After the Second Fall Pt. 02.2

The girls left Mars waiting in front of the C dorm, since he wouldn't easily fit inside anyway, and disappeared inside. Deciding it didn't make sense to guard the entrance to the entire building, he found a spot in the shade and sat down to wait.

In less than a quarter bell the two women returned with an older gentleman in tow. "Mars, this is Casper Carson, Pip's new handler," said Rachel, introducing the newcomer. "Cap, this is Mars, Pip's personal security for the foreseeable future." Mars' eyes opened wide, but once again, he stayed silent, instead acknowledging the man with a nod. Rachel turned back to Cap. "Tomorrow at eight bells?" The man agreed, then after a final round of brief nods, departed back into the building without having uttered a single word.

Rachel could see the young Adam's questions were about to boil over and offered him a friendly smile. "Maggie, I'm going to chat with Mars for a while; if you like, you can head back to Pip's room."

"Actually, I need to go see Madame Bowers, then I'll meet you there." With a wave, Maggie, too, was gone, leaving Mars staring down at Rachel from his seated position.

"Thank you again for your patience, Mars. The good news is that the details are worked out now, so no more mysteries. We have one more stop to make, and I'll fill you in on the way." By the time they reached the Logistics building, Mars generally understood the role he was to play, as well as the others who would be supporting Pip going forward. The idea that an Adam would need another Adam to protect him was still hard to fully grasp, but he decided to take it as a given and stopped worrying about it.

"There's one more thing," Rachel said as they finally made their way back toward the Adams' dorm, "you'll be moving in with us."

The next morning, just before the eighth bell, Mars stepped from his room into the hallway to find a swarm of people waiting outside Pip's door, which was across the hall and a few down from his own. Most of them, including the Lead Adam's new handler, were dressed in dark green, and there were four working carts lined up end to end loaded with building materials and tools.

As the bell tolled, the door opened and Pip stepped out looking much steadier than the previous day, flanked by some of the women Mars had met. They began moving toward the building entrance, so Mars fell into step behind them, and was soon joined by a slim young woman with dark skin and even darker hair; she chanced a glance up at him and gave a little wave, which he acknowledged with a nod.

Rachel led the group outside and stepped off to one side, then stopped, waiting. Having learned that the situation would become clear soon enough with the director running the show, Mars folded his arms and leaned back against the building, content to see how things would play out. Looking around, he saw Rover moving purposely toward the training arena; otherwise, nobody else was apparent. Above, gray skies threatened rain, but for the moment, all was calm; Mars leaned his head back and closed his eyes, enjoying how the gentle breeze chilled his skin.

"I appreciate you staying yesterday," Pip said neutrally.

Mars was caught off-guard since he didn't hear the other Adam approach; he tried not to let it show on his face or in his posture. "Not a problem."

Pip nodded and took up a position next to the bigger man, helping him hold up the wall.

It was only a short time later that Cap joined them, at which point Rachel got the procession moving again. She led them to one of the private training rooms and ushered everyone inside. As they found seats on the padded floor, Rachel looked around, making eye contact with each.

She nodded her head, confirming some personal thought, and her mouth formed a half smile; she looked satisfied, if not actually content. The quarter bell sounded and Rachel moved to the door, opening it to admit Lilith and Geoff. Mars was surprised, but again tried not to show it; he did his best to sit up as tall as possible without appearing uncomfortable in order to project casual confidence to the two most powerful people in the Complex. He was surprised for a third time since getting out of bed when he felt a hand on his shoulder -- not a good sign for a professional killer who should always be ready to fight. Rachel looked down on him warmly and mouthed 'relax.' His face reddened some as he managed an embarrassed smile, letting some of the stiffness ease from his shoulders.

Like Rachel had done, the Executive Director made eye contact with everyone before slipping off her shoes and sitting down with her legs crossed; Director Humbolt remained standing, but did so unobtrusively by staying several steps behind. "A month ago," Lilith started, "Rieckenburg was in an unprecedented position, by which I mean that our strength relative to other cities had never been higher. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case." She let the statement hang.

"As a result of the attack last week, we lost two of our managing directors, a significant chunk of our Adam pool, and our lead Adam will be unavailable to fight indefinitely. However, the situation is not as grim as it might seem. We still have three Adams ready for the Arena, two of which are world class.

"After working through many different scenarios, Director Humbolt and I have decided that we will stay on our current course, which means continuing to be aggressive, just as Director Rogers had planned." Lilith went on to describe more details; even Pip hadn't heard everything before.

"In order to be successful in our goals, one of the key points -- the most critical one, in fact -- is that Pip needs to be ready to fight sooner than later. That's why you're all here today: you collectively have about three months to make this happen."

Pip looked chagrined, his body language communicating clearly that he was anything but comfortable with the statement.

"Pip," said Lilith with a tremor in her voice, "you didn't do anything wrong. The blame lies with me for not understanding the situation sooner, and I will have to deal with that. All you need to do is get better -- which is a lot to ask in a short period -- so let the people in the room help you."

Pip nodded. "Of course, Director Collins: I'll do whatever I can."

"Part of that is letting them get close, Pip," said Rachel gently. "Nobody can replace John, but you can build new relationships that serve similar functions." Pip looked at her intently for half a hundred beats, then nodded again.

"Before you get into the details, I would like to address the elephant in the room: his name is Mars," said Geoff with a grin. Mars' expression indicated he didn't think the comment was very funny, but it didn't deter the director. "I'm really not exaggerating very much. I bet you could ride an elephant like I would ride a horse, and that's the point.

"Mars, you are the most physically gifted Adam to ever join the pool, bar none, including Pip here. Yes, your primary purpose for being in the room today is because you will be protecting Pip from outside influences until he is back at full strength, but that's only part of it. I expect you to learn from him and improve yourself: you are a key part of our plans as well, although the time horizon is a little further out. Clear?"

"Yes, sir," replied Mars immediately, "but why not one of the more experience Adams like Stash or Rover?"

Geo shook his head. "They're a bit too stuck in their ways. Stash is mostly comfortable sparring with Pip, but he'll never be part of the inner circle. You're still open to new ideas, and I think that will serve all of us well in this case."

"Makes more sense now, doesn't it?" Rachel asked with a smile; Mars nodded, then turned to look at Pip. The lead Adam held out his fist, thumb up; after hesitating a moment, Mars tapped his own down on top. The two Adams shared a brief moment of solidarity, then turned back to Geo.

"Mr. Carson -- do you mind if I call you Cap?" Geo asked the older man, who just shrugged. "Good, thanks.

"In addition to Pip, Mars has been reassigned to you, meaning you'll be responsible for all aspects of their development. You and I will be talking weekly so that I'm abreast of progress." Geo held out a folder thick with paper. "John thought that there might be some value in going through the personnel records of the Northumberland trainers and program staff, so I pulled together the relevant information; I never got a chance to give it to him, but maybe you'll find it useful."

Cap took the folder with a nod, his expression softening.

"Listen, Cap -- John was a very good friend, as well as being the best handler I ever knew, and he told me once that you were even better. I know it's an imposition to pull you back in after so long, but I think it's the best solution. Can I count on you to give them everything you have?"

"Yes," replied Cap simply.

"Good. Welcome back to the game," Geo said, reaching out to shake hands.

"Thanks," responded Cap sardonically, but without malice; Geo grinned.

With a nod to Lilith, Geoff excused himself and was gone. "So that just leaves you, Emily." The young woman beamed back at the Executive Director, then sent a matching smile toward Rachel. "You understand what is being asked of you?"

"Yes, ma'am," Emily replied at once. "Director Frazier explained it to me yesterday."

"And you're fully on-board, even after everything that's happened to you in the last week?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm tired of feeling like I don't have any control over what's happening. It's also a lot better than filing and doing paperwork all day like I did in Logistics."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but are you really up to the task?" challenged Lilith.

The smile slid from Emily's face and she looked back seriously. "I am."

The two women stared at each other for a full hundred beats before Lilith dipped her head. "I've been seeing Dr. Acker for the last couple days. I want you to set up an appointment with her at least once a week for the next month."

"Already done, ma'am. Director Frazier took care of that yesterday."

"Of course she did," replied Lilith dryly, making eye contact with Rachel, who smiled back.

Standing up, Lilith looked around the group. "One final thing: what we do from this point on isn't going to change what happened last week, or bring back people we cared about, but we can honor them through our actions. Failure is not an option." Eyes wet, Lilith turned and left.

The mood was somber, reflective, as Rachel cleared her throat. "Pip, I think it's time you brought our newcomers up to speed." He nodded, and began telling the story of his rise to prominence, leaving out only minor details. Mars and Emily listened intently, rapt expressions on both of their faces; Cap folded his arms and nodded along.

"So this Effect doesn't work anymore?" Emily asked when Pip finished.

He shrugged. "I can't really try right now -- it's too painful."

"Pshaw," exhaled cap with a dismissive wave. "Concussions lead to long-term issues, and only if there are a bunch of them back-to-back. He'll have headaches and nausea for a while, but once the swelling goes down and the bone in his face heals, he'll be fine."

Rosie looked to Maggie for confirmation, but her friend looked like she was struggling not to contradict the handler; fortunately, Rachel interceded. "We all hope that's the case, because if it isn't, Pip won't be able to fight in the Arena again, regardless of how hard we work to get him ready."

They were all quiet for a hundred beats before Mars asked seriously, "Is it something that can be learned?"

Pip held out his arms, palms turned upward. "No idea. Keep in mind that John, Loren, and I never figured out what makes it possible."

Rather than looking disappointed, Mars' face was determined. "We will."

Cap looked like he was sucking on something sour for a moment, then bobbed his head. "It's worth the effort to try."

Pip shrugged. "It would give us a huge advantage."

"So that's settled," said Cap, "but there's nothing we can do about it now. Point of fact, there's not a lot we can do anyhow, not until Pip's body heals, and that will be weeks."

"That's not entirely true," contradicted Maggie gently. "Pip can start physical therapy on his shoulder to strengthen and re-tighten the ligaments that stretched; I'll have Bonnie Madison come by tomorrow to show you which exercises to do. I also want to try some light Champissage, probably with hot and cold treatments, to see if that helps with the concussion." Cap shot a questioning look to Pip, who shook his head, having no idea what Maggie was talking about.

"I think it's also a good idea if you start working on your balance, Pip" continued Maggie. "For example, the exercises you do to warm up --"

"Kata," he supplied.

She nodded. "Right -- those. As long as you ease into them and go slowly, I don't see any reason not to start again. It will also help with maintaining your muscle tone while you can't do more intense cardio."

"So that's what, three bells worth of activity a day?" Cap asked.

"Probably four, but you're right that it's not a whole day."

"So what else do we do?"

Rachel supplied the answer. "Games."

All three of the men gave her skeptical looks.

"Like Chess," said Rosie with a smile. "Max taught me to play, back before..."

Rachel nodded. "That's exactly the kind of thing I was thinking: something requiring strategy. I've also heard about a pre-Fall game called Go that I want to look into."

"You think it will translate into the Arena?" asked Cap.

"Some aspects, like thinking ahead and processing quickly, but that's only part of what I had in mind. Pip and Mars are hyper-competitive, and I think it's important to provide an outlet for those emotions. At the same time, I hope that it will build comradery between the six of you."

"Wait, you want me to play, too?" asked Emily. "I thought I was just the assistant."

"There's no 'just,' Emily. You heard the Executive Director: you're part of this now, and you need to feel like part of the team, not just act like it."

"Oh, okay," she replied uncertainly.

Cap chuckled to himself, the first time Pip or Rachel had ever seen him do so. "Is that all?"

"Actually," said Rachel with a grin, "I think Pip should take up a hobby, something completely different than anything he's done before."

"Good Lord, why?"

"To engage a different part of his brain," answered Maggie, smiling. "It will also give him something else to focus on when he can't do his physical training. Brilliant, Rach." The director smiled and tilted her head, accepting the compliment.

"You know," said Cap slowly to Rachel, "you would make one hell of a handler. Why aren't you doing it instead of me?"

Rachel took a deep breath. "I don't mean to tell you what to do, Mr. Carson -- the decisions on everything except Pip's health care are entirely up to you -- I just wanted to provide some ideas to build upon. You're definitely more qualified than I ever will be."

"And..." prodded Rosie with a smile.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "And I'm taking one of the managing director positions, so I won't have time."

"Congratulations!" exclaimed Emily, popping to her feet and racing over to give Rachel a hug. "You'll still be in charge of Logistics?"

"Directly, yes, with responsibility over Purchasing and Procurement," Rachel admitted reluctantly, causing Emily's eyes to go wide. "It's okay: we have good directors for both of them, so all I need to do is help deal with major issues when they arise."

"Which is every day," laughed Rosie. Rachel rolled her eyes again, but admitted the point with a nod.

"So who will take John's place?" Pip asked quietly.

"Nobody -- not yet, anyway. Director Humbolt will take over again until a replacement can be found, but he isn't hopeful on this point."

The mention of John's name brought the mood low; Mars hadn't known him, but knew of his work, so he stayed silent as well. Only Emily was largely unaffected, having never met the man, and her natural good humor soon boiled over. "I think I'm going to memorize the multiplication table up to twenty-five," she proclaimed with a smile.

It took a few beats for her statement to register with the others, and even then, nobody seemed sure what to do with it. Eventually, Rosie ventured, "Why?"

"As my hobby. I like math, and it seems like it would be useful if I didn't have to figure the products out all the time. Wait, I do get a hobby, don't I?"

Her question erased the lingering strangeness and Maggie laughed aloud while the others smiled.

"Would you explain mathematics to me?" Mars asked shyly. "That's not something we learned, and I've always been curious."

"Of course," responded Emily happily, "teaching can be my second hobby."

"I've always wanted to learn how to sing," volunteered Rosie.

Maggie's brow furrowed. "You sing in the shower all the time."

"Yeah, but not well," Rosie replied. The look on Maggie's face said she agreed with the statement, but was too polite to say anything. "So what about you, then?"

"Me?" Maggie asked. "I already have a hobby: I sew. I started at the University when I was trying to get better at stitching, and stuck with it. I don't do it so often now, maybe once or twice a week, and it's usually just helping mend PET uniforms. Sometimes, though, I'll make a dress or a shirt for someone as a present."

"Why didn't I know that?" asked Rosie rhetorically. She leaned over to give her friend a kiss, saying, "You're pretty awesome, you know."

"I try," responded Maggie with a flirty smirk, which earned her a swat on the bottom.

"What about you, Cap?" asked Rachel, steering the conversation back toward the topic at hand.

"Well, it's pretty clear I'll need to give up my responsibilities in Maintenance, but I like working with my hands. Maybe I'll start whittling again -- I haven't done that in probably twenty years." Maggie and Rosie exchanged confused looks with one another, then glanced over to Emily, but she had no more idea what he was talking about than they did.

Soon, the group was looking expectantly at Pip. "Oh, my hobby?" Rosie nodded eagerly, curious to hear what he would say. He looked thoughtful for a few moments. "Well, I don't know how it would work while I'm recovering, but I would like to be really good at sex."

There was a breathless pause, then Maggie leaned her head back and howled with laughter; next to her, Rosie's grin had turned aggressive. Rachel chuckled to herself, then looked over to see Emily's face had blushed deeply, which was quite fetching with her already dark complexion. Mars was nodding his head seriously. "That's a good hobby. Maybe I should have two hobbies like Emily."

At the mention of her name, Emily's face paled rapidly and she looked to Rachel for support. Surprisingly, it was Cap that spoke up. "Ignore them, Emily. Adams don't have any modesty or sense of propriety."

"So it was a... joke?" she asked nervously.

"No, I'm sure they're both serious. I don't think I've ever met an Adam with a sense of humor."

Before Emily could panic further, Rachel intervened, declaring it time for lunch. As they left the room, Mars stepped close to Pip. "Did you understand what just happened with Emily?"

Pip shook his head. "Not entirely, but I probably said something one of them wouldn't have. People seem to have issues talking about sex. Rosie will tell me later what I should have done differently."

"Will you explain it to me?" Pip nodded and the two Adams touched fists again to seal the pact, catching up to the rest quickly, even with Pip moving more slowly than usual.

Lunch was casual, if not quite comfortable, with spicy sausage and peppers, courtesy of Rachel's planning. The day was gray, but rain held off, so the group ate in the Courtyard together, glad to be outdoors after a morning spent in the training room. As soon as he finished his food, Cap excused himself, returning about a quarter bell later; he and Rachel shared a brief, cryptic conversation, with the main point being that modifications would be done within the next couple bells.