The Hub Ch. 05

Authors' Note: Sorry this has taken so long to get out, but we have been quite busy. We just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your support and feedback. If you have a few spare moments we would love to hear from you, and hear what you think of this new chapter. Constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms :) As always, a massive thanks to DungeonsOfDread for putting up with me and writing this tale with me.

~*~

Scraps spent the next day relaxing until his afternoon appointment with Tinker. For some unknown reason he was nervous about the check up, but not because he felt unwell. More because the way her mother felt about him. He noticed the disdainful look that Tinker gave Flit when she kissed him goodnight, and knowing that he didn't have her approval made him unhappy. When he arrived at the medical bay Tinker greeted him as usual and touched his head to assess his condition.

"Well, everything seems to be in order. There is something to note though, we don't get a lot of registered Derivates in our care but I was able to study your control chip a bit further this time. Not only was it designed to limit your abilities but also some of your emotional responses. Nothing to dramatic, but extreme emotional triggers like rage and enjoyment were probably inaccessible to you until now. I believe that other emotions like lust and empathy also fall under this category." Tinker explained. He felt his face flush slightly at the mention of the latter.

"Have you felt any of these feelings lately Scraps." Tinker asked, her eyes now taking on a sharp quality.

"Ah, yes, I believe so but I think I have it all under control." Scraps replied as reassuringly as possible. The look on Tinker's face showed that she was reluctant to believe him.

"Are you sure?" She asked again, this time more forcefully.

"Yes I'm sure." Scraps replied with more confidence. "You don't have to worry about me, or your daughter for that matter." He added. At the mention of her daughter, Tinkers face flashed with anger, then annoyance and finally resignation.

"Well." she said with a sigh. "If you have any problems, any at all you come straight to me. Okay?" she ordered. Scraps could only nod in response, Tinker dismissed him immediately after.

That evening he was summoned by Post-Hoc to conduct his first group training mission. He was introduced to his team members. Patch a post-cognitive, Cogs a microkinetic, and Blinky a teleporter. Post-Hoc led them from one of the lower levels to a humungous training room. It was easily the size of a sports stadium with a roof almost as high. How they managed such a feat with their limited resources astounded Scraps.

"Pretty impressive isn't it?" Post-Hoc commented.

"Now for today your task will be retrieval. In the middle of this room will be a small pedestal." Post-Hoc began. He then pushed a series of buttons on a control panel console near the wall. A door on the floor opened and sure enough a small pedestal slowly rose into position.

"The lid of this pedestal will be locked and it will be up to your team to acquire the goods inside. The boundary of today's exercise is as marked." He continued. After pressing another set of keys a luminous green grid of lighting illuminated the floor forming a large square at the base of the room. Several more sections of the floor changed shape until an area resembling a building floor with separate rooms now stood in front of them. Scraps was not able to follow the positioning of the rooms and so their team would now have to navigate through the maze blindly.

"Automated sentries will be set up with weapons on stun. They won't kill you but if you do get hit, it'll sting like hell." He explained.

"You have thirty minutes to complete your task, no weapons or equipment except what you have up here." He gestured toward his head. "I expect to see efficiency and teamwork, but most of all teamwork." He reminded them.

"Everyone; as you know this is Scrap's first team mission. He's not used to our procedures and techniques so be patient with him." Post-Hoc explained.

"Your time starts now." He pressed another button on the console and the exercise began. Scraps's team members rushed ahead of him and he had to sprint to keep up, they were certainly fit. Their first obstacle was a gun turret in the entrance hall way, it detected their presence immediately and began firing on their position. Patch, seeing the event before it happened, quickly led them into a nearby room in time to prevent any of them getting hit.

"Okay team." Patch began. "First things first; we need to get past that gun and then find out how to get to the middle." Patch said authoritatively.

"I can try to knock the turret off to disable it." Scraps suggested.

"No. Too messy." Patch replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Blinky, I want you to teleport Cogs over there to shut that thing down." He ordered. Both Blinky and Cogs nodded. Patch went into a post cognitive haze.

"Now!" Patch shouted. Blinky quickly grabbed Cogs and teleported her away. Moments later the sounds of the gun fire stopped. Patch and Scraps peered out to see Blinky and Cogs standing next to the sentry with large grins on their faces.

"That's how we do it down here Surface boy." Patch commented to Scraps with a triumphant grin of his own.

The team continued down the next corridor when Patch stopped them again. His eyes went wide and he charged forward. Scraps stood in his position, dumbfounded by the sudden change in pace but the other two rushed after him, hot on his heels. Just as they came to the next corner a mobile sentry appeared. They approached it from multiple angles with Blinky distracting it with a quick teleports and Cogs disabling it during that time.

The process was the same for the next three sentries. Patch guided them to a control panel that indicated the layout of the building floor, in all that time Scraps had done nothing. He felt less like a team member and more of an observer. Still though, he was learning a lot along the way. This form of training was completely unlike what he had previously experienced. He was used to one on one Derivate duelling or leading a team of non-Derivate's, but never had he seen the coordination and team work that could be achieved with so many Derivates working together.

It wasn't until they had reached their final goal that trouble arose. They were pinned down in an adjacent room next to the pedestal. They were so close in fact, that they could see the lock box situated on top of it. Despite his previously successful leadership Patch, it seemed, could not think their way out.

"Every scenario I go over in my head turns out badly. Sorry guys; this one's a bust." Patch resigned.

"Aww... we were so close."Cogs commented, clearly unhappy with the lack of resolution.

"Don't worry guys at least we're all fine. Let's just get out of here Patch." Blink suggested.

"Yeah you're right guys." Patch agreed. Scraps couldn't believe how easily they were about to give up. Scraps wasn't a post-cog and couldn't see scenarios in his head like Patch, but he would bet that Patch hadn't taken Scraps's presence into account when he was formulating his plans. Scraps stole a glance around the corner during a break in fire, he took careful note of all the sentries and constructed a mental image in his mind.

When Patch gave the order to break out and retreat, Scraps instead rushed forward toward the pedestal. He avoided the gun fire and dispatched of the sentries one by one with his telekinetic abilities. Sentry debris went flying around the room haphazardly as Scraps left a path of destruction in his wake. Only once did a stray stun dart almost hit him. When he reached the pedestal not a single sentry remained standing. He smiled to himself and looked back and the awe struck Patch. That's how we do it on the surface, he thought to himself. Scraps reached for the lock.

"Wait, Stop!" Patch called out, but it was too late. A large cylindrical shield appeared around Scraps trapping him as it surrounded the pedestal. The ground below him glowed a bright blue and he felt a large shock rush through his system.

The electrical current knocked him out and when he came to his team members, along with Post-Hoc, were standing in a circle around him.

"What were you thinking Scraps? You can't go solo on this anymore, this isn't like how they train you up there. Down here we work as a team." Post-Hoc reprimanded him. Scraps could see Patch snigger slightly out of the corner of his eye. "And you Patch, I told you to be patient with Scraps not exclude him. Every part of the team is important. Every part." Post-Hoc stared directly at Patch. Scraps was happy that he wasn't the only one in trouble although he could now see the danger of his actions. Had that been a real scenario the trapping device would have most likely killed him. "Also I don't care if we are retrieving the most important piece of information that could shut down The Government forever. We do not risk the life of a single person for an inanimate object. If we did that, then we would be no better than The Government we seek to overthrow. Remember that." He added disdainfully.

"That's enough for today, I hope you all learned a valuable lesson. Back again tomorrow for more training." Post-Hoc dismissed them with a tired shake of his head.

The next few training missions progressed a lot smoother than the first, Patch apologised for his behaviour but Scraps still couldn't shake the feeling that the precog just didn't like him. Even though they had only completed one task, they had at least survived each one with no casualties. On occasion Flit managed to stop by and assist them which Scraps enjoyed immensely. She was experienced and well versed to lead; even Patch paid attention. Scraps however often found it difficult to focus on what she was saying instead of eyeing her delectable assets. On many occasions he found himself picturing her naked as she explained in detail their plan of attack, and lost track of the task at hand.

It wasn't entirely his fault though, for the next three weeks Flit and Scraps spent more and more quality time together. In each of their sexual encounters he found himself becoming more daring and was even suggesting they try new things. Flit had to halt their progress at times because they were coming too close to the final sexual experience. Although Scraps longed to be inside her he understood the need for restraint. Flit had no intention of rushing their relationship, wanting them to explore each other more before taking the final plunge, so to speak.

Also over the next few weeks Scraps was becoming increasingly familiar with their patrol route. Despite a few minor incidents, the patrols went quite well. Everything was fitting into place for him. Scraps was making friends and for the first time he was actually enjoying his life.

~*~ After the initial dressing down from her mother after she saw Flit in Scraps's room, Flit's parents soon had no choice but to accept their relationship. Every now and again they would still make comments and voice their concerns, but as time went on Flit realised that their concerns, and any she might have had, were unfounded. After Flit had grabbed Scraps's hand in the Mess Room the news that they were together spread around the underground faster than wild fire. The reactions were mixed; some people supported their happiness, others were quick to warn her to be careful, and a handful of people believed that they had the right to openly convey their distaste. Scraps and Flit, however, were quite happy with how things were going.

Just as Post-hoc had suggested, Flit and Scraps were doing alternate nights on patrol. On her off nights Flit would study and read up on everything to do with covert ops and retrievals, as well as information on The Hub and the world beyond. If she got bored of the study she would join in on Scraps's training sessions. Post-hoc had been very tight lipped about the new assignment she would be receiving soon, but Flit didn't mind too much. At the moment she was enjoying the time she was spending with Scraps and was secretly concerned that any change in her duties would take her away from him. She tried not to think too much on it, gathering that it would be better to deal with it when it came up.

Flit and Scrap's relationship had evolved quickly, as most things tended to in the Underground. The sometimes claustrophobic social atmosphere and the near-constant sense of danger meant that they got to know each other very quickly, and were figuring out their intentions just as fast. Their sexual relationship was doing very well, much to Flit's pleasure. Scraps was a quick learner, and was now very eager and capable in their liaisons. Scraps was even learning to take control and to let Flit know what he wanted and liked. Though sometimes Flit had to put a stopper on things. There were several occasions where they had gotten carried away in the heat of the moment, their bodies poised and ready to cross the threshold that would truly make them lovers. With Scraps's eager manhood so close to her core, Flit had become distracted by the depth of their situation. Her mind had unwittingly flickered back to what happened when she had gotten so close to Rook, and her body had reared at the thought of consummating their relationship.

Scraps never seemed to mind her gentle requests to take things a little slower, and Flit was thankful for it. She knew that the time would come when she would feel comfortable to grant him entry into her inner sanctum, but that time was not now.

Hawkeye had been gone the entire three weeks as well, and this had been a source of stress for Flit. Acumen and Post-hoc had been giving her regular updates on the progress of his mission and she was pleased to know that he was expected back at any time now. It had been good for her to get some space from him though. She didn't even want to imagine what it would be like trying to juggle the early stages of her relationship with Scraps with Hawkeye's long standing friendship.

Flit and Scraps were seated in the Mess Hall when Hawkeye and his group finally returned. Flit could hardly contain her excitement as he came into the room, freshly washed and shaven, but with his hair longer and more unkempt than she had ever seen it.

"Hawkeye!" Flit called out, jumping out of her seat and waving at him enthusiastically. When he saw her his eyes lit up and he raced across the room.

"Flit!" He laughed, scooping her into a bone-breaking hug and spinning her around.

"Think you were gone long enough?" She asked with a crooked smile. He looked down at her then, a peculiar emotion sparkling in his eyes.

"Too long." He replied. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, and he seemed confused, but then a sharp sense of clarity blazed deep in his eyes and he grinned at her. "Far too long."

The next thing Flit knew, Hawkeye's lips were pressed against hers and he was holding her tightly against his body. For a second Flit's was frozen in shock. The next moment she teleported free of his arms so that she was standing next to him. His eyes found her quicker than anyone else's would have and he looked both hurt and surprised.

"Hawk, you've been gone for a month...." She begun, trying to ignore the curious looks that all of the people in the Mess were now giving her. She glanced over at Scraps quickly, wanting to see how he was taking the situation. Scraps was stock still in his seat, his intense red eyes glaring at Hawkeye with obvious anger. He made no move though, and when Flit looked at him she could sense that he wasn't going to do anything rash. Hushed whispers could be heard all around the room but it was Acumen that broke the awkward silence.

"Okay, wow! What a reunion. I'm sure everyone is keen to catch up with Hawkeye but in all seriousness buddy you look like you need a haircut." Acumen exclaimed, voice easily carrying over the soft buzz of gossip. Hawkeye simply nodded numbly and allowed Acumen to escort him back out, his eyes searching for Flit's but not making mutual contact. Flit's heart was still a flutter and the confusion was overwhelming. When the door shut behind him and the room filled with the hum of chatter once again a hundred memories she'd brushed aside flickered through her mind and an overwhelming sense of realisation dawned on her. When she looked around she noticed that there were at least a dozen sets of eyes watching her to see what her next move would be.

"Hey Scraps," Flit said quietly, turning to her red-eyed lover. "Are you finished eating? I'm not hungry anymore." She scanned the crowd and gave the watchers a dirty look.

"No, I seem to have lost my appetite as well." Catching her hint, Scraps stood up from the table and bid the others farewell joining Flit on the other side of the room. Flit waited until she and Scraps were almost half way back to his room before she spoke. That short walk had felt like an eternity in her racing mind. At first she had been shocked that Hawkeye had kissed her, but now she felt just plain foolish. She had just assumed that his naturally flirtatious and good natured personality meant that he was just being friendly. Now, however, she noticed that he had stopped his constant flirting with other women a fair time ago.

Flit did plan to tell Hawkeye about her relationship with Scraps. She would have told him that night after dinner, in fact. However, that idea went out the window when he kissed her. The fact that he had left the room with Acumen meant that he might just hear the news from someone else. It wasn't the way she wanted him to find out and it only made her feel worse. She would have to go and talk to him before she left for the night. She couldn't leave without at least a quick chat.

Flit shook her head and tried to pull herself out of her musings. She had Scraps walking alongside her silently, and she hadn't been paying him any attention.

"Sorry you had to see that Scraps, I honestly wasn't expecting it." Flit said, turning and giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"I know you weren't Flit, it's okay. I'm okay. I'm certainly no expert on relationships. Everything I have experienced with you since meeting you is all so new. I trust you implicitly, you don't have to worry about me." He soothed with a smile that matched hers and set her nerves at ease.

"I am going to need to talk to him, Scraps. I was going to tell him about us as soon as I got the chance, but I just didn't think he would do that. Now he is probably going to find out from Acumen, I just want to go and apologise. This isn't how things were supposed to happen." Flit said.

~*~

Even though every part of him longed for her to stay with him tonight just to reinforce their commitment to each other. Logic told him that she was right, Hawkeye wasn't just a comrade or a colleague, he was as close to her as family. Even though he never had such a thing he could at least appreciate the sentiment behind caring for another beyond yourself.

"You're right; go to him. He needs to know and he needs to hear it from you. "He replied placing a hand on her face gently. Flit sighed as she leant into his hand. "Thank you." She whispered, turning to brush her lips against the rough skin of his palm. "Tomorrow after our patrol we can spend some time together properly. Maybe I can sneak to the kitchens and get some dinner so we can take it back to your room and eat it in privacy?" Flit asked. She pressed her lips against his, lingering there for a moment and pulling away with a heavy sigh. Scraps returned her kiss and then watched as she jumped away. He was most certainly looking forward to tomorrow. Knowing that there was nothing else he could do he decided to return to his room and get some sleep.