Pairing: Poly 141 x reader
Word Count: 2.1k
A/N: Read at own risk. I'm not good at tagging, so just comment if there's a tag you feel like I need to add to the list. Even though it's pretty dark, I'm happy with how it turned out!
TW: Medical inaccuracies, medical torture, description of gore, human experiments, death.
Comments, likes and reposts are greatly encouraged and appreciated!
I stalk silently through the dark hallways, weapon raised, Soap guarding my back. We blend into the shadows as we move toward the target. We had managed to shut down the siren, but the emergency lights are still flashing through the hallways. I peek around the corner and signal for Soap to follow. When I spot the right door I signal to Soap again. He quickly moves to the other side of the door. I swipe the stolen keycard and push the door open. Soap enters first while I watch his back. He gives the all clear and I move into the room.
We’re in a large lab. There’s cabinets, desks and surgical equipment scattered all across the room. The smell of blood, fresh and old stings my nose. A large surgical table stands in the middle. A young woman strapped to it, clearly abandoned by whoever worked on her. As I move closer to her I start feeling sick at her state. They had cut her open, bellybutton to sternum. Clamps hold open the sides of her torso, giving me a clear view of her organs.
I hear Soap curse softly behind me. We look at each other, minds blanking on what to do. Just as I turn toward her to check her pulse, she moves. Her eyes blink open and her head rolls in our direction. Soap curses louder this time, his fluffy tail swishes nervously behind him. He takes a step back and pulls me with him. The woman’s eyes start to fill with tears and I take a weary step towards her.
She says something, but I can’t quite catch what she’s saying. I lift my hand, gently brushing her hair back and lean closer. “There are others,” she rasps. Her head rolls away, gesturing towards the only other door in the lab. I nod curtly and radio in for a medevac. After explaining her condition I signal to Soap to follow.
We approach the door and slip through. The room is pitch black and smells horribly. Soap turns on the light and my heart aches as I take in the sight before me. The room is filled with tiny cages, about the size of a large dog crate. There must be about two dozen, all filled with people. There are even children. They cower away from us, blinking blearily at the light.
“They’re all shifters,” says Soap, speaking with barely restrained anger. “It’s okay,” I try to reassure them, “we’re gonna try to get you guys out of here.” I move closer to the cages, trying to figure out a way to open them. There’s a normal lock that requires a key, rendering the stolen keycard useless. “The head doctor is the only one with the key,” whispers a woman with scaled skin. I clench my jaw and reach for my radio.
“Crow to Bravo 1, Crow to Bravo, do you copy?” There’s a bit of static before the Captain’s voice filters over the radio. “This is Bravo 1, send your traffic.” “Price, we found the captives locked in cages, they say that only the head doctor has the key to open them.” Price is silent for a few seconds before replying, “Copy that, Ghost, have you found the doctor yet?”
“Affirmative, on my way to the lab,” he responds. “Copy that, hurry up, we don’t have much time,” orders Price. I turn back to Soap, “stay here, I’m going to check on the other woman.” He nods hesitantly, clutching his weapon. I walk out of the room and return to her side. My hands flutter uselessly, not knowing what to do. I’m not even sure there’s anything I can do. I don’t see any active bleeders and she’s hooked up to a working machine that regulates her blood. I can see her organs moving. Her heart beating, her lungs expanding with every breath.
I radio Gaz, who has the most medical knowledge out of all of us, asking if there’s anything I can do. “You said she’s conscious, right?” he asks. “Ask her if she feels any pain or if she can move.” I do as he says. “I don’t feel anything,” she mutters, still out of it. “I kind of feel a dull pressure, but I’m not sure if I actually feel it or not. I can’t move either.” I relay her response to Gaz. “You can’t really do anything, just keep her as comfortable as possible until medevac arrives.” He advises. “You do have to try to make sure that you don’t get too close to the incision, you’re not sterile.” “Copy that,” I respond.
The woman smiles droopidly, “He sounds nice,” she mutters, “there’s not many nice people in the world.” I sign, pulling a stool closer and sitting down by her head. “Can you tell me your name?” I ask gently. She hums, “it’s Nadia… but here the doctors call me subject 21.” “That’s a beautiful name,” I smile, choosing to focus on the positive side by not mentioning the doctors. “What about you,” she asks, “what’s your name?” “Just call me Crow.” She laughs before whincing, “I like that.”
I lift my hand and gently run my pointer finger from the tip to the root of her nose and back. It’s a soothing gesture that has calmed me many times. Nadia smiles loopily, looking kind of peaceful. “Feels nice,” she slurs. “I know, my roommate at the compound I grew up in used to do it to me,” I smile, “it basically conditioned me into calming down when I was stressed.”
Suddenly the door to the hallway opens. I shoot up from the stool and drop into a defensive position, gun ready. A frazzled looking man wearing a lab coat runs in, looking absolutely freaked out. He spots me and runs towards me for some reason. “You have to help me!” he exclaims, “he’s coming!” This grown ass man whimpers as he hides behind me. Soap appears in the doorway leading to the cage room, gun raised, looking confused. I shake off the man’s hold on my arm and take a step back, putting myself between him and Nadia.
The man continues pleading for me to help him, whimpering like a frightened puppy while keeping an eye on the door. Just as I want to ask what on earth he’s talking about, Ghost appears in the doorway. The man lets out a frightened scream and scrambles backwards. He trips over his own feet and scoots backwards on his butt. I look from Ghost to the man and smirk. “You must be the doctor,” I purr. Ghost stalks into the room. His eyes glowing white beneath his mask. He stops in front of the doctor and tilts his head to the side, eyes glowing more intensely. The doctor curls up into himself and grabs his head, muttering like a madman.
I come to stand next to Ghost, Soap at my other side and smirk down at the doctor. I crouch down to his level, “you have something we want.” I hold out my hand, “give me the keys to the cages.” He shakes his head, muttering incoherently. I look up at Ghost and he narrows his glowing eyes. The doctor lets out another scream, before reaching into his lab coat and pulling out a set of keys. He holds one of them out to me, begging me to make it stop. “He’s going to kill me,” he whimpers, “he’s going to eat me.” I snort. “Don’t be silly, Ghouls only eat corpses.”
With that I just stand, ignoring his pleas. “Soap, help me with the others, Ghost, can you keep an eye on him?” Both nod, Soap following me back to the cages. I start unlocking them as fast as I can while he helps them out and steadies them on their feet. When the last cage is open we have freed twentyfive prisoners. The woman shy away from Soap, not feeling comfortable with a man. My blood boils when I think about all the potential reasons. In the other room I hear Ghost talking to the medevac that’s here for Nadia. Soap and I gently coax the prisoners out of the cage room and into the lab. I make my way to Nadia, who looks absolutely terrified. “It’s okay, Nadia,” I reassure her, holding her hand even though she can’t feel it., “they’re going to take care of you, you’re going to be okay, they can’t hurt you anymore.” She gives me a hesitant smile, believing me. I help the medics lift her as they wrap her torso in some kind of sterilization wrap. They move a brancard board under her and cary her away, my hand falling from hers. “I promise,” I call after her. Ghost follows shortly after them, dragging the still whimpering doctor by the arm. He’s still whimpering about not wanting to get eaten.
I turn back towards Soap and the prisoners. “Let’s get you all out of here.” We organize them in a tight group. Soap leads the way. I’m about to follow them when my eyes fall onto a jar filled with a murky liquid. I turn the jar to read its label.
‘Tail of a 25 year old fox shifter, taken from subject 21.’
I swallow down bile as I realize that this is Nadia’s tail. That this is a bodypart that they took from a 25 year old woman, just like that, just like it’s nothing. After debating for a bit I leave the jar, there’s no way they can reattach it and I don’t believe Nadia needs the reminder. Soap pops his head in, asking what’s keeping me so long. I walk out of the lab without looking back.
I spot Price as we make our way out of the building. He’s manhandling the doctor into a jeep before signaling to the driver to take off. He and Ghost turn towards us. Now that we’re in the daylight I can properly see the condition of the freed prisoners. They look hollow, unnaturally skinny and filthy. Almost all of them are covered in bandages, some fresh and clean, others stained with blood. Price, Soap and quickly usher them into the bus that will transport them to safety. I close the door after giving them a reassuring smile and give the driver the go ahead.
As we watch the bus drive away, Price comes to stand next to me. “It was awful in there, Price,” I say. Price nods, “we knew what this place does to shifters,” he says gently, brushing his hand against my own. I swallow heavily. “But we got them all out, these people can’t hurt them anymore.”
“Where’s Gaz?” Asks Soap. “He went up to check the surroundings,” responds Price and on que, Gaz lands before us. “They’ve got reinforcements coming,” he reports, “we have to go.” We all nod in understanding and spring into action. We get into the only jeep left. Price behind the wheel, Ghost in the passenger's seat and me and Soap in the back. Gaz retracts his golden red wings before he gets in on the other side of me.
Price stops a few clicks from the building, “all clear,” he reports, “bring the rain.” A confirmation sound from the radio and we hear the heavy thumps from a helicopter, before a loud explosion sounds as they blow up the building. The five of us watch with satisfaction as it goes up in flames. Then Price drives away, leaving the horrors we just saw behind.
After a while Price’s radio crackles to life. Laswell’s voice sounds, telling him to switch to his ear comm. Price obeys with a frown and listens to what Laswell says. After giving a confirmation, he looks in the rearview mirror. “One of the prisoners, the one who was cut open..” He hesitates as he looks at me, “she coded during transport, she didn’t make it.” My vision starts to blur and I hold in a sob. “Nadia is dead?” I whisper. Price nods, sorrow showing in his eyes. “I told her they wouldn’t hurt her anymore,” I choke out. “I promised her that she was going to be okay.”
Tears start to fall. Tears for Nadia, tears for what she went through, tears for those other prisoners and all other shifters that experienced the same. Tears for the unfairness of it all.
Gaz pulls me into his arms, whispering softly in my ear while Soap holds my hands. Gaz lifts his hand, gently running his finger from the tip to the root of my nose, knowing it calms me, but not knowing that it’s exactly how I tried to calm Nadia.
A/N: Some background info for the taskforce 141 members. Info about the creatures they shift into, weaknesses and abilities.
Captain John Price
Full name: Jonathan Charles Price.
Rank: Captain.
Age: 38 years old.
Gender: Male
Shifter: Yes/No | Mythical: Yes/No
Species: Dragon shifter.
Abilities: Partial & full shift into a Dragon, breathes fire, enhanced strength & durability, flight, resistant to intense heat and fire, resistant to magic.
Weakness: Weakened in extreme cold, becomes sick, feverish and weak after using too much fire breath, wings are a weak spot, hoarding can turn into greed and obsession.
Mated (if yes, to whom): Lieutenant Riley, Lieutenant Crow, Sergeant Garrick & Sergeant MacTavish.
Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley
Full name: Simon William Riley.
Rank: Lieutenant.
Age: 35 years old.
Gender: Male.
Shifter: Yes/No | Mythical: Yes/No
Species: Ghoul shifter.
Abilities: Partial and full shift into a Ghoul, heightened senses (especially smell for tracking prey), enhanced speed, agility and predatory strength, cold resistance, can induce fear or unease in others, regenerative healing, can grow back limbs, whispering lure to disorient prey, survival mastery.
Weakness: Hunger can cloud judgement, irritable and sluggish in direct sunlight, goes feral if deprived of food or rest for too long (could harm allies and loved ones in this state!), regenerated limbs are very weak it requires training to strengthen muscles to original state.
Mated (if yes, to whom): Captain Price, Lieutenant Crow, Sergeant Garrick & Sergeant MacTavish.
Lieutenant Crow
Full name: Classified.
Rank: Lieutenant.
Age: Classified.
Gender: Female.
Shifter: Yes/No | Mythical: Yes/No
Species: Nagual shifter.
Abilities: Partial and full shift into a Nagual (jaguar variant), enhanced speed, stealth, smell and hearing, night vision, can enter and influence dreams, can become near invisible in shadows, hyper aware of nature and weather, communicates with spirits.
Weakness: Jaguar is tied to the human, injuries to the jaguar will appear on the human and vise versa, dream walking leaves her drained, can't shift or stay shifted on holy or magically strong grounds, it forces the jaguar back into the human.
Mated (if yes, to whom): Captain Price, Lieutenant Riley, Sergeant Garrick & Sergeant MacTavish.
Sergeant Kyle "Gaz" Garrick
Full name: Kyle Garrick.
Rank: Sergeant.
Age: 30 years old.
Gender: Male
Shifter: Yes/No | Mythical: Yes/No
Species: Phoenix shifter.
Abilities: Partial and full shift into a Phoenix, flight, pyrokinesis, rebirth (use sparingly!), healing of minor injuries, fire and heat immunity, emotion manipulation, aura reading.
Weakness: Can't control rebirth, side effects of rebirth are memory loss and physical weakness, rebirth is not guaranteed, weak in extreme cold, drained after overuse of flames, wings are a weak spot.
Mated (if yes, to whom): Captain Price, Lieutenant Riley, Lieutenant Crow & Sergeant MacTavish.
Sergeant Johnny "Soap" MacTavish
Full name: John MacTavish (not full name?).
Rank: Sergeant.
Age: 28 years old.
Gender: Male
Shifter: Yes/No | Mythical: Yes/No
Species: Púca shifter.
Abilities: Partial and full shift into a Púca (wolf variant), luck manipulation, some illusion magic, night vision, enhanced agility & reflexes, ability to sense omens of supernatural presences, can infiltrate dangerous or liminal spaces easily.
Weakness: Illusion magic is weaker in direct sunlight, allergic to silver, bound by rules, he can't enter sacred or protected spaces unless invited, if someone knows his full name he can be magically bound into servitude.
Mated (if yes, to whom): Captain Price, Lieutenant Riley, Lieutenant Crow & Sergeant Garrick.
Pairing: Poly 141 x reader
Word Count: 2.1k
A/N: I'm trying to write as much as possible now since I'm starting my internship next Monday. From then on I'll have less time since I have four internship days and one school day.
Please, please let me know what you guys think of the fic!
TW: Mentions of consuming raw (human) meat (from Simon).
Comments, likes and reposts are greatly encouraged and appreciated!
When we got back to base later that evening my head was pounding with emotions and exhaustion. Gaz checks all four of us for injuries. We’ve only sustained minor ones, so he quickly heals them, leaving me feeling warm and fuzzy. The prisoners we’d rescued were treated for their injuries before they were put on transport back to their respective homes.
After the debrief the guys and I got the order from our sponsor to return to our home base in the UK and within the hour we were on a cargo plane back home. My mind was still reeling from the events of the day. I couldn’t stop thinking about Nadia and those other prisoners and what kind of hell they went through.
The guys had put me in between them. Price and Ghost on either side of me and Gaz and Soap on their other side. I made myself comfortable against Ghost's side, settling in for the three hour flight. Both Soap and Gaz fell asleep about half an hour in and Price was tapping away on a tablet, writing the mission report. Ghost was just sitting still like a statue while letting me use him like a pillow. My eyes start to grow heavy as I fall asleep.
-
I’m woken up by Price gently shaking my shoulder. I let out an annoyed sigh as I open my eyes to look at the Captain. “We’re back sweetheart,” he says. I stretch my arms out and roll my neck to work out the kinks. Ghost brushes his gloved hand against my own and gets up to gather his belongings. Soap and Gaz are already waiting, Gaz holding my bag. He hands it to me and I smile gratefully, thanking him. Once Ghost has his bag we exit the plane.
As we walk down the ramp we’re greeted by the medical team. They whisk us away to the medbay. Gaz explains he’d healed everything that was needed as they tell us to sit down. The nurses insist on doing a quick checkup anyway, but stay clear of Ghost, clearly nervous in his presence. When they’re satisfied they let us return to our barracks.
I groan in relief as I spot the ugly brown building that houses our taskforce’s barracks. As we enter I quickly make my way to my room, dumping my bags next to the door. I grab some comfortable clothing and leave my room to shower. I run into Johnny in the bathroom, who clearly has the same idea judging from the towel slung over his shoulder.
“How ‘bout we save some water and shower together?” he teases. I roll my eyes and snicker, “how is it that you’re always horny?” I toe off my boots and pull my shirt over my head. Johnny’s response falters as I shimmy out of my pants, quickly followed by my underwear. I snicker again as his eyes are glued to my naked body.
I raise an eyebrow and step into the last one in the row of showers, turning on the water. “Well? You coming?” It’s amusing to watch as Johnny stumbles in his haste to remove his clothes. He closes the glass door behind him and pulls me close. His arms wrap around my waist and he rests his chin on top of my head.
“Ye doing okay?” he asks. I shrug, not sure how to answer. “I told her she was going to be okay,” I whisper. Johnny hums as one of his hands comes up to cradle the back of my head. “Aye know that ye want tae save everyone, but that’s nae realistic bonnie.” I tighten my arms around him. “I know, but I really hoped that I could save her.” He kisses the top of my head.
We stand under the warm water for a bit longer, horny thoughts forgotten before Johnny grabs the showergel and a washcloth. He squeezes out a generous amount and starts rubbing it all over my body. I hum appreciatively, letting him take care of me. His movements are making me sleepy, so he tells me to go dry off and go relax while he finishes his shower.
I stifle a yawn and get out of the shower, rubbing myself dry and getting dressed in comfortable clothing, a pair of my own sweatpants and one of Kyle’s hoodies. As I leave the bathroom I debate on what to do. Go to my room to process the mission on my own or seek comfort with my men. I hear John and Kyle’s voices coming from the rec room and make my decision. As I enter the rec room I see Kyle lying on one of the couches and John seated at the table, paperwork scattered all around him.
Kyle calls my name and holds out his hand for me to take. Once I do he pulls me down on top of him, using me like a weighted blanket. I yawn again and nuzzle my face in the crook of his neck. He smells nice, likely having taken a shower when Johnny and I did too. The sound of his heart beating and the movement of his chest lulls me into a light sleep, but I’m woken up when a heavy weight suddenly drops down on my back.
I let out a startled grunt as the weight forces the air out of my lungs. “Come on man, you’re way too heavy, get off,” complains Kyle, groaning under the combined weight. I look over my shoulder and see Johnny pouting, “but I want cuddles too,” he mopes. I smirk as I look him in the eyes, before saying dead serious “Johnny, you’re crushing my tits, I’m gonna need a smaller bra size because of you.”
That gets him off of us and Kyle and I snicker at Johnny’s expression, both of us knowing how much he loves my tits. The Scot plops down on his ass, leaning against the couch. I lift my hand and run my fingers through his mohawk, tugging on the strands, working out the knots and scratching his scalp. He lets out an almost sinful moan at my movements, moving his head to get my fingers where he wants.
Kyle lets out a breathy laugh, “god, he really is like a dog.” I laugh as well while Johnny mutters something incoherently, flipping Kyle off. We both laugh, before falling silent, the only sound being the scratching of John’s pen on paper. It’s comforting, but I wish Simon were here. I know that he’s safe in his room, processing the mission in his own way, but I still don’t like that he’s alone.
“Crow, can you come here please?” Asks John suddenly. I groan with exhaustion as I get up from the couch. Johnny practically pushes me away to take my spot on top of Kyle, who grunts again as Johnny wildly moves, the two arguing silently. John frowns at his paperwork as I walk over to him, sitting in the chair across from him and giving him my full attention.
“I need you and Johnny to write a report on how you found the prisoners in the compound. Especially about their physical state.” I nod in understanding, getting up to grab what I need from my room but John stops me by grabbing my hand. “You also need to write a report on the state of the deceased woman, Nadia.” I swallow heavily, but nod, leaving the rec room to grab what I need.
As I leave my bedroom again, I pause in front of Simon’s door. I hesitate for a second before knocking. A gruff voice calls for me to enter and I open the door slightly. Simon is lying on his bed, a book in one hand and the other tucked behind his head. He has taken off his mask and I smile, always loving seeing his face. It always feels intimate when Simon lets us see his face. “Hey Si,” I greet him. The corner of his mouth raises, his way of smiling, “did you need something?” he asks. I shake my head, “just wanted to check if you’re okay.”
He sits up in bed, “I’m fine love.” I step closer to him, seeing that his eyes are a bit more white than normal. “Have you eaten yet?” I ask, knowing that if he lets his Ghoul out to hunt, it won’t settle down until he has eaten. He shakes his head, dark blonde curls bouncing. “I will in a minute, I want to finish this chapter and then I’ll join you guys.” I smile and nod, bending down to kiss his lips before leaving the room, shutting the door behind me.
John looks up from his papers as I enter the rec room, “Simon okay?” he asks. I nod, “he was reading, he'll join us in a minute.” John nods curtly and turns back to his papers. I look and see that Johnny has settled down and is cutely cuddling with Kyle, limbs intertwined. I smile at the two, my hand itching for my phone to take a picture.
I start on the report, occasionally asking Johnny for his input, who responds more sleepily with each question. When I’m halfway through, Simon joins us. He presses a kiss on the top of my head and moves to the small kitchen. I watch out of the corner of my eye as he grabs his food from the special compartment in the fridge. We had a fresh delivery of his food before we left for the mission.
I honestly don’t know where they get the food that a Ghoul needs. I do know that some people, instead of donating their organs, donate their entire bodies to feed Ghoul like creatures when they die. I push my report away and move to grab some food of my own, putting it in a bowl. Simon shoots me a hesitant look, always feeling insecure about the fact that his Ghoul requires him to eat human meat. Luckily he doesn’t only need human meat, animal meat satisfies his Ghoul too. But after a mission like that, where he let out his Ghoul the way he did, he needs human meat.
Smiling reassuringly, I make my way back to the table, bowl in hand. Simon settles down next to me and starts eating. Simon is not allowed to eat dinner in the dining hall, because the human soldiers and some of the shifters find it disgusting that he eats raw meat. Because of that the guys and I decided to stay with Simon during dinner, not as bothered by his needs, even though it bothers Simon most times.
I quietly eat my snack while going over the report, pushing the bowl towards John, who obediently grabs some for himself. Once Simon’s done he gets up to follow his post dinner ritual. He always brushes his teeth extremely thoroughly and washes his mouth repeatedly with mouthwash. It always makes us feel better, because we don’t have to worry about anything when we kiss him after dinner, which is usually Johnny.
When Simon comes back and settles in, he grabs his own laptop and starts on his own report. I get back to my own when Kyle calls my name. When I turn to look at him, I see that Johnny has fallen asleep, effectively trapping Kyle beneath him. Kyle gives me a grin and asks if I can get him his laptop, not wanting to wake Johnny.
I shoot him a playful glare, before getting up to grab his laptop. When I hand it to him he pulls me down for a quick kiss. He sets the laptop on Johnny’s back and starts a new document for his own report. I debate waking Johnny, who needs to write his own report about the mission, but eventually let him sleep since he looks so peaceful.
We fall into a comfortable silence as we work. Unfortunately that comfortable vibe is broken as John’s phone rings. He picks up with a frown, greeting whoever is on the other side of the phone. I distract myself by messing with my clothes, not wanting to eaves drop. I am worried though when John starts looking frustrated, while still sounding calm. Eventually he agrees with whatever and hangs up the phone.
When he looks up at us he sees all our attention fixed on him, even Johnny has woken up. All five of us are really sensitive to each other's feelings, the perks and downside of the mating bond. He sighs and rubs his temples, a clear sign of an upcoming headache.
“General Shepherd is coming here in two days,” he says and I freeze. General Shepherd, who is our human sponsor, has the annoying ability to always find something about us that he has a problem with.
Pairing: Poly 141 x reader
Word Count: 2.4k
A/N: I'm going to try and put out a chapter a day for the next three days, but no guarantees.
TW: None
Comments, likes and reposts are greatly encouraged and appreciated!
Two days after Price got the phone call that Shepherd would be coming, all five of us are standing stiffly on the tarmac, waiting for the plane to land. Once it does, the General comes storming out, looking pissed.
“General Shepherd,” greets Price. Shepherd ignores him completely, storming past us to the administrative building. We look uneasily to each other before following. I jog a little to catch up to Price, who keeps a fast pace. “Did we do something wrong?” I ask. Price shakes his head, “not that I know of.” He turns to look at us over his shoulder, “keep quiet and let me do the talking.”
Shepherd slams the door to his usual office open and the rest of us follow. Price stands in front of the General’s desk, with the rest of us lined up behind him, standing at attention. Shepherd faces each of us one by one, making eye contact. “Why in God’s name were you and your little taskforce on that mission, Captain,” he demands from Price. “We were ordered to sir,” responds Price, sounding just as confused as I feel.
“And from whom did you receive those orders?” “One of the German Lieutenant Generals on the base we were staying at sir. His men were originally the ones who raided the lab, but they took many casualties, so they ordered us to provide backup.” Shepherd grunts and leans back in his chair, “I want a full report from each of you on what you found.”
Price nods, “we have all written a report on what happened, I’ll have them sent over to you.” Shepherd shakes his head, “no, I want all of you to tell me, right now.” I frown internally, confused as to what his current problem is. “Would it not be easier to read them in peace, sir?” asks Price, eager to get us out of here.
“I’ll decide what’s easier for me Captain, right now I want you all to tell me.” Price nods curtly, clenching his jaw. Suddenly the door opens. I resist the urge to look back to see who’s entering. A young woman steps up beside the General’s desk, “you asked for me, sir?” Shepherd nods, “ah, yes, sit down and take notes.” He turns back to us, “this is Yasmina, she’ll take over as my assistant once the old one retires.” I nod at Yasmina in greeting before turning back to the General.
Price starts with his report, telling Shepherd how he got the order to provide backup, how we found almost everyone dead or near dead when we got there and how he coordinated between him and Gaz holding the perimeter, Ghost hunting down the head doctor and me and Soap finding the prisoners.
When he’s done he gestures for Ghost to step forward and deliver his report on the doctor. He tells Shepherd in which state he found the doctor and in which state he handed him over to the authorities. After Ghost it’s my turn. I start talking about how we found the lab, how we found Nadia, strapped down onto the table and how we found the other prisoners. I tell him about how I comforted Nadia while waiting for the doctor, how she was alive when we handed her over for transport and how we were told she had died in the car back to base and how I had found a jar with her amputated fox tail in it.
Soap’s report is almost exactly the same as mine, except for a few details. Gaz doesn’t have much to report, since he mostly kept an eye on the lab from the sky. Shepherd grunts again and drums his fingers on his desk. “And that’s all, there’s nothing else that is important to mention?” He looks at Price who confirms that he has told everything of importance. Then he looks at Ghost, who does the same. Then he looks at me, then Soap and then Gaz. We all confirm that we have given him a complete report on the mission. The General looks very pleased, “good, good.”
He leans forward in his chair, talking solely to Price again, “your little taskforce has a new mission. You’ll be working together with Commander Farah Karim and her forces and Colonel Alejandro Vargas and his Vaqueros, they’ll be here later today.” I feel giddy at the mention of our friends, excited to see them again after many months.
“You’ll also work with a human force called Shadow Company, under command of Commander Philip Graves, they’ll arrive tomorrow.” Price nods in understanding. “You’ll get more information once all assets have arrived, you’re dismissed.”
We give the General a brief salute and exit the office. I almost let out a sigh of relief, but refrain from it. It wouldn’t surprise me if Shepherd was watching us through the many cameras in the building. While Price leads us out of the building, Soap seems to be bouncing, anxious to say something.
Once we’re outside he subtly gestures for us to follow him. The rest of us just look at him confused. We walk a good distance away from the building and Soap turns around. “Tha’ woman, Yasmine, she’s a shifter.” he announces. I tilt my head in confusion, “she can’t be, she wasn’t wearing a shifter band.”
All shifters, both inside and outside of the compounds, were required to wear a white shifter band around the bicep. It’s a way for humans to identify shifters when they aren’t partial shifted or have more subtle partial shifted traits. Soap nods frantically, “tha’s nae all, she’s a mythical shifter.” I furrow my eyebrows, a shifter not wearing their shifter band was uncommon, but a mythical shifter not wearing a shifter band was unheard of.
I look down at my own shifter band. White to signal that I’m a shifter, with a large bold ‘M’ to signal that I’m a mythical shifter. “Do you know what kind of shifter she was?” asks Price. Soap nods hesitantly. “She was a Sphinx shifter, aye’ve never seen or sensed one before, so aye am not a hundred percent sure, but aye am pretty certain she’s a Sphinx.”
“Why would Shepherd allow her not to wear a band?” asks Gaz. We look at Price, who’s usually the one with all the answers. “He doesn’t trust us about our report,” he theorises. “Sphinxes can tell when someone’s lying and Shepherd specifically asked each of us if there was something else important to mention.”
“So he’s hiding something?” I ask, feeling uneasy that the man who, as horrible as he is, is still the reason we’re allowed outside the compounds. “He must be,” muses Price, rubbing his beard before looking at us. “Don’t mention this to anyone and don’t let Shepherd know that we know.” He looks at each of us, the importance clear in his eyes.
He nods at our agreement before straightening, “we have training to do while we wait for the U.L.F and the Vaqueros to arrive.”
-
We spend the rest of the day training. Price runs us through all kinds of drills, hand-to-hand combat, breaching and searching buildings and shooting. It’s already dinner time when he tells us to quit for the day. The U.L.F and Vaqueros still haven’t arrived, so we decide to just eat dinner.
Kyle and I prepare some pasta for the five of us, while Simon prepares his own meat to go with it. Johnny had plopped down on the couch, sketch pad in hands, leaning against John, who was reading a book. Once dinner is done and eaten, I sit down next to Johnny, lying my head on his shoulder and looking at his sketch. It looks beautiful like always. It’s a drawing of Kyle from yesterday. We had the day off after the mission and decided to spend it outside. There was this nice little clearing on the edge of base. Kyle immediately laid down in the sun, the light hitting his dark skin making him look ethereal. The drawing shows Kyle laying on his stomach, arms folded under his head and a peaceful smile on his lips.
“Looks beautiful,” I tell Johnny, who beams at my praise. I press a quick kiss on his lips before pulling him up. “Come on, I need to groom your tail, it’s a mess.” Johnny wines in response. “Come on, baby boy, I let you off the hook yesterday, but not today.” Johnny groans and complains all the way to our shared bedroom, when I tell him to lay down on his stomach and when I get the supplies.
I try not to laugh, It’s always like this with him. He complains loudly but when I’m grooming him he’s purring, eventually complaining again about not wanting me to stop. I sit down on the back of his thighs and grab his fluffy tail. I was right though, it’s a mess. I start at the bottom, working my way up with the comb. While I’m working, Kyle comes in and sits down next to us. He grabs a comb and starts grooming my tail just like I’m doing.
A satisfied purr leaves my lips as I love the feeling. Johnny strikes up a conversation with Kyle about some movie they watched and I listen quietly. When I’ve combed all the tangles out of Johnny’s tail I grab some leave-in conditioner and start massaging it in. It’s quite hilarious to see Johnny trying to speak through his purrs and moans and groans.
Not that I blame him, the feeling of Kyle working my tail feels amazing as well. Just as Kyle finishes the door opens. John pokes his head in and smiles at the sight. “U.L.F is here.” I jump up from the bed and make my way out the door, Johnny and Kyle behind me. Simon is already waiting patiently by the door as we quickly put on our shoes.
As we walk onto the tarmac, I quickly spot Alex and Farah. I set a brisk pace as I make my way over to them. They both look up as Gaz calls their names, smiling as we make our way closer. Farah walks up to Price first, greeting him with a firm handshake and a quick hug. Price has always felt rather protective of Farah, so he spends a while grilling her about how she’s doing.
The rest of us greet Alex in the meantime. The red-tailed hawk shifter seems glad to see us again. He does the weird bro hug thing with Gaz and Soap and nods in greeting to Ghost. I clasp my hand in his and he pulls me in for a hug. “It’s good to see you again, Crow,” he smiles. “You too, Alex, how are you doing?”
He starts telling us about the situation in Urzikstan, how happy everyone is to finally be at peace. “Farah even started reading fiction,” he says, “I’ve never seen her this relaxed, though she still has duties to attend to.” I grin, happy for my friend, already making a mental list of books to recommend. It's endearing to see Alex look at Farah.
The two became officially mated about a year ago and before that Farah was Alex’s human sponsor, having taken over that role from Laswell after Alex joined the U.L.F. The two obviously cared deeply for each other. Most humans and some shifters look down on shifter-human relationships, but luckily these two don’t care.
I’m snapped out of my thoughts when Farah comes to stand before me. “Sister,” she smiles, “it is good to see you again.” I smile back at her and pull her in for a hug. She had started calling me ‘sister’ after we helped her and Alex take down General Barkov. I found it weird at the beginning, but I loved it now, seeing her as one of my closest friends. We strike up a conversation about the past few months, when I suddenly hear a Mexican accented voice all out.
“Cuervo, do we not get a welcoming committee?” I turn around and spot Alejandro and Rudy making their way towards us, their human sponsor, Kate Laswell beside them and the other Vaqueros behind them. I grin widely as I run toward them. Alejandro catches me as I launch toward them. Rudy quickly plucks me out of his mates arms to greet me himself, smiling widely. “It’s good to see you again, hermana.” “It’s good to see you two as well, it’s been too long.”
I had grown up with the two of them until I was ten years old, when I was moved from the Las Almas compound to the Oxford compound. We hadn’t seen each other for many years after that, only meeting again after I joined 141. I take a step back to let the others greet the Vaqueros as well, smiling and catching up.
My heart clenches as I register Valeria’s absence. I had known her too in Las Almas. She had often watched me after school, helping me with my homework and taking care of me. When we reconnected a few years ago, I had found out that she, Alejandro and Rudy were mated. I was ecstatic for them. She was, just like Alejandro and Rudy, sponsored by Kate, but a few months ago she deserted the Mexican army, taking over as leader of the Las Almas cartel as well. Her presence was missed, but overshadowed by her betrayal.
I turn towards Kate, greeting her as well. She embraces me quickly, before striking up a conversation with Price about the mission from two days ago. Kate was, just like Farah, one of the good human sponsors. She let them live their lives the way they wanted, didn’t make them follow rules other than the law and didn’t threaten to send them back to the compound whenever she didn’t get what she wanted. She had tried several times to become mine and the guys’ sponsor, but General Shepherd had refused. And after the fiasco with Valeria, it became even harder for her. She had to fight to be able to keep sponsoring the shifter Vaqueros.
Price had told her to keep her focus on the Vaqueros, to take care of them first, that we’d manage. I agreed with him, but part of me wishes that Kate would be allowed to sponsor us too.
"Alright, let’s head to the barracks,” Price announces. “The guest barracks have been set up for all of you, tomorrow Commander Graves arrives with his Shadow Company. They’re expected to arrive at 10.00, briefing is at 10.30.”
I'm a bit confused about this comment, isn't there this thing called creative freedom?
I mean if you guys really think that it's offensive and appropriation to give my own twist to a Wendigo shifter (because Simon is a wendigo shifter, meaning that he's not a full wendigo) than I'll change it ofc, but I was under the impression that since it's my fic, I can do with it what I want.
I mean, even churches show a different image of angels than what is in the Bible
Someone has brought it to my attention that making Simon a Wendigo and giving it my own spin is cultural appropriation. I sincerely apologize for that, I didn't know.
But come on guys, the amount of hateful messages that I've had because of something that I genuinely didn't know is insane.
It takes the joy out of writing which is a shame since I was really excited for this fic.
I've changed Simons creature to a Ghoul. He still has the same abilities as before, since as far as I researched a ghoul is kind of similar to a wendigo, he's just called a Ghoul now.
Again, I apologize for wanting to give my own spin to a wendigo, I've seen wendigo's used in books and tv before, so I didn't think it would be wrong to do it myself.
You guys know it, I love building in the Sims, so obviously I had to build the barracks for taskforce 141 too. I really tried to show the way that shifters are treated much worse than humans, so I made a barrack for a human soldier as well. I'll explain it all below.
Taskforce 141 barracks
So these are the barracks for taskforce 141. It may seem good, and in comparison to the way other shifters live, it is. There's six bedrooms. One for each taskmember and because they're a pack the law requires that they have a bedroom and bed that fits all five of them. The furniture that they have is of bad quality. Most of it was bought for cheap because the products were defective or they were second hand donated furniture.
They are not allowed to have many personal items other than civilian clothes, some books and other small hobby items. They're not allowed to have any color either.
The rugs that you see by their beds are actually just black, but I changed their color so it's clear who's bedroom is who's. The dark red is John, black is Simon, green is Crow, blue is Kyle and bright red is Johnny.
They're not allowed to change anything in the room. They're not allowed to hang anything on the walls. The walls are this nasty brown and the floor is hard concrete. They also have only one window in their room, which is bad for Kyle since he thrives on sunlight, but good for Ghost since he gets sluggish.
They each have a desk and desk chairs that almost fall apart.
They've got three toilets, three showers and three sinks, which it relatively good. But their bedding and towels are all itchy and scratchy.
They got this small kitchen where they can cook and stuff because they aren't allowed in the cafeteria for dinner (because Ghost is a Ghoul who eats raw meat, usually with blood still inside it. As you can see, they have a small dining table that sits four. The humans haven't even given them five chairs for all of them.
They have three couches and a tiny tv that barely works.
Throughout the entire building they have these fluorescent lights that are kind of harmful to their eyes (their eyes are much more sensitive than those of humans).
Human soldiers barracks
This is the barrack of a human soldier. This is a one person room. They have these nice floors, many windows and a nice color walls. They are allowed to do whatever they want to their barrack. (unless changing the walls/floors). They have personal items everywhere and posters on the walls.
They have nice furniture because 'nothing but the best for our soldiers'. They have their own little kitchen, mini fridge and sitting area. They even have their own bathroom. They also have soft bedding and towels.
-
So while the barracks of the 141 aren't bad (maybe even realistic) in comparison to the humans they're bad.
