!" Sobbed Echo. Izzy looked down at her friend, slowly removing her hand.
"We killed all of his friends... they're all dead... and he still saved me? Why? Why?" Echo was breathing faster and Izzy worried that she might begin to hyperventilate. Bending down to get at her level, Izzy embraced the upset hyena with a firm hug, making sure to let her know that she wasn't alone.
"Oh God. It's all happening so fast. Times are changing and I'm barely keeping up!" Said Echo. Izzy kept her hug firm and looked at the screen.
Echo's parents wore shocked expressions and Izzy solemnly nodded at them.
"Let's all move past this... I'm sure the kids are dying to know how their big sis got so buff!" Said Izzy.
The whole group cheered and jumped with excitement, making Izzy smile and raising the mood of the call to a much more palatable level.
XXX
"Phantom. What a guy. You know, I was given permission by him to call him Faggot." Said Swan.
Brixley stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the back of Swan's head.
"Please tell me someone slipped drugs into my coffee this morning. Did I just hear exactly what I thought I heard you say?" Asked Brixley. She looked over to Callie to see that the shark was staring wide eyed at the human, and that confirmed her suspicions.
Swan stopped and turned around, looking somewhat confused.
"What? He gave me permission. He is a little fag, after all. Well, a six foot fag, but a fag nonetheless." Explained the man. Brixley felt her eyes nearly bulge out of her head and Swan noticed this.
Holding up a single finger, he presented himself in a confident manner in preparation to say something that Brixley just felt that she would not like.
"Regardless, it would be like if Preston gave me 'The Pass' and allowed me to call him-"
"Absolutely NOT, Swan!" Brixley roared in the hallway, pointing a knife hand at the human and rapidly approaching him.
"No sir! Absolutely not! That is completely unacceptable! We DO NOT use racial slurs or bigoted language in the APG. I don't care if Phantom pays you to call him that. That is NEVER allowed in the halls of my base." Brixley roared and the hallways went silent, save for a few doors opening and other soldiers looking their heads out to look their way.
"But he said I could! Phantom literally said 'If you call me a faggot, it would mean a lot to me.' How am I gonna turn the guy down?" Asked Swan, dumbfounded.
Brixley brought her head into her hands and groaned as Callie began to chuckle nervously.
"Oh... I'm gonna murder that fox!" Growled Brixley as she realized what was happening.
Phantom always loved a good joke, and that was maybe why he and Swan hit it off so easily at the start. Phantom found a source of amusement and Swan, being as smart and perceptive as he was, also found a new way to exploit loopholes for his own entertainment.
"It's a sign of friendship! Don't you want me to be friends with your soldiers?" Brixley looked down at Swan with tactics of manipulative gaslighting and sighed, letting the moment pass over her.
The soldiers went back into their rooms as the situation stabilized and everything returned to normal levels.
"We still have to get your slide milled. Please refrain from calling him that word. It's very offensive and others may react even worse than what I did. Sexuality is a big thing for us, Swan." Said Brixley.
The human looked her way with a cross expression and continued walking.
"Yeah, no hiding it, Brixley. Randall is proof enough. Same with Escadrille. You anthro women sure love getting your urges out on helpless surrendering humans." Said Swan.
Brixley groaned and Callie sniffed the air.
"Like I had said before, now is your chance to get your revenge. We will change as a society and these things will be metered. We will be better because we are going to work together for a better future!" Growled Brixley.
"Uh huh. Solid plan, until it isn't." Said Swan as they turned the corner to come into contact with the armory.
"Mmm. Guns." Said Swan. He turned and waited for Brixley and Callie, looking up at them.
Brixley paused for a moment and looked down at him before continuing.
Upon entry, she was met with the same old armory that she had always been used to. Rows of metal cabinets stored multiple types of weaponry.
Handguns. Rifles. Submachine guns. Sniper rifles. Explosives. Ammunition.
All of it was neatly ordered and sectioned off in respective categories.
Brixley smelled the industrial scent that the room carried, a mixture of metal, oil, and anthro. She turned to look at Callie who was just as ambivalent as her and then back to Swan.
Swan's eyes were wide as he scanned the interior. A light sparkle was in his eye as he noted the standard issue equipment and ammunition.
At the far end of the hall was the quartermaster cubicle, in which multiple soldiers stood working on respective projects or sat logging paperwork into a system.
"Alright Swan, let's get this taken care of!" Said Brixley, happily. She waited to hear the sound of Swan's boots moving but she didn't, so she looked over.
Swan was still admiring the view of the armory and Brixley understood that this was a side effect of his life.
Guns were a passion to him and Brixley knew this.
"Swan." She called out. The human looked her way, and then his eyes followed. She gave him a smile and she watched as that twinkle in his eyes went away.
"Escaped reality only to be reminded of it. Sorry, Swan." Thought Brixley. She moved on quickly, not wishing to dwell on the past.
"Come on!" She said with eagerness. The human nodded and followed her and Callie. He had his Glock in his hand and walked behind them at a small distance.
When they approached the gate for the quartermasters, she gave a smile as the attendant, a male alligator, looked up at them.
He nodded at the General and then his eyes went wide as he looked behind her.
"Gun!" Yelled the alligator as he dove under his desk. Brixley frowned as the rest of the quartermaster personnel looked down at the gator.
"Hawkins! It's an armory, dumbass! It's all guns!" Said one of the soldiers in an annoyed voice.
"The human's got a gun!" Shouted Hawkins from under the desk.
The other quartermasters groaned and one of them pointed at Brixley.
"So does the General. Get off the floor, idiot!" Growled one of the others, a sergeant.
Hawkins stood up from under the desk and brushed himself off.
"Uh... sorry, ma'am. I had thought that... well, never mind." Said the soldier. Brixley noted that he was but a corporal, and most likely fresh off of the promotion roster at that.
"Corporal, I'm very certain that if Swan had wanted to do anything to anyone, he would have done it much earlier than today." Said Brixley, confidently.
She smirked and then looked back at Swan.
"Isn't that right, soldier?" She asked.
Swan looked at the gator with a confused look and then slowly shrugged.
"I guess?" He offered. Swan walked up to the little window cut into the wall.
"The General said I could get my slide cut for an optic?" Asked the human. Hawkins looked down at the human and blinked as Swan placed his Glock on the counter.
"Ma'am?" Asked Hawkins. Brixley nodded and then picked up one of the forms that needed to be filled out.
"You heard him. I want it milled and set up just as you would any other handgun in our armory. If there's something wrong with it, you'll be pushing the ground until a day comes that ends with 'W.'" Threatened the wolf.
Hawkins raised a brow and took the Glock, inspecting it.
"Give him an RMR. I want him to be equipped with the best of the best, cause he needs to work with the best of the best." Explained Brixley.
Hawkins nodded and Brixley began to fill out the sheet, putting down the information required for procuring the necessary equipment.
"And I might have a new mission coming soon." Said Brixley. She paused on the paperwork for a moment to glance at Callie and Swan, who looked at her with a brief spat of attentiveness.
"I think you both will like this one."
XXX
Also, enjoy some art! Both official representations of the characters and some absolute crack drawings which were purely meant for fun.
Credit to SmoleVN for their interpretations of the gals and Credits to ghosttoast09 for the crack drawings.
"Fent Phantom with Benny and Swan"
A "very special" General
"Ice cream social."
Smole is a splendid artist, and Toast is a wonderful friend. I hope you all enjoy seeing the gals for the first time and the more humorous side of the art by Toast. See you all again soon!