Quaranteam - AU Ch. 05

"Good on ya, mate. Oh. Last question. One or two?"

"Huh? What's this about?"

Rayne could hear Ty's smile. "It's a simple question, Ray."

"Ok...one?"

There was a moment's pause as Ty muttered something that Rayne couldn't quite make out. Though he thought he could just make out the word 'partner' and didn't like the thought that provoked. His fears proved to be well founded only moments later.

"Alright mate, one new partner it is. Wednesday morning. Be fresh and ready by 8 AM and we'll have her at your door."

"Ty?!" The line went dead and Ray could only stare at his phone in disbelief.

Thank fuck I didn't say two.

--

A short shower later, Ray walked into the bustling kitchen and smiled. The four wonderful women in his life were standing around the kitchen island, putting the finishing touches on their meals. He smiled again at the thought of all four of the women standing.

He stepped up behind Hasumi and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned back into him and turned her head, smiling up at him as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Morning, Sumi. Looks like you're getting more comfortable on your feet."

"I am. They're still a little sensitive, but it's so much better than before."

When he imprinted Hasumi, he knew there was a small possibility of her undergoing the 'regeneration' he'd read about, so when she hadn't woken up by that evening, he knew it was happening and called for support. Ty had connected him to Grace and Dr. Morgan, who explained the process and what the next steps would be. Ben Morgan had given Ray a good idea of what to expect and how the Americans had been dealing with it, but with the added caveat that everyone's experiences were different.

Hasumi had woken up the following morning, having slept for nearly a whole day, confused and unsure. It had been many years since she'd felt anything below her knees, and suddenly there were sensations like never before, so she panicked. When Ray and Stella had managed to calm her down, they explained what had likely happened and relayed the information they had been given. Ray had asked Hasumi to try wiggling her toes and she gave him a look that would have frozen the sun, until she tried it.

Then came the tears, a veritable flood. She tried to stand and managed, but her legs were unsteady, not atrophied as she'd kept her body in shape, but unaccustomed to movement after so long. They were also incredibly sensitive, and Hasumi could have sworn that she could feel every fibre of the carpet with the bottoms of her feet. It was too much stimulation and she became overwhelmed, so Stella had insisted that she use her wheelchair again, at least for the day. Once the nerves settled down, then she could walk as much as she pleased.

She had barely waited until lunchtime.

They couldn't fault her. After all, she'd spent more than a decade in her wheelchair and now had the chance to walk again. A little bit of sensitivity wasn't going to stop her. Hasumi gestured for Stella to come close and whispered in her ear. Rayne watched as the smile spread across Stella's features and she nodded, pulling out her phone before manipulating it for a minute.

"Ray...help me up, please?" Hasumi's voice was soft, hesitant and almost fearful. Ray had wordlessly walked up to her and extended a hand, more than willing to lend his dear friend - now partner, he'd corrected himself - whatever help she needed.

He pulled her to her feet and she stumbled, her 5'3" frame becoming completely engulfed in his arms as he steadied her. At that moment, the speakers in the lounge came to life, playing a gentle track. Ray just grinned.

"Would you like to dance, Sumi?"

The smile she gave him outshone the sun and she moulded herself into his arms as they swayed gently to the music. Her full C-cup breasts pressed against Ray's midsection and her head was buried in his chest. He could feel the warm wet tears as they soaked his shirt and so he fought his own arousal as they danced, unwilling to ruin the moment. As the song ended, Ray gestured for Stella to join them, and to his surprise, Hasumi almost leapt towards her, pulling her in for the next song. The two shed tears together as they danced, happy beyond words.

Ray just smiled.

--

Back in the now, Ray and Hasumi swayed gently as she finished dressing a bowl of salad. She bore a different smile to the one of their dance, one of contentment and peace. Tapping his arm, she pulled away and walked slowly to the table and Ray couldn't help but notice the bounce in her step. As much as the serum had brought chaos into Rayne's life, it had brought just as much hope and happiness back into Hasumi's. He'd accept the results for that alone.

He steeled his resolve at those thoughts, trying to entrench it into his head as much as he could. He felt himself pulled down slightly along with a gentle brush against his cheek and snapped back to reality, reflexively grabbing the arm of the woman that had just kissed his cheek. He pulled the woman to him and she laughed as she pirouetted and stopped in front of him.

"Hi Trish. Have a good sleep?"

Trish was the tallest of his partners at 6'1", though she was still dwarfed by Ray himself. She flipped her wavy blonde hair out of her face and squeezed Ray's crotch with her free hand.

"I was...right up until somebody started poking my ass with their dick first thing in the morning, hun." She gave Ray a sheepish look. "Normally that would have been fine, except I'm still a little sore from last night."

Rayne winced at that. "Sorry Trish. I didn't mean to go so rough. I kinda got carried away."

Trish pulled his face down again and kissed Ray on the nose. "Hun, you got excited, and to be fair, I didn't expect you to actually put me face down ass up and rail me like that. Seriously, that made me go off hard. If the trade-off is that I walk funny for a few hours in the morning, I'll live. Just don't ask for a repeat performance right away."

"Fair enough." Ray glanced towards the others and met Trish's eyes. "I have to ask though. Are you ok with all of this? I know you don't swing that way, and you didn't disagree when the others invited you to share the bed, so I was worried that you were in there reluctantly."

Trish laughed. "Hun, as long as you don't ask me to play with the other girls, I don't care. I'm an army girl. I've shared spaces with other chicks for years now. Naked, dressed, awake, asleep. Who cares? I won't get sexual, but I'm more than good with platonic intimacy. But none of that's important right now. Long story short, I'm good with where we're at, hun. Now go sit. Breakfast is getting cold."

Ray gave her a pat on the butt as she disentangled herself and reached over to grab whatever dishes were still left on the counter when he remembered Ty's words. Bringing the steaming plates over, he started to speak as he helped serve.

"Here's something else to think about then. Ladies, how would you feel about going to a barbecue on Sunday? We've been invited by Ty and my sisters."

Hasumi smiled. "I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to talk to Lettie, so I'd love that. I'll call her tonight, after we get back from the lab."

Trish looked intrigued. "Your sisters are Captain Charlotte and Captain Leticia Valiant, right? Which means Ty must be Lieutenant Colonel Marshall? It'll be really interesting to meet them."

Ray looked at her, confused. "You don't know him already? Isn't he the one who sent you and Simone to me?"

Simone snorted into her coffee. "Baby, please, the army has any number of people in it. He may have signed the papers, but I've never met them. Different divisions, different chains of command. They're SAS and I'm regular army. They're also all basically senior officers and I'm a newly minted Lieutenant. There's no way they're directly meeting with junior officers to give orders. Most likely, they got a list of matches for you out of Oracle and then approached us to see who was interested. That said, I do want to meet them. They're pretty famous."

Trish nodded her agreement as she ate. "I have to admit, I've wanted to meet the 'Flame-haired Valkyries', not to mention the 'Chainbound Black Bear', but we've never been on the same base."

Ray started to nod and frowned, looking back at Trish. "Flame-haired Valkyries? What? And Chainbound Black Bear? They sound like bosses you'd fight in a video game. Who the hell came up with those?"

Trish giggled. "It's been making the rounds among the junior officers. It's even on their unit patch. Two redheaded Valkyries leading a chained-up black bear. I think it got started from the sight of your sisters marching their way into their superior's office, where they demanded they not get promoted, since any further bump would cause them to get bumped sideways and into their own units and away from the Lt. Colonel. As for 'Chainbound Black Bear', the general consensus was that your sisters were never going to let him go, and I think they just used a bear instead of Fenrir. I've never formally met him, but I've seen the Lt. Colonel and a bear motif fits him a lot better than a wolf would. From what I've heard, when another officer made an offhand comment about it, he had such a laugh at the idea that he had the artwork for the patch commissioned."

Ray grinned now. "Remind me to ask them about that this weekend. That sounds like a real story. I mean, I knew it, but my sisters really have had Ty wrapped up for years."

Trish tilted her head. "What's the story with them anyway? How long have they been together?"

"Uh, together as in, just as friends or as romantic partners?"

Trish looked at Ray like he was an idiot. "Romantic, obviously."

"In an actual, romantic relationship? Four days."

"Fou - no fucking way!"

Rayne chuckled. "Yes fucking way. They genuinely only got together when Ty was nearly dying to Duo. But how long have they been emotionally involved? Since high school. The three of them have been playing relationship chicken since high school, the numpties. I got to watch all of the teenage drama growing up."

Simone smiled at him now. "Then how about you, Ray? What were your high school years like?"

The smile on Ray's face didn't disappear, but it definitely became self-depreciating. "I was the uncomfortably tall, gangly redhead kid. Always afraid I'd get bullied, not realising that Ty had left a legacy that all but made bullying impossible." He shrugged. "I asked him how to avoid it, and he gave me a look that at the time I didn't understand and said he'd sort it out. Two days later, he came back and told me that we were going to the gym."

Stella gave Ray a pained smile; she'd heard this story before. "I still can't tell if you regret that decision or not."

"Not. Definitely not. I don't regret it, but it was utter hell. For the first two months, every muscle in my body hurt like hell and I was sure Ty was trying to kill me, but I could see the results happening, so I pushed through. I went from this thin, lanky guy to a reasonably fit tall guy. One of my mates got me into playing footy, Ruck, believe it or not." He chortled at his own joke. "Ty's influence saw me get into gaming too, so I had friends on both sides of the proverbial line. I never had Ty's charisma though, so it wasn't quite the same as the legends from his time. By the time I was in Year 11 and doing my VCE I had dated a bit, but nothing serious. Nobody ever clicked, but then these were the same girls who basically ignored me when I was the beanpole, now fawning over the footy team's 'star ruckman'."

There was a note of bitterness in Ray's voice as he said that and they ate in silence for a few minutes before Trish followed up.

"What ended up happening? Obviously, nothing good."

Ray put down his utensils and closed his eyes. "One of the girls I dated. I overheard her talking to her friends. We'd had a few games where pro scouts had come to watch, and they spoke to several of us. Those girls thought I might go pro, so they were encouraging my then-girlfriend to sink her claws in deep so she could get money from me. They talked about baby-trapping me. I wanted kids in the future and had made no secret of it, so they thought if I got her pregnant, she could run with it." Ray's expression was remote and his voice devoid of emotion now. "Needless to say, I shut that notion down real fast. I'd had the presence of mind to record the conversation once I figured out what they were talking about and made sure they couldn't turn it around on me. After all, I was only playing footy because of my mate. Sure, it was fun, but I had no interest in making a career of it. I was a science nerd."

Simone looked startled. "But you were good enough to have scouts come to you? And after that...you were still willing to trust us and tell us you wanted children..."

"Hardly. I was good for a high school guy. Not good for a professional athlete. Besides, I hurt my leg in Year 12 and quit playing. No career there, but I'm genuinely happier where I am now, so I don't feel it's a loss. My mate, though. He stayed on, got scouted. Now, he plays centre half for one of the big teams." He paused, reaching out as if to grasp something intangible, the expression on his face transforming from that remote coldness to the gentle warmth they'd come to know. "As for children, I want them but with women I trust and care deeply about. Until very recently, there were only two women who fit those requirements, apart from my sisters who were obviously out of the question. Now there are four."

Rayne looked pointedly at the four women seated around him. Both Simone and Trish looked taken aback and shared a glance between themselves. Simone broke the silence that followed in the wake of Ray's words with a gentle smile.

"Thank you, baby. That means more than you know."

--

Undisclosed CSL Manufacturing Lab, Victoria, Australia - October 26, 2020 - 11:40 AM AEDT

--

"I doubt there will be too many more delays, Dr. Valiant. Dr. Saegusa has been working real close with us to make sure everything's rigged up right and she's amazing. Our people are the best, but they're not used to manufacturing something this complex. It's got them a bit unnerved."

The portly older man dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief as he led Rayne and Trish through the facility. He had been given orders several days ago about retooling the plant for a new serum. But while they had been light on details, they had needed everyone to work through the weekend, indicating an urgency they rarely saw. Unnerved was the lesser of the words he'd have chosen for the situation.

Ray nodded, having trouble keeping the irritation from his voice. This was the third time he'd heard that from as many people. "I understand that Mr. Karstaedt. I'm not here to pick a fight about delays, since some setbacks are inevitable given the short timeline you've had to work with. I also do know that Sumi, excuse me, Dr. Saegusa is exceptionally capable and I'm sure everything will be on schedule. I'm just here to inspect the facility before everything gets underway. You're correct that this serum is complicated, and that's why I'm making sure everything is fine. I'm also here to answer whatever questions I can that your people may have."

John Karstaedt knew how to run a manufacturing plant. Thirty-three years of experience could attest to that. What he didn't know was how to deal with bigwigs. He was bad with formality at the best of times and these people, these three scientists and their soldier escorts, while they didn't wear fancy suits or sit in boardrooms, were definitely bigwigs. They had the paperwork, they had the badges, and he'd received numerous calls and emails about doing exactly what he was told. The armed soldiers showing up at his door with a bunch of papers to sign had certainly reinforced that notion.

He took only a moment to glance at the attractive female soldier before his eyes fell on the assault rifle she was carrying and he shuddered. Just what were these people into that they needed such hardware? Dragging his gaze back to the towering ginger-haired scientist in front of him, he ventured a question. "If that's the case, sir, can you finally tell me what this thing is even for? It's all cloak and dagger and that gives me some unpleasant thoughts, but I'd rather not make wild ass guesses and find out I'm wrong or stepping on the wrong toes. People get 'disappeared' for less."

Rayne gave him a look. This was a situation he'd been briefed for, so he knew just the questions to ask. "You were asked to sign an NDA with the military, correct? Do you have a copy of that with you?"

John patted his pockets for a moment before reaching into his coveralls and pulling out a folded document. "I signed it and them soldiers gave me a copy, but they didn't exactly tell me anything, so I don't really get why they needed it to begin with. But they told me to keep it with me, so I did. Guess I know why, now."

Ray glanced at it, making sure the proper phrases were in the right place before handing it to Trish. She gave it a more thorough reading before handing it back to the plant manager and nodding at Ray.

Rayne gave the old man a grim smile and gestured for him to continue. "Alright then. Let's step into your office and have a quick chat. It's something that will become relevant to you and everyone that works here very soon anyway. Please do keep in mind that you cannot speak of it to others just yet."

As they returned to Karstaedt's office they chatted idly, but John could feel his stomach doing flips. But whatever Earth-shattering secret he had expected to learn, the truth was far more outrageous. The old plant manager had just about demanded that he and his people be given access to the vaccine, only to be left speechless as Rayne conceded just that with no argument whatsoever, just the acknowledgment that everyone involved would be required to sign an NDA and maintain their silence until told otherwise.

Wiping his brow again, Karstaedt looked flummoxed. "This conversation...really didn't go the way I expected it to, Dr. Valiant. I wasn't sure what you were gonna tell me, and I certainly didn't expect this. And once I wrapped my head around it, I kinda thought I was gonna have to fight to get my people treated."

"I can see that, Mr. Karstaedt, but the fact of the matter is, everything we're doing is to save this country. You and your people are making that possible, so of course we'd accommodate you."

"But then wouldn't it be better to give people hope? Why stop us from talking about it?"

"It's simply that if the people knew at this stage that we have a solution, before we're ready to implement that solution, there would be panic. Hospitals would be overrun as people scramble to get a vaccine that simply isn't ready for distribution yet. That would, in turn, bring about another wave of infections and more needless deaths."

Karstaedt nodded, his face twisting in distaste at the thought. "...Yeah...and I reckon that'd just be the beginning. They'd start to riot, wouldn't they? Say the government's been holding out on them. Saying all sorts of bollocks what'd just make everything worse...yeah. I get you. I can't say I particularly like it, but I get it."

Rayne nodded. "Add to that the unusual twists the serum has going for it, and we have the sparks of a very large fire. So, we, along with the military, are making all the preparations while keeping it mostly quiet. Containing the sparks before they turn into a blaze, as it were. Some people are already in the know and are working with us to get this all readied up so that when we tell the public, we're ready to handle the flow of people and have good responses ready for the inevitable questions."