# Alcatraz Ch. XIV ~ Scopophobia

Author: Djynnerate
Tags: Cat, Dingo, Drama, Dystopia, Fox, Friendship, Future, Golden Retriever, Gray Wolf, Hyena, Jackal, Military, Mutt, Post-Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi, Teen, Teenager, Teenagers, War

#18 of Alcatraz

long night, thumbnail later :P
BTW sorry the spacing is screwed up, it looked fine in editor and idk what that was all about

I had no clue where I wanted to go with last chapter, and I think it turned out good.&nbsp;

I actually didn't have anything planned but Caine vs Lynx and then Tai meeting Lynx.&nbsp;

Ross dying was just a whatever thing because I had no plans for the character and Lio's theme is trauma and rehabilitation&nbsp;

But that comes later on :)&nbsp;

Everything else was just me thinking up whatever and then putting it on page, and that's what I usually do&nbsp;

I may or may not give Lynx a different name. It's like calling Tai cat or Marshall wolf or Riddick hyena,&nbsp;etc&nbsp;

Plus her face is kind of supposed to be an enigma&nbsp;for a long while&nbsp;and that gives everyone a basic glimpse of how she looks like&nbsp;(her species, that is)&nbsp;

It'll take heavy editing and if your&nbsp;notif&nbsp;box blows up sorry&nbsp;

Also SORRY for the hiatus I could say I was leaving off the first major chapter in silence but really it's just laziness :P&nbsp;

///&nbsp;

"Your friend is in here, sir."&nbsp;

Marshall followed the nurse through the wintergreen hall, hospital smells invading his sensitive wolf nose.&nbsp;

The nurse waited outside the door without indication it was Caine's room, so Marshall looked in just a moment.&nbsp;

As expected, the dingo was there, machines hooked up to him, in his gown, a tube in his throat...&nbsp;

It was disgusting.&nbsp;

Marshall walked in anyways, hearing Caine's breathing amplified through the machine.&nbsp;

"You alright...?"&nbsp;

Caine shook his head.&nbsp;

"I'm assuming the,&nbsp;er... Lynx, whatever she calls herself, did this to you."&nbsp;

He nodded, and Marshall couldn't tear his eyes away from Caine's throat.&nbsp;

Whatever was between them had evaporated after the years, blown away by fear and professionalism.&nbsp;

Caine picked up a notepad and pen on his bedside table and began writing something.&nbsp;

He handed it to Marshall when he was done.&nbsp;

I want you to kill her&nbsp;

Marshall was slightly unnerved, but she was the enemy, after all... The eerie message was just that, and seeing what she'd done to&nbsp;him made it all the worse.&nbsp;

"We'll get her. Don't worry about it. But... Can't you talk?"&nbsp;

Caine&nbsp;grabbed the notepad again and scribbled something else down, this time showing it to Marshall and not giving it to him.&nbsp;

She cut my tongue&nbsp;

Marshall's heart jumped.&nbsp;

He'd previously believed it to be the delicate nature of Caine's neck and chest that stopped him from speaking, but...&nbsp;

No, it couldn't have been....&nbsp;

"The stab wound&nbsp;I&nbsp;saw was nowhere near your tongue, it was meant to kill, not disable."&nbsp;

Caine shook his head wildly, in anger, and tore off the page they'd been using, tossing it to the side.&nbsp;

Marshall watched the haunting messages flutter to the ground.&nbsp;

Maybe if they weren't on&nbsp;there&nbsp;it wouldn't have weighed as much.&nbsp;

Furiously scratching out his next message, Caine's chest began to rise and fall, his teeth clenched, protecting nothing else in that cavity.&nbsp;

He shoved it at Marshall, the wolf taking in the dingo's ferocious look before what he'd written.&nbsp;

Not&nbsp;the Jinn operative.&nbsp;Opera&nbsp;

///&nbsp;

Tai...&nbsp;

It was a gentle voice, in the back of my head.&nbsp;

More the breeze of the mist of dreams, the&nbsp;neverending&nbsp;fog, the...&nbsp;

No, we'll be here forever if I start...&nbsp;

Tai...&nbsp;

Louder this time, what was-&nbsp;

"Tai!"&nbsp;

I jolted to my other side, eyes wide, staring up at my squad leader.&nbsp;

"It's 11:00, Tai."&nbsp;

"I-is it?"&nbsp;

We both looked over to the digital and what was already true was confirmed.&nbsp;

"Well?"&nbsp;

I looked back over to Jake, stark blue eyes staring back at me.&nbsp;

He was wearing what&nbsp;I&nbsp;would and maybe I'd subconsciously modeled myself for him; a polyester tank top and gym shorts.&nbsp;

"We've been running sims the past hour and... I get it if you want to sleep but..."&nbsp;

He sat down on the edge of my bed. Jake wasn't the yelling type, after all.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Compassion was odd...&nbsp;off,&nbsp;really, for me.&nbsp;

I understood it but it was odd to experience it.&nbsp;

Part of me wanted to tear up a little,&nbsp;haha...&nbsp;

"You usually get up at 4 in the morning."&nbsp;

I avoided his gaze, sitting up in bed to occupy myself.&nbsp;

Maybe it was eyes in general that I was attracted to.&nbsp;

Not the&nbsp;organ&nbsp;but, they really were windows to the soul for me.&nbsp;

You can glance at the eyes and see what someone's intentions are, or what they're about.&nbsp;

But I still couldn't tell with Trojan, could I...&nbsp;

"I was just... Tired. That's all."&nbsp;

Jake looked out my window, the thin layer of snow and frost creeping on it.&nbsp;

"Anything happen last mission that I need to know about?"&nbsp;

First mission, more like...&nbsp;

He stared me in the eyes this time, and I had no will to let go.&nbsp;

Yes, there was something I needed to tell him.&nbsp;

Something very important-&nbsp;

"I don't care what it is, I'm here. I was in China for 3 years, I've seen it and done it.&nbsp;If you want to talk..."&nbsp;

"I understand."&nbsp;

He nodded and reached over, ruffling my tuft of hair.&nbsp;

Why was I so damn short next to them all...?&nbsp;

Watching him exit, it wasn't a&nbsp;nobrainer&nbsp;that I wasn't supposed to...&nbsp;

Tell about the girl with the mask.&nbsp;

I'd almost forgotten it in my sleep, but it and the fear and complexity of the thoughts returned, much to my discomfort.&nbsp;

I could have died at any moment there... And all she wanted to do was talk.&nbsp;

She'd killed the coyote in front of me, I couldn't even remember his fucking name...&nbsp;

And she just wanted to talk.&nbsp;

But from her little exit... It appeared she was going to come back at some point.&nbsp;

///&nbsp;

Walking down the steps into the weight room, I guessed my grace period was over.&nbsp;

My body was screaming for exhaustion, yesterday's adrenaline not holding it over.&nbsp;

Feeling the readiness, I wondered what the hell happened...?&nbsp;

I figured&nbsp;someone&nbsp;would be in here to train with, Reyna usually got it all done around 6 or so, and then worked with me whenever I woke up.&nbsp;

To my surprise, she was here, and destroying the punching bag...&nbsp;One of the few we hadn't had to patch up already.&nbsp;

She didn't notice me and I didn't think the jackal was omniscient for once.&nbsp;

I was a little less scared of her.&nbsp;

Watching her, the blur of black, I'd nearly forgotten in the few days of break I had what was so terrifying about her.&nbsp;

She noticed me standing still on the stairs and tripped up, catching the bag to stop herself from falling.&nbsp;

It was the first break in grace I'd seen from Reyna, and I would take care to remember it.&nbsp;

"I... Figured we could get in a bit of training. It's been about 3 days."&nbsp;

She carefully nodded and motioned for me to join her.&nbsp;

I walked over to the center of the weight room, and felt the tension and nervousness from her this time.&nbsp;

Which meant the pain could be less or worse.&nbsp;

She took a deep breath and exhaled but it was hardly audible.&nbsp;

I avoided her eyes, and put up my guard, and the two of us began to circle.&nbsp;

I bridged the gap almost immediately with a jab, and it was lost by a swipe that came without hesitation.&nbsp;

She started off her own attacks with a kick for once, getting straight to the point without battering me.&nbsp;

I was forced to block&nbsp;the roundhouse&nbsp;and the force made me stagger to the side, then&nbsp;the other leg swept mine, I'd forgotten I wasn't standing right either...&nbsp;

I fell to the ground and this time one black furred hand was around my throat, the other drawn back to pummel me.&nbsp;

I winced, expecting fully for the poised piece of hell to smash my face in, but instead, it withdrew.&nbsp;

Our eyes met and I tore away quickly.&nbsp;

Her fist lowered slower than I would have liked, and she got up.&nbsp;

No hand was offered.&nbsp;

Whatever we'd built... Whatever I'd like to&nbsp;think&nbsp;we built was broken by a moment I still knew nothing about...&nbsp;

"I want you, for once, to take me down."&nbsp;

"W-... Take you down?"&nbsp;

"Do to me what I have just done to you. Put me in an unfavorable position."&nbsp;

I got to my feet, still unsure of what to do.&nbsp;

"When I appear off balance, sweep me and use your weight to push me down. Your hands can be anywhere but I personally use the wrists and throat."&nbsp;

I nodded slowly, looking at her deft feet.&nbsp;

It seemed a little impossible but little impossibilities happened every day here in Global 201...&nbsp;

"...Alright." We resumed our stances... No, it was only me. She was standing with her hands by her side.&nbsp;

"You aren't going to..." "This is simply technique. You can apply this at a later date."&nbsp;

I gave a slow nod, and suddenly felt self-conscious.&nbsp;

I didn't want to punch her, or really do anything to harm her...&nbsp;

I mean, who the hell wants to punch their crush in the face?&nbsp;

Awkward emotions swarmed in my head like a disturbed wasp's nest.&nbsp;

Bringing my leg behind hers, I nearly fell over, and we stood shoulder to shoulder, me trying to get the right angle, under a silent observer.&nbsp;

"...Am I using the right leg?"&nbsp;

"The one closest me, yes. But you'll get nowhere unless you do something with your hands."&nbsp;

"Right..."&nbsp;

Bracing the side of my shin against hers, I'd noticed she'd been sweeping me sideways sometimes and simply changed directions to pin me.&nbsp;

My hands quivered and I forced myself to stop as I grabbed her shoulders, pushing with my leg and pulling her towards...&nbsp;

No, nothing was happening.&nbsp;

She was standing still, unfazed.&nbsp;

"You're going for something&nbsp;Muay&nbsp;Thai, it looks like, but that's going to require&nbsp;your hands to..." She went on and I listened in relative distraction.&nbsp;

///&nbsp;

His phone rang, and the giant wolf hand&nbsp;forced its&nbsp;way into his pocket, clearly not made for an animal like him.&nbsp;

Marshall answered it, looking at the moon overhead.&nbsp;

He was in his&nbsp;Vevous&nbsp;apartment, one of many the GRA had set up for him, but this one was his home for now, at least until he was reassigned.&nbsp;

He'd thought about it and if things calmed down, just maybe...&nbsp;

Maybe he could switch squadrons. There was no chemistry for his, some of them already hated each other-&nbsp;

"It's James."&nbsp;

Marshall looked at the cell's screen again in confusion, but this wasn't the&nbsp;shiba's&nbsp;cell.&nbsp;

"You're home, I take it?"&nbsp;

"Yeah. I figured I'd call you."&nbsp;

"Good to know you're safe. You know about Caine I trust?"&nbsp;

"Of course..."&nbsp;

There was a pause, neither of them knowing how to feel about the&nbsp;grievous&nbsp;injuries.&nbsp;

After all, they were hardly even&nbsp;acquaintances&nbsp;with him anymore.&nbsp;

Just used-to-be's.&nbsp;

"Well, I just wanted to know you're alright. Go spend time with your family"-&nbsp;

"I'm sorry about what happened at the airport, Marshall."&nbsp;

"Not like you would have known."&nbsp;

"I... It was dumb of me to take your squadron, I should have picked someone more experienced..."&nbsp;

"Well, Tai is our only...&nbsp;fresh&nbsp;Janus member. All of the others are dead or dying, last I checked."&nbsp;

"Beggars&nbsp;can't be choosers... You didn't happen to take any casualties, did you?"&nbsp;

"We were lucky."&nbsp;

A sigh of relief from the other side of the phone.&nbsp;

"I was praying..." James cut off and was speaking to someone else for a moment.&nbsp;

Marshall realized he'd been standing in the doorway and dumbly staring out of the window.&nbsp;

Sitting down on his bed, he waited for James to come back.&nbsp;

"Sorry about that, Sam was"-&nbsp;

"No, James, you need to be with your family right now."&nbsp;

There was a pause, the&nbsp;shiba&nbsp;perhaps surprised that he was being called 'James' for the first time in...&nbsp;

"Well.. Nice speaking to you I guess. Night."&nbsp;

The wolf's finger hovered over the button-&nbsp;

"Oh! One more thing. You still there?&nbsp;

"...Yes?"&nbsp;

A pause from James.&nbsp;

"I wanted to inform you before anyone else did, there's a new recruit due to your squadron in a week."&nbsp;

"...What?"&nbsp;

"Yeah, I know it's early"-&nbsp;

"Kyle was early, what the hell is this? We're about a month in, one live mission, and you're adding"-&nbsp;

"I don't make the rules... Okay, maybe I do, but this was a request from Opera."&nbsp;

Opera...&nbsp;

Marshall recalled what Caine had told him in the hospital, and opened his mouth to speak but closed it.&nbsp;

It would be him next if he said anything.&nbsp;

"You still there?"&nbsp;

"...Yeah."&nbsp;

"I got a dossier coming your way, they didn't want me to discuss him over the phone."&nbsp;

"Let me guess, he's some 18 year old that could shoot a damn gun and so they promoted him to fucking GSS,&nbsp;and then because I hate kids on my squad they sent him straight to"-&nbsp;

"He's 25, actually. And he's a&nbsp;veteran."&nbsp;

"Veteran? At 25?"&nbsp;

"He was at Glasglow."&nbsp;

"...Oh."&nbsp;

There was another excruciating pause and Marshall decided to hang up before anything more was said.&nbsp;

///&nbsp;

Everyone was crowded around the terminal in the server room, and I stood on my tiptoes to see over Rochelle's head.&nbsp;

Jake was scrolling sideways through the list, and I assumed he had been for at least a minute because that was how long everyone had been staring at the screen.&nbsp;

"So they're all listed according to difficulty?"&nbsp;

"Yeah," he said. "Hellsberg&nbsp;was first,&nbsp;Vervous&nbsp;was somewhere in the middle... Damn, how many of these are there?"&nbsp;

The pictures and previews and stingy words began to fade out of view and into blur as the wolf pawed at the touchpad faster.&nbsp;

It was another ten seconds before the screen finally hit the end and it almost scared me. Everyone leaned in to see better and Alvin unintentionally blocked my view, so I moved to Reyna.&nbsp;

"What's it called?"&nbsp;

"...Operation Alcatraz."&nbsp;

Jake raised his eyebrows at Alvin and something passed between them.&nbsp;

"Won't be doing&nbsp;that&nbsp;anytime soon."&nbsp;

"Christ, it looks like a&nbsp;hellscape..."&nbsp;

I still couldn't see well over Kyle, and gave up, joining the short club with Rochelle.&nbsp;

Maybe I was just tall in Gibraltar, then.&nbsp;

"Digital recreation of Jinn-controlled Kauai... During the 2129&nbsp;hurricane&nbsp;that battered both sides in the decade old battle. Solo.&nbsp;Recommended&nbsp;stealth. Kill all Jinn operatives, including specialists."&nbsp;

As Jake read the description I got a glimpse of a dark gray sky that was fading into night even, debris flying in what had once been an urban street, trees down on houses and armed men on porches.&nbsp;

Your regular&nbsp;hellscape... For sure.&nbsp;

"Alcatraz is code for something, right?" Rochelle asked impatiently, and I moved to let her see as much as she could.&nbsp;

"Anything designated Operation Alcatraz is a suicide mission. In places like Hawaii, in this simulation,&nbsp;soldiers would island hop atom bombs because the planes would be shot down."&nbsp;&nbsp;

Reyna spoke up to my surprise, and we all grew silent.&nbsp;

"Let's try it!"&nbsp;

"Solo only."&nbsp;

"...Oh."&nbsp;

"Damn, if we could just throw Tai and Reyna at it we'd have it done in the hour."&nbsp;

I didn't know who said that last bit, but it was probably the most memorable bit of praise I ever received.&nbsp;

///&nbsp;

Rubbing my eyes, I leaned over in bed, one hand on the snow colored sheets, careful not to expose myself to the air, and cut out the lights.&nbsp;

Rolling back over, I put one hand under my pillow, giving it some measure of prop.&nbsp;

What measure of comfort I had was overshadowed... I couldn't get over what happened yesterday.&nbsp;

Was I...&nbsp;

Was I supposed to feel bad?&nbsp;

I'd shot someone. Several people. I mean, they were going to kill me and Rochelle and Harper, but... Those were souls and souls had weight on your own.&nbsp;

I wondered if any of my teammates was religious.&nbsp;

I could see Alvin going to church, maybe Kyle, but everyone else seemed too into themselves.&nbsp;

I never got an education in God or anything, but I never got one in science and I think about so much that the latter can't explain.&nbsp;

And magic's bullshit.&nbsp;

There's&nbsp;gotta&nbsp;be&nbsp;someone&nbsp;that made things how they are...&nbsp;

Even without worshipping or learning or anything I felt limited, bound by it. It came to me that I might have to abandon the prospect of religion if I was going to kill... And not be miserable later.&nbsp;

"Tai."&nbsp;

I fell out of bed in shock, my pillow and sheets coming with me, banging my head on the floor. Again.&nbsp;

Standing up too quick and backing into the wall, nearly banging it again, I saw a cloaked... Kabuki mask.&nbsp;

It was silent, I had nothing to say. Fear coursed through my veins.&nbsp;

"I&nbsp;said&nbsp;expect me."&nbsp;

"T-this early?"&nbsp;

"GRA wouldn't expect me just one day after all&nbsp;that&nbsp;happened. Some douche is trying to kill me so we'll have to make this quick."&nbsp;

"What do you want?"&nbsp;

I surprised myself. I hadn't stuttered.&nbsp;

"Well you don't have to be&nbsp;rude&nbsp;about it," she said, falling onto my bed and making me jump.&nbsp;

I couldn't remember her name...&nbsp;

She looked over at me, the mask terrifying and paralyzing at the same time.&nbsp;

She sighed.&nbsp;

"Long day. Sorry. Like I said, some douche is trying to kill me."&nbsp;

"But... What do you want?"&nbsp;

"This is for your benefit, kid."&nbsp;

She sat back up and opened up her cloak&nbsp;to fetch something from an inside pocket.&nbsp;

It covered her head to toe and then some with the hood, the mask, gloves, and tail sleeve doing what the rest wouldn't.&nbsp;

It was burgundy, a shade of rust or stale blood, maybe. Underneath she was wearing a black polyester shirt. If it were any lighter I might have been able to see a bit of fur from my angle in the moonlight.&nbsp;

She realized this and jerked away violently, turning her back.&nbsp;

It came to me there was so much padding in the cloak, obviously it was her only armor besides the mask which itself was porcelain maybe,&nbsp;probably some weird steel factors in it, but...&nbsp;

She was thin underneath, it added most of her mass.&nbsp;Surprisingly&nbsp;thin.&nbsp;

Not malnourished Gibraltar thin, nowhere near where I was, but it didn't even look like she had much muscle.&nbsp;

After what seemed like an eternity in silence and fear, she pulled something out of her cloak.&nbsp;

Shaking it, it made a rattling sound and I recognized it as a pill bottle. I inwardly groaned, I'd had so many weird drugs since I got here. I got an inkling of a headache and an entire bottle got shoved down my throat by Marshall...&nbsp;

"I know what you're thinking. You'll thank me for this someday."&nbsp;

Would I?&nbsp;

I reluctantly took the transparent container, looking at the contents. It was packed to the brim. "What are these for?"&nbsp;

"Take them once a day and you won't die."&nbsp;

"...What?"&nbsp;

She gave a huff.&nbsp;

"Please&nbsp;tell me Marshall told you about the downsides of Janus, I don't want to break it to"-&nbsp;

"That I'll die?"&nbsp;

She stopped talking a moment and looked out the window.&nbsp;

For a moment the mask had no meaning, it was just a piece of porcelain.&nbsp;

Remorse from a killer.&nbsp;

"Yeah. It'll prolong your lifespan, we stole them from GRA and made them better a year or so ago."&nbsp;

I looked down into the bottle, she'd handed me the cap separate.&nbsp;

"Go ahead and take one."&nbsp;

I downed one, noticing it was identical to the ones Marshall gave me, metallic and red/blue.&nbsp;

The red seemed a bit more prominent.&nbsp;

"Damn, I thought you'd give a fight."&nbsp;

"What?"&nbsp;

"I mean, yesterday I killed a guy in front of you, which incidentally is when we met. I'm from Jinn. I break into your room and give you some weird pills. And you just take them, no problem."&nbsp;

I stared into her... Well, her eyeholes. I couldn't see her real eyes, just a reddish tint that was eye&nbsp;shaped.&nbsp;

"What's your name?"&nbsp;

I screwed the bottle back on, and realized she'd sat back down on my bed again.&nbsp;

"...What do you mean?"&nbsp;

"What do you go by?"&nbsp;

"Lynx."&nbsp;

"Your real name, I meant."&nbsp;

She shrugged.&nbsp;

"I don't have one. Same as you."&nbsp;

"But Lynx isn't a name, it's a species."&nbsp;

"Tai..."&nbsp;

"Tai&nbsp;is&nbsp;a name."&nbsp;

Lynx looked for a moment like she was going to lay down but stopped.&nbsp;&nbsp;

I could understand her exhaustion but for someone in enemy territory she was very comfortable.&nbsp;

It reminded me oddly of Riddick.&nbsp;

The odd sense of calm, not the enemy territory part.&nbsp;

At least not until later.&nbsp;

I didn't want to ask her why she was still here, that sounded incredibly rude.&nbsp;

"Can I... Uh... Get you anything?"&nbsp;

"Don't worry about it, kid."&nbsp;

We remained silent again, and I looked at my pale fur in the moonlight, straight-backed.&nbsp;

"Can you take off your mask, please?"&nbsp;

"Why?"&nbsp;

"It's making me uncomfortable."&nbsp;

"...It takes a lot not to go off on people like you."&nbsp;

I looked over at her and my heart jumped as the mask tilted its head to look at me, distorted grin hiding something vaguely alive.&nbsp;

"I know you don't understand&nbsp;why&nbsp;I have this piece of shit on my face. No one does.&nbsp;But don't ask me to take this off. Don't ask me what I look like. Don't ask me my name. Don't ask me anything pertaining to that."&nbsp;

Lynx stood back up and walked over to the window.&nbsp;

"Or I'll rip your fucking guts out."&nbsp;

Turning to see my expression, she laughed.&nbsp;

"I know you're tired of people messing with your innocence. I'll stop."&nbsp;

My clutch on the pill bottle faltered and it fell onto the bed, scattering the capsules across the spread.&nbsp;

I heard the window open but didn't look up, heart still pounding.&nbsp;

It closed very quickly.&nbsp;

I breathed a sigh of relief and began putting the capsules back, putting one hand over my heart to feel the steady but quick throb.&nbsp;

Finally getting them up, I screwed the cap on.&nbsp;

"I was being serious, by the way."&nbsp;

I nearly fell off my bed again, and the window was&nbsp;closed.&nbsp;

My breathing was audible now, and I childishly pulled the covers up to my chin, not daring to put the pill bottle on my bedside.&nbsp;

Please, just let it be a nightmare...&nbsp;

All of it...&nbsp;

///&nbsp;

I had to actually start using OneDrive and Word Online (which I recommend because it's pretty much the latest version of MOW for free) because apparently my&nbsp;license&nbsp;on my office applications needs to be renewed.&nbsp;

I didn't buy them in the first place they came with my laptop&nbsp;

But in the newest version, for whatever reason there's no webpage view. Which means I have to break syntax and trust I don't go over one line when it displays 2 most of the time.&nbsp;

It's whatever I guess but sorry to the OCD people&nbsp;haha&nbsp;

I would ask you to check out the Alcatraz playlist in the journal above this chapter, if you would.

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/JewVLEM1
Part of the series Alcatraz
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