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///

His eyes were dark, grim visage.

Nothing too out of the ordinary, for him at least, but...

They knew what was wrong with him.

Ross wasn't just another casualty of war; he was Lio's best friend. It wasn't like he hadn't taken casualties on his fireteam before, but...

The jaguar might as well have lost a family member.

Sitting on a bench in New Rio, he had no clue where he wanted to go, or what to do.

He just wanted to get away.

For them to stop badgering him; they knew he wanted distance, but-

"Hey."

Looking up, his fury mounted to a peak it hadn't reached before, and his fists-

"Oh... Mari."

The lioness sat next to him, and the vertigo of seeing someone out of uniform or the drab cotton and camo hit Lio, like seeing a stranger you thought was familiar.

"I would ask you if you were ok, but I know you don't want to hear it."

"You know me well."

"Well enough to know anytime you run off alone, Lio de la Rocha, you get into trouble."

"...You sound like my mother."

A frustrated exhale from the lioness.

"You sound like you need help."

Lio closed his eyes. He didn't need her- or anyone- here right now.

Mari the field medic could heal physical wounds.

Nothing where it counted.

///

"Look, I gotta call you later. Checking on the cameras right now, they went all sorts of fucked last night..."

"Mmhm. Stay safe."

"I have six guns on me minimum at all times, come on, James."

"Right. Bye. Oh, and, Marshall?"

"Yeah?"

"Dossier should be arriving soon."

Frustrated, he hung up. The obligatory beep.

Marshall heard footsteps in the hall and turned around quickly; last time the same array happened he didn't exactly like the outcome...

There was no door, just a keypad and a fake panel in the opposite wall that served as a door. Naturally he was the only one with access to that area of the house, and he remotely mounted cameras outside the entrance.

He'd seen Reyna looking around at the panel before.

He didn't like that.

He'd told them it was a manual control for the sprinkler systems if they malfunctioned, and interest dropped quickly, but some of these kids just weren't what he...

Finally making it through the tedious yet necessary security measures he'd personally installed into the mainframe of the room, the terminal on the wall pulled up all the camera footage from the previous 12 hours, hopefully the few bits of time he needed weren't corrupted...

Nope. Rewinding and going back, there was a clear loop. A messy one.

Nothing too blatant, no static or a blank screen, but from 11:00 to 11:15 there was the same snow particles floating down over and over, the clip repeating at ten second intervals.

Whoever was there hadn't time to grab anything from earlier and paste it over.

Someone... Was there?

It was an odd conclusion to jump to, but no other reason... He'd subconsciously jumped to it, after all he believed the worst-case scenario was to be entertained at all times, but...

Who fucks with government cameras for fun?

Marshall quickly tapped the cameras outside the entrance to the camera room, and when he saw there was no one to see him he keyed the code in and left, the panel sliding out and back behind him when he was done.

Tai.

They would have gone for Tai, he was the most valuable thing here...

Turning a corner sharply in haste, he brushed shoulders with Alvin and the retriever steadied himself against the wall.

"You alright, Mr. Marshall?"

Mister...?

"Fine. Have you seen Tai this morning?"

"Uh... No, not since yesterday. Little guy's been dealing with stuff since Connecticut."

He leaned in close, tall as Marshall for his ears' compensation, but not nearly as cold and fortress.

"I think he's got PTSD."

"Tai's from a bad place. If something unnerves him I'd be surprised."

"I know, but, like, I've seen it all before. Guys sleep in later, because they can't sleep that night. And they avoid people and don't talk... And you can hear the sobs"-

"Expert from your half a year of serving?"

Alvin stopped, taken aback.

Opening his mouth to apologize, the wolf decided to continue and walked around him, to Tai's room.

///

I was incredibly cold, and somewhat regretting coming out here.

Hands jammed into the pockets of my clearly oversize heavy coat, feline and white fur, I might have looked somewhat like the locals here, but damn sure I wasn't one...

I felt unhealthy. Not sick at all but unhealthy.

My malnutrition was somewhat solved but I still couldn't eat much out of habit.

What muscles I had before were quite accentuated from all the training I had.

Headaches were... Still happening.

I'd just stayed too long inside- days on end spent training and doing nothing, maybe 'hanging' with Riddick or someone. I hadn't bothered to look around.

Not much to see anyways...

Riddick said he'd take me to Vervous if Marshall let us use the van, but Riddick and Marshall were oil and water.

Riddick and... anyone...

Except me.

I felt special.

Drawing my coat closer around me, I went into the treeline, taking one look back at the house. I'd seen the outside of it rarely, and as I'd arrived at night I couldn't look at the woods or anything.

No nervousness entered me. I wasn't scared of the dark, I wasn't scared of being alone, I wasn't scared of the unknown, and woods that stretched as far as the mind would let them.

No.

I was scared of people, behind every tree. Intent to kill and loot, maybe even consume-

A loud shot rang out, of the gun sort.

I dropped to all fours more out of surprise than instinct- a month in the field won't instill that into you, but I very shakily picked myself up.

Another shot, and I staggered and nearly fell again...

What was going on?

Were we under attack?

My mind wondered to Lynx, and how easily she slipped in... Had I been spared from the assault because I was in the woods?

Would they try and leave through the woods?

I stood still and silent for a moment. Next time the shot came, I could pinpoint-

It came early and I jerked my head deeper into the woods, caught off guard by this new direction.

Slowly making my way forward, there was only so much I could do to muffle the crunch of snow under my feet.

Breath freezing still scarcely out of my mouth, my throat went cold and dry like ice.

Continuing, the shots were getting closer and I could think of no scenario now...

Unless it was one of my teammates firing in the woods.

I brought a hand up to my face and shook my head.

"Fuck me, I'm such an idiot..."

I'd learned a few new foreigner expressions from Riddick.

Abandoning my pseudo stealth walk, I shuffled forward with carelessness, abandoning the prospects of before.

Sure enough, further down was Kyle, and a target range I hadn't seen before.

I must have still been a quarter of a mile away, but he turned to me as soon as I found him in my own sights.

Motioning for me to join him, I obliged and walked over.

Kyle himself was still very impressive... And by extension enigmatic.

I'd already classified my teammates into three tiers but then again, I hadn't seen anything too impressive from a few and what I had might have been just for show.

There was Reyna, Riddick, and Kyle.

Jake, Alvin, Rochelle.

And then there was Tai, in all of his... Inglory.

I was the runt. Nothing new there.

The last time I'd even seen Kyle was after we'd failed the parkour course in Connecticut, the following morning he'd been deployed separately and afterwards we'd come home in two groups for safety.

Maybe a glance or two at the dinner table had passed.

Walking beside him, I took in the steel targets, all mounted with a rope system from the firing range. Nothing like the 3D reactive holograms we had in the weight room.

The timber wolf was firing one handed, his body posture with the arm extended and the legs taut, other arm somewhat loose.

His back was to me but if he looked over the shoulder in the slightest he'd spot me.

I was surprised he'd spotted me initially, what with the white fur and the coat being brown anyways, unintentionally I'd gone with the perfect camo.

Kyle fired off what rounds were left and removed the clip, then walked over to a table behind him.

It was loaded down with all sorts of guns, and had a canopy over it.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Practicing."

"You know we have a range in the weight room, right?"

He picked up a clip for the same pistol he'd been using, an odd-looking model with a somewhat sharp looking hammer and grip. Lethal even without ammo.

"Da. But... I prefer something more retrograde. It is not fulfilling, firing at fake men."

Casting a glance back at the targets, it wasn't much of a difference.

I watched him pick up his knife bandolier, the black sleeve buckled over his shoulder.

"Where did you learn to use those?"

He put his pistol in the holster and drew a knife from the sheath.

Now with a closer look at it, it looked like a large needle, the hilt having no covering but sharpening to a point.

Bringing it to his hip, he tossed it across his body and I heard a bang on the metal, accompanied by a small lightshow of sparks as it landed.

"My brother- not by birth, of course- Kiri,"

For whatever reason, he grinned as if he couldn't contain himself, and it caught me off guard heavily.

"When I was new to the... group that I joined, he took me in and personally trained me."

Whatever group stood in place of, I knew his past.

Just not the important parts, yet.

"He taught me about weaponry, the finer aspects, how to modify firearms, use knives and blades, throw them and such."

Kyle thought for a moment.

"If you would like, we could train for a bit. You weren't busy, were you?"

"Ah, no. Just walking to clear my head."

"Da, lots of things happening. Better after we left America, but..."

He wasn't being visited by a masked Jinn operative. If anything, for me, it was worse.

Such is life, a parallel to those who are model, and fortunate. The false life.

Kyle handed me the pistol he'd just holstered, and I once more eyed the sharper parts on the hammer and grip, as if you were striking someone with the pommel of a sword.

"Go ahead and fire when you are ready."

I nodded and got my bearings, then locked irons on the target far ahead.

It was a small gun, there couldn't have been much recoil-

I'd leveled five shots into the nearest target, the sounds blending in speed, the only way I could tell it was five was because of the bullethole count.

Nearly dropping the gun, Kyle steadied me.

"Y-you didn't tell me it was automatic..."

"I modified this one to an extreme, the trigger is extremely sensitive. Apologies."

He handed me another gun, a rifle this time.

It was a machine gun, no smaller carbines as I used.

"Where did you receive training?"

"My school." He looked confused for a moment, and I was already firing into the targets.

"We had classes there, actually. There's no military for my... place. It was the only way I could get into the GRA."

"So, they recruited you from this class?"

"Yeah."

"What branch did you serve in before here?"

"...None."

This gun had a laser sight on it, so it was much easier, and I was surprising myself.

"How were you able to skip the regular service? Like a grunt becoming captain..."

Whatever ranks those were, I supposed they were mercenary.

I said nothing, no response valid that I could think of.

I remembered to ask Marshall if my Janus was classified or not, and he gave me a quick yes.

That no one was to be trusted with this knowledge.

However Jinn found out, I didn't know.

"Are you mercenary? Ex-Jinn?"

"Of course not..."

I said it with some hesitancy and hoped I hadn't planted mistrust in him.

If it came to it, GYFT was still my sponsor and I could give that as my excuse.

Since they dealt in the German youth, though, it would be difficult to explain why Morocco hadn't just picked me up.

It was also a simple training organization that fed the larger German branch of the military, whose name I didn't know.

Kyle said nothing, and we continued training.

///

He leaned on the wall, phone to his ear.

He'd also shut his door, in case mom started getting...

Less than he would like.

She probably didn't want to speak to him anyways.

Riddick dismissed the thought but stood straight backed, hoping someone would answer.

"Hey, son."

"Dad."

"I thought you were calling us every week?"

"Ach, sorry. ANZU guys made fun of me."

"Heh, douches."

"How's things back home?"

"The sea's quiet, Roxanne starts preschool next month."

Riddick paused himself before speaking next.

It was nice to speak to dad, without mentioning her.

Often he'd observed the conversations ended quicker if he asked.

"How about mom?"

A sigh.

"She's... Still the same about this. I'm sorry, Roland."

"Riddick."

"My bad. I think she's getting better, though. You're coming home for Christmas, right?"

"Uh, yeah. I think."

Riddick bit his lip. He'd have to ask, it was different from what he'd heard.

In ANZU you went home when you were injured, and that was it.

Even if, it was just mid-September and he'd have to wait a long time.

"Well, do some research. I don't suppose you want to talk to your mother?"

He closed his eyes, carefully considering this.

Maybe.

"If you'd ask."

"I will, son."

Riddick heard his father's muffled voice, talking away from the phone for at least ten or fifteen seconds.

"I... I'm sorry, son. She says it's still too soon."

"When will enough time pass? Why does time have to pass?"

His temper began to flare.

"She's my fucking mother. She has to let me... Let me be who I am."

A noise just outside the door.

"You know that won't get you anywhere. She'll come around, I promise."

The hyena massaged his temples, the creak of a floorboard outside letting him know someone was there.

"Love you."

"Love you. See you at Christmas."

He hung up before the obligatory 'bye' could be exchanged, and pocketed his phone.

Last time he'd spoken to his mother he'd left in tears, they both had.

The day he left for ANZU, she called him deader than Roger, and it hit hard.

Only a month after Roger's death, as well.

Whatever beast that lay dormant in Riddick was awakened for the first time and it stayed with him afterwards.

If anything ever happened to his dad he'd be disowned and have nowhere to go after GSS, his mother hated him.

A fun loving, kind mother of three.

Confession after dinner, as soon as the word 'gay' came out of his mouth...

Absentmindedly he opened the door and Rochelle was standing there.

He opened his mouth to berate her-

"Do you want to talk about it...?"

She was tense even after speaking, and his initial response was no...

But...

"Why the hell not...?"

Opening his door, the mutt walked in.

///

I've been thinking about making a spinoff series for Riddick, just his backstory.

I might have said before but it's based in reality for a few people I know (not entirely, just reflective) and it's undoubtedly what makes his character who he is.

Once again, sorry for the delay. Things got boring :p

Stay frosty

(I just remembered I ended everything this way)

Djynnerate