FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Decided to start introducing new characters and new points of view. Something I did a while back and I found it made it not only less boring to write but read, as well.

Stopped doing it to keep everything compact which I myself don't like that much.

Besides the syntax, transitions, and seemingly uncompleted sentences, there's a lot of things an OCD person can't deal with in my writings, haha

The lizard-croc's name is pronounced _Oh-Pair-Uh_if you were wondering. I thought it would be a nice name, then I got skeptical, then I did a google search to see if that was an actual name, then I got the browser, then I got the music, then...

Interminable details! Trying to keep these little intros short but I felt like pronunciation was something you should probably know.

Did a bit of poetry last night so if you want to check out "Nostalgia's chrome 45" that would be great

Finally getting into the action here as well. I like to take things slow, flesh (fur?) out my characters before I put them in bad situations but sometimes the best way to flesh out a character is to put them in bad situations.

3-** SIEGE**

///

An involuntary sigh escaping her throat, she gazed out the window and down to the streets below, direct angle of the sun casting her in a golden light.

Pressing a hand to the glass, she looked at the little people.

That's what they were. By choice or fate.

Little.

Her sensitive lizard eyes saw them all, deep blue iris matching the deep blue scales ringing her eyes, and the spires on her head.

Crocodile father, lizard mother. This day and age those heterospecies relationships was just starting to be accepted.

She'd been different. Always. To herself, superior, but to others unfeeling.

Oh, well. They weren't head of the GRA, were they?

"Well, Caine, best to go see to Harper about his latest complaint."

As per usual the golden furred wolf made no sound, a handpicked bodyguard.

He wore a highly visible tan bulletproof vest and pants against a black tee, shades on, machine gun clutched to his chest.

Handpicked. Not ordered to do that but the added intimidation and the not giving a fuck played exactly into what Opera DeSanta wanted.

Opening the door, she was flanked closely by the Trojan spec op.

"This is what I like about you, Caine. You don't speak out of turn, you don't complain, you do your job. And damn well."

"Yes, ma'am."

The interns and veterans of the GRA office alike kept to one side of the hall, pressing to windows when she came through.

They were scared of her, such should be employee to employer.

Serf to ruler.

A rare smile lit her face, razor teeth showing through, blinding white.

Perfect here. When she was a girl she wanted to be a queen, not a princess.

Well.

Almost perfect, Opera thought, arriving at Harper's door.

The two guards stepped aside, GSS logo on their vests.

They eyed Caine and he didn't look at them, indignance and disrespect.

"Yeah, honey. We can talk about this later, right?" Phone to his head, nervously eyeing the two new entries.

A response. His gaze shifted to a picture on his desk.

A sigh from the Shiba, grimace, frustration...

Pay attention here, Opera. Might find a new weakness...

Opera didn't exactly hate Harper with a passion, but it was important to let them feel...

Weak. Helpless.

Just sometimes.

"Sam, we've been over this. Your brother's case was different. I don't want to lose another"- he was interrupted.

So, his daughter. Opera was interested. She'd seen the girl in person a few times.

She looked very little like James Harper himself and more like his wife, whose name she could not remember for the world...

Cancer took her, if Opera recalled correctly.

And not too long after his eldest was lost to Jinn. Caleb, Carter, something of the like.

Shame.

Eyeing one of the many photos that made the office too claustrophobic to Opera's liking, Sam was a gray fox, short hair between her ears in that rebellious fashion, a steak of lime green in it.

"I tell you what, we'll talk more later. Dad's busy. Bye, punkin."

Shutting his phone before anything else could come out, he hastily put it into his pocket.

"Sorry about that. Daughter called and you're a few late so I wasn't sure if you were coming..."

"Perfectly fine, Harper. Our children come first."

It was a little odd to see, or rather hear that come out of her mouth, but then she had her own daughter to worry about.

Well, not much anymore.

"How old is she?"

"Nineteen next month. Takes after her mother, but she's got my eyes, heh..."

"Mine will be eighteen next year."

Uncomfortable silence, something to be taken and played on.

"_Children_bring out the best in us, Harper. They are the future. Your daughter, mine, we invest so heavily in them."

Opera wondered where Cassie was about now. Probably in her father's arms, tucked far away from her venomous mother.

Forcing the thought away, she continued.

"That is why you called me to your office, I assume. Children."

"Yes. I was yesterday informed of a squadron made up last week. And I was told no one in the GSS department had a say in the roster or making."

Opera nodded, and he couldn't meet her eyes.

Caine was a statue.

"And I really think it's unnecessary. While we may have deals with the Scandinavian Union under the table, no sort of squadron on their grounds were approved"-

"Of course the public has no idea. Most of the government doesn't. After the hostage crisis in Stockholm and the late responders from Denmark they wised up. But the public is still too arrogant."

"Yes, speaking of. This squadron," he said, pulling a folder out from his desk. Several photographs and a few dossiers. "And I wouldn't have said anything if it hadn't been for this, this squadron is all under the age of 23."

"... And?"

Harper was slow to anger, something Opera both admired and resented about him, but he was clearly tired of her.

Exhausted, in fact.

"Sometimes I wonder if you put them there just to... just to irk me, Opera. Not only is this controversial in location, you know my stance on the age lowering. And I wasn't told until after finalization."

Looking her in the eyes for a brief moment. "And on top of that I was told that GYFT, which is a preliminary training organization that feeds the GRA is sponsoring one of those... kids."

Opera grinned. "You know I wouldn't stoop"-

"Yes, you would. You did to Liao before me, and you did to Lieutenant Marshall. This isn't some sick game, Opera, this is politics. This is war."

Well, he had a point there. While this was a preliminary action for their stance in the Scandinavian Union, it was also to spite them. To show them GRA was much bigger than those who thought they didn't need them.

And to show Harper who was boss.

"This squadron is of the finest caliber"-

"This squadron has the niece of Ramses Trojan and no veterans to watch out for her."

Caine gave a rare laugh and it bolstered Opera- and his- presence in the small office. Opera was getting frustrated at his interruptions but gave him the benefit of the doubt; she was targeting him after all.

And James Harper was unassuming at first. But clever.

"I would hardly say Reyna needs someone watching out for her. I've seen what she can do. Caine has felt it." Caine grizzled back up after the last remark.

Leaning over his desk at him, leering, hands clasped beneath her chin, another smile lit her face.

"This is about something else, isn't it? This is about the children. Your lost fight. The age for enlistment is permanently lowered, you can't change that. Only I can."

Gritting his teeth, he still didn't meet her eyes, even right in front of him. "You never fail to remind me of that, Opera. We agreed on 200 global squadrons and whatever countries wanted auxillaries and now we're 201."

"They aren't officially the Union's own, they're not official at all. Just another global squadron whose location is overt."

Leaning back in his chair, cooling off, Opera knew she'd cracked him.

He met her eyes now.

"Sam wants to join the military. Like Bryce is. Keeps using that against me. She knows Caleb's a ghost still for me, but..."

He put his head in his hands but no remorse flowed from Opera.

"Why do you insist on tormenting me over this, Opera? You know. You know everything that goes on here. Every loss."

"We must embrace what we most hate and weaponize it."

He looked up, tears and rage.

"And what do you most hate, Opera?"

"Men who don't do their jobs right."

Getting up and walking out of the room, as per usual, Caine closely flanked her.

Whatever strings Harper was going to murmur under his breath had to wait until she left.

She'd driven the spike home and he was that afraid.

///

I was the last up the stairs and into the common room.

Nope, I felt Reyna's ghostly presence behind my back.

I could pin everyone else for who they were, but the jackal was still a mystery. I'd gotten one word out of her and it was her name.

To be fair I hadn't done well in way of introductions either, Riddick and Rochelle kind of spoke for me.

I wasn't necessarily shy, I was just... Well...

Awkward, I guess. When you grow up thinking less about who's nice enough to befriend and more about who won't quite literally stab you in the back it's a lot different.

Marshall led us through the kitchen and I realized just how hungry I was. In Gibraltar I didn't exactly get much food and the bit I had didn't satisfy me...

No stops.

Hopefully later...

"Now what you're about to go through is called a simulation. This will adequately tell us what you can and cannot do in a real situation. All of you have run these at some point, some less than others. However you have never felt real pain."

I gulped. Pain?

Let's hope it was quick and painless...

Kind of a negative way to go into things but... Despite living in one of the worst places in the world I had never been shot. Or really stabbed.

With what i'd seen from simulations so far it was go in coordinated and calm or, well, you get chewed up with lead.

Marshall continued leading us through a small hallway and I noticed the lights were getting dimmer. It appeared, walking and then seeing a staircase to our left, there were only two ways here, through the kitchen, and from upstairs.

I hadn't seen this place last night. Polished wood and stucco turned to concrete and wires.

Down another staircase and we were at basement level, concrete finalizing into wires.

It appeared to be a server room of some sort, blue and green lights all about, large black machines and fans giving that metallic familiar whirring sound.

"If everyone will take a seat in any of the chairs."

I felt a softer texture on my right and in the darkness was barely able to make out a chair. Sitting down in it, I still couldn't get used to a (relatively) comfortable life. Adjusting to make myself as 'familiar' as possible.

To my right was Alvin, my left Reyna. The former looked eager, holding out his arm for Marshall to inject him through syringe with some odd clear liquid.

The latter looked ready to kill.

"This is a serum that will put you in stasis while these chairs will help administer the simulations. Like I said, I do not expect you to succeed. There will be someone giving tactical support, so you aren't totally alone."

It was my turn, I realized. Marshall took my arm and ever so squeamish, I had to look away.

Nothing worse than yesterday morning's gash... I felt a slight prick and then it was gone.

The only shots I'd ever taken were the mandatory vaccines at Academy, but those were few and far between. Nothing new came to Gibraltar, not even sickness.

I began to feel lightheaded. Marshall was saying something but I could not hear.

I couldn't hear anything, really.

My eyes fluttering shut, the unfamiliar sensation of sedatives told me I was drugged but I accepted it.

As an elder accepts death.

///

Somewhat like going or emerging from sleep, I didn't have any sense of time or know what happened.

I was in a small room with my companions.

Jake seemed to know what he was doing, and headed over to the wall with...

Weapons. Not the corroded unfitted defaults from South End, but new and outfitted guns, not to mention bulletproof accoutrements.

Everyone else caught on and started grabbing things, moving to whatever they thought was best.

Alvin looked like a kid in a candy store, grinning and running over just about everything.

"I want everyone suited up in five minutes." Jake said, already leaning on a metallic door and clutching some sort of... gun.

Stomach sinking, I realized just how much of a weakness I had here. Now they were going to see me as a crutch...

And they hadn't known me for an hour, either.

Getting on a bulletproof vest with much difficulty, I grabbed a handgun and the smallest carbine I could find.

Riddick had the same idea but looked like he knew what he was doing.

"Ever been in one of these simulations, Tai?"

They were all making conversation as they browsed, I realized.

"No. Well, once or twice a year, but..."

"You get into GRA, they make you run these more than you do physical exercise. Not too much of a big deal after the first few times. I guess you know what to expect."

No, not exactly. But Riddick joined the growing group at the door, and I decided to not touch the equipment I couldn't even name.

Trailing after him, I looked through the group at the door.

Everyone had the same general idea, sidearms and small arms. A few knives and the sprinking of equipment but I hadn't touched those.

Reyna was the most interesting, some sort of odd bracer on her wrist and a black metal staff looking thing on her back, short enough to be a baton however.

"Alvin! Hurry up!"

Still grinning and browsing, Alvin looked over.

"Dude, I wish this was real."

"Redneck... Bro, we aren't going to have time for all this if a crisis actually happens. You act like this back in GRA military?"

"Worse." He laughed, joining us finally with a sniper, a carbine, and a sidearm, among equipment.

"Jeez, man." I'd never heard 'redneck' before but there were probably going to be lots of things I hadn't heard before.

Walking out the door, we were in the courtyard of a...

Medieval castle.

Jake started laughing. "Damn, you guys load up the wrong thing?"

A headset I didn't know I had buzzed and I clicked a button to turn it on.

"This is a digital reconstruction of Hellsberg fortress in Munich. And no, this isn't a mistake, there was a hostage crisis here 8 years ago. I'm Riley, I'll be giving your tactical support in the field."

It was a woman's voice but I'd only met one Riley and it was a guy.

"Where do we go in?" Rochelle asked. Looking around, there were only ways out that were entirely open.

"There's roof access, few windows, a door to your left. Your pick."

"Right." Jake began walking in the direction of a door I hadn't seen, past the gallows.

Alvin went to the wall and shot up some sort of grappling hook, walking vertically.

Me, Rochelle, Riddck, and Rey-

No, she was walking off too.

A sigh over the headset. "Jake, please take control of your own squadron."

"Uhh.. Right. Sorry."

He looked up to the golden-furred canine.

"Alvin!"

"Yeah?"

"... Keep doing what you're doing!"

Alvin made the ok sign and continued, sniper rattling on his back.

"Rest of you, on me!"

My companions and I jogged across the courtyard, unfamiliar sound of weapon bumping armor, weight of metal on my back.

"Where's Reyna?" Rochelle's voice brought us all to a halt, Alvin looking down at us from his new vantage point on top of a turret.

The headset crackled. "I lost the Trojan's heat sig. Sorry."

"What, is she dead? She's supposed to be our best"-

Two gunshots. And another crackle.

"Should have checked your backs. Drop two." Reyna's odd deep English-Arabic accent touched my ears for the second time only that day as she emerged out from behind us.

"Don't go off like that." Reyna scowled at Jake's scolding, just enough to show, and it was gone in an instant.

"Damn..." Rochelle muttered under her breath, watching Reyna walk past Jake.

"Right. Continue."

A few gunshots from Alvin made my stomach twist.

I remembered Marshall's words.

I do not expect you to succeed.

And that bit about real pain.

I could read everyone (in the slightest, given my miniscule introduction) but Reyna.

But I knew leader types. And she, while she wasn't in Jake's role, was certainly capable.

"Good call on the entry," Riley said, "Reyna cleared the first floor for the most part, very few down here, but what you're looking for is on the top."

"And what exactly are we looking for?" Riddick asked, letting a creep of annoyance get in.

"Like I said, cadet, hostage sitch here 8 years ago. Doing a bit of a reenactment."

It sounded awfully morbid to reenact a tragedy but for all I knew it was a successful mission for the GSS.

"Where was this hostage? Might give us some briefing before we go in?" Jake said.

"That's Lieutenant Marshall's job, but they're in the highest turret. Guess he wants you asking questions."

We stepped inside, Alvin's shots ringing out, whoever he had an angle on firing back as well.

"Drop one."

I was hearing footsteps.

"Atta boy, Al. Didn't Marshall say we weren't going to"-

A shot and Rochelle fell to the ground, Reyna ducking and capping the guy behind us.

My heart stopped for a few seconds before I remembered none of it was real.

"What the hell did I say earlier? Watch your backs!" Reyna didn't yell but hiss in a whispery tone. Was uncharacteristic from what I'd seen so far, but even the jackal was jumpy.

Not replacing her pistol in the holster, Reyna pushed past Jake, not hiding a scowl anymore.

Riddick and Jake hurried to catch up with her, and I trailed behind, not taking an eye of Rochelle.

The bodies didn't stay behind back in Gibraltar...

Feeling sick to my stomach, the carbine felt much heavier than before and my grip steeled.

Taking a glance at the generic looking Jinn soldier, he had a red blotch right in his forehead, and I remembered just how quickly Reyna whipped around and capped him, for such a precise shot...

"Tai! Hurry up!"

Following the sound of Jake's voice, they were slowly going up a staircase, checking corners.

At the end of the hallway was a wall and door, stone and metal. Looked pretty heavily secured as well.

Behind us the fortress walls kept stretching. Alvin was over the room and whoever he was shooting at was across the fort walls. I edged away from the arrow loops.

"One... Two dropped. I hit em- ach!"

"Alvin?"

"... Hurts like a bitch... I'm hit..."

Jake swore and Reyna said nothing, Riddick looking out a nearby arrow loop at where Alvin was, not visible, crouched down behind the walls with fire on him.

"Hostage is a wall between us."

"What about him?"

"What about him?"

Jake turned on Reyna, tired of her scolding and the pressure alike.

"You're just going to ignore our sniper up there?!"

"Took a bad position. Hostage before team. Rule #1 of extractions."

Gunshots echoed and the thick smell of smoke filled the air.

"I was trained to leave no man behind, Trojan."

"Exfill for team comes afterwards. Calm yourself."

"I'm in charge here for a reason, damn it!"

"Authority does not allow your decision to be correct indefinitely."

Jake and Reyna were still arguing, only the jackal keeping calm.

Can't have two alphas in one pack, I suppose...

Riddick and I were standing right outside the hostage room, waiting for the go ahead.

Ultimately Jake had the final say-

"Fine, you think you're better than the rest of us? Go prove it. Get our sniper out of there."

"Whatever you say, lead."

Watching her walk down the hallway, Riddick and I knew the whole thing had just gone to hell.

"Dumbass..." The hyena muttered as Jake rejoined us.

Just a simulation.

Was this what Marshall said when he expected us to fail?

No way he'd seen this coming...

"Bad call, team lead." I was kind of surprised Riddick said anything but Jake just shook his head.

"...Not going back on it. She needs to be put in her place."

"So now what? One guy dead, one on the roof, one you just sent off." Riley's ever sarcastic voice came on, and feeling the slight tremor of the headset I was reminded just how real everything felt.

"...Wait for them. Not going in there two short..."

Three short, but I drew away from the door.

Riddick didn't.

"All due respect I hope to God you aren't going to pull stuff like that out on real missions."

"Hope Reyna isn't. I didn't do anything wrong."

Riddick scowled and as usual, I stood there.

"What good is a wounded sniper going to do getting to the hostage anyways? Let him exfill on his own. You've made an unnecessary risk."

"Riddick, if you don't shut up and obey your orders"-

"If this wasn't a simulation I wouldn't do _shit_you asked me to do. You've shown me who you are."

Eyes shaded, he finally stepped away from the door.

I expected a quip from Riley but nothing. Riddick put in his two cents for her.

Jake looked me dead in the eyes, daring me to say something.

I shook my head, partly in disapproval, and partly to let him know that was all I was going to do.

"Reyna. Alvin's dropped."

Not fluent in military, it took me a moment.

Jake hit the button to speak but Reyna hadn't spoken from the headset, she was just at the other end of the corridor behind us.

For the second time I was unnerved at her set of skills.

Jake was staring out the arrow loop, hand covering his mouth, thinking.

"I got the two that took him out. But..."

She patted a spot on her arm and I realized it wasn't a dark patch of fur but a bloodstain.

She didn't seem pained at all, still neutral.

I noticed the odd device on her wrist now, pulse monitors.

Two had flatlined, three were normal, and one was going way faster than the others.

Wonder who that was?

Jake let out a deep exhale.

"Marshall said he didn't expect us to... win, but I really didn't think it would be on account of this..."

Reyna folded her arms behind her back and stood at ease in front of Jake, no sarcasm at all.

"Your orders?"

He looked to the door behind us, and pointed, head lowered, walking behind a bit of rubble for cover.

I expected Reyna to be packing the explosives but instead, Riddick stepped forward.

Whereas I would have been shaking, Riddick showed no emotion as he put the suction cup-like device on the door, twisting it a good five times.

The ticking started, and it began rotating clockwise.

Like a timer.

Casually strolling back, he set up beside Jake.

Looking around for Reyna, a jolt ran through me when I realized she was to my right, I'd had that eye closed looking down the irons and she'd crept up.

"Five secs."

"Good luck, all."

Waiting out the last two felt like two minutes.

A loud bang and the door flew off its hinges. Two indexes on the trigger in a habit I could never break, I fired in the smoke and half hoped I didn't hit.

It was all too real...

They were returning fire and a shot hit the rubble I was behind, kicking up pebbles and some of them banging off my gun...

Gritting my teeth, I locked irons on the first guy I saw but Reyna dropped him before I could.

Just a simulation, Tai. Keep cool. Be like her.

Reyna began to press forward when the gunfire cleared for five seconds, and Riddick followed.

It came to me at that point that we really all did_have different training depending on our division and country in the grand scheme of GRA, and my _nothingness before GSS made my throat colder than it was before.

A loud beep from Reyna's pulse-watch.

Looking over at Jake...

He didn't move, eyes shut in a wince, one hand on his gun and the other on his red throat, laying in the rubble still.

"Fuck, I didn't notice..."

Riddick shook his head.

I heard something really loud in the back of my head.

Not at the level of fire from tips of barrels, but more like something heavy being dropped.

Not at the back of my head, either.

Behind.

Spinning around, falling back into the pile of rubble, I started firing before they came around the corner and dropped one.

They returned fire and right beside my ear there was a small explosion.

Reyna dropped the others, ducking down on the other side of the rubble.

Riddick was on the ground, chest barely rising and falling.

He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but slowly shut it.

Reyna and I stood as another vital flatlined on her watch.

Dusting myself off, then remembering it wasn't real, I tried not to look at the wolf or the hyena.

Turning around, Reyna was staring at me.

"How?"

"W-what?"

Hands shaking, I'd just killed...

A simulation.

Shut up, Tai, it's not real...

"You started firing before he was there..."

"I heard footsteps."

She kept staring at me, moving a little closer.

Looking me dead in the eyes.

I returned fire, unsure of what else to do.

"Footsteps." She repeated.

Come to think of it, Omar in the alleyway.

Marshall at the station.

My team in the basement this morning.

The guy that shot Rochelle.

And the most blatant, just now.

I timidly looked away, surrendering to the inquisitive deep green eyes.

Even here, bloody, gray flecks of castle rock on her, question on her face, Reyna didn't look anything out of the element.

Not quite in it as much as earlier, but..

"You hear anything, it'll be quicker to tell me."

With that, she turned and walked in the door seamlessly.

A loud crack.

I ran in after her, carbine rattling.

A cry out.

Took me a moment to realize it was mine.

Staggering into the wall, a hot pain was in my side and it felt like something that wasn't there was.

I didn't feel the wall.

Or anything.

Reyna was struggling with the guy over his gun, apparently he'd gotten lucky and capped me on his way in.

Remembering what Marshall said about Janus I knew that was my go.

It was stuck in my Kevlar but the bruise was bad enough...

Nope, watching the red stuff leak.

Must have just tapped...

Another loud bang and a bit of rock fell from the ceiling.

More loud bangs, but-

No, footsteps!

"R-reyna...."

I'd lost my voice, the pain blazed up when I spoke...

It wasn't that bad when I hadn't before, but wincing, it seemed it was here to stay...

Reyna had the guy pinned and fired right into his throat as soon as she had the gun, but the footsteps got closer and closer, getting in through the doorway, they both drew on each other.

Reyna's shot hit first, I'm pretty sure, dead in the guy's face.

But his was in the back of her head.

Slumping over, something about her death shocked me worse than Rochelle's sudden one, Jake's unnoticed one, Alvin's quiet one, or watching Riddick's last seconds.

I'd lost my last bastion.

Blood began seeping out of my mouth as I stared at the hostage, blindfolded, gagged, facedown on the ground, tied up and writhing.

I lost my breath suddenly and had to give a loud and sharp inhale, but as soon as I did that I felt like I was water and no glass, pouring away.

///

The pain went away quick.

Eyes snapping open, I jumped out of my chair and Alvin caught me, grinning.

"Damn, we were close."

"Way to bring it back, guys."

"...Heard him before he was even there"

"I died too fucking early..."

They were celebrating and I was standing there shocked, holding the world I didn't have, breathing heavy, sweat on my collar.

Marshall was at a terminal on the wall, but glanced back at me.

No 'good job', not even a smile.

I was the only one who didn't see this as a game.

Something in Marshall's face changed.

Phantom pain shot through my side and I lurched over, the retriever having abandoned me for a moment.

Another sharp intake of breath, backs turning, I was on my knees.

Scratch that, the side of my face smacked the tile and I was cold.

///

So Hellsberg fortress isn't a real thing. Was going to put it in Milan but it sounded more German and on top of that a quick google search told me there's only 3 castles in Italy ??? and I wasn't about to include a real place.

Had kind of a hard time making the thumbnail for this one, hard to contrast with the "Alcatraz Chapter 3" against the tan

I make my thumbnails using a free and really simple editor called fotor

And some help from google images *cough cough*

Feels good to iron out action again, stray a bit from the deep characters I usually do

I feel like that, among romance, is the end of the spectrum I never venture to and usually regret doing later (every attempt I've made in my literature is cringey af) on but one of the biggest points of Alcatraz is to go where I haven't gone before.

Like I said if you could check out my poetry that would be great!

Feel free to promo your story (genre doesn't matter as long as it's non-yiff, please) in the comments, I'd love to encourage growth of talented writers and I need a good read myself :)

Stay thirsty my friends