Quaranteam - AU Ch. 06

Quaranteam: Alternating Uncertainties

Chapter 6

I have been asked to add character lists for my chapters. I'll start doing that for the relevant characters within a chapter. New characters will only show up on the lists from subsequent chapters.

Dramatis Personae

-House Marshall-

Tiberius Marshall - 35, Lt. Colonel Australian Army SASR. Black Hair, Grey Eyes. Big teddy bear.

Charlotte Valiant - 35, Captain Australian Army SASR, Red hair, long hair, service submissive.

Leticia Valiant - 35, Captain Australian Army SASR, Red hair, shoulder length hair, tomboy.

Talia Becker - 27, Major Israeli Defence Force, Black hair, long hair, braided, willful, but devoted.

Alice Rai - 31, Doctor of Medicine, Black hair, blue eyes, partial Indian descent, complete submissive.

-House Valiant-

Rayne Valiant - 28, 6'10, fit and muscular. Scientist, younger brother of the twins and head of AUS Quaranteam Project R&D.

-House Morgan-

Benjamin Morgan - 36, Doctor. Little is known about his background.

Grace Lawry - 33, Captain, USAF. Tiberius' old friend. Partnered with Benjamin Morgan and the person who involved Ty in the Quaranteam Project.

Theresa Miller - 28, Latest addition to House Morgan. Details currently unknown.

-Other-

Zoe Evans - 19, daughter of Tiberius' good friends Toby and Matilda Evans and Tiberius' 'niece'. University Student.

Damian Marshall - 30, Captain Australian Army SASR. Smaller version of Tiberius. Currently in France.

Jonathan Hoffmann - Lt. General. Friend of Tiberius' and the twins' grandfather. Current highest-ranking member of the AUS military.

Jaxson Connors - Major, currently under arrest for abuse of authority and attempted murder. Is purported to be working with an unknown power in the development of the Assassin Variant of DuoHalo.

Elizabeth Connors - 21, younger sister of Jaxson Connors. University Student. Details currently unknown.

--

Marshall Household, Melbourne Southeastern Suburbs, Victoria, Australia - October 27, 2020 - 11:04 AM AEDT

--

"You can't."

Grace's voice was utterly flat as she stared at Tiberius. He'd finally let her know of his intended timeline, and that simply wouldn't work. She had come down from the base to talk to Tiberius in private, and he had dropped that on her.

"You need to give me more than that, Grace. Why? What's so important that I need to wait?"

"We can't risk inciting panic by having things leak to the public, Tiberius. The President intends to address the people on the 20th, so we're preventing everyone from going public before that date. That means everywhere, ok? It's not just you."

Tiberius just gave an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, that makes me feel so much better. Like hell, Grace! The whole point of us talking to the people is so that we prevent panic! Every day we delay means more lives lost, and we only had a fraction of your population to begin with! Why are you sticking us to your schedule when we're going to be good to go well before that?"

She was clearly frustrated, pacing the room. "We're also talking about different political landscapes, Ty. The situation in the U.S. is volatile. People are dying, scared, confused, you name it."

"People are scared and dying everywhere, damn it! Everybody and their mum are confused! Why does that mean you have to hold us back? My homeland has been absolutely decimated. Seven. Million. Living. Souls."

"Australia got hit hard, yes. I've seen the real numbers now. But your political landscape isn't anything like ours. Yours won't go tits up at the slightest provocation."

Tiberius snorted at the idea. "If you can say that and mean it, you don't understand Aussies. We're a laid-back bunch, no doubt, but if we feel threatened or at risk, we're every bit as capable of causing an absolute hell of a muck up. Hell, some of these wankers will do it for the shits and giggles because they're fucking bored of being in lockdown. But they're our people and we're trying to get them protected. You're telling me not to do that."

"I'm just asking you to give us time to stabilise. I don't have exact numbers, but we're still at barely 20% of our surviving men vaccinated. You can't shut down the internet, so word would get out and people would riot. It'd be chaos."

By this point, Tiberius wanted to shout at the woman, but he held it in. It wasn't her fault, and he wasn't about to shoot the messenger. Taking a deep breath, he decided to change track. "Grace, you're talking about having 20% of your male population vaccinated. Nobody else has anything even remotely close to that. If the ball drops on your end, it's the rest of the world that will drop into chaos." He sighed, but there was no real way to 'win' this argument, so he changed tack. "Look, your main concern is that people don't know about the vaccine yet, correct? My intent isn't even to talk about that. What I want is to get a head start on getting people set up in Oracle. If they're registered in the system, then I can use that to speed up the process when we actually do start the rollout. So, I don't need to talk about the vaccine. I don't even need to say we have a solution. I will push back the rollout date though. Fair enough?"

The svelte brunette turned to the big man and gave him a wry smile. "I suppose that's fair. Honestly, I don't know what else I can do in the circumstances. Even if you were to go ahead and do it, I can't stop you. I can get mad at you, but the damage will be done. The trust will be broken."

There was something about the way she was saying the words that had Tiberius concerned. "I get the distinct feeling you're not exactly talking about the vaccine or preventing riots anymore, Grace. Why don't you grab a seat and tell me what's on your mind?"

She sighed, looking worn out as she sat on the lounge. "I'm tired, Tiberius. Tired and concerned and confused and I really don't know who to talk to about this, apart from you."

"That sounds ominous, but it tells me nothing, Grace. Trouble at home?"

"Locally. I'm feeling uneasy. Something is wrong."

"I need some clarity here. With one of us? With one of your fellow partners? With Ben?"

She flinched at Ben's name and Ty zeroed in on that. "So, it's about Ben then. I thought you two got along great? You told me you were happy?"

Again, the wry smile. " Content. I told you I was content. That's not the same thing. Yes, I connected with Ben pretty well. We do have a decent amount in common. A lot of the same things as you and I do, actually." Grace trailed off; her gaze lost in the distance.

"But...?" Tiberius prompted.

"Something is off. For such a high compatibility, it feels shallow. We supposedly like the same things, but no matter what I try to draw him into a conversation on, it's just barely surface level. Sometimes, it almost feels like a rehearsed speech. You and I, we clicked immediately. We could talk about whatever for hours, but we never allowed what we had to get deeper than the surface. But that's because it was always going to be a short-term thing."

He nodded; the realities of their lives hadn't allowed for more. "We had our respective careers and families at home, so it was difficult to reconcile that."

She gave him what he could only describe as a wistful gaze. "Did you ever wonder if we would have made it work if we had more time?"

Ty froze as she said this. He watched her for a minute, not daring to speak until the words were completely formed in his head. She was lovely, smart, capable and emotionally mature. Had he envisioned a future with her? Briefly, sure. But life wasn't so accommodating, and they had just remained friends.

"I know we would have. But that's a moot point now. Grace, maybe you need to take a day or two off and just spend time with Ben." Ty gestured off into the distance. "I can recommend some places to visit, things to do that will still be open. Your relationship is still new. You're still learning about one another. I genuinely don't know if I'm one to talk, but I think maybe you just need time."

Grace gave him an unreadable look. "I don't know if it's that simple, Ty."

"Are you unwilling to give it a try?" The words elicited an ambivalent reaction from the woman. "Grace, I can't help you if you don't want to try. It might just be the anxiety of a new situation. Unless you were already in a poly relationship before all of this, it's a lot to adjust to." He locked eyes with her, and there was something in her expression that gave him pause. "Grace? Grace, what the hell are you not telling me?"

The woman hesitated, clearly unsure as to whether she should share her thoughts.

"It isn't just about time, Tiberius. I'm starting to think that Ben has a completely different agenda to the one the rest of us have. He's been pushing your scientist friend, Dr. Valiant, hard about getting access to that variant research."

"Variant? You mean the one that Connors used on me?"

"Yes. While it's not inconceivable that he'd want access, I can't help but feel that there's more to it. I don't know what, but it's worrying me. He's been getting more and more irritable since Dr. Valiant has been stonewalling him."

"Ray's under orders to not release that data to anyone. Even if Ben comes to him with signed authority from the President, it's going nowhere."

Grace shrugged. "I understand why Dr. Valiant is refusing. He told me about it when he called to complain, actually. But it's got Ben really upset and I think he was counting on getting that data."

"Why the hell would he want it? From what I understand, it really isn't all that valuable. It's not viable as a spreader, just as a tool for killing. What good would having that do him?"

"I don't know, Tiberius. I don't know, and it worries me. He's been acting really weird since we got here. You remember the attitude he had when you first met? That was the first time I'd ever seen him like that. And the other day, I overheard bits of a phone conversation where he was telling someone that he'd sent the data on the blood sample, but he was still 'working on it'. I thought it was about one of the vaccine simulations he was running, but the phone he was using was one I'd never seen before, and on top of that, he was being really obsequious. Like, really deferential, and that doesn't make sense, since I know his direct superior. They're best friends and have never spoken formally to one another. And yesterday, he demanded something from Theresa, and I actually think he hit her when she insisted that she wouldn't do it. She's not saying anything, but she's been avoiding him and she looks scared."

Ty could hear the distress in his friend's voice, but he was at a loss. His one and only interaction with Ben Morgan had been the day they met, and he'd struck him as an easily likeable man. It was difficult to reconcile the image that had set with the man Grace was describing. He once again watched Grace as she sat there, "I...What is it you want me to do here, Grace? If Theresa speaks up and admits he hit her, and we can find proof, we can prosecute him under our laws. We take a strong stance against domestic violence down here, and with the world in the state it's in, I think it's a much bigger issue now than ever before. We don't even know what his objective is. If he is up to something, we don't know if he's got political clout to back him up. To be fair, we don't fucking know anything. But Grace, you need to be absolutely certain before you go down this road. There's no coming back from it. Whether you're wrong or right, it will irrevocably change your relationship with Ben and his other partners. As you said, the trust will be gone, and I think it will be irreparable. For now, I can only suggest you keep an eye on him. Try and keep an open mind."

Grace nodded, but her mind was in turmoil. It had been only days ago that she'd thought her relationship with Ben had been just fine. Improving, even. Witty and capable, he had a rare smile that made his pale blue eyes shine, under a head of dark, nearly black hair. While she was generally laid-back, he was serious most of the time, and then almost painfully intense when he was really focused. Over the months she had come to believe that he was a great partner for her, even with their differences.

One of those differences, and a major one at that, was his unwillingness to be open about his life. Not so much a secret as he just wouldn't talk about it. For the family-oriented Grace, it stung. She recalled how she'd met Ty's family; via video call while he'd been stationed with her in the States. His mother was wonderful, almost making her feel like one of the family after a single phone call. His father was a lot like her own; rigid and fixated on routine. A relic of his military background, Ty had told her. She could only smile, as she understood completely. He had told Grace that her own family had him feeling extremely warm and fuzzy, and that made her feel good. She had been unable to fly down for their funeral, and it was still one of her major regrets.

Glancing over at Tiberius, she let her gaze travel over the big man. His own short-cropped dark hair; the steel grey eyes that even now watched her with concern. He was more laid back than Ben would likely ever be, but there was a similarity to them both, she concluded. They both took their jobs seriously but had a hard separation between work mode and home mode. It struck her that if Ben was more muscular and a bit taller, maybe, or if Tiberius was a little shorter and slenderer, they could almost be related...no.

Ok, so I've got a type. Everybody does. It's not like they pushed Ben on me on purpose. It just so happens that the two guys I've liked the most are similar.

The more she thought about it, the more it worried her. She hadn't been given many options for partners, and according to the profiles, Ben was the most compatible and did seem to be the most appropriate candidate. Almost as though she was being encouraged to pick him. But wasn't that what Oracle was supposed to do? Find the best options for her?

I couldn't have been assigned to him on purpose...

She knew it was ridiculous. But she couldn't get that thought out of her head. Rumours of people misusing the system had been floating around, even before she'd left the U.S. on this assignment. She'd spoken to some of the people assigned to the base in California and knew there may be more than a grain of truth to it.

The only option was to wait and watch.

--

Throughout all of this, Tiberius simply sat silently and observed her. Grace had indeed never said 'happy' when she spoke of Ben. But wasn't contentment good in its own way? He wasn't sure. When he was with his girls, he felt happiness, a sense of peace, when he wasn't enthralled in passion, anyway. Grace seemed to feel that she'd just...settled. He wondered if any of the women in his life had decided to just settle for him, but he drove that thought away. They expressed their feelings for him regularly. They weren't settling because they genuinely cared for him.

But his heart went out to Grace. They were friends, former lovers, and she seemed so lost and confused. He'd probably have agreed to take her in without question, but that was impossible. Unless the Americans had a way to have people change partners they hadn't shared with the world, she was stuck with Ben.

He stood as she rose to leave, her mind still elsewhere. He took her arm and pulled her into a hug, and she stiffened as she returned to reality.

"Grace. Think very carefully about how you approach this. I've got your back, and you know that. But this has far-reaching repercussions, and I don't know how any of this will play out. Don't do something foolish on a whim."

"I...I understand, Ty. I plan to just watch for now, unless I actually see him hitting someone. I have to intervene if that happens. Other than that, I'm going to find out what he's doing. If it's legit, I'll apologise and speak to him about being more open about things. If not..."

If she was right, and Ben was plotting something, he needed to know what her options were after all the fires were put out. The only caveat was that he needed to look into things discreetly. It wouldn't do for her to find out he was looking into it without her knowledge. It would prompt some very uncomfortable questions and would paint him in a bad light no matter his intentions.

Damned if I do. Damned if I don't. But damn me if I won't.

--

[REDACTED] Hospital, Melbourne Southeastern Suburbs, Victoria, Australia - October 27, 2020 - 3:23 PM AEDT

--

"I'm not a child, Ty!" The indignant voice carried out of the room as Tiberius raised a cup of water to his lips and drank. He had arrived at the hospital shortly after Grace's departure from his home. He was no closer to a solution to the conundrum, but then, he still had nowhere near enough information to make any kind of assessment. He had put that problem out of his mind though, since his focus needed to be on Zoe. She was out of immediate danger but her body was still weak and Alice had informed him that it would be at least a week before she would be able to be released.

The big man couldn't stifle the smile that formed on his lips as the young woman pouted at him. "No Zoe, legally, you're not. But understand, sweetheart, that those words are probably the worst thing you can say if you want me to actually believe that. And right now, you're not able to look after yourself. So please, let me."

Zoe had woken up the day before, weakened and confused, but she had nonetheless recognised her 'uncle' before bursting into tears. Ty had just wrapped her up in a hug, trying his best to not cry in relief. She had fallen asleep shortly after that, still lacking energy and Ty had refused to leave her side until she woke again.

Now, she looked at the big man with irritation. "I can look after myself just fine, Ty. I made it this far."

"Fucking hell, Zoe! You nearly died in my bloody kitchen! If we hadn't come home when we did..." Tiberius couldn't suppress the involuntary shudder that wracked his body at the thought.

The diminutive young woman also seemed to shrink into herself at Ty's words. "I...I'll manage. I have to. I'm al-"

Ty silenced her with a glare. "If you're about to say 'alone', then I'll really get mad. You have never been alone, Zoe. You merely acted like it. You shut me out. I still don't get why."

"That's because you keep treating me like a child! I wanted...to prove..."

Ty let the glare drop and his expression softened immensely. "Proving you're an adult doesn't mean doing everything on your own, ya goose. It means doing what you can, but still being able to ask for help when you need it."

"Easy for you to say. You never need help, Mr. Super Soldier."

"That's complete bullshit, Zoe. I need help every day. Why do you think the twins stick around?"

Giving him an exasperated stare, Zoe huffed. "Because they absolutely adore you, Ty. Like completely in love. Anyone can see that. Except you, my boneheaded uncle."

Ty chuckled. "Well, that's as may be, but it's still true that they help me every single day. I'm not an island. Hell, I'd be lost without them and they know it. They support me in all the things I can't do, and I'm eternally grateful. And now that you're awake, I'm sure Lettie and Lottie are dying to see you. One of them will also bring Talia with them so you can meet. To be fair, I insisted on being the one to be here when you woke up, and they had work to do at the base today, so they'll be here soon."