An hour and a half later she finishes the first three men. These are the ones that Central had missed. Kadance curses the psyches from Central all over again. She's worn out and needs to rest and eat something herself or she'll be too sick to continue.
Tommy contacts the other three men as they escort Kadance back to the room. She eats a light meal and then takes a nap that she meant to be only fifteen minutes but turned out to be an hour.
When she wakes up she scolds Jayse, "You should have awakened me sooner."
Jayse is unrepentant and replies, "You needed the sleep or you would have awakened earlier on your own."
Tommy hands her a plate of fruit before either one will allow her to go back to work. "You didn't eat much for lunch and this will give you some extra energy."
Defeated Kadance takes the fruit and finds it far more refreshing than she had thought it would be. Especially since some of the fruit is some that she normally detests but now finds delightful.
Kadance finishes the fruit and setting the plate down says, "Okay back to the lions den." Satisfied Tommy and Jayse go with her back down to where the last three suiciders were patienty waiting for her.
The first one takes about half an hour then they move on to the next.
"L.C. Mareton, thank you for meeting with me." Kadance says pleasantly as they enter the room. "So sorry to have kept you waiting."
Mareton smiles, but it's rather haunted and sad, as he replies, "You've made me very comfortable here I have no complaints. I just hope you can help me."
Kadance smiles warmly in return, "I'm glad to hear it and I most certainly hope to be able to help you. In any case you'll be free after this.
"But tell me L.C. I'm curious your file says nothing about why you were redlined and I need to know that if I'm to help you." Kadance says as she looks the Lt Commander in the eyes. The man takes no offense and actually seems to relax even as he becomes sadder.
"Then I'm afraid I can't be helped. Sorry for your trouble and thank you for your hospitality." Mareton gets up and moves towards the door.
Tommy leans back against the door and gets an unreadable expression on his face.
Kadance sighs heavily and says, "I'm afraid L.C. that you don't understand. You won't be leaving here until your issues are resolved and you're no longer a suicider. At that time you will be allowed to leave."
Jayse interjects, "We've all got top clearance from Command Central with specific instructions on what we are and aren't allowed to do or not do. We are cleared to hear your story, all of us. So, since Kadance prefers to keep people alive I suggest you tell her what she wants to know."
"Enough Jayse he doesn't need threats from the ones trying to help him. He, like yourself has been through hell. Just patch me through to Rueton." Kadance says calmly reprimanding Jayse even as she can feel Mareton bridling and readying himself to attack.
"If General Rueton will clear me, then I'll tell." But Mareton is bleak and it's obvious that he's already reliving the memory.
"Stay with me here and now Mareton. No need to relive it twice in such a short time." Kadance says pulling Mareton away from his bleak thoughts.
Tommy is busy making the call, "Get me General Reuton." He listens for a moment. "Don't give me that, you know whom I am calling on behalf of or do I have to put her online? I should tell you that she's in the middle of dealing with a suicider right now...thank you."
"Patching into the room com now boss." Tommy says even as General Rueton's face appears before the three of them.
"Kadance, always a pleasure." The general says affably enough but Kadance notices and ignores the sweat gathering on his brow.
"General, you know you are a terrible liar, so please don't. L.C. Mareton needs your clearance, he doesn't believe me when I told him I have top clearance, I need to know about his last assignment." Kadance teases both the general and L.C. a bit.
"Kadance play nice." Jayse reprimands her. "Hello General there's nothing to worry about the LC just needs to know that it really is okay to tell us about what happened."
Rueton immediately perks up and relaxes. "Is that all? L.C. Mareton they have full clearance and can hear all the details about your last assignment. They have previously been instructed on what they can and cannot do."
"Thank you General and by the way I'll be calling back tomorrow. Talk to you then." Kadance says which turns the general white once more even as he signs off.
"Not nice Kadance you know how much you upset him." Tommy says even as he tries not to laugh.
Kadance shrugs her shoulders, "Not my fault, he's the one that hired me remember you were there." Kadance defends herself but in an offhand way not really caring one way or the other.
Jayse laughs, "He may of hired you, but you terrify him and you know it. So you're gonna tell him tomorrow then?"
Kadance sighs and looks down, then with a wicked look she looks up, "It's my duty to keep my boss informed of my health issues is it not?"
Tommy lets out a big laugh, something he hasn't done in years, "I love you boss lady."
Jayse laughs along with him, something he rarely did even before Sigma died, "Can't wait to see his face."
Mareton watches them all like they've lost their minds and tries to surreptitiously work his way to the sliding glass door so he can make his escape. A knife flies in front of his face and lands in the door frame. Mareton watches the slightly quivering knife in fascinated horror.
Tommy now deadly serious says, "Either you talk and be diffused or you die, either way you won't leave this room until you are no longer a threat to yourself or the people or the planet. Now boss lady here just went to all the trouble of showing you that she does indeed have the clearance to hear your story and help you. Kadance prefers keeping people alive but if you move an inch more towards that door we'll take it you choose death for your option. Since bloodshed upsets her I would strongly suggest taking a few steps back before turning around and slowly make your way to the couch once more." Mareton swallows and does just as Tommy suggests. Death light gleams in Tommy's eyes, "and once there talk."
He slowly and carefully sits himself on the couch before everyone there relaxes. Tommy ignores him as he sets up the link. Jayse can kill him before he can even get a knife out should it come to that.
The others have finished their duties and listen attentively as Mareton starts his story. His story is much the same as Dest's, only he found the shifters not just eating the civies but doing all kinds of experiments. Genetic trials. He swallows hard to keep from vomiting even as recounts the raping of the females, after which they were kept separate. "They kept raping them until they became pregnant. So many were traumatized so badly that their minds were gone."
Kadance keeps her feelings off her face but anger suffuses her. She's seen and treated women that had been that traumatized from rape.
Mareton continues, "The shifters didn't care if the minds were gone or not. Not many survived the pregnancies, we're not really compatible with the shifters. And those that did survive killed the babies if they could. It was monstrous. We painted the base, but thousands suffered before their release.
"We were ordered to not give the civies the final grace. But most were shocked, minds broken living in hell." Jayse sadly recalls Rory in that state of being and is shocked that the civilians were denied the release. "Those that lived had haunted eyes and begged us to be released. We failed them. Their cries still follow me begging to be released."
Mareton continues in a dead voice, "I was redlined because I dared to disobey the order and gave them the final grace. I gave them the only peace I, we, could. I released them from a living hell."
"I see." Kadance says, "And they stuck the suicider label on you because..."
Mareton sighs, "Because I snuck into where they were holding them and made sure that they all found release. Especially the women, nobody should have to relive what they did day after day and nightmarish night after night."
Kadance is astounded. Pleased but astounded that he was willing to possibly give up his life to go against the most asinine orders she's ever heard of.
"And they didn't court martial you because..." Kadance presses.
"They had no proof it was me. Now you have proof and can have me court martialed. I don't care, what I did was in the best interest of the civies," Mareton says angrily.
Kadance smiles and purrs in delight, "Now LC why would I want to go and do that for?" She turns to Tommy, "What do you think?"
Tommy is studying Mareton, "He's damn good Kadance. It's why we choose him. He's nearly as good as me. But he's got intel training that I don't have and I want him for the team."
Kadance smiles in satisfaction as she turns to Jayse, "Well love, what do you think?"
Jayse hides his reaction of the endearment and just gives Mareton a cool look over, "As long as he doesn't disobey our orders."
Kadance smiles happily as she turns back to Mareton, "As far as I"m concerned you did right, but if you ever disobey my orders you're gone. But then again we won't be giving such asinine orders either."
Mareton is confused by their whole conversation, "Ma'am? I don't understand."
Jayse laughs, "She's like that sometimes. She's offering you a job as part of her personal security team. Are you willing to face the raving maniac time bombs? It's not so bad, she let's us have fun new toys."
Mareton swallows in shocked surprise, "Me? You want me to join your team even after what I told you? After what I did?"
"Had you told me A: that you left those people alive, B: you got caught while giving them the final grace, I wouldn't take you. But you're what I, we are looking for. Just don't disobey my orders or Jayse's, doing so could put a lot of people in danger. Are you in?" Kadance explains then demands.
Rather shocked at the sudden change in directions of his life Mareton answers, "I'm in." He's not been this happy in a very long time.
"Good. Welcome aboard. Jayse we'll need his uniforms and weapons take him shopping." Kadance says.
"I'm on duty, I'll have Amgle take him shopping but in the meantime," Jayse takes out the box and starts pulling items out of it. He hands the uniforms and weapons over to Mareton. "We brought these with us hoping you'd be willing to join us. Oh, yeah a new com unit. Set it to our signal. Keep it with you always. The rest of the day is yours enjoy this room. Be at the penthouse 0700 tomorrow morning to begin your new duties. I'll be sending Amgle to take you shopping for more new toys."
"Here boss." Amgle says not bothering with knocking just entering. "I'll take you shopping but Boss lady here has another time bomb to diffuse and if things go according to our hopes he'll be joining us as well and I'd really rather just take one trip rather than two."
"Fine, enjoy the rest." Kadance says as she stands and shakes the still slightly stunned newest member of her team. "I'll see you tomorrow morning Mareton."
She looks over at Tommy and lets a little of her irritation show. "Tommy go retrieve your knife please. I should make you fix that."
Tommy saunters over to where his knife is embedded in the frame and pulls it free. "No need Boss lady, it fixes itself. See no damage, you can't tell that a knife was ever there."
As Tommy passes by Mareton he says, "By the way," nodding towards Kadance, "She knew as soon as she met you that you weren't a suicider."
"Then why all the dramatics?" Mareton asks.
Kadance replies, "Because I and the team needed to know what your story is. I had to push you to make sure you can control yourself. If you couldn't I wouldn't want you on my team. I suggest you listen to the last suicider. I'm sure Borden and the others will show you the home movies later. But Dest is much like you, so is this last one, Trader, listen in." Kadance and the other two follow her out of the room leaving Borden and Mareton behind in silence.
"Make yourself comfortable and enjoy the show. It's much more enjoyable when you're not on the receiving end of it." Borden says linking up the room com with the team units.
"When I accepted the invitation to come today I had no idea life was about to get so crazy." Mareton says still dazed.
Borden smiles, "It's fun huh? Boss lady is about to begin."