Going Camping, Part VI (Conclusion)

Posted on Tue Aug 29th, 2023 @ 12:44pm by First Lieutenant Bethany Harrison & Private Mattias Tonelly & General Dyami Bentley (Tribal : Bent Leaf)

Mission: HYDRA: Another Head Rises
Location: Shaman's Cabin
Timeline: Present Day

Mattias smiled at Twiggy as the small straw Indian first waved at him, then climbed into the bag. Once the string was pulled tight again, he reached down and picked it up. He then hung the talisman bag around his neck as instructed. "I named him Twiggy," he said with a soft grin on his face. His expression then turned a bit more serious. "You said he is vulnerable and weak. Does that mean if he is destroyed, you can't bring him back?"

Dyami stacked a healthy portion of sausage and bacon on his plate. He answered while pouring maple syrup on the pile of still sizzling meat. “I can but it takes time and so that you know he is a homunculi of one of my ancestors, he can feel no pain but does possess the knowledge he once had in life.”

He ate more of his breakfast continuing, “Now that those are out of the way there are a few things that I must swear you to secrecy on. These few things must not be shared with anyone. Do you want me to continue?”

“Screaming Eagle can put me to shame with a bow and arrows,” Bethany said, nodding towards the tiny Indian that was sitting on the table at the top of her plate, looking at the food somewhat wistfully. “I would not want to be on the receiving end of the contents of that little quiver. They may be small, but every one of them is a warrior.”

Mattias nodded solemnly. "I understand, Sir. You have my word. I will not share what you tell me with anyone."

The Indian Shaman nodded his head and smiled. “Good,” he said, pouring another cup of coffee for himself, “We need you to know that there will be things that you learn during your training, places you will go, people you will meet that, if exposed, would endanger people's lives.”

Dyami drank some of the streaming hot brewed beans of life. Taking a moment to savor the bitter flavors before continuing, “First, you will have to be outfitted with a nano suit. I am not as familiar with them as the people at the academy but they are beneficial for keeping you alive and for helping with logistics and communication. Second, is that we will be training here but once we are done you will be moved to another location. A city that is hidden and serves as the main base of operations for our entire organization.”

Dyami finally pushed his comically large stack of plates away from him with a contented sigh, “The rest will wait until later, either Beth or I will inform you if there is something that is to be kept secret, but as a rule of thumb unless told otherwise do not reveal anything of what you know.”

Dyami stood and raised his hands above his head, stretching at the ceiling, “Let me know when you are done, no rush, eat your fill. When you are done I will give you the grand tour of the ranch.”

With that Dyami left the kitchen and could be heard walking out onto the front porch.

Bethany sighed softly, still picking lightly at her food. After a moment of thought, she looked over to Matty, saying, “One such example. Being with the US Marshal’s office is my cover identity. Sure, my experience makes that plausible, so it works. I do believe a couple of the higher ups have been read in, but it’s not known that I’m a mutant by the general rank and file.”

Mattias nodded thoughtfully as he ate. Finally, after he swallowed, he asked, "Will I have a cover story too? When my training is to the point where I am safe around humans, I mean."

“Well, that depends on what you wind up doing, to be honest,” Bethany said. She finished pushing her food around on her plate and took it to the sink. “If you live and work at the reservation, there’s no real need. I have been trained as a soldier since I was five. Being a Marshal lets me go after people like that, so it was an easy choice for me. But, most of us do have jobs and cover identities, just so that we can function in normal society without drawing too much attention to ourselves.”

Mattias thought about what Bethany had said to him. A few moments of silence passed, then he said, honestly and with conviction, "I want to fight alongside you, stop those that wish to hurt the innocent."

The plate that she was washing slipped from her normally nimble fingers. Bethany rested her hands on the edge of the sink, her shoulders falling slightly, her head lowering, and she sighed heavily. “Trust me, Matty, you don’t want to be like me,” she said softly, sadly. “And if you knew what was good for you, you’d want to stay as far away from me as possible. I’m a trouble magnet, just a threat to everyone around me.”

Mattias pulled back from the table and rolled his wheelchair over to Bethany’s right side. Looking up into her sad eyes, he shook his head as he replied. "I'm not saying I want to be like you. I said that I want to fight alongside you. I don't want another child to go through what either of us did." He reached out and rested his hand on the sink edge by hers, but not touching, a silent sign that he wanted to build trust between them.

"I always wanted to be a soldier, like my father. After the attack, I didn't think that would ever happen. Now? Now I have the ability, but I'm untrained. By training and fighting with you, I know I can focus my own anger, focus the raging behemoth inside of me. I want to protect the innocent. But I need to learn how."

Bethany shook her head and turned, leaning against the sink, crossing her arms over her chest. Her brilliant green gaze moved down and over to the wheelchair bound young man. “I’m a killer, Matty. I have no problems removing certain people from this earth. It’s hypocritical of me, which is why this is so hard for me, but I don’t want to see that blood on your hands. You’re a good kid, caught up in horrific circumstances beyond your control. How do I teach you to be the hero that I’m not?” The last part of that statement was nearly whispered, as though she hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

Taking a chance, Mattias reached out and gently, and briefly, touched Bethany’s forearm. He then pulled his hand away respectfully. "By teaching me what not to do." He paused, then added, "and perhaps, through the training, I can help you learn how to trust and feel comfortable with me." His voice, though soft, carried a wisdom far beyond his young years.

“Oh, once you’re up and out of that chair, I can teach you to fight, Matty,” Bethany said, giving a dark chuckle. She didn’t pull away from his slightly trepidatious touch, and it bothered her that she had hurt him so badly when he had tried to help her. “You’re not going to like it, but I can teach you. The rest comes from what’s in your heart. I can’t do anything about that, really. I’m not exactly a calming voice of reason, or anything.”

"That's okay," he said with a sad grin. "I have my mom's voice in my head for that." His eyes started to mist over at the mention of his mother, but he kept it contained for now. "And I know it's going to be hard work. I'm used to hard work. I've been fighting since the attack that crippled me."

Crouching down next to Matty, the young brawler looked deep into his eyes. There was a pain in her emerald gaze, one very familiar to the young man, that she normally kept well hidden. She said, her voice a mix of concern and sternness, “Whatever you do, do not lose your mama’s voice. It’s the most vital and precious gem that you have. Hold onto it like nothing you’ve ever held onto before, because if you lose it, you’ll never get it back.”

Then she stood and turned away, following Dyami out of the house and onto the porch, choking back tears that she didn’t want Matty to see. Her worthless and brutal father had spent her entire childhood ensuring that she could kill, while her beloved mother had held her back. The Preacher, in his perpetual arrogance, never realized that her precious mama was the only thing keeping him alive, and he had been the first to suffer the fatal consequence of silencing that calming voice, blindly releasing the monster that he had created.

Mattias watched his friend and former idol walk away. While he still respected and was in awe of her, his blind devotion had been changed for faithful loyalty. He still looked up to her, but it was a different kind of following. Now, it was more like a young brother looking up to his bigger sister.

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FIN

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Bethany Harrison
Fractal
Mutant Underground

Mattias Tonelly
(Recruit)
Mutant Underground

General Dyami Bentley
Talon
Mutant Underground