#GateKeepers | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lorichu · 2 months ago

Text

Through the Gate

Here's a little something a wrote for @gtypewriter, featuring the characters Kane, Dr. Eliza Houghton, and Commander Cade from his Gatekeeper series in my story, Over the Wall. Enjoy!

---------

Living in Nettles had desensitized Jay to most of the sounds that went bump in the night, but the distantly rhythmic thump-thump on the front door couldn't be ignored for a second time. She wiggled her way out of Collin's sleep loosened grasp and crawled over to the center of his chest. Must like her, he'd grown accustomed to her tiny movements and adjustments, so she needed to put all of her strength into pushing against him with both of her hands.

"Collin!" Jay called out. "Someone's at the door!"

His still closed eyes pinched together, and a low, rolling groan rumbled beneath Jay as Collin woke up. Even half asleep, he knew better than to thoughtlessly move about and slowly brought one hand to his face to rub his eyes while the other went for Jay. Groggy fingers gently looped around her midsection and half carried, half nudged her into his shirt's chest pocket. Once she was inside, Collin carefully sat up and opened his eyes with the same haste as he swung his legs over the side of the bed to stand.

Collin made good use of the short walk through his house and paused for only a few seconds when he reached the door to put the last few scattered pieces of consciousness back in their proper places before engaging whoever was on the other side. The list of probable visitors at this hour was so short that he wasn't at all surprised when he found Chief Victor waiting for him.

"Evening, or maybe morning, Chief," Collin mumbled, his brain and body still struggling against their mismatched levels of functionality.

Victor chuckled. "Probably morning." He gave the younger Scout a quick once over and nodded to himself. "Is Ranger South with you?"

Taking his hand off the doorknob, Collin rested a few fingers over his pocket. "Is something wrong?"

Uncertainty was not an emotion the Chief wore lightly, and as he shook his head, he stepped backwards off Collin's short porch to gesture towards Trevor a few paces back. "Not entirely sure, but we're going to find out."

Vague and ominous as it was, Collin didn't need a further explanation to follow the Chief. He knelt down to fully tie his boots, then stepped out into the chilled, way too early morning air and shut the door behind him. Jay huddled against him when the wind picked up, but didn't raise any complaints about having her sleep cut short.

Their dedication to Nettles and its people came first.

In an interesting twist, Victor began walking away from the center of town instead of going towards it. Not missing a beat Collin followed, but his thoughts lingered on the decision. 'If not HQ, then where?' he mused, feeling Jay poke her head out of his pocket while not glancing down to engage with her. 'There's nothing but ruins and unsalvageable trash in that direction.' Still, he didn't argue or bother to raise a question. The Chief always had a reason for his choices and would wait for the right time to share them.

After they'd been walking in silence for a couple of minutes, Victor slowed his pace to allow the younger Scouts to fall into step beside him. His steeled gaze stayed locked ahead of him, though it was tilted slightly up at the night sky. "I received an anonymous tip about a half hour ago," Chief Victor began softly, "from a restricted internal line."

"Internal?" Trevor repeated, skipping ahead a step to avoid a jutting chunk of concrete. "Like, from inside Nettles?"

Victor shook his head. "Internal as in a different government department."

Having just caught his balance after tripping over a stick he didn't see in time, Collin lowered his hand from his pocket. "How do you know that? And aren't the towers and the Colonel the only ones with clearance to contact us?"

"All I can say for certain is that the code masking the number matched up with my records, and the woman I spoke with already knew who I was." Chief Victor's eyes grew distant, and he sighed quietly through his nose. "She called to tell me there was going to be, in her words, an unrequested and very much off the books delivery being made within the town borders. She also claimed it wasn't inherently dangerous or a threat to any of us, but that if we didn't get out ahead of the confusion, the situation could change very quickly."

Jay braced herself against the side of the pocket and folded her arms over the lip. 'Sounds like someone's trying to cover up a problem they don't want to deal with by dumping it on us.' Normally she had no problem chiming in with her two cents, but like this her words would just get lost if she didn't scream her throat raw. 'Whoever it is must've made their fair share of enemies if someone is willing to break protocol by contacting the Chief to subvert them.'

A quick cough got them back to attention, and Victor broadened his shoulders as he slowed to a more definite stop. They'd just crossed over the line of what was usually considered the town's "boarder", leaving them right on the edge of a wasteland of crumbled brick walls, rusted out shells of cars, and more grass than pavement. "The only other tidbit she gave me was that it would be an airdrop," Victor said with a huff. "Since this is meant probably to be a covert mission, they'll likely be armed to the teeth with stealth tech and sensors, meaning we should lie low until they're well out of range."

"Wait, so we're just gonna let them do it?!" Trevor blurted out. "Why the hell would-!"

Victor raised a hand, and the rant cut off. "Even if they have information about us, it is still our duty to keep ourselves hidden and protect Nettles. That much is our responsibility. Always has been." Years spread out like ripples around the Chief's eyes, and he gave a tired sigh. "Just because they're willing to abuse our secret doesn't mean I am."

Sound as the logic was, Trevor still wasn't satisfied. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth, only to be silenced once again by Collin lifting a hand into the air. This, however, was more of an alert than a deliberate hush, because Collin had raised a single finger. "Do you hear that?" he whispered.

Jay had. "Sounds like engines," she offered, straining to project her voice despite the obvious need for extra caution. "And not like a car, but turbines, on planes."

Nodding sternly, the Chief took a step backwards and pivoted in the same motion. "We need cover. Fan out but stay close."

Posting up behind the crumbling remains of a long-collapsed building's wall, Collin peered through a hole in the bricks as the sound got louder. A light tap on his chest shifted his gaze back down to Jay, who then directed him up at the sky. Large dark shapes blocked out the stars on this cloudless night. Together they followed the fleet of aircraft, and the cargo suspended beneath them, as they maneuvered over to the tree line. The squad made a sharp, helicopter like descent straight down, then released their cables to cut themselves free from the large wooden crate the four of them had been carrying. Free of the weight, they zipped off into the night without so much as a glance backwards. Mission accomplished.

Cloaked in darkness themselves, the Scouts and Chief silently crept out of hiding and formed a loose semicircle as they advanced. The crate itself hadn't moved, but they'd all seen subtle movement inside through the open top, which had caught their eye after the bold, blocky number "13" plastered on the side of the surprisingly thick walls. Despite all being completely unprepared to deal with any sort of major threat, they kept pace and didn't break stride. Whatever was in there, they'd handle it.

Two red pinpricks appeared in the shadows, their glow cutting through the dimness like a pair of spotlights. Their quick movements and the way they narrowed ever so slightly were warning enough, preparing the Scouts, Chief, and Ranger for when a humanoid form began lifting itself up. Clawed fingertips dug into the wood, leaving deep gauges in their wake as the being crawled out of the crate and dropped into a low, almost animalistic crouch.

Collin's guard lowered as his brain worked through what he was seeing. This was someone their size, from the outside. How was that possible? Why would anyone, much less the government, make more giants when they could barely begrudge themselves to take care of the ones they'd created by accident? What did this mean? What was going on?

Driven purely by his curiosity he kept walking forward, only to be forced to abruptly stop dead in his tracks when the new giant growled. This showed a mouth of sharp pointed fangs, mirroring their clearly powerful clawed hands and feet. They hunched lower, widening their stance in preparation to attack.

"You're scaring him." Jay's quiet statement punched through the tension thinned air, startling all of the giants.

Too many conflicting emotions had blended together to give Collin's snorted chuckle any sort of discernable flavor. "How exactly? We're unarmed and basically the same size?"

"Right," Jay replied shortly. "And how many people his size do you think he's seen?"

Trevor and Chief Victor muttered their agreements amongst themselves, but Collin wasn't biting. "Ok, so what're we supposed to do about that?"

"Put me down so I can talk to him."

Something somewhere inside Collin's brain snapped. "Absolutely not!" he barked. The new giant hunched lower to the ground and let out another cautionary growl. "Just look at him, Jay! He's a-"

"A what, Collin?" Jay'd flinched involuntarily at his volume, but it hadn't broken her resolve. "A monster? Like you?"

Collin's jaw clenched, transforming his voice into a rasping hiss. "Jacklyn..."

Doubling down, Jay puffed up her chest. "I don't need your permission, you know. I'm your colleague, not your subordinate."

She practically vaulted over the lip of the pocket and had already made it about halfway down Collin's shirt before his hands caught up with her. "Jesus, Jay. You're allowed to be stubborn, not stupid." It took no effort to break her grip as he gathered her up with a single hand, but instead of returning her to his pocket like he wanted, Collin lowered Jay to the ground and completely pulled back.

Her silent thanks were given in the form of a softer look, but once she turned her back to Collin, Jay was all business. Right away she noticed a change in their visitor. He looked calmer, but not in an at ease sort of way. This was confidence, pure and simple. The Scouts were an unknown he couldn't fully account for, but someone like Jay was clearly familiar territory, for better or worse. He knew he could handle anything she threw at him.

Stricken with a fresh dose of fear, Jay struggled to swallow it down and put on her simplest smile. "Hey, it's ok. A lot's happened, and you're confused. So are we, but we're not here to hurt you. No one has to get hurt for us to understand what's going on." It felt almost insane attempting to be a comforting presence to someone so much bigger, but Jay powered through. "I'm Jacklyn, or Jay for short. That's Collin," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder, "and back there's Trevor and Victor." The air felt clearer, and it was easier to breathe in this simpler space. "Can I ask what your name is?"

By pulling his limbs in closer, the giant made a consorted effort to appear smaller. Perhaps even for Jay's benefit. "Kane," he murmured in a deep voice laced with a surprising amount of gentleness. "Where are we?"

The fact that he was willing to engage eased Jay's frantic heart. "It's nice to meet you, Kane, and we're on the outskirts of a town called Nettles."

Red eyes snapped open wide. "Nettles?" Kane repeated. "You mean it's a place?"

Chief Victor shuffled closer but made a specific point not to move past Collin. "So, you have heard of us." Lifting a hand to his face, Victor rubbed his stubbled chin. "I guess I'm at least a little relieved that there's a connection."

"Connection to what, Chief?" Trevor asked, following his superior's example to a T. "What're you talking about?"

Sparing the Scout a momentary glance, Victor returned his focus to their guest. "Kane, how do you know about Nettles?"

The Chief's stern but unaccusing tone loosened the sharp set of Kane's shoulders. "It was something that always got listed whenever they were running tests," he explained. "No one ever told me what any of that stuff meant, so I always just assumed it was a codename or something for whatever they did to me."

"You're probably right," Victor went on. "I think in the very broadest of terms it's safe to say the tragedy that befell our town was not the end of that research. However, without deeper insight, I can't say for sure how closely connected the two are."

When Kane started to sit up, he was acutely aware that everyone had started staring at him again, but he didn't linger on it. He'd gotten used to people watching his every move. Who he chose to focus on was Jay, still standing tall just a few paces away from him. She'd hardly batted an eye at his movements, even as he started to reach into the shallow pocket of his body suit. "I might know how to get you that," he said quietly. Between his fingers was a battered, hardcover book that he set down a short distance in front of Jay. "Dr. Houghton gave me this before they took me away. I couldn't see what she was writing in it though."

Jay heard all the unvoiced arguments buzzing behind her as she went to retrieve the book. It was an encyclopedia, volume "G", that was clearly a part of a well-traveled set. There was one dogeared page, so Jay wasted no time and flipped right to it. Hastily scribbled over the entries in ballpoint pen was a message. "Dr. Eliza Houghton, Sect. 13, R&D". Below that was a phone number with an area code Jay didn't recognize.

"Looks like I've got a call to make," she chuckled, turning around to face the others while brandishing the book. "Maybe she was even the one who tipped us off about-"

Branches snapped and leaves rustled.

The force bulldozing behind the destruction hadn't levied a single thought to the obvious noise its charge was making, which meant it could only be the work of one stubbornly single-minded creature: a crag boar. Geralt might have been the nastiest among them, but that didn't mean the rest of them were serene, herbivoric pacifists. If anything, Geralt's death had broken down the doors of their worst impulses and had made the remaining population even wilder and more vicious as a result. This was why deliveries were always made well within Nettles' official, well-guarded borders.

Curved ivory white tusks poked through the underbrush first, followed by a scar-nicked snout and a pair of black, beady eyes. That dark glare quickly took the scene in, passing right over Kane to lock squarely on Jay, the clearly much easier target.

Fear lodged itself in Collin's throat as he ran through calculations at the same breakneck pace. She was too far away. He'd never reach her in time. Before the boar's hoof had even lifted off the ground, his voice tore into the frozen air. "Jacklyn!!"

Kane became a blur, moving in the nanoseconds between heartbeats to position himself in a tense ready stance above Jay. His left hand was rooted firmly in the ground next to her, claws digging deep gouges in the dirt to balance himself while his right hand was splayed and pointed directly at the boar. Like with most other challengers, the beast did not care. It let out a bellowing squeal and resumed its charge with fully tunneled focus.

What it didn't realize is that the moment it was within arm reach it was already far too late.

In a flash claws were at its throat, tearing right through its thick, bristly hide with ease to draw out a vaporous shower of crimson. Blood gurgled in its wail, drowning its once powerful voice. With a flick of Kane's wrist, he pulled away and sent the beast teetering off balance to crash into the leaf and rubble strewn ground. Muscle spasms jerked its stubby legs through the steps of an ever-slowing death waltz. One final, burbling squeal graced the night sky before silence fell once again.

Each heavy breath from Kane thumped like a beating drum in the stillness that followed. It was only once he finally broke out of his defensive stance that anyone else remembered how to move, and while he was aware that the Scouts were hurrying towards him, Kane's focus was on the woman almost cowering in his shadow.

"Are you ok?" he asked bluntly as he shifted away from her to take a seat.

The shell of Jay's fear cracked like spring thinned ice, snapping her out of her memories. A quick tremor passed through her entire body, and she had no trouble meeting the now softer gaze of those intensely red eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to you."

Collin and Trevor both dropped down to crouch beside them. Having already heard the answer they needed, they simply basked in the relief that came with certainty. Chief Victor joined the little huddle in a much calmer fashion, though he remained standing. "I know I speak for us all when I say you have our deepest thanks, Kane," Victor said once he felt the moment had been sufficiently appreciated. "If you found yourself looking for a position as a Scout or even just part of the town patrol, any of us would be happy to have you."

Wide red eyes rapidly blinked a few times. "I can stay?"

Victor raised an eyebrow as he huffed a chuckle. "Of course. We were never going to turn you away. Origins aside, you're here now. You're one of us."

That affirmation broke down the last few lingering barriers, but it wasn't something they could afford to wallow in for long. Dawn was coming, and they suddenly had a lot of work to do. In order to accomplish everything in a timely matter, it was best to divide and conquer. Victor and Collin trekked back to the main offices at town hall, drafting their reports on the way so they could inform the Colonel and the wall what had happened. Jay, Trevor, and Kane splintered off at Collin's house, both to clean Kane up and get him something to eat, and to contact this mysterious Dr. Houghton.

Accepting the role of "host", Trevor got to work on fixing them all some breakfast while Jay and Kane sat at the table, staring anxiously at her phone. The Ranger's mind was buzzing in a million different directions at once while it rang. She was terrified of what might happen if this lead went cold, but for now, all they could do was wait.

Even though it had felt like an eternity, in reality, the phone was only left to ring four times before the call was picked up. "Dr. Eliza Houghton speaking," a kind but extremely tired sounding voice answered promptly.

Jay snapped out of her daze and reflexively sat up straighter. "Good morning, Dr. Houghton. I'm sorry for bothering you so early, but I really appreciate you making the time." Sending a quick glance up to Kane, she smiled. "My name's Jacklyn South, and I'm the current Ranger in Residence stationed in Nettles. I'm calling to both thank you for your assistance and to confirm that we received the... um, package."

Dr. Houghton's relief crashed down like a tidal wave. "While I appreciate your discretion, Jacklyn, this is a private line. You can speak freely." She laughed and let out a quiet oomf as she collapsed into a seat. "How is he?"

"I'm fine," Kane answered for himself. "Still confused, but fine."

They could hear her smile grow. "It's so good to hear your voice, Kane."

"Yours too." Kane's grin was small, but sweet.

Now it just felt like Jay was intruding on something very personal, but she still had a job to do so that discomfort could wait to be unpacked. "I was actually hoping, Dr. Houghton, that you could tell us more about all this?" Everyone was counting on her to stay focused on the task at hand. "As it stands, we don't actually know the how or why any of this even happened."

"Right, right, of course." Dr. Houghton cleared her throat and sharpened back to the intensity she'd answered the phone with. "And please, call me Eliza. It's simpler."

Things were moving again, maybe a little fast, but it was a good start. "Jay works fine for me."

Another softer, knowing smile touched Eliza's voice. "Alright, Jay. I hope you're ready for this because it's a lot to stomach. Though," she chuckled, "given your current employment, I'm sure you're well versed in handling the strange and abnormal."

Having just joined them at the table, Trevor made a quiet sound of protest. Quickly covering her reaction, Jay let go of the tension between her shoulders. "Don't worry about me. I'm pretty light on my feet."

While Jay hadn't actually been prepared for the steep drop off into the deep end, she didn't get swept under. Eliza started way back at the beginning to touch on Sector 13's founding, which had in fact been tied to the Nettles disaster. Not only had the research that caused the accident proved fruitful, but now that there was a town and surrounding forest filled with giants, preventative measures needed to be taken. Initially that had really just been it, counter measures.

"However," Eliza went on after pouring herself a fresh cup of coffee, "none of that ended up being necessary. When it became clear that Nettles was open to peaceful cooperation and, to an extent, coexistence, the top brass had to pivot. Over time that led to the program that produced Kane, and that only happened over the past ten years or so."

Jay was so glad she had Trevor here too in case she forgot something. "But if this program's been around for so long, why did this happen now? What changed?"

The length of Eliza's next pause was rather telling on its own, as was her drawn out sigh. "Terrible as it is to say, funding." She took another long drink from her mug. It was already half empty. "After Kane, all progress and forward momentum ground to a halt. Why would we bother with any iteration when there's no practical use for what we're doing? Enough time passed, people got impatient for new results, and eventually someone had to answer for where all the money went."

Eliza huffed and sunk deeper into her chair. "That was a meeting I know I'll never forget. The Commander called us all together in the middle of the day to break the news, and some young, hotshot nobody stepped way outta line and brought up a long defunct mech program the Sector used to work on. They had no idea the breadth of the minefield they'd marched into, and after getting a thorough verbal lashing, they slunk out of the meeting room with a face redder than Kane's eyes. Doubt we'll ever hear from them again."

Glancing up, Jay and Trevor shared a quick look. "Um, Doctor...?"

"Sorry, unrelated side tangent," Eliza muttered. "As I was saying, that meeting ended with the only acceptable solution anyone could think of: removing our most expensive asset, Kane, from the books, and washing our hands of the project for good. It was a tough choice that no one wanted to make, but if we didn't do something, a decision would be made for us. The Commander eventually made the call to take advantage of your town's... unique situation in the hopes it would mitigate the potential harm."

Kane growled, but continued silently eating the meager meal Trevor had thrown together for him. The other two portions remained untouched. "Having a singular common "enemy" will make things a lot easier," the tired Scout mumbled as he wiped his face. "Gives us something specific to aim at."

Eliza's mug landed on the table with a heavy thunk. "Enemy?" she balked, her voice rising. "Did you listen to anything I just said? Has Nettles been biding its time all these years for a chance to strike? Was your promise of peace truly that thin?"

"No one's going to attack!" Jay interjected. All the hairs on the back of her neck were on end, and an unshakable antsy-ness danced along her skin. "At least, no one from Nettles anyway. What I believe Trevor is trying to say is that Chief Victor isn't going to just let this slide. Nettles isn't a dumping ground, and he's going to make sure that your people are, let's say encouraged to do their part helping Kane adjust to life here."

The doctor's guard hadn't lowered an inch. "How?"

Jay's mouth had opened before her brain had time to realize it was blank. "I, um, I don't know just yet, but he and Collin are on the case."

A stranger's baseless claims weren't enough to reassure or change Eliza's mind, but they had to end the call on that low note because the rest of the world hadn't been put on hold until they figured this out.

Uncertainty hung like a cold fog over the house when Collin finally returned. Trevor was "dismissed" to go home and clean up so he could meet back up with them at town hall once Collin had done the same. Soon enough they were outside in the pale light of a procrastinating sunrise. They traveled in silence, keeping whatever information they'd just learned to themselves until it was time to compare notes as a group. Worry gnawed on Collin's heart, but he kept his mouth tightly shut.

'Trevor was there the whole time,' he reminded himself again, 'and Jay wouldn't hide something going wrong. Nothing bad happened to either of them.'

He hated that he couldn't get those thoughts out of his head, but Collin had nothing else to focus on. It was still too dark out for the rest of Nettles to be up and running, and in this quagmire of a waiting period, Collin's only focal points were what had already happened, or what might have happened, and the long winding road ahead of them.

The calm, neutralizing interior of the town hall closed the lid on Collin's roving thoughts for the time being, and he marched on with renewed purpose as he led the party into one of the inner offices. Chief Victor hadn't moved from the chair Collin had left him in, his hands steepled together in front of his mouth while he propped his elbows on the remaining pieces of the armrests. The clouded contemplation in his eyes broke when they entered the room.

When Trevor joined them moments later, they wasted no time consolidating their information. A thin, rather malnourished plan rolled out before them like a red carpet made of a single piece of thread, but it was the only path they could take. If Chief Victor had any doubts, he didn't show them as he turned his chair to their only means of contacting the world beyond the wall and began dialing a number.

In a surprise twist, the call connected almost instantly. "Who is this, and how did you get this number?" the man who answered demanded. There was a faint hint of morning grogginess around his sharp eyes, but wherever he was it wasn't so obscenely early for him to be dressed in uniform and in his office. "Your superiors will be hearing about this!"

"That's great, Commander Cade, because I am calling on behalf of my superiors," Victor replied smoothly, settling comfortably in his chair.

The Commander's expression had been perfectly carved out of a block of granite, but his left eye gave the slightest twitch. "How do you...?"

"My name is Victor," the Chief went on, seemingly ignoring the question, "and I am the current serving representative of the little outpost here in Nettles. Perhaps you've heard of it?" Cade flinched. Not dramatically enough to move him out of frame, but enough to know that the call now had his full attention. Victor's smile grew, and he reached over to grab a plank of wood from further down the desk. "I wanted to tell you personally that we received your package this morning."

Back in control, the Commander frowned. "Package?" he scoffed. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

With only the slightest amount of flourish, Victor presented his evidence. It was a piece of the crate emblazed with a large "13". A chill washed down Cade's spine. Less than twenty-four hours ago he'd stood next to and been dwarfed by that very number. Because of how the Chief had shifted, he could now also see Kane standing beside two other young men. Side by side, like equals.

Setting the plank down, Chief Victor clasped his hands together on the desk. "Our request is a simple one. Get in touch with Colonel Samuel Hastings, and he will show you how your department can sponsor our newest resident. Discretely, of course."

"You've already told someone?" Cade snapped.

Darkness pooled around Victor's eyes as they narrowed. "We here in Nettles are not allowed the luxury of misrepresenting facts. If I do not report even a single birth or death, hell will rain down on our town because of it. My superiors are not so strictly bound, so if you need to threaten someone, point your weapon at them."

There was a long, stagnant pause. "I'll see what I can do." Then Cade hung up.

A heavy sigh rocked Victor's shoulders as he powered down the machine. Leaning back in the chair, he lifted a hand to drape it over his eyes. While the others stood at silent attention, Kane dared to inch forward. "Why do I need his money?" he asked bluntly. "What good would that do me?"

Victor turned the chair around slowly and dropped his hand back into his lap. "You wouldn't get the money directly, but you'd reap its benefits. All financial support means is food on our tables and clothes on our backs. Getting anything more than the barest minimum is an uphill battle we lose far more often than we win."

"So, what makes this time different?" Kane pressed. "How can that Colonel do anything more than he normally does?"

A small twist of a smile perked up the corner of the tired Chief's mouth. "Well, to put it plainly, we've got dirt and a paper trail. If Sector 13, or more likely, their superiors, don't want word of what they've done, either in their labs or with this little stunt, getting out, then they'll have no choice but to take Colonel Hastings' offer. Otherwise... well, I'm sure budget troubles will be the least of their problems."

#g/t #g/t writing #my writing #giant/tiny #au #over the wall #gatekeepers #gift

10 notes · View notes