Chapter Nineteen
The Officers Lounge looked like a war zone, and that was putting it mildly. The large television that had hung from the ceiling now lay on the floor, smashed into more than a hundred little pieces, the poker table was flipped over and an avalanche of different coloured chips were strewn about the floor, and even the wall nearest the door had a large chunk missing out of it and a beam with wires was visible. There were also flipped over chairs, cushions from the couch were thrown across the room, and the pictures of military vehicles and paintings of old battles lay on the floor among shattered glass. And it was all because of Alexander.
The moment he and the rest of the team were taken back to the barracks he had found the nearest room and began to throw stuff. His anger was so bad that he had even been yelling like a crazed lunatic, something he only learned of after his rage had been diminished. Kimberly had stayed with him the entire time and just watched, sorrow in her eyes as she no doubt felt the same kind of emotions that had thrown him over the edge. She just dealt with hers better, but thankfully let Alexander continue venting it in the only way he could think of.
When the last picture had fallen from the wall and shattered she finally stepped in and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, letting him know that it was okay. It did little to comfort him though, but he didn't brush it off. Instead he allowed himself to be led to a group of upturned chairs. When Kim had put one back on its feet he sat down and tried to breath. He was lightheaded and at the same time had a pounding headache that was threatening to drill deep into his brain.
“Feel better now?” Kimberly asked. Her voice was hard, but not in the way that he knew he was in trouble.
“Not even close.”
“Well then if not we can go and find you another room to destroy,” she said and looked out over the wake of his rampage. “Maybe we can get into Vasily's private quarters.”
Alexander now looked up at Kimberly and found an evil smile on her face and the light of truth in her eyes. She was honestly considering what she had just suggested, and that made Alexander smile a little himself. But they both knew deep down that it was not a great idea. He was already being watched and he knew if he tried to make a move on Vasily or that idiot's belongings he would end up in a Russian prison, or worse.
“Maybe another time,” he sighed and tried to relax his tensed muscles. It seemed impossible though; there was just too much fight left in him. “Thanks for not stopping me.”
“Don't need to thank me for that. Honestly I wanted to be right there with you, throwing crap around the room, but one of us needed to stay out of it just in case. I'd love nothing more than to punch that bastard right in his stupid face! Just what in the hell is he thinking with bringing the Eden program back like that?”
That was the million dollar question. Eden should have been buried deep under the earth where it could never see the light of day, and any files pertaining to it should have been burned. There had been good reason for most of the worlds governments to opt out of it: three dead pilots and another ten in comas. It had been a complete and utter failure. Yet there it was now, implemented into the Russian's new machine with a new pilot who was barely old enough to even wear the uniform she had on.
“Do these Russians not know how to clean up after themselves?” a loud and harsh growl came from the door. Turning around, Alex and Kimberly found Major Ingles walking through the destruction, his heavy black boots crunching over the shards of broken glass. “You'd think they were raised in a barn!”
For a moment Alexander could only stare at the large muscled and tanned man with confusion. There was no way he could think that all this had been caused by a bunch of Russian soldiers. And that's when he realized, that's exactly what the Major thought; or rather what he was making himself think. The way he avoided looking directly at Alexander gave it away. This man, this large and rather dour man was actually protecting him.
“M... Major,” Kimberly stuttered as she quickly tried to composer herself in front of a higher ranking officer. “I thought you were seeing to the other pilots.”
“They're fine. Baker and the others have gone down to get something to eat, so I thought I would come and see how you two were doing. I also ran into Sir Rupert.”
“Where is he now?”
“He's headed out to the airfield that the Russians are letting us use while we are here. The Mechs just arrived and they have to be assembled, so he's taking charge of getting the Aegis and the Rogues ready for combat. He filled me in a little on what this Eden is though,” Major Ingles explained and now came to stand in front of Alex and Kim.
Alexander knew he should stand up and at least make himself presentable, but he just didn't have the energy for it anymore. It wasn't that he was tired or anything, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He was mentally exhausted more than anything else. Thankfully the large man didn't seem to care about it right now.
“I have to admit that I'm a little shocked by the information I have been given. How something like this was allowed to happen in the first place is the most surprising.”
“Wait!” Alexander suddenly shot out of his chair, his mind racing as he tried to grasp onto any hope that might be swirling around in there. He might just have found a way to prevent what was sure to happen. “You're right! This should never have happened in the first place! Shouldn't this be illegal? A violation of human rights or something like that?!”
Both Kimberly and Major Ingles now looked at him and he could tell from the sadness in their eyes that they had probably already thought of this. The fact that nothing was being done was also a good indication that they had also thought wrong. There was probably nothing they could do to prevent Anya from getting hurt.
“I've talked with the Russians and NATO Command,” Major Ingles started and this surprised Alexander. Just how long had he taken to destroy this room that the Major had been able to do all of this already? “While the program is extremely dangerous, it seems that no laws have been broken yet. The device they are using in this program is apparently different and a lot more advanced than the one used in the first experiment. Also, there is only a single pilot instead of fifty, and the pilot, Lieutenant Zuyev has been made aware of all of the dangers and has accepted them willingly. I don't think there's anything we can do here, Woods.”
“But... how can it not be illegal? Wasn't the research banned after the first attempt?” he asked, now trying to grasp at anything within his reach. This couldn't just be happening. They had to find a way to stop this!
“I'm afraid not,” now Kimberly spoke and she refused to look at him. He could see tears clinging to her eyes and he knew she was close to breaking down. “The original program was classified above top secret and only a few people outside of it really had any knowledge that it existed. When it was shut down it was buried and never revealed. It's sad, but Vasily is probably taking advantage of this oversight. Even if we raise hell about it it would still take a few months before all the data could be gathered and a hearing could be held to decide what to do with the technology. In that time, and this is hard to say, but in the time between that nothing would be done.”
“We're facing our greatest threat right now, Woods. The UNE's have already landed a Hive close to the front lines and another is headed towards Japan. Lieutenant Zuyev will most likely participate in the battle there, and I'm afraid there's nothing that can change that. All we can do is hope that nothing happens and we can clean up this mess at a later time.”
“I...” Alexander began but for some reason he couldn't finish his thought. It felt like all the life in his body had suddenly just seeped out and he felt dead.
“Alex, don't forget what your real objective is here,” Kimberly offered and now moved closer to him. She pulled him into a tight hug and rested her chin on his shoulder, speaking softly into his ear in the next moment. “You not only have the safety of Japan to worry about, but the safety of the girls that are under your command. This project has come a long way since you first joined it and now they all look up to you.”
“She's right,” the Major sighed and for a moment the harsh tone in his voice was gone. He sounded like a normal person now and it was a little more frightening than when he sounded like a drill instructor. “This might be the hardest battle they will ever fight in and they will look to you when they don't know what to do. In the beginning I may not have agreed with your transfer into this project, but now I know I was wrong in acting and thinking that way. You are the leader my pilots need and I know that you will give them the best chance at surviving. You are your sisters brother after all.”
Alexander pulled away from Kimberly as a silence filled the trashed room. He looked over at the large man and searched his fierce eyes for a second, finding no lie hiding in them. The Major wasn't wrong either; he had a duty and there were four other pilots that were counting on him to look after them. To allow himself to get caught up in personal and emotional problems only a few days away from when they would be fighting against who knows what, was not something he could allow. Although that didn't entirely mean that he wasn't going to be thinking about it, just that there were more important things.
“You're right,” he said slowly and the Major nodded his head once, “I have responsibilities.”
“Good, I'm glad you remember. Now, there's an officer briefing in twenty and after that, Captain Richards and myself will brief you personally.”
“What about the other pilots?” Alexander found himself asking. Usually their briefings were done all together.
“Their not in training anymore,” Kimberly answered before the Major could open his mouth, “so things will be different. Myself and the Major will be briefed first, then we will give you your mission briefing. After that it is up to you to brief your pilots and get them squared away. Think you can handle that?”
Alexander slowly nodded and thought back to his time with the Second Battalion and his sister. It had been so long that he had forgotten how this actually worked. It had been the same back then, with Lillian getting briefed by command and then relaying that information to her squadron commanders. After that they would then tell their squadrons. Everything always rolled down hill in the military.
“Good. I suggest you wait for us in your room until we're ready to brief you. Don't need to give the Russians anymore reasons to not trust you.” It was the Major who had just spoken, and for the briefest of seconds there was a small smile on his lips.
“Understood, sir.”
Both Kimberly and Major Ingles left a moment later, and figuring that he didn't want to be in that room when some Russian soldier eventually came to see what all the noise had been about, Alexander left as well. He was no longer followed by armed guards, but he could still feel eyes on him everywhere he went. He was pretty sure that Vasily had hidden camera's in the building and was watching ever step he took. It was so stupid that he was the one being treated like a criminal. Hell, he was the one that caught the criminals!
Turning down a well lit and white hallway, Alexander wasn't really paying attention to where he was going. His mind was so wrapped up in his desire to kick the snot out of Vasily and the fact that he had duties that prevented him from doing it. He knew vaguely which route to take, which was enough for his mind to focus on other things. That proved to be a mistake, and as he crashed head first into someone and was sent toppling to the ground, he looked up to find the one person he both wanted and didn't want to see in that moment: Anya.
“Izvinite,” she apologized in Russian, not even noticing who it was that had actually run into her. She wore a tight fitting flight suit and her hair was damp with sweat, showing that she had probably just gotten back from a training session. That didn't improve Alexander's mood one bit, but he knew better than to start yelling and causing a scene over it.
The blonde girl quickly jumped to her feet and then looked out over Alex as he tried to find his own way up. The minute her eyes fell on him he could see the colour drain from her cheeks and her eyes hardened slightly. It seemed as much of a shock to her that they had just randomly run into one another. Alexander wasn't going to let this chance slip through his fingers though, and he stood up fully now and fixed her with a piercing gaze.
“Anya...” he spoke slowly, not sure what else there was to say to someone in that kind of a situation. He didn't think something like 'why did you try to steal from me?' would be appropriate.
“Please do not call me in such a familiar way,” Anya suddenly growled and she took a step back from him. “Use my rank, Captain.”
“Very well, Lieutenant. Are you alright?” he decided to ask, knowing that she wouldn't think he was asking if she was hurt after hitting him like that. No, his question was much more loaded than that.
“My condition is none of your concern. Please, move aside. I have to prepare for a briefing.”
“Not so fast, Lieutenant. I think you and I should talk.”
Anya's eyes suddenly grew angry and her nostrils flared, forcing her to take a menacing step towards him. Alex had seen her like this on occasion when they had been friends, but this time felt different. She felt different. He hadn't seen her much since he had arrived in Moscow, but there was something off about her; like she wasn't the same girl he knew all those years ago.
“You and I have nothing to talk about,” she spoke, and despite her angry appearance her voice was almost monotone.
“Don't make me pull rank!” Alexander suddenly yelled and Anya's angry appearance faded as mild fear set in. He hadn't been meaning to yell like that, it just happened. He wasn't going to give her any time to recover though. “What are you doing? Why are you doing this? You know how dangerous Eden is, Anya!”
Anya remained silent but still held his gaze, a few strands of damp blonde hair slipping down her forehead and into her eyes. Feeling that she wasn't going to say anything, Alexander pressed on until he got his point across. No one seemed to be capable of stopping the project, but if the Russian's lost their pilot they might have to start from square one again. At least Anya would be safe.
“You saw what it does to people; you witnessed what happened to your brother because of it! I'm not even sure his mind is back to normal after what happened! Why else would he put his only sister in danger like this? How could you agree to this program? Weren't you the one who tried to tell me not to do it when I was offered a place in the program? Didn't you cry when I first stepped into the machine?”
“Do not think you know me, Captain,” came Anya's reply and now she was back to her normal cold self. Well, that wasn't her normal self, but it appeared to be what she was now. Alexander would always remember her happy smile and bright outlook on life. “Major Zuyev believes the program can still work, and I trust his judgement! Besides, you were barely in the program! You only did one test and spent two weeks preparing for it before it was shut down! So don't think you know everything there is to it! My brother and his engineers have fixed the problems that plagued it the first time around, and now it works perfectly! Now, please excuse me, I am needed elsewhere.”
Anya tried to push past him now, but Alexander quickly grabbed her roughly by the arm and held her in place. He knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he couldn't just let her walk away from him; not with the kind of danger she was in. Anya quickly jumped away from him though and looked at him through those cold eyes that should never belong to her. She really was a different person than the one he had known.
“Captain, you have no authority over me. And I would like to remind you that you are a guest in our country, so please act accordingly. If you have any questions or concerns regarding Eden then please bring them to the attention of my commanding officer, Major Zuyev. Good day!”
She once more pushed past him, but this time he made no move to stop her. He was too shocked to try again; and he also knew that he was being watched. So instead he was forced to turn and watch her stalk down the hall and around a corner, leaving him alone to think about what had just happened. One thought kept pushing to the front of his mind though, and he didn't want to think of it, but it seemed impossible. He could only make one assessment about her new behaviour, and that was that it must be related to Eden. He didn't think she could become like that on her own.
Angela gathered with her friends in the same briefing room that they had been in when Alexander had been running that training simulation with the Russian pilots. They once more occupied the front seats and waited in silence for someone to come and brief them on what would be happening over the next few days. Until now they had just been milling around waiting to be filled in on what the plan was, and honestly it was pretty boring.
Then again there was so much else going on that finding out what their next move was didn't seem as important. Well, it was important, but for Angela she was more worried about Alex. He hadn't just made a scene once, but twice; and since then no one had seen him. No one blamed him for the public outbursts, because honestly they seemed warranted given the information that had been leaked. In fact Angela was surprised that he hadn't decked the Russian Major for what he had done. If anyone needed a good ass kicking it was that man. How the hell could he put his sister in the cockpit of a machine that might get her killed? It wasn't just the combat part that was the worst, but rather the device inside the cockpit that had apparently already claimed the lives of three pilots in the past.
Anya herself sat in the room with the other pilots, only she was in the back by herself. No one had gone over to talk to her, and that was mostly due to the fact that they really didn't know what to say. Michelle couldn't care less, Sarah just wanted to keep to herself, Lisa was too meek and shy around new people, and Angela... well Angela had different reasons for wanting to avoid her.
There had been something between the young Russian pilot and Alexander, but no one was talking about it so she really didn't know what it could be. Whatever it was though had been no small thing, and the way Alexander had torn into her brother for making her the Ruka Boga's pilot had proven that. Had they been friends, had they dated, or was it something else entirely? Those were the questions Angela really wanted, but she wasn't sure she would get them. She didn't even know how to bring it up with Alex either.
Sarah's interest in Angela getting closer to their Captain seemed to have intensified as well, and it was honestly baffling. She kept trying to convince her to go and find him, or wait outside his room until he showed up. Which, to be honest, was something that Angela had already thought of herself; she just didn't do it because things were weird right now. With the whole UNE threat hanging above them and Alexander's behaviour towards Vasily and his sister she just didn't think it was the right time to try and get closer to him. Besides, what would she even say? She still had no idea what he thought about her trying to make a move on him back in the States. He hadn't even mentioned it once in the time since.
“Attention!” Alexander's voice suddenly cut through the hushed silence and everyone shot up and out of their seats, snapping to attention.
A second later Alex walked through the open door and strode towards the podium at the front of the room, putting a manilla folder on it before looking out over all of them. There was an aura of superiority about him now and he looked totally in charge; something that was a far cry from the way he had acted only an hour and a half earlier. He was in full military mode now and Angela honestly could say she had never seen him like this before. He looked more like a higher ranking officer now than she had ever seen, and she momentarily forgot that he wasn't even eighteen yet.
Not the first time I've done that, she thought to herself ruefully and almost couldn’t suppress the smile on her lips.
“At ease!” he announced and all the pilots relaxed, taking their seats once more. “Alright everyone, listen up! Let's get through this briefing quickly and get to work on preparing for our departure.”
“Departure?” Sarah asked, raising her hand slightly into the air. “We're leaving already?”
“Yes. At 2100 hours we will make for Japan and help the defence forces get prepared for the UNE Hive. The X-04 Rogues are currently being assembled and in a few hours time we will head to the hangar they are being stored in to make final pilot adjustments. Now, before we begin the actual briefing, are there any questions or concerns that any of you have?” he then asked.
“What's our role in this offensive?” Angela asked, figuring she would ask the big question.
“Good question,” Alex quickly replied and looked directly at her. His gaze and the compliment nearly overloaded her mind and she had to quickly look away just in case she started to blush as badly as Lisa was known to. Thankfully Alexander continued speaking. “As I said a moment ago, we will be helping the Japanese forces already stationed there get prepared to meet the enemy. However, our main objective is to secure the nation of Japan and make sure no UNE's live long enough to dig in. If we let them get a foothold there will be no stopping them from taking over the entire island. For this reason we will be acting independently from the Japanese, Russian, and Chinese forces involved in this operation.”
At this point, as Alexander explained to them what was going to happen, Angela and the rest of the team took out their small notepads and began to take down notes. Whenever he paused for a minute the air was suddenly full of the sound of pens scratching over paper and Alexander gave them a moment to finish up before continuing.
“Since this unit does not have an official name yet, our squadron call sign will be Lightning. It will be our job to head from one part of the battlefield to another and help out the places that need us the most. Aphrodite, since your the comm's officer it will be your job to direct us to the hardest hit areas, so be on your game. Also, we will be working as a six man team for this operation, with Lieutenant Zuyev on loan to us from the Russian Heavy Mechanized Warfare Division. Will there be any problems with your integration, Lieutenant?” Alexander asked and all eyes turned back towards the young blonde girl staring up at the front with no emotion on her face.
“None, Captain,” she responded and her voice slightly betrayed her blank image. There was tension in her words, Angela was sure of it.
“Good, because when I give you an order I expect you to follow it to the letter. Now initially we will be deployed outside the town of Togane, as widespread evacuations are still being conducted. Recent images taken of the Hive and some complex calculations have it making an ocean landing outside the capital, which is in line with military assessment. It is believed they will attack a major population center to cause the most confusion and draw our attention away from the front in France, and Togane isn't that far from Tokyo, Chiba, or Yokohama. When the evacuations have been completed and the city is empty, we will then move into the city and take up defensive positions on the coast. The UNE invasion force must not make it into the city.”
More scratching of pens being dragged over paper and Alexander once more let them fill out their notes for a few moments. When Lisa, the last one to look up from her notebook, had finished and turned her attention back to the front, Alexander cleared his throat and hesitated. Maybe he wasn't sure where to go from there, or maybe he just wasn't sure what he had already covered; either way he looked stumped for a moment. Deciding he needed a prompt, Angela once more asked a question.
“What's expected of us once we meet up with the Japanese Forces?”
“Oh, right!” he suddenly exclaimed and Sarah giggled at him for a second. “The Japanese are using their own private Mech's and have a compliment of two hundred of them that are on par with the Mark II's. It will be our job to help them get into position and even give them suggestions on how they can better defend their cities. When the battle begins we will be focusing mostly on their troops and aiding them in any way we can. Don't try to save them all though; even if they are just a self defence force they are still highly trained soldiers. Let them do what they need to and just focus on both supporting them while also stopping the enemy's advancement.”
“Now I know this squadron is still relatively new, but I don't think that should effect our performance in any way. You all have two missions already under your belts and you know what combat is like, so just remember to keep calm out there and do as you were trained. Above all else I want you to remember that we are all in this together. We are there to support and back one another up and I expect nothing but the best from you. You're not just pilots in your own armed forces anymore, you're now full NATO pilots. Are there any other questions?”
The room was silent for a long moment, no one seeming to have anything else to ask. When Alexander realized that he quickly closed the manilla folder in front of him and picked it up. As he began to walk towards the door the pilots all shot up to attention and waited for him to leave. Only, once he reached the door, he didn't leave. Instead he stopped and peered back at them, his eyes lingering over everyone there. When his eyes fell on Angela he stopped and then spoke.
“Baker, report to my quarters in twenty minutes,” he ordered and then turned to once more leave. This time it was Angela who didn't let him go.
“What? W... why?” she asked, not sure what to make of this sudden request. Getting invited to his room was not something she had been expecting, and even the other women standing there began to look at him in confusion. Even Anya.
“Are you not my second in command?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Angela replied, still not sure what to make of this.
“I would like to go over a few of these details with you and make sure we are on the same page. Will there be a problem?”
“N... no...”
“Good. I will see you in twenty minutes.”
With that he finally left, leaving Angela standing there a little red in the face and still not sure what to make of everything. If he wanted to go over some of the details about this mission then why didn't he just dismiss everyone and ask her to stay behind? Even Michelle now seemed to make the same conclusion and she peered at Angela with narrowed eyes, a small yet curious kink in her eyebrows.
“What was all that about?” Michelle asked her directly.
“I don't know,” Angela quickly tried to brush it aside, but her friend wasn't having any of that. If there was ever a time for Sarah to come to her rescue, it would be now. But the pale raven haired woman just shrugged her shoulders and watched on with mild interest. So much for helping her out when it came to this stuff.
“Something happened between you two on your vacation, didn't it?” she pressed and Angela felt like she was suddenly being interrogated; even though Michelle's voice was still a little sweet and there was now a small smile playing on her lips. “Did you guys end up sleeping together?”
“WHAT?! NO!” Angela quickly blasted, not intending to yell. It had been a reflex and she couldn't help it. “No, we did not sleep together! You're making something out of nothing!”
“Am I?” Michelle asked, but this time her question was now directed at the other pilots. “We've all seen your change in attitude towards him, so it's not that far of a leap to assume that you two are together now. Look, if you don't want to talk about it that's fine. Just don't pretend that nothing is going on. We're smarter than that.”
“S... she's not wrong,” Lisa stepped in, her voice barely above a whisper.
Angela didn't know what to say back to her friends, so she just stood there and stared at them. She still didn't have the courage to tell them that she had almost kissed Alexander; mostly because she knew that both Lisa and Michelle had some kind of feelings for the guy as well. Despite her own feelings for Alexander, she didn't honestly know if she would be able to fully make a move on the guy if it would end up hurting one, or both, of her friends. They had been through so much and had come such a long way that they almost felt like sisters, and that was a bond she really didn't want to break.
Then again, she was beginning to learn that what she wanted and what she did were becoming separate things. Just before she tried to kiss Alexander she knew that she was doing something that she shouldn't, yet the longer she looked into his eyes the less control over her actions she had. There might eventually come a time when she did take the next step forward with him without really meaning to, and being in his room alone with him was a good way for something like that to happen. But it wasn't like she had a choice.
Michelle, seeing that Angela wasn't going to say anything, simply shrugged her shoulders and sighed. With Lisa in tow she made her way out of the room and down the hall, her combat boots clicking noisily on the tiled floor. That just left Sarah and Anya standing there with her. While Sarah just smiled at her in an annoying manner, Anya stared at her with that emotionless face of hers. It was odd how she could look that like, as if she really didn't have any emotions. Maybe it was some kind of a side effect from Eden. It would certainly make sense considering everything Angela had been told about it.
“Was there something you needed?” Angela asked the Russian pilot, finally finding her voice. Anya was really starting to freak her out with that stare of hers.
“Nichego,” she replied in Russian and then stalked out of the room a second later. As soon as the blonde girl was out of sight, Sarah came and stood next to Angela.
“I am now more convinced then before that there was something between her and the Captain,” she spoke and Angela couldn't help but agree. “Maybe you should ask him about it.”
“How do you suggest I do that?” Angela asked and Sarah just shrugged her shoulders.
“I don't know, but you should probably get going. Wouldn't want to be late, would you?” Sarah then asked and Angela looked at her curiously.
“I still have fifteen minutes before I'm supposed to be there,” she countered but Sarah simply smiled and sighed at the same time. “What?”
“You're going to be alone with the Captain in his room! Don't you think you should freshen up a little bit? Maybe put on some perfume? Make a good impression, you idiot!”
Exactly twenty minutes later, Angela found herself standing outside the closed door to Alexander's room. Hesitation caused her to stop just short of knocking, and right now she just stood there with her fist raised like an idiot. While she may not have taken Sarah's advice, she had tried to make herself a little better before coming; and that was what made her feel like an idiot. She had let her hair down and even run a brush through it a few times while staring into the mirror of a bathroom. Honestly, she was acting like a nervous teenager about to go on her first date, not a Lieutenant in the military meeting with her Captain for a briefing.
Figuring that she had just better get this over with, she gently knocked against his door three times. No sooner had her hand hit it for the third and final time, did she hear Alexander tell her to come in from the other side. She gripped the handle and twisted it, pushing the door in slowly as it creaked on the metal hinges and rang through the halls. When she could see inside she found Alexander sitting in a small chair by a desk, maps and charts laid out and the same manilla folder he had been carrying earlier was open on his lap. He didn't even so much as look up at her as she entered into his room, closing the door before she realized that might not be such a great idea.
She wasn't worried about him, more herself. Away from prying eyes and ears she didn't know what she might be capable of.
“Take a seat,” he offered and pointed to another small chair across from the one he was using.
Taking a deep breath and steadying her nerves, Angela took the seat and looked out over her Captain. Even now he hadn't looked up at her and was instead focused intently on the folder before him, his eyes scanning over it quickly and fiercely. For a moment she thought he might have been ignoring her, as there was no way someone could read as fast as he was flipping through pages. When she looked at his eyes and saw them moving left and right with a speed that she could never hope to match, she knew that he was truly reading at such a great speed. It was impressive, but also a little scary. Just who was this guy?
They remained in silence for nearly ten minutes before Alexander finally let loose a heavy and burdened sigh and then closed his folder. His eyes lingered over the cover for a few seconds more and then he finally looked up, gazing at her for the first time. The moment their eyes met she could tell that something was bothering him deeply. He looked haunted and a little lost; almost exactly the same kind of look he had been wearing when he first walked into that classroom back on base and was introduced to them.
“Thanks for coming,” he tried to smile, but only pulled off a half smile, “and sorry for making you wait. I'm just trying to get up to date with all of this information I've been given. Trying to take into account the Russian's and Chinese's capabilities is very tiresome. There's also the fact that I have to factor in the Ruka Boga's strength as well.”
As he talked of the Ruka Boga his eyes suddenly grew even more haunted and Angela realized quickly that it was that subject that was bothering him the most. She felt like she needed to say something to him in that moment, but she couldn't think of anything. She realized just how much she didn't know about him and it made her feel a bit like an outsider. In the few months they had known one another she hadn't really come to learn much of his past, besides a few stories about his time in the Second Battalion and the Fall of London.
“Anyways, I asked you here for a reason. While we're out there I need you to be my eyes and ears when I'm focused on something else. If the fighting gets heavy, which it should, then I probably won't be able to keep an eye on everything that I need to. So I wanted to ask you if you would mind helping me out a little.”
“Y... you're asking me?” Angela enquired, not sure what he meant. “You're not ordering me?”
“No, I'm not ordering you. We're all going to be fighting harder than we ever have before, and I didn't want to give you anything you didn't think you could handle. Besides, I know one day you want to command your own squadron, so I thought this kind of experience might help you out.”
Angela stared at Alex for a long moment, drinking in his words and letting them fall over her like a hammer on a forge. She really didn't know if she could handle him when he was like this and she kind of wished that he would just go back to the way he had been before, just for a little bit. Maybe then she could get a grip on everything with out other thoughts trying to take over her body.
“You don't think you can handle it?” he asked, assuming that's what her silence meant.
“No! No, I can handle it. Um, yeah. Was there anything else?”
“Yes. Did you bring your notepad?” he asked and a second later she pulled the little pad out and opened it up. “Let me show you where we'll be stationed,” he then pointed to the map and outlined a small area near the East Coast of Japan. “We might not be there for long as we aren't exactly sure where the Hive will land, but I thought I would show you anyways. Let the others know and do a little research on the area. Get to know the land, just in case it comes in handy.”
Angela quickly jotted down the coordinates and made a note to pass it on to the others. She also made a mental note to do as Alex suggested, and do a little research of her own on the region. It wasn't normally something she would have done, but after their little journey through the jungle of Trinidad and Tobago she knew that he was probably right. Just seeing it on a map or on your GPS wasn't enough to figure out all the little details, and she now realized that knowing the battlefield was just as important as knowing your enemy and yourself.
When she finished taking her notes, Angela looked back over at Alexander and found him once more going through the files in the folder. Silence once more fell on the room and Angela didn't know what to do now. Was the briefing over? Was she just supposed to leave on her own? If this had been Major Ingles she would know not to leave until she was dismissed; but things were different with Alexander. Sometimes he followed military regulations, while other times he didn't care about them. So she really didn't know which to expect right now.
So she just sat there in silence, deciding to give it a few minutes before leaving on her own. Only when those few minutes came and went, she remained in her chair like it was glued to her butt. Alex seemed to notice this well and she caught him look up at her for a half a second. The movement was hard to notice, but she had definitely seen his eyes dart up to her and then go back down to his files.
She knew then that she was free to go whenever she wanted, but once more she was glued to her chair. All those questions she had bubbling on her mind since getting to Russia wouldn't let her leave until she had at least asked a few of them. But even though she now had the perfect opportunity, she couldn't seem to break the silence. She didn't know if she was afraid of asking him, or if she didn't trust her own voice. Either way, it was becoming a problem as the minutes continued to stretch on before them and she remained sitting there, staring at him like there was no tomorrow.
“Is there something on your mind, Angela?” he asked, using her first name instead of her last like he normally would.
“I... it's just... well...” she struggled to find the right question to ask. The only thing she seemed to do was make herself look like a moron instead. She couldn't even string together more than two words at a time.
“You're not acting like yourself,” Alexander commented, once more keeping his eyes glued to what he was reading, “just spit it out. If there's something bothering you then I would like to know. As your commanding officer and all.”
Angela quickly shut her mouth and took a deep breath, willing her mouth and mind to work. When she was sure she wouldn't stammer anymore she finally asked the big question on her mind. “What's your relationship to Zuyev?” she asked, then quickly specified, “Major Zuyev.”
That hadn't been exactly what she wanted to ask, in fact she had asked about the wrong sibling. She just couldn't look at him and ask him what his relationship with Anya was, even though she was dying to know. Feeling jealous was foreign to her, at least feeling jealous in a romantic way.
At her words, Alexander sighed heavily and looked up at her. His eyes met hers and for a moment they hardened and the bright blue burned at the man's name. They softened a moment later though and he closed the file, placing it on the table and pushing it away from him. “You want to know about him?” he asked and she nodded. “I also take it that you, and the other pilots, are curious about Anya and Eden as well?”
“W... well yeah. We haven't been given much information on Eden. A... as for Anya... well...”
“It's fine,” Alexander suddenly smiled sadly and Angela found herself shutting up instantly. “I suppose you have the right to know, so why not. What I'm about to tell you is very confidential, so please keep it to yourself. Is that agreeable?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Very well. Since all three of these subjects are interconnected, I guess I should start at the beginning, and the beginning is when I met Anya for the first time. I was about ten years old when we first met. Her father was a prominent General with the Russian Military, and this was before they shut themselves in and refused to aid most countries. Because of her father's position within the military, and also Eden, he was sent to London a lot on business, and sometimes they would tour the refugee camps. It was during one of these tours that I first met her, and because she didn't want to be dragged around by her father all day, she would often stay behind with a few soldiers and play with the kids in the camp; me being one of them.”
“Wait, her father took her to a country that was being overrun?” Angela asked, finding it a little hard to believe that any parent would take that kind of risk.
“He did. Their family has a long and proud tradition of military service, and even at a young age it was assumed that Anya would follow that path, even if she didn't want to. Anyways, she and I came to know one another over the course of a couple of visits to the camps and then after that, whenever she was in London, she would make sure to come out and visit. It wasn't long after this point that my sister first joined the British forces and I was moved to the base to live there with other children who had parents or relatives serving. When that happened, Anya and I were able to see each other a lot more, and we became inseparable. We'd play together all the time and she was the first girl I ever really liked, as more than just a friend.”
At Alex's sudden confession Angela felt her body tense up and her heart nearly shattered in her chest. Alex noticed her discomfort but seemed to take it a different way. “Contrary to what people like Thomas would say, I do fancy women. Also, I'm not made of stone,” he laughed and Angela forced herself to laugh with him, even though all she wanted to do was get up and leave.
“Well that's good then,” she forced out and couldn't meet his eyes now.
“Anyway, whenever Anya was on base, she and I would often spend time together playing at the house her father had been allowed to use for his visits. Shortly after I turned twelve things changed though. One day I was over there playing hide and seek, and I was the seeker. While I counted to a hundred I found a work booklet on the table in the living room with a series of math problems on it, so I decided to do it while waiting. Math had always come easy to me, and I managed to complete the booklet with no problems and even corrected a few of the mistakes the owner had made. That turned out to be a bit of a mistake, as the book belonged to Vasily, her older brother, and it was used to determine if there had been any changes to his intelligence from the Eden program.”
At this point Alexander's eyes tightened and she could only imagine what he was going to say now. The way his body tensed up and the look in his eyes told her that it wasn't good. She just didn't know how right she was until he spoke once more.
“Needless to say, Vasily wasn't very happy that I had finished it and even corrected his mistakes. He had never liked me, and not just because I was friends with his sister. No, he hated me because he figured I was lower then him, being a refugee and all. His father on the other hand, one of the lead Generals working on the program, saw an opportunity. By this point Eden wasn't living up to what they had thought it was going to be, and General Zuyev thought that by adding me to the program they might get better results. So—”
“No!” Angela suddenly cut in, unable to take what he was saying. There was just now way that could have happened. “They forced you into Eden?!”
“No,” Alexander answered calmly and smiled at her softly. It was the first time since getting that call from Kimberly that he had smiled like that, and once more she felt her heart nearly leap out of her chest. “I wasn't forced to do anything. General Zuyev asked me if I wanted to help win the war against the UNE, and even though I was so young I knew that if I could have any impact on the outcome then it was my duty to do it; no matter what it was. So I willingly agreed, thinking that it might help bring my sister back to me faster. This was also right around the time that the British government lowered the age of service from eighteen to sixteen, and even though I wasn't sixteen, there was still a special loophole added to that law to get me into the military with the sponsorship of not only the General, but other high ranking officials also.
“Needless to say, Anya was not happy with it, but I don't think she really understood then just what was going on in the world. To her I was just a friend, but to my country I was another able bodied soldier and it was my duty to fight back however and whenever it was possible. Not that it really mattered, the program only lasted another three weeks before the three pilots died and it was shut down. By that time though I had already completed basic assessment and my first test with Eden; and not only that, I had officially become a soldier in the British Military. When the program was shut down there was a debate on what should be done with me. Some people thought I should be released from service and sent back to live on base with the other children, while others figured that I should take the Behemoth training course and be given a position near the rear where I could gain a little experience and still remain safe until I turned sixteen.”
“Wait. What about your sister? From what I know about Lillian, I wouldn't think she would just sit there and remain silent if she knew her little brother was part of such a dangerous experiment and then about to be sent into the battle,” Angela questioned. Once more Alexander flashed her that simple yet gorgeous smile of his and nodded his head, a soft sigh escaping from his lips.
“You're right, but she didn't know about Eden. Because of the sensitive information, she was never made aware of it. She was simply told that I was starting a special training course for children my age that wanted to join the military one day. However it didn't remain like that, but I'll explain that in a moment. When my testing scores were revealed to the command structure, their decision became easy. I had apparently been marked in the top one percentile of all pilots in intelligence, reflexes, the ability to adapt, mental stability, and knowledge retention. So with that in mind, they decided to accelerate my training and get me into the cockpit of a Behemoth as soon as possible. I also want you to remember that these were very hard times for the United Kingdom and any kind of help was needed.
“Now it was around this point that Lillian was made aware of my testing scores and my training being taken to the next level. I can't honestly say what was going through her mind or why she made such a request, but once my training had been completed in record time, there was a request for me to be transferred to the Second Battalion where I would serve under the Commander at the time. Considering that the Second Battalion had been plagued with severe casualties and was a front line unit, the request was granted and the next thing I know I am out in the field with my sister.”
Alexander went silent, his eyes misting over slightly as he was no doubt caught up in all those memories. Angela realized then that she knew why Lillian had requested he be transferred to her Battalion, and she was surprised that Alex himself hadn't figured it out yet. Lillian probably knew that by that point, there wasn't much she could do, and she would rather have him close by where she could keep an eye on him and make sure he was safe; rather than trusting another person to do that. She was just looking out for him in the best way she could.
It was touching to think that Lillian had done it for that reason, but something in this story wasn't adding up. She could understand how he knew about Eden, and she could also understand now why Vasily seemed to hate him, but that still left Anya. The way the two of them acted around one another couldn't have been caused by him agreeing to go into the program when she didn't want him too. There seemed to be too much hurt on either side.
“What about Anya?” she decided to ask, not sure she really wanted to know the answer. No, that wasn't it; she wanted the answer. She just didn't know if she would like it. “What happened between you two?”
“Ah, that,” Alexander breathed and looked up at her once more, this time his face didn't hold his smile. Instead he seemed to scowl. “After I joined the military, Anya and I couldn't see one another anymore. It was just too hard with me being in the field for months at a time and whenever I was back in London the dates never seemed to line up with when she was visiting. It continued like that for a while, however when I was almost fourteen, I met up with her again; but it wasn't the way I had imagined it happening. Kimberly had just been transferred into the Battalion for her combat tour and we were given some time away from the front line in order to recharge and rest, so we decided to head to London and show Kim the sights.
“When we got there we left our machines on the base for repairs and then headed with a group of our friends into the city. We hadn't even made it half way there when Kim suddenly realized that she had forgotten something in the cockpit of her Mark II, so Lillian, Kim, and myself turned back to get it. When we got back to the hangars our units were being stored in, I noticed that something was wrong with mine. The cockpit hatch was open and I had remembered closing it very vividly, and since the mechanics hadn't even started yet I knew it couldn't have been them; so I investigated. When I climbed up and looked in... well... I found Anya sitting in the flight chair holding a data stick into the memory port of my computer. At first I didn't think that she would be capable of doing such a thing, but I had caught her red handed.”
“She was stealing your computer logs?” Angela asked, disgust bubbling in her stomach. Now she had a real reason to dislike that girl. “Why?”
“That's what I wanted to know. I pulled her out of the cockpit and demanded answers from her, but at first she wouldn't tell me anything. She just cried. This of course got the attention of Lillian and Kimberly and they came over to see what had happened. When Lillian learned that Anya had been trying to steal my data she was furious and stormed the Russian Embassy, demanding answers. It was a serious breach of military law after all. After a while of getting nowhere, General Zuyev and Vasily eventually came down and that's when everything went to hell.
“After a heated shouting match between my sister and Vasily, it turned out that both him and the General had told Anya to sneak into the hangar and steal my data. I guess they figured that she wasn't well known enough around those types of areas that she wouldn't draw as much attention, and if in the event that she got caught she could simply tell them that she had just been looking for me. Well anyways, Lillian wanted to know why they felt the need to steal my data in the first place, and what she learned sent her into a rage. The General came right out and accused the British Government of continuing on with Eden and keeping it a secret from the rest of the original nations that had been involved. He said that there was no way I could be as skilled as I was without some kind of help from the program.”
“Oh man,” Angela whispered, not even realizing she was doing it until she had already finished her thought, “Lillian must have been really pissed.”
“She was. She ended up punching Vasily and nearly caused a full on fight right there in the Russian Embassy. Needless to say that after those events, our relations with the Russians went down hill and eventually crumbled all together. My friendship with Anya went the same way, and we didn't speak after that day. Well, until now anyways. But... it's different now. I don't think she's the same person I once knew. No, I'm sure she's not. She wouldn't be the pilot for that horrible machine they laughingly call the Ruka Boga if she was the same person.”
Alexander went silent, and this time Angela knew he wasn't just pausing to collect his thoughts. She could see the hurt look in his eyes and she couldn't imagine how painful all of this was for him. Hell, she was actually surprised that he hadn't tried to kill Vasily when he first saw him again. If it had been Angela she was sure she would have made a move on his life. It was amazing how much will power he truly had.
“Alex,” she spoke softly and reached out to put her hand over his, wanting him to know that it was alright, “I'm sorry for everything that happened. It's really horrible, but just know that you're not alone. If you want to go and kick that bastards ass, I'm sure I can get Michelle and maybe Lisa to help me break you out of jail.”
At her words, Alexander looked up at her and his lips twitched gently. It looked like he had been trying to smile, but he just wasn't capable of it in that moment. Angela rubbed his hand gently for a few more seconds and then pulled it away, knowing that if she didn't she would end up never letting go of it.
“Thanks, Angela. You should probably get going though; we've got a long few hours ahead of us. Take a shower, get some chow and just relax; because once we head out to make our final adjustments on our Mech's we'll be heading straight to Japan.”
“Yes, sir,” she now stood up and nodded her head at the young man before her. Before she could turn to leave though she looked down at him and plastered as genuine a smile to her face as she could. “If you ever need to talk about anything, don't hesitate to find me... or... or one of the other pilots. We're a team, right?”
“Yes, we're a team,” he managed to smile a real smile.