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The Oscillation: B3 — 37. Spilling The Story
🕑 Added 2020-07-03 06:26:02 +0000 UTCWorkin' on getting TO to 11 Chapters ahead! ^_^7
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Rachel followed Harley through the crowd and into the restaurant; her ears tracked multiple conversations that told her more than one person looking for a nearby restaurant by the action, and from the discussions, most weren’t even aware of them. However, there were a few that wanted an inside scoop, and if that meant eavesdrop across tables, then so be it.
Serah, Bree, and Scarlet tailed behind Rachel and Harley; the agents’ muscles were tense, likely nervous about the approach she might take.
“We’re seriously going to talk to some news anchor?” Serah asked, bending down to whisper in Scarlet’s ear.
Bree leaned in as Scarlet shook her head, “How should I know? Rachel’s the one that always has the plan; I just go with her flow.”
“Mmh,” Serah’s lips tightened. “We sure her head’s on straight? I mean, I know she can dance around a conversation, but we’re talkin’ about a news anchor here, and there’s the Relica thing…”
The three of them fell silent as they entered the restaurant. It appeared to be an expensive establishment with racks of wine on display and boasted a classy sailing ship and sea-themed design. The place had a higher-middle class club environment with a full bar and slow jazz playing in the background.
Harley walked right up to the male attendant. “Hello! Do you have any tables open?”
He took in their group with a hint of surprise; his eyes centered on Rachel before staring down at a seating chart. “Umm, let’s see … for five?”
Rachel turned back, giving her friends a wink to calm their nerves; she could hear several parties around the street either talking about or heading to their chosen restaurant. The police action had drawn the crowds, and now they were getting hungry.
“Yes,” Harley responded, glancing back at Scarlet and the agents. “You ladies are going to be joining us, right?”
“They will,” Rachel responded, giving them a bright smile. “Bree’s recently got engaged!”
Bree, Serah, and Scarlet gave a start as Harley’s smile widened, eyes snapping to the ring on Bree’s finger. “Congratulations!” Turning back to the attendant, she said, “We’ll have to get some wine to celebrate. “Oh, umm … are any of you underage?” She asked, brow creasing as she addressed Rachel.
Rachel’s smile didn’t falter. Trying to determine our ages, are we? She’s pretty sharp. “I’m afraid Scarlet and I aren’t of drinking age, but Bree and Serah are.”
“Would you two like some wine?” She offered to the agents.
A few people opened the door behind them, getting in line; Bree and Serah gave each other questioning looks, and Rachel understood why. How do I spin that into the narrative?
Stepping between them to draw their attention, Rachel giggled softly, causing Harley to turn toward her with curiosity. “Bree and Serah are still on duty, so I don’t know if they can have a glass.”
The agents did their best to hide their surprise that she’d ousted them with strained smiles.
Harley’s eyes widened, scanning their attire with confusion. “Oh … wait, are they—are you both police officers?”
“No, no,” Rachel swiftly replied. “They’re with the Department of Demi Affairs.”
“Ah, fascinating!” Haley’s brown eyes creased. “I’ve heard about the new department from the Washington Branch, but not much more than the name has been revealed. So, they’re here with you since you’re a Mythickin?”
“Exactly,” Rachel sighed. “Actually, I think I’ve caused a bit of…” She trailed off, glancing at the clusters of people beginning to enter the shop. “Oh, we should probably take a seat! Yeah, there’s five of us,” she said, addressing the attendant.
He seemed to have gotten lost in their conversation. “Y-Yeah, one sec, umm—for five, there’s a place in the back. I assume you’d like some privacy?” He asked, brushing back his long blonde bangs as he looked at her.
By his muscle tension, he was clearly attracted to her, but she was becoming accustomed to the reaction. It must be caused by my exotic appearance. How many guys thought I was pretty before I changed and were interested? Now, it’s easy to identify, but I was so oblivious to it before; I suppose tracking the muscular movement of guys and girls reacting to each other makes it clear people are attracted to dozens of individuals throughout the day and don’t act on the impulse.
Her wide field of vision caught his name tag the moment they’d entered. “That’d be great, Tucker,” she said with a bright smile.
He nodded, giving her a clumsy grin before gesturing for them to follow him to a red cushioned leather couch that faced an oval table with three black cushy chairs. Behind the sofa and to the left were two paints, one of a jungle environment while the second depicted a fox hunt. “I’ll use all the other tables before any of the ones beside yours; I hope you enjoy your time at the Capital.”
“That’s so sweet,” Rachel replied. Harley, Bree, and Serah shook their heads with amusement, outside of the boy’s line of sight. Scarlet was too focused on appearing natural to even notice.
Rachel kept her pleasant mask in place as she took the red couch, Scarlet sitting beside her. The agents and news anchor sat in the black leather chairs.
Tucker handed them each a menu. “Is this your first time with us?”
Harley shook her head, taking the initiative. “Ah, no, no, I come here often! The Capital has the best steaks in the city,” she praised, but her smile soon fell as she glanced between Scarlet and her. “Wait, umm … am I being inconsiderate?” She chuckled. “Do you two eat meat?”
“I do,” Rachel replied, setting her bag of clothes beside the couch as Bree, Serah, and Harley dropped their own items by their chairs. “Scarlet has a very picky diet that would probably not work well here. She’s also a bit shy,” she said with a sly smirk in her direction, making Scarlet blush and drop her blue eyes to her lap. “She’s adorable, though, right?”
“She is, isn’t she?” Harley giggled, giving Scarlet an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry, dear; I won’t poke or prod. I just want to tell your friend’s story, and if you have anything to add, don’t hesitate.”
Now that she’d given Scarlet an out, Rachel shifted the conversation’s direction by turning back to Tucker. “Alright, for me, water, what about you three?” She asked, glancing between the women across from her.
“Water,” they all responded, and Tucker left with their order.
Rachel folded her hands in her lap, ears tilting to the left. “Well, you wanted to know about what happened in the café, right?”
Harley chuckled, taking out her phone and placing it on the table. “You wouldn’t mind if I record it, just so I don’t have to take physical notes, right?”
“Of course not; we have nothing to hide,” Rachel returned.
A curious smile touched Harley’s cheeks as she turned on her recording app and sat back, crossing her legs and adjusting her dress. “That’s wonderful. Actually, could we first get a base? Could you state your name and tell me a little about yourself, so I know how you identify?”
Rachel responded without hesitation. “My name is Rachel, and I changed into a Mythickin Lunar Hare about a week ago, during The Oscillation event. It was more than a little shocking,” she giggled, sitting back in a comfortable posture.
“How did it feel?” Harley asked. “I mean, I know it’s described in the name of the event, but I’m just curious about your own perspective about what happened to you.”
Bree and Serah picked up their menus, trying to distance themselves from the conversation, and Scarlet followed their example, holding the booklet up to hide her face.
Rachel shrugged. “It was terrifying at first. My entire appearance changed, and I could hear pretty far away. I sat in the same place, trying to cope with it all for a time, but I slowly grew accustomed to this new body. You could say adapting is a part of this transformation.”
Harley licked her lips before tilting her head to the side. “You know, it really is strange. Why do you think you turned into a Lunar Hare instead of say … I don’t know, a dog or polar bear, or even one of those … what’s the word they’re using Abomidablekin?”
“Aberrantkin,” Rachel quickly corrected.
“Right, right,” Harley mumbled, shaking her head sheepishly. “I apologize. I don’t want to offend anyone. There’s so much new information coming out that it’s hard to keep my head on straight; this is why I have a team that works with me.”
“No problem,” Rachel said, opening her own menu while keeping it low enough to observe the whole restaurant and read the items on the booklet. “Why did I change; who can say? I haven’t found a definitive answer why all of this happened, but it sure caused a panic.”
“Speaking about panic,” Harley hummed, pausing as a waitress brought them their waters. “Ah, we haven’t finished deciding our orders yet, have we?” She asked, glancing at the agents and Rachel.
“No, but, um … Bree and I will handle our own cost,” Serah stated.
“Nonsense,” Harley scoffed. “I said I’d handle it. If you insist, then I understand, but I’m considering this an opportunity for me. Allow me to do something nice for all of you, and it’s Bree’s special day, right? Give me a chance to show my support; I’m all for a beautiful young woman finding love, and when it’s so hard for law enforcement officers,” She soothed.
Rachel nodded thankfully. She’s good. If they keep refusing after that, then they’ll look bad.
“I … alright, thank you, Harley,” Serah reluctantly said, hiding her discomfort with a smile.
“Yeah, give us some time,” Harley said, and the waitress retreated. “Now, let’s see … speaking about panic, can you tell me why you were involved in the South Beach incident? Were you originally there, to begin with?”
“Oh, I didn’t think you were interested in old news,” Rachel chuckled as if there wasn’t anything worth hiding. “What have you heard; I’ve been a little out of touch recently.”
“Mmh, gangs, terrorizing and killing citizens after gaining these powers, but why don’t you tell me about it with your own words. I’d like to see if what I’ve heard collaborates with what actually happened.”
That’s quite the wording. It could be painted that she thinks what I have to say will be the definite truth, trying to give me the confidence to speak my mind.
Rachel pushed her lips to the side, folding her arms while taking a thoughtful breath. “Hmm, I don’t know what I can actually say. The military was involved, and all, and I don’t want to get in trouble.”
“Oh, well, if that’s the case, then this could be completely off the record! I can turn off the recorder and not mention your name at all.”
The three other women were listening intently; Rachel could hear the muscles in Bree and Serah’s faces constrict at each point they thought the discussion could turn south.
“No, that’s fine,” Rachel scoffed, shrugging it off. “Uh, let’s see. There was this gang leader named Terrell, and he was a real piece of work. I heard,” she chuckled, pointing at her ears, “that he had connections to the cartels, and his sons, Marcus and Daran, kidnapped my friend’s brother as a hostage.”
“Wait; what? Hold up,” Harley sat closer, brow knitting together. “Is that why you were there in the first place; one of your friends had their brother kidnapped?”
“Yeah,” Rachel shook her head, features twisting with disgust. “It happened right in front of us, too. They mocked us, and if my friend didn’t show up, we didn’t know what might happen to him. I mean, these guys could teleport, make shields, and there were so many other horrible things they did that we didn’t know what would have happened to him.”
“Wow … I haven’t heard anything like this,” Harley muttered, pausing for a moment. “So, why did they kidnap him? They’d already successfully beat back the Army, and I heard they even stole a tank … the photos coming out of the damaged building is … shooting a tank on U.S. soil. I don’t think that’s ever happened in an American city.”
“I was there when they shot it,” Rachel said with a sad sigh. “We even had to help some of the people that were trapped under the rubble.”
“No way…”
“Yeah, it was insane!”
Scarlet’s booklet fell a little to show her angry blue eyes. “They were using kids as human shields, strapped to the tank, and holding guns to their heads … real kids, like five and seven-year-olds. It made me sick to my stomach.”
Harley’s bottom lip tucked under as her brown irises swapped to Scarlet. “Oh, you were there, too? Wait, was it your brother that was kidnapped?”
Knowing much of the information would come out eventually, Rachel continued to direct the conversation to suit her goals. “Oh, no, no, it was another friend named Maria. Scarlet was there to support us; she even volunteered when we said she didn’t have to come.”
“I just wanted to be useful,” Scarlet whispered, hidden behind the menu again.
“It got worse, though,” Rachel mumbled, brushing her hair over her left shoulder to pull Harley’s gaze. “We found out they were killing kids, women—they’d already murdered a lot of the men, and anyone that resisted. We’re talking about bodies in the hundreds.”
Harley nodded, arms pressing against her thin stomach; she was clearly disturbed by the event. “Yeah … I saw the photos—military trucks carrying out loads of bodies; you’re saying one group did all of that? There weren’t multiple gangs involved, and Maria … are you talking about that Unicorn Mythickin that’s been cycling the news stations?”
“Umm … yeah, and Terrell did it with just a handful of Demi, but there was a SEALs team that helped to suppress and direct everything; they’re the real heroes.”
“I heard about a SEAL team, and there was a lot of law enforcement that kept the citizens calm and safe in several areas, barricading doors. The amount of volunteer work that’s happening right now is incredible. Although, how were they stopped? Was it the military … because I’ve heard different stories and seen several videos that haven’t even hit social media yet. I’d also like a bit more information about your Unicorn friend.”
Rachel scratched her temple before shaking her head. “Oof,” her eyes darted to the left, lips tucking in. “Eh … no, it was my friends and me that stopped them. We went there to get back Maria’s brother, but … things got a little out of hand, and since we were already there, we couldn’t just watch kids be killed. They had two Legendkin that were pretty strong, and I was even thrown through three buildings by one of them! It hurt a lot...”
Harley’s mouth opened for a moment, brow furrowing before she leaned forward and snatched her phone up. “Wait, wait, wait … three buildings?” Rachel grimaced as she pulled up a few pictures. “I’ve got a video recording of a group of people in a building that … according to them, it was like a tank ran right into the place. Was that you?”
She watched the video, but it was dark, and the audio was just a few teens and elderly men freaking out about the building collapsing.
Rachel shrugged while watching, and she remembered their voices but she’d been too focused on the fight with Conner to catch this happening. “I remember hearing those people talking in that building when I was in the area, so it’s probably right. You’ll have to forgive me; I was pretty rattled.
“The Legendkin’s name was Conner, and he was basically invulnerable while touching the ground … let’s just say he was strong enough to throw a shipping container at me. Oh, and as you can see, toss me through multiple buildings.”
“You killed him, though?” Harley pressed.
Her ears pulled back slightly as she took a depressed breath. “I did what I had to do. My hair actually slipped out of his grip; he was swinging me around before I flew into a car that got carried with me through three buildings. I stumbled out to the street after that, and he hunted after me, so I defended myself.”
“That’s … incredible,” Harley’s lips tucked under as she sat back, placing her phone back on the table. “After all that abuse, you were still able to not only defend yourself but kill him. In self-defense,” she quickly added. “Still … it makes me wonder about your durability and power. From what you’ve told me, basically, Superman went for your throat, and you took a beating, but still won. How?”
Rachel let the silence follow, making it look like she was debating how to answer; the restaurant’s soft bustle continued. “Honestly … I was lucky and cautious enough to buy time to understand his weakness—well, and he was incredibly arrogant, like most men, right?” She forced a giggle, playing to the ideology she’d heard from the network. “How could this thin rabbit-looking beast-girl do anything to a real man? Maria fixed me up afterward.”
“Oh?” Harley’s frown turned into a smirk. “He was one of those types?”
Rachel ruefully shook her head, using one of many trigger words she’d heard from the media station. “He had toxic-masculinity patented.”
“Figures, power would go more between his legs than his head,” Harley huffed. “Well, then … alright, that answers some of my questions about that incident, but what about Maria? Why was she a target of this cartel affiliate?”
“That’s simple,” Rachel smirked, tapping the table with her index finger to keep her attention. “It’s the same reason why the military and everyone else wants a piece of her.”
“Healing?” Harley whispered.
“Healing. Terrell had cancer, and Maria could purify it; so, her brother’s safety for healing the bossman.”
Harley popped her tongue a few times. “It really is incredible … magical, even.” She hummed, glancing down at the napkin in front of her. “I saw the video of Maria punching Jackson’s smug face; it was hilarious, and everyone could see what was coming. Is she really like that every day?”
“A Chola to the bone,” Rachel mused. “She’s actually got a very kind heart, but she’s also got a sharp temper if someone crosses her.”
“I can see that. I’ve heard that she’s partnering up with a bunch of big tech companies.”
Rachel shrugged. “I can’t be much help there; I’ll probably call her to check up on things a bit after we finish.”
“I’ll give you my card; if she wants to get on our network, then just call.”
“I’ll give it to her.”
“Thank you,” Harley scratched her nose, eyeing her clothes. “Now, I noticed both you and Scarlet are wearing the same brand. Is that by choice?”
Glancing down, Rachel plucked at her sports bra. “Ah, this? Yeah, actually, we’re sponsored by Tempest. I believe we’re kind of going viral right now on several platforms,” she laughed, combing her fingers through her hair.
“Is that right?” Harley folded her arms, eyes sparkling. “I’ll have to look you up after this. So, you stopped terrorists, dropped off the map for a few days, and were with the Army in some undisclosed location, from what some of my sources say, and now, you’ve taken out, by your words, a Demi and human-trafficking group, correct?”
Mmh, that’s sly, burying that in there.
“I can’t confirm or deny anything with any military stuff; I mean, we kind of did interfere in a government operation, so we needed to be questioned. There’s also the fact I’m a Mythickin, which means they’re bound to want eyes on me; there’s been more than one Mythickin causing trouble and giving us a bad name. However, I suppose you could say we stopped the terrorists, racists, misogynists, human-traffickers, and the like, but I don’t want to take away the police and military’s part in it, too.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t want to take away from the brave men and women that defend us,” Harley commented. “Hmm … okay, tell me about the trafficking incident.” She leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs the opposite way. “How did you become aware of it? Was it a military operation? Police, or…” Her head turned to Bree with a small smile.
However, her smile fell when the waitress returned, bright-eyed, and ready to take their orders. “Ah, umm, excuse me, but are you ready to order?”
They each took turns ordering.
Scarlet cleared her throat, giving the waitress a tightlipped grin while hiding her face from Harley. “Could you give me some time to look. I probably won’t order anything, but—but maybe in a bit.”
“Of course! I’ll get those other orders in,” she assured, taking the menus.
Rachel quickly drew everyone’s attention as the waitress left, bypassing her probe. “Okay, how did I hear of it? Well, I have another friend. I’d rather not mention her name; she doesn’t like the press attention.”
“I understand,” Harley nodded, taking a sip of her water. “Continue.”
“Well, she said there was this place offering really high paying jobs as maids, but there was a catch.”
“Maids … you’re serious? Aren’t you already sponsored by Tempest?”
“That’s pretty new,” Rachel admitted. “I don’t know where that might lead since it only happened this week. So, we went to check out this maid position, and to be honest, it sounded pretty fishy; I mean, they only wanted Beastkin.”
Rachel leaned back, running her hand through her hair. “Gah … how do we end up in these messes? I thought, hey, I’m close enough, we could get in.”
“Oh?”
“So, Scarlet and I went to check it out, and they brought us into the back to do some paperwork. That’s when it happened…”
“What happened?”
“I heard everything straight from Calístrato Ballesteros’ mouth. He’s a mid-level gangster, trying to catch the cartels’ eyes, and fill in the space left by Terrell. The things he did to those Beastkin … and the human girls weren’t much better off. I mean, that oily fat body of his all over theirs…”
“Wait, so … he didn’t…”
“Yeah. In his words, to test the merchandise,” she mumbled in disgust, and a scowl fell across Bree and Serah’s faces. “I’m sure the medical reports will confirm it.”
“What a pig … I, umm … a police contact of mine said that these men were brutally … in his words, shattered. I also heard that it was your doing.”
I see the Lieutenant couldn’t keep his men’s mouths shut. Well, that’s fine.
Rachel breathed a long sigh. “Yeah, things got out of hand really quickly when we were brought back to be drugged, and I had no intention of letting it happen to me. Would you?”
Harley bit her lower lip, slowly shaking her head. “No … I wouldn’t.”
“Neither would I,” Rachel mumbled, looking down at the table as if seeing the events again. “They opened fire on us when we showed signs of resisting; they had a Scorpion-type of Demi there that would administer poisons to the girls … so they’d be conscious when they—when they assaulted her. Ballesteros laughed about it in his call; he said, it was easier than ever, and now they didn’t have to pay for all these traceable medical supplies.”
“My god…”
“They couldn’t scream or even cry, and they’d tickle the girls to get a smile on their face before paralyzing them in that state. They wanted them to look a certain way for the task; it was very methodical.”
“That’s sick,” Bree swallowed, arms tightening under her chest.
“Once they’d … tested how they were, the girls would be forced into small, cramped boxes to be shipped out in trucks. The poison had a time limit; it was calculated how long they’d need to be on the road. Two girls were already sent to clients; the police are heading to the locations now after finding the client list in his office.
“When they opened fire, I did my best not to kill them, but I had to defend myself, and I couldn’t in good conscience leave those girls downstairs to be shipped off to that fate … not after what I’d heard.” She choked, taking a deep breath.
Harley was fighting tears of her own, empathizing with the girls, and putting herself in their position. “Yeah,” she cleared her throat. “That’s, umm … thank you for sharing that. We need to stop something like this from ever happening again. How can men do that to women?”
Silence fell, and after several seconds, the news anchor took a few deep breaths, fanning her face. “Okay, let’s try and move to a more pleasant conversation; I think I have enough, for now, I’d rather learn more about you. Do you mind giving me your number, just in case I have more questions later?”
“Of course; here, give me your number, and I’ll text you…”
They exchanged information and moved on to a lighter discussion; Rachel shifted the conversation to Bree and how the proposal went down, giving as little about herself as possible. The rest of the dinner was much lighter than she expected, but she’d spun it in an acceptable manner; the horrors of what the men did would be the talking point, not what had been done to them.
Partway through eating, Rachel cleared her throat, calling the waitress for to-go boxes. “I’m really sorry, Harley, but my parents are probably on their way to meet me somewhere. I didn’t expect to take this long, and I still need to write the police report.”
“Oh, no problem, no problem,” Harley cleaned her lips with a napkin. “What do you think of this place?”
“Excellent!” Rachel responded with a bright smile. “Although,” her smile fell, “I feel a little guilty having a good time while those poor girls have to deal with … all of that.”
The mood soured, just like she’d planned.
Harley tucked her lower lip under her teeth before breathing out a frustrated sigh. “Yeah … at least justice is being served but at the same time … nothing could be enough to give back what those men stole from those girls.”
Each of them nodded solemnly, and after a few more parting words, Rachel led Scarlet, Bree, and Serah out, Harley staying behind to pay for the bill.
It worked out more or less how I hoped. Now we’ll see how she actually writes it when her head and emotions clear.
She swiftly wrote a summary of what she’d spun for Harley on the report; Bright and Heather were too busy handling the rescue of the other two girls to bother with them at this point, but Rachel had little doubt they’d try and track her down later for a follow-up. There would also be an internal investigation done that she doubted she’d be able to dodge.
Rachel followed Bree and Serah to their vehicle once Scarlet and her had finished, slowly making their way through the crowded streets of Downtown Miami. They had to refuse comment to a few journalist pleas, but eventually made it out of the throng.
Once free, Serah gave her a raised eyebrow. “Was there any lies in that story?”
“None,” Rachel replied with an innocent smile. “It’s not what you say, but how you say it and present the information.”
Bree gave a start, glancing down at her purse. “Wait, did she leave a recorder or anything in our bags?”
Rachel chuckled. “No, I kept very close track of every motion her body took; she didn’t slip anything anywhere.”
Serah’s smile turned sly. “Honestly, I can’t believe how resourceful and strong that hearing really is.”
Scarlet remained silent, head low as she brought up the rear. Rachel turned back, lips falling slightly. “What’s up, Scarlet?”
“It’s just … the emotions,” she mumbled, hugging herself as she curled in. “You weren’t wrong … those girls won’t be the same. They lost power … they felt weak, helpless; they woke up not long ago, and I could feel it.”
Rachel knew what she meant and why she was so upset.
“Yeah, they won’t do it to anyone ever again, thanks to you two,” Serah growled. “Honestly, they should castrate them, too.”
“If laws were like that,” Bree chuckled, “how many incidents do you think we’d have?”
That’s not what she means. Rachel slowed, putting her arms around Scarlet and pulling her close; she could feel the small ripples her muscles made as she trembled, trying to hide it. Emotionally, she loves that feeling, mentally, she’s disgusted with herself. The real question Scarlet has is, how does she deal with this sensation? She can’t help how she feels.
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Comments
Boris
That's a lot of information manipulation. The real question, though: "collaborates" or "corroborates"?
SME
Haha, yeah, Sora could learn a thing or two from Rachel, including having a colder attitude. xD She's slowly learning how harsh the world can be.
Martynas Samsonas
Thanks for chapter. And Rachel really is a fox in disguise :D there's a certain two tailed fox in ATM that could take up some notes from here :P
SME
I plan on it. ^_^7
Andy
Awesome chapter. Was surprised to get a new chapter even though it was a Thursday. Hope we can still get out weekly chapter on Sunday. If not then I'm happy with this for now.
