Chapter 3: Firearms.
Brown became accustomed to Lewis' loud voice blaring into his ears, and aroused himself immediately, sitting up and leaning against the bedpost. Jaeger yawned below him, and stretched himself, arching his back forward and groaning as six satisfying clicks were audible. The dirty-blonde headed boy stared up sleepily at Brown's torso and grinned once again, mesmerising Brown with the shiny teeth, squinted eyes and snubbed nose as he smiled. Not to mention the adorable freckles on his nose.
Fuchs had not even made an attempt to wake up. Instead, the German boy was snoring slightly, very obviously gone to sleep after being initially woken by Lewis. Brown ran his fingers over Fuchs' ribs, and he started violently, gasping as he fended the hands away. Brown pulled the sleepy boy to a sitting position, and there he sat, looking extremely dishevelled, mouth agape and eyes staring blankly into space.
Jaeger hopped out of bed, and slowly staggered in the general direction of the bathroom. Roberts happened to be directly ahead of him, and nodded curtly as he passed. Jaeger patted him once on the shoulder and went into the bathroom. Brown wondered why Roberts showed so little affection to everybody. He deduced that maybe Roberts was just a boring old man in a boy's body. He mentioned this to Fuchs, who chuckled softly in his semi-consciousness. Eventually, after threatening to summon Lee with a glass of cold water, Brown managed to drag Fuchs to the bathroom, and push him into a stall, before finding another stall and taking his shower there.
"Alright, people." Lewis said half an hour later, after they had eaten their breakfast. "It's my turn today to train you. We're going to be doing weapons training."
"Cool!" Brown heard Matthew exclaim. Lewis ignored the comment.
"Okay, follow me." Lewis strode out of the dining room and they trailed in his footsteps, once again weaving through confusing corners in the bunker. They finally arrived at a door, and Lewis opened it, exposing them to the first sunshine since the day they had arrived. Outside was a shooting range, nothing fancy; a number of boards stood about fifty yards from the counter that signified the boundaries. Lewis motioned to Harrison, who was carrying a duffel bag, and the red-head began fishing out firearms from the bag and placing them on the table. He picked up a formidable looking assault rifle.
"This." He motioned to the gun. "Is an advanced version of the M16 that the US government used. It's an XM8, and it fires poly-chloride projectiles. It is also much more efficient and energy conserving than the standard M4a2..." he pointed to the table and Harrison picked up another rifle that looked completely different from the M8.
"Watch." Lewis turned, and fired a projectile into a board that was twenty yards away, penetrating the hay. Brown jumped at the sharp report of the firearm. A metallic "Ping!" combined with a crackling sound was heard as the weapon fired. To Brown's surprise, no shell casing was ejected from the firearm. Lewis fired a few more of the plastic projectiles before turning around and ejecting the cartridge marked "5.56 Synthetic Munitions".
"Mike!" Brown felt the rifle being thrust into his arms. It was not as heavy as he thought it would be. Instead, weighing a little over 4kg, the gun felt surprisingly light in his hands. He wondered if the cartridge would add to the weight.
"Since you'll be the main reconnaissance for the team during our combat operations, you'll carry this rifle. Take a few minutes and familiarise yourself with it. Find out where the safety button is, where the different firing modes are, and try to find out the use of that scope besides aiming." Brown walked off to an open space and sat on the ground, handling the M8 as if it were glass. Behind him, he could hear Lewis delegating different weapons to the new members. ("Fritz, cop a feel of this M95 Barrett. Careful, it's heavy as hell.")
After a few minutes, he knew where the firing switches were, and the position of the safety. He suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder as Lewis sat down beside him.
"You alright, mate? Haven't talked to you in a couple of days. How're things?"
"Oh, everything's great, Cayden." He replied. "I really like my team mates and Hans has been a big help to me."
"Ah, I thought so." Lewis grinned. "The first time he saw you, he couldn't keep telling me how much you resembled his brother. I thought I was going to go off my knocker with boredom, until he finally asked me whether he could use his gel on you."
Brown shifted uncomfortably. Lewis knew almost everything about the team that there was to know.
"Anyway, I've got to teach you how to use this thing. Come." He stood up and pulled Brown to his feet, before guiding him to the firing range.
"Okay." Lewis said, with an exhalation of breath. "You need to make sure that this." He pointed to the black butt of the gun. "...stays attached to your shoulder." He pressed the stock onto Brown's small shoulder. "Think of it as an extra arm."
He guided Brown's left arm to the grip of the gun, and pressed his fingers against the rubbery material under the barrel of the rifle. He then took Brown's right hand and gently gripped it around the handgrip and trigger. He stepped back, admiring his handiwork.
"Now this is how you should be when you fire a shot, which you will, eventually." He rubbed his chin. "Give that to me."
Brown handed the rifle over wordlessly. Lewis dug in his pocket and withdrew the cartridge that he had ejected earlier from the firearm.
"Now this is how you reload." He demonstrated the procedure of pushing the cartridge up into the space provided for it, and cocked the rifle. There was a satisfying click as the projectile was chambered into the barrel. "Press this button." He pushed a red button beside the trigger. "...to eject the cartridge." He caught the black magazine as it fell.
"Now you try." He fired the chambered projectile into the targeting board, making Brown jump again with the noise. Over the next fifteen minutes Brown learnt everything that there was to learn about the weapon, and could eject the cartridge, insert another one in, chamber the plastic bullet and fire in less than five seconds.
"Lovely!" Lewis exclaimed. "Now take a turn at those targets there." Brown acknowledged the order and began shooting at the humanoid-shaped white targets.
"It's easier if you use the scope, Mike. I thought you knew that." Lewis' voice suddenly whispered in his ear, making him start slightly. He complied, and found it much easier to hit the centre of the target after that.
After a few minutes, a dark shape clad in the army jacket that they had all received appeared beside him, clutching an L85a2 assault rifle. This gas operated bull-pup still fired standard 5.56 NATO ammunition, and even though it was a relatively aging rifle, many modifications had been added to it, along with a silencer, laser sight and adjustable zoom capabilities. The figure turned and stared at him, and Brown suddenly recognised Martin. He remembered the ruddy-looking complexion of the Silver brother.
"G'day, how're doin? Haven't heard from you for awhile."
"Hey, Martin. I'm fine. It's been really hectic for the past few days, and I'm aching all over from yesterday."
"Heh, me too." Martin unzipped his jacket and revealed bruises on his red chest to Brown, before shivering and zipping it back up again. He spotted Brown's unique rifle.
"What's that?"
"Cayden told me it's an XM8 or something like that. Look." He fired a plastic projectile into the nearest target. "It fires weird plastic things."
Martin gazed at the grey poly-chlorides and whistled in awe.
"You could do some serious damage with that, mate."
"You think so?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm... show me what yours can do."
Martin slowly cocked the catch on the side of the L85 and fired a single shot into the target. The sharp report of the rifle was lost in the windy British weather, but Brown could see that Martin had very nearly hit the centre of the target.
"Good shooting, eh?"
"Yeah, it's not too bad."
"Oh? Show me what your rifle does then."
Brown tentatively raised the XM8 to his shoulder and aimed down the scope. There were three dots along the sides of the sight, and a red dot in the middle of the scope. He aimed a little higher than the target he was aiming for to compensate for bullet drop, and pulled the trigger. The weapon kicked back very slightly into his shoulder, and he watched the grey projectile spiral into the target.
Martin squinted at the target.
"Ooh. That's pretty good!" The plastic projectile had penetrated two inches above the centre of the target, very nearly hitting it.
"Yeah, well I actually aim at the target." This reply earned him a slap on the back by the blonde haired New Zealander.
"Whatever, man." Martin aimed down the scope again and fired a three round burst. Brown grinned and raised his rifle to challenge Martin's shot. Suddenly, a powerful shot rang out across the field, and both Brown and Martin looked around to see Fuchs looking stunned as he gripped a M95 sniper rifle. He was lying on the ground, using elbow pads that Lewis had presumably supplied to him, and was aiming down the scope at an unseen target.
After he fired a shot, he pulled the bolt back, ejected the casing, and pushed the bolt into place again. Roberts was standing over him, scratching his own stomach with a bored expression on his face. Brown could not help staring at Roberts' amazing physique, but collected himself and spent a few minutes firing at the target, under the watchful eye of Lewis.
After spending most of the day test-firing and improving their aim with the weapons, Lewis finally summoned them to him. Shirtless as usual, the team leader stood facing the Special Forces cum intelligence team.
"I hope you've had a smashing day, fellows. You'll need to be careful with those rifles and take care of them. Yes." He said, noticing Matthew's raised eyebrow. "You'll be carrying these little mothers around with you. We'll manage the ammo." He glanced at Fuchs, who wore a shocked expression on his face at the prospect of carrying a heavy sniper rifle around. "Oh, Fritz. You'll get a carrying case for that rifle. Follow Harry to get it. He'll teach you how to disassemble and reassemble that monster." He motioned to a five foot four senior member, who had straw-blonde hair and blue eyes. Harry Blake, the weapons expert, knew about most of the weapons that both the Coalition and the enemy used. Fuchs silently followed Blake, hugging his rifle to himself.
"Well!" Lewis surveyed the group. "I'd just like to say that you've been doing really well for the past two days, and we'll be doing your fitness and survival training tomorrow." Brown groaned inwardly. This obviously meant a lot of running, jumping, crawling and crouching. Today's activity would seem like nothing compared to tomorrows.
"Go have your dinner then." Lewis lead them back to the bunker, where they filed into the dining room, chattering as they doled food onto their plates and sat at the long metal table. Brown felt a pat on his shoulder, and Jaeger settled into the chair beside him.
"Good day?"
"Yeah. We've all got our rifles now, it's so cool." Jaeger smiled.
"You'll need to clean it and carry it around wherever you go. It may not be so cool later."
They finished their dinner presently, and took their showers. As Brown lay on the clean sheets of his shared bed, flushed from the hot shower, Fuchs finally appeared, exhausted, as he carried a black case that contained his M95. He staggered over to the bed and placed the case underneath the bed, before making to throw himself onto the bed. Brown stopped him in time.
"Fritz, you absolutely can't come into bed like that. You're sweaty, dirty, and you smell like crap. Go have a shower and come back. I'll rub your chest for you then." Fuchs nodded sleepily, and shuffled to the bathroom, where Brown heard a shower being turned on. At the same moment, Jaeger emerged from the toilet and made his way back to Roberts' bed, where he gently stroked the sleeping boy's midsection. Brown watched as Jaeger very slowly lowered his head and laid it on Roberts' chest, resting his ear on the half-oriental boy's solar plexus. Roberts opened his eyes and frowned slightly at the weight, but did not push Jaeger off. Instead, the dark-haired boy ran his fingers through Jaeger's hair and touched his shoulders gently in a gesture of affection. All this without a word. Perhaps this boy expressed his friendship and love in a different medium. He watched for an indefinite amount of time.
He was briefly interrupted by the groaning of the bedsprings as Fuchs threw himself onto the bed with a sigh. He turned around and observed Fuchs' minute white body. Two red nipples the size of pennies were on either side of the German boy's protruding chest. Unlike Jaeger's pink nipples, Brown could easily see the knobs at the centre of the nipples. Further down the dark-haired boy's torso was a well-shaped stomach, so delicate that a significant amount of blue veins were visible.
He looked at Fuchs' face for a moment, with its eyes closed and mouth slightly open, and gently placed a hand on Fuchs' gently rising and falling stomach. Fuchs sighed softly, and a smile played on the side of his lips. Brown began to work his way up Fuchs' torso, rubbing the bruises that had been sustained the day before, along with the ribs, and finally, the chest. Fuchs groaned slightly as Brown rubbed his left breast, which contained the implanted rank.
Finally, Brown very gently pressed his thumbs onto Fuchs' nipples, and wiggled them around. Fuchs gasped audibly and thrust his chest up slightly. Brown continued massaging Fuchs until his moans and groans subsided and were replaced by a gentle breathing. As he stopped, he rolled off Fuchs' body and took his familiar place at the centre of the bed. The German boy immediately rolled onto him, and sighed softly. Brown rolled his eyes in exasperation and stroked Fuchs' back gently.
Lee slowly crawled onto the bed as not to wake Fuchs, and lay down beside Brown, staring at the sleepy German boy. Brown grinned at Lee, and closed his eyes. He could vaguely hear Lewis cry out "Lights out, people!" before he dropped into sleep. As usual, Fuchs shifted and groaned atop him during the night, and he welcomed the sensation. His dreams were of a hellish nature, of running through lakes of fire and being struck again and again with a thorny whip. Finally, he fell into a fiery hole, and plunged down the sixteen levels of the underworld. The ground was coming up to him at a blinding speed. Oh, if only he could...
He started awake, staring into Jaeger's face. Already the bustle of the team was heard as they made their way to the bathroom to freshen up. Jaeger grinned at him, with squinted eyes and dimples on his cheek, and pulled him to a sitting position.
"You didn't hear Cayden?" Jaeger asked, in his familiar half-pubescent voice.
"Nope..." he managed to croak out. He wasn't feeling himself that day. His chest hurt, his breath came out in wheezes and he had a throbbing headache. Jaeger stared at him for a moment, and then his expression of curiosity changed into that of concern. He placed a hand of Brown's forehead.
"You're burning up." He hurried away. Brown lay there in a mix of dishevel and disorientation, and gazed around the room stupidly. He was vaguely aware of Roberts and Harrison walking slowly towards the bathroom, and of Lee picking up his M4A2 rifle, and patting him on his shoulder.
Finally Jaeger returned with Lewis, and both of them took turns checking his status. He felt himself being probed and prodded, on his stomach, chest, neck, and groaned in protest, but was too weak to do anything about it. They presently stepped back and Lewis stared at him for a few moments, before trading glances at Jaeger. After a few minutes, he nodded and said to Jaeger, "Well, you know what to do. I'll come and check on you every hour. Make sure nothing happens to him, won't you?"
Jaeger simply nodded. Lewis strode away, and Brown could faintly hear him address the team outside the room. He strained to make sense of it, but suddenly felt Jaeger's body against his. The Swedish boy had adjusted his body temperature so that Brown could appreciate the benefits of having a cold body beside him. Jaeger now was soothingly cool, and enveloped him in his arms. Brown sighed with relief and bliss as his chest rubbed against Jaeger's smooth, cool breast. He closed his eyes and fell into an uneasy sleep, enjoying the petting hands of the dirty-blonde haired boy.
He awoke an indefinite amount of time later. Jaeger was breathing gently beside him, as he closely held Brown to ensure maximum transfer of cold. Brown immediately knew that the worst of the fever had passed him, and became aware of his need for food.
"Hans...?" Jaeger opened his eyes immediately and stared at him. "I'm hungry."
Jaeger placed his hand on Brown's forehead, and nodded silently. He glanced down at Brown's puffy nipples, and gently ran his index fingers over them again and again, making Brown close his eyes and moan softly as jolts of pleasure ran up and down his spine. Presently, Jaeger disengaged, and strode off, leaving Brown to lie there, missing his cold body.
He returned within five minutes with a platter of food; they were the beef stew and carrots that they usually had. Brown dug into the food as if he had not eaten for days. Jaeger watched with amusement, occasionally reaching over and stroking Brown's back as if he were a cat. Brown enjoyed the petting, and soon realised that Jaeger hung around him because he reminded him so much of his brother. He finished everything below ten minutes, and leaned back on the bedpost, nursing his stomach.
"Hans, what time is it?"
"You've been asleep for more than half the day. Usually, you would spend a longer time recovering from flu, but because of me, here you are, ready and waiting for tomorrow." Brown knew that Jaeger's body against his had somehow sped up the recovery process, but he wasn't sure how.
"What have I missed?"
"Oh, nothing much. Cayden actually planned to allow you to specialise in a field today, so that you'd receive the appropriate education. Stuff like Information Technology, Weapons Technology, Medicine... you know." Jaeger winked. "Medicine sounds pretty good. You actually get to save your team mates' lives. You'll need to practise on them too."
"Hmm... sounds like a good idea." Brown repeated after Jaeger, too lazy to say anything else. "Hey Hans, do you think you can lie down with me again? I kinda like the feel of your body against mine." He blushed. Jaeger grinned at him again, captivating him with his charming face, and took the plate away. He duly returned thirty seconds later and settled into the bed, once again engulfing Brown in a blissful cold embrace.
He woke up the next day, refreshed and ready for action. Jaeger was snoring softly beside him as Lewis called out for them to wake up, usual obscenities included. Brown grinned very slightly and felt for Jaeger's regulator, where he changed it to the lowest temperature again, and pressed the button. There was a sudden emergence of goose bumps all over Jaeger's skin, and his nipples were beginning to become erect, when he finally awoke with a gasp and fumbled with the regulator, increasing the temperature as quickly as he could.
"Damn you." He groaned, and lay back down on the bed, breathing heavily. The fluorescent lights shone off his chest, giving Brown the impression that he was drenched in sweat. He laid his head on Jaeger's chest, and the Swedish boy gently stroked his hair, tousling it in the process. Presently, he jumped up, and pulled Brown to the bathroom, where they respectively took their showers and freshened up.
"Mike." Lewis' pubescent voice summoned him after the shower. "You need to follow me after breakfast, yeah?" Brown nodded, quite sure of what Lewis' intentions were. He scoffed his food down and then joined Lewis at the head of the table, where the team leader hastily downed his orange juice and beckoned to him.
"Okay, Mike. You're going to have to decide what you're going to specialise in. Shooting a gun isn't enough for you to make yourself an asset to this team. There are four spaces left, actually. Medical, Reconnais..."
"Medicine, please." Brown immediately cut Lewis off. Lewis stared at him blankly for a moment, and then regained his composure.
"Right, then. You'll receive your training when we eventually arrive at our headquarters in Thames House, London, before we get sent off on our covers." Lewis looked relieved at his choice. "Excellent. We now have a lifesaver in our team. Load of people didn't want to choose it, beats me why."
Brown smiled. He knew he had made the right choice.
The next two weeks consisted of rigorous training and drills that nearly drove Brown insane with fatigue. His muscles ached every single day, and Lewis was not particularly kind on the press-ups and sit-ups. Roberts was worse; he particularly insisted on training with Brown, and duly rewarded him with plenty of punches and kicks to contend with. There was many a time where Brown spent thirty seconds on the ground clutching his abdomen, groin, solar plexus or kidney area, whimpering and moaning with pain. Jaeger was always there to comfort him, after a training session, whether it was gently rubbing his back or just murmuring kind words to him. Brown loved to tease Jaeger. He would wait until Jaeger was in the heat of a conversation with him, and was talking animatedly. Then, he would gently take hold of both of Jaeger's large pink nipples and pinch them slightly, moving his thumb and forefinger over the middle of each tit. Jaeger would then let out a long drawn-out moan and collapse forward or backward onto Brown's body, depending on where he was.
The training in medicine that Brown received from a computer-aided course assisted a great deal when tending to his own injuries. He knew the specific pressure points of the anatomy and knew what pills to take whenever he was ill. As a result, he would constantly ask whoever was around, (Jaeger, Lee, Fuchs, etc) to massage a particular area of his body that was aching, and would groan and moan for several minutes before he was content. The other team members, aware of his knowledge of the human body, would ask for little favours once in awhile, usually in the form of massages. Finally, one morning, Lewis stood up and announced that they had received adequate training and were to relocate to a more suitable location for their advanced training. The team members sighed with relief, Fuchs being the loudest. As they were piling into the A-10 with their weapons slung over their shoulders, Brown observed the rest of the team. He noticed that he now had a little more shape on his body; his chest bulged out more, his arms rippled slightly and a six pack was slightly defined on his stomach. The rest of the team sported similar changes; Fuchs in particular had much stronger arms, probably due to the enormous rifle and ammunition that he had to lug around.
He sat at the back of the plane, enjoying the cool air-conditioning. He leant back with his eyes closed, while fastening his seatbelt, wondering where they would be heading off to now. A hand smacked him on his stomach, startling him. It was Lewis, settling into the seat beside him. The sergeant looked no different than from when Brown first laid eyes on him. Lewis still had a ripped body, a smooth bulging chest and rippling biceps. Surprisingly enough, being his companion, Brown had no chance at all to lay a finger on Lewis' body. Time constraints prevented him from doing so and he had the utmost respect for the squad leader. However, this was about to change.
Lewis stretched himself, wincing as he did so. He looked over at Brown, and half-smiled at him, blue eyes melting Brown's. The plane began to take off, and Brown held on tight until they were airborne. Lewis never took his eyes off him.
"Hey, Mike, I'm pretty knackered now. You mind giving me a little massage?" Lewis turned so that his back faced Brown.
Brown was astounded. He gently reached out with his right hand and stroked the smooth back of the team leader. Lewis sighed softly.
"Ugh, it's been so tiring for me over the past few weeks. So tired..." his voice trailed off. Brown considered putting forward his views on what "tiring" meant, but decided to hold that in check. His trained fingers found lumps of tension in many areas along Lewis' body, and he began to systematically ease them out. Lewis groaned with discomfort as Brown depressed his shoulder and the small of his back.
"Ohhhh, God..." he groaned, arching his back forward. "Bloody hell, mate. That feels so gooooood..." the words turned into a moan as Brown pressed harder into Lewis' flesh. Brown looked around the plane as he continued digging his thumbs into Lewis, cueing moans and groans. Jaeger winked at him from opposite his seat, and Martin had taken a seat beside him, eyeing his L85 with scrutiny for dirt. Roberts was speaking in a low voice to Harrison, and the red-headed officer nodded as Roberts stopped at each point in the conversation. Brown took guilty pleasure in massaging his squad leader, and went slightly red at some points, but Lewis seemed to be enjoying it thoroughly, so he continued. The tension had lessened in Lewis' shoulders, so Brown progressed lower down Lewis' body, causing the team leader to groan even more deeply.
"Guess... guess medical training w-was a good idea, huh?" Lewis managed to pant out, before succumbing to more sighs. Brown continued for several minutes before Lewis eased off and leant back against his seat. Brown thought it was over, until Lewis looked quizzically at him and nodded down to his front.
"I'm waiting." The sergeant said sarcastically. Brown sighed and pretended to look exasperated, but he was indeed waiting with his heart in his mouth to finally lay his hands on Lewis' torso. He began by rubbing the tense six-pack that Lewis was sticking out of his abdomen. His companion's body felt smooth as silk to the touch, and was slightly warmer than the temperature of the plane. The softness of the boy's body brought bliss to Brown's fingertips. Lewis groaned and lay back against his seat, breathing deeply.
"Bloody hell..." he moaned again as Brown dug his thumbs into the kidney area, where sensitive nerve endings were situated along with the pressure points. He continued with this trend as Brown worked his way up his body. Knowing the likely reaction of Lewis should his nipples be touched, Brown refrained from running his fingers over the sergeant's pink nipples. The imposing thought of a Jaeger collapsing, limp, into his arms lurked in his mind.
"So..." Lewis struggled to speak, between sighs. "Do you... want to... know where we're going?"
"Sure."
"We're off to Germany, for the commencing of your advanced training."
"Err... I know that, Cayden."
"Oh, right. Not thinking clearly. We're going to Munich, that's where our headquarters are. For the next few months, you shall familiarise yourself with everything that goes on in our covert little hideout there. Not to mention back-breaking training, of course." Lewis replied. "Oh, and you'll get that hydrostatic implant there as well." Brown's heart leapt into his mouth in anticipation of the pain again. He silently continued massaging Lewis to his delight.
Finally, Lewis gave a long groan and gently fended Brown off.
"Thanks, mate. I'll repay you one day." He dug into his pocket and handed Brown a kinder-bueno chocolate bar; the same type of bar that Brown himself had acquired from Lewis at the beginning of their trip.
"Ooh, thanks."
"No worries mate. Share it if you like."
"'Kay, thanks." Brown eagerly tore off the covering of the bar and broke off a bit before stuffing it into his watering mouth. He gasped as Martin's red hand slapped his chest sharply.
"Hey, give me some of that." The ruddy New Zealander demanded. Wordlessly, Brown broke off another segment and handed it to Martin, who scoffed it immediately.
"Thanks..." he managed to utter, amidst the chewing. Brown had a good look at Martin's body and was surprised to see a strong six-pack forming on his stomach, along with a bulging chest not unlike Roberts. He caressed the stomach and pressed two thumbs into it with the pretence of massaging it. Martin let out a muffled yell, and tensed his muscles quickly.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed, as he swallowed the chocolate segment. "Mark punched me there yesterday. It hurts like hell."
Brown glared at him for a few seconds before Martin finally grasped that he, Brown, was trying to help him by use of his superior knowledge in medicine.
"Oh, alright." He relaxed himself, and Brown set to work.
Four hours later, after much groaning from Martin, Fuchs and Jaeger, who did not want to be left out, the plane finally arrived on a rainy airport. Brown read "Munich International Airport" as they passed the large sign. Fuchs was once again slumbering leant back against him, having traded places with Martin. Lewis arose and stretched himself, and then headed to the entrance of the plane. As the door slid open, a sudden torrent of water washed over him and drenched him from head to toe. Lewis glared at the weather outside and uttered an oath. Brown was just about to burst out in laughter at the sight when he felt a soft material being thrust into his hands. Harry Andrews, a blonde haired Australian passed by, throwing the same black object wrapped in plastic onto Martin's lap. Fuchs awoke and pushed himself to a sitting position as Lewis looked around.
"It's going to be rather conspicuous if you walk out there dressed only in army jackets and camouflaged trousers. You'll need to wear these clothes until we reach our headquarters." Brown tore off the plastic and discovered a set of unmarked black clothing. He suspected that they were waterproof and definitely very high quality indeed. He adorned them quickly, buttoning up the black shirt and pulling on the matching jacket. Beside him, Fuchs mirrored his actions.
Finally, they were all suited up, and Lewis, now dressed in the same attire, led them out. The first thing that Brown noticed when he exited the plane was that it was much colder than in the UK. The temperature was lower at least by ten degrees Celsius. Sheets of rain struck the floor in sequence, and Brown could feel his goose bumps rising. As he expected, the clothes kept the rain out, and only his head was wet. They piled into a waiting unmarked van, and Brown suddenly witnessed near-complete darkness as the door was shut.
"It's been so long since I've worn clothes." Jaeger whispered to Brown, making him jump. The rain rattled against the aluminium roof of the van, and Brown felt at peace, for the moment. Lewis sat at the door, facing them.
"This will be a two hour ride through the city, people. Make yourselves comfortable." Brown shut his eyes and tried to fall asleep and get used to the gentle thrumming of the engine and the occasional bump on the road as the van journeyed through the city.
"Here, lie down on my lap." Jaeger pulled his body to a prone position, head on his thighs. Jaeger caressed his face and hair, rearranging a few stray strands. The van trundled for four and a half hour before stopping outside a derelict, grey building. Brown stepped out of the vehicle and followed Lewis into the main entrance, in the form of a glass door, which slid open as he approached. Their shoes clacked smartly on the polished floor as they stepped over a large emblem of the Coalition neatly patterned and tiled on the floor. The building was constructed in a type of plexi-glass, or fibreglass that kept all the elements out, but made the surroundings outside the building highly visible. Brown was surprised; the building looked very ordinary as he walked inside, and now he was looking back through the glass at the road he had just walked on.
Before he had time to scratch his head, though, Lewis had stopped, and he nearly bumped into his leader's back. A receptionist sat at the only polished black table at the centre of the room. Lewis bent over and spoke to her very softly so that the rest of the team were oblivious to their conversation. The receptionist nodded and motioned to an elevator that was on their right. Lewis strode to the elevator with the rest of the team in tow. Surprisingly, the space inside the lift was large, and the ten of them easily fit into it. Lewis pressed hit the button for the fourteenth floor, and the lift began to descend with great speed.
When it finally arrived with a sharp "Ding!" the team filed out, to a dark corridor lit by blue streaks of glowing material situated alongside the walls. Brown marvelled at the architecture of the building. It really was some piece of work. Finally, Lewis stopped at one of the many doors that were on each side of the walls, and placed his palm on the flashing display that was beside the door. He waited for a few seconds, and then a needle from the bottom of the display pierced one of his nipples swiftly, causing him to gasp and tremble slightly in his feet.
"God!" he cried out, as the needle slowly retracted back, emitting a "Ssshhkk!" sound as it exited Lewis' pigmented flesh. He stood there swaying for a moment, before Brown stepped forward and held him around the waist to support him. Lewis regained his composure, and with a quick nod, motioned them inside the door that had slid open. The senior members strode in as if it were nothing new; it wasn't, but Brown and the rest of the new recruits warily stepped inside the modern room. Lewis smiled.
"And here, people, is your new home. For now."