Skin (Chapter Four)

[thehonorablebat]

 

2017

“It’s over. Just accept it.” The former General Brown knocked back a shot and refilled the little glass.

Bradford flinched.

“It’s not over. We can still-”

“It’s over, John.” He slammed the vodka bottle down on the table hard enough to make the glasses rattle. “I am not going to risk any more of my people so you can chase revenge.”

–

2035

Shen positioned a metal panel over the hole in the wall and reached for her welding gear.

“We’re not ready,” she said. “I can only do so much with string and glue.”

“I’m working on it,” Bradford said. He stood well out of her way with his arms folded over his chest. He probably thought it was a neutral pose, but with his shoulders hunched like that, Shen thought it made him look vulnerable.

“Well work on it faster. I’ve got the stealth systems active, but ADVENT is kicking over every rock looking for the General. It’s only a matter of time.”

“Resources are thin,” Bradford said.

“Don’t I know it.” Shen positioned the welding mask over her face.

Bradford took that as his cue to leave.

–

He wanted a drink, but the trick to being a functional alcoholic was making sure all your work got done before you slipped into oblivion.

Bradford picked up the latest report detailing the unsafe conditions in the passage down to the second level. Something they were only now getting around to.

Wishful thinking they could get into the air. Repairs to the Avenger progressed at a snails pace. There wasn’t a whole lot anyone could do to speed it up. They’d tried everything. Now they relied on scroungers to get them what they needed, and they weren’t the most reliable bunch.

He brought up the next report and rolled his eyes. Montoya requesting a large amount of sodium thiopental. He declined, noting: Standing orders are to leave the prisoner alone until our benefactor says otherwise.

The last thing he needed was anyone experimenting with ‘truth serum’. Montoya would end up putting Weir in a coma.

Bradford leaned back in his chair. One week. That’s how long he would give the Spokesman. Then he’d have to assume the man was found out and executed or taken to a Black Site.

Wherever the hell those were.

“Sir?”

He brought a hand up to his earpiece.

“Go ahead.”

“There’s a message coming in from the ADVENT Network Tower…it’s global. I think you’re going to want to see this.”

He reached for the remote. It took him a second to remember which channel ADVENT news broadcasted on, but got it in time to see enough.

“How many Havens are they hitting?” he asked, somehow keeping his voice even.

“I’m getting distress signals from Freedom Point, Sixcastle, The Pit, Pirate Cove, Backdown, Sanctuary, Sunny Sands, and Oasis.”

“Can we at least make it to Freedom Point?”

“Not in the Skyranger,” Shen cut in. “You know that.”

Bradford put his head in his hands. Freedom Point was a good day away. They’d never make it in time to help.

–

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Shen came to a dead stop, dropping the bandage boxes she carried. She reached for her sidearm. “What’s he doing out of his cell?”

Weir lifted his head enough to glance at Shen.

“Running a marathon,” he said.

Montoya laughed.

Bradford and Shen glared.

“Want me to gag him?” Montoya asked. He patted the duct tape hanging from his belt.

“I’ll think about.” Bradford slammed the vehicle’s door shut.

“What are you doing, Central?” Shen asked. She moved closer so he could hear her whisper. The people loading the trucks didn’t need to be clued into their discussion.

“I don’t know,” he said. It’d been a long time since he had known what he was doing. These days he operated on impulse. Some days it felt like that was only thing keeping him moving.

Shen put her gun away.

“Don’t lose him. We went to a lot of trouble capturing him.”

“ADVENT’s already gone from the area. It’s safe. Enough.” He looked at Weir inside the truck. Fast asleep. “And I don’t think he can run if he tried.”

“Be careful.” She picked up the bandages. “We need him alive.”

“I told you, I’m not interested in revenge anymore.” That wasn’t strictly true. He did want some kind of recompense from Weir.

“I’d be less worried if you were,” Shen said.

Bradford shook his head. When he had decided to lead this new XCOM he had needed to decide what was and wasn’t important. Revenge only benefited him.

He wished things were simpler.

“All that matters is getting what we need to repair the Avenger and repaying the Spokesman,” he said.

“Yeah, you just keep remembering that.”