no one wants to leave the qz in this aftermath, the smoke of the burned bodies still lingering in the air. gilbert knew that well enough, so he didn’t bother asking for a shift trade anywhere. if anything, he wanted to flee the damn city anyway. his eyes are sharp on the environment surrounding them, but as one hand stirs the wheel, the other catches sun rays just outside the window. it’s much nicer to focus on that than on the rather large group they come with - and the in training enforcers promoted out of the ashes. gilbert could name multiple better options, but alexei volkov understands the game he plays. so, behind him, sit the sadistic and the blindly loyal type of people the leader needs. perhaps he can’t quite judge them, younger and brutal and full of belief like he once was. but gilbert will, anyway. next to him is the one to coordinate the entire shitshow. a much better hire, for sure, but the shock that overcame him in january when he learned of her promotion has never quite dissipated.
he wishes, against all his will, that zahra would have kept him in her crew. he stares at the group with slightly raised eyebrows - brooks and owens are as flimsy as wet cardboard, but impeccable shots. johnson? they often whisper in the armory with him, and are trading discreet eye rolls right now. but they don’t act on any of that ever, far too level headed. gilbert stares at his enforcer. shit, he’s barely met him before his absence, but the uncertain man is no leader. trigger happy? trigger delirious, perhaps. gilbert wouldn’t even call him a great soldier. but what do i know? i’ve only been a soldier for 28 out of 38 years of living, anyway. he can’t help but roll his eyes again, now by himself.
the group barely gets to move before gilbert simply turns around and says ‘no’. hansen had started fumbling through his words, but the few said were enough for gil to feel like someone must pull the damn plug. ‘we separate, every single one to a different trap, and running back after. we’ll finish this before they even do the first.’ perhaps he’s forgetting his place, as he tends to do, more and more in the last few years, impossibly so since his return. yet the danger of the past few days seems to have taken away all clarity. as does the light smirk on the impostor enforcer’s face, so self congratulatory. “i’m sorry, is this a capture the flag kind of morning?” johnson kicks his ankle but they’re promptly ignored. “what, are you trying to get points for-” there’s some words traded among the soldiers, but soon it is just hansen and orquídeas going at it. mostly gilbert, but the man seems to be absorbing the anger like a sponge. oh, how he hopes the man will explode soon. “-so not only are you incapable of strategising but you act like your soldiers are collateral. may i remind you, sir, that the zone has lost many just this week? that is fucking reckless. and-”
he doesn’t quite clock the presence of zahra, but rather her words, interrupting the barrage. “well, clearly there is a goddamned problem.” his tone is rough, disrespectful too. he’s being disrespectful to hansen, but he doesn’t quite count as an enforcer on his books. zahra doesn’t either, but he makes an effort. the soldier sighs and turns to look at her, exasperation personified, tone and wording much more fitting to his and her roles. “ma’am, he’s not fit for this. you,” there is a certain pressure to the word, “must do something.”
She barely contains the urge to roll her eyes at Gilbert’s usage of ma’am, knowing he doesn’t really mean the respect the term is supposed to convey. It’s just for show, a performance for the other soldiers, so that when word inevitably starts circulating around the zone about this, he can at least say he spoke with some modicum of respect. Zahra can’t blame him, not when they all do it in some way, finding the loopholes that ensure their survival. She’s more concerned about the demanding tone in Gilbert’s voice and the way Hansen looks like he’s about to make things much worse.
“I didn’t realize you had the power to give orders, Orquídeas,” Zahra says before Hansen can open his mouth and start making his own demands. Hansen smirks like she’s just sided with him, a bold assumption that makes her want to smack him just for making it. “Now, someone tell me what happened.” Hansen opens his mouth to speak, but Zahra lifts her hand and cuts him off. “Not you two,” she points at Hansen and Orquídeas, “Johnson.” Johnson is sensible, right? At the very least, they aren’t watching the argument like vultures, the way Brooks and Owens are, waiting for something worth reporting to Alexei in hopes they’ll get a promotion.
Zahra listens as Johnson recounts Hansen’s plan and Orquídeas’ response, carefully schooling her features to remain neutral. For once, she actually agrees with Gilbert - Hansen’s plan is idiotic at best, fatal at worst, and there’s already been more than enough death for the week. But she can’t outright side with Gilbert. She’s the one that gave Hansen this responsibility, the power to make the decisions for this half of the patrol, and doubling back on it now wouldn’t look very good for her. Not that letting Hansen go forward with his shit plan and getting half a patrol killed would look very good for her, either.
“Well,” she starts after Johnson finishes their recounting, “sounds like there’s a real difference in opinion on what an effective strategy for checking the traps would be.” She’s just talking for the sake of it, hoping that the right words will tumble out in the right order and form an answer neutral enough to solve everyone’s problems. Diplomacy has never been her strong suit. “Hansen.” Zahra turns to the new enforcer. “A good enforcer knows how to listen and take feedback from their soldiers.” She turns back to Gilbert. “And Orquídeas, a good soldier knows when to carry out orders.” Zahra takes a step back to address everyone at once, hoping that this will be the end of it and they can actually get to doing their jobs. “You’re welcome to continue the conversation respectfully,” a pointed look gets shot in Gilbert’s direction, “but ultimately, Hansen is the enforcer in charge. He’s got final say, and that’s that.”
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