Max blinked at the noise that invaded his mind and drove away the happy memories of his childhood few as they were.
"Well work time." he murmured running his fingers through his hair again and activating the nano technology he'd tested upon himself and left on he felt like being a redhead this evening and so his hair turned long and crimson. He braided it and put on his official uniform AKA a black skin suit full of surprises and set out to do his job as Owens asked.

-----------------------

By the time the bus came and Davis horded the trainees onto the bus. Jack by now was already at HQ preparing his captive for a nice 'chat' with the big boss. When Owens came back Jack knew he'd be doing a lot of 'chatting' and the captive would not like it. Davis walked over to where Odin said against the tree and chuckled.
"Well let's get you on the bus too." Davis said kneeling down and very carefully picking his commanding officer up off the ground. It surprised him every time how the kid barely weighed anything and was still so strong. Especially when one saw him asleep like this. When he was unwell Odin slept like the dead and his whole demeanor changed. At 21 he was very small for his age compared to those of his age, and sleeping like this he looked all of 15 at most rather then 21.

Davis got onto the bus as well and carefully placed the sleeping captain in the seat beside Chase.
"If his face scrunches call his name. Dun touch him unless you wanna lose an arm or worse. Got it? I ain't joking. If he's out of it he will kill ya if yer not careful." Davis instructed making sure Chase was very much aware of the dangers of waking the captain up any other way then calling the man's name.

---------------------

Aqil patted his hands together and took his position. The man that was supposed to meet Owens with the information the man wanted had decided to turn on the man and so Aqil had to adjust his plans a bit. He quickly dealt with the snipers and the traitor before taking the man's place and waiting.
"Not how I planned it and I wanted to do a hijacking too." he mumbled keeping a weary eye out for the military commander as well as trouble.

Chase looked up at Davis and raised his eyebrows a little in surprise. Seriously? Well, he did almost get his head buttered up back when Odin was doing his morning ritual in the gym. Remembering the man's face when he was awake and looking down at the sleeping Odin really gave him the thought that he these two personas were different. "Thank you... sir."

Honestly, he needed that reminder: keep his hands to himself.

- - -

Said military commander had arrived on-site a few seconds before the time he'd agreed with the said informant. When he'd seen Aqil, his face continued to hold onto a neutral emotion. He's learned long before not to show his own weakness through his facial features. If he wanted to show amusement, though, from the torture, why not?

"Report," he told him as he stood eye-to-eye level with the man. He was close enough - too close for comfort - with his lips a little off to the right of Aqil's own but he didn't want anybody else to hear their conversation unless one of them two were wearing some microphone. Of course, the latter would be impossible considering the watch Owens was wearing wasn't beeping. It meant Aqil was clean of any microphone. That, and there was none in the vicinity.

Max sighed in boredom as he did the job Owens had asked of him. It wasn't much fun yet and here he'd been hoping for some fun with possible invaders or crooked base people too.
"Come out come out wherever you are...Shin wants to play..." Max whispered almost soundlessly as he scanned the grounds again.

--------------------------------------------------

Odin slept almost the entire return trip and barely moved. His face had been relaxed until just 20 minutes before their arrival at base. Then something seemed to change and he shifted until he was almost hunched in his chair; one hand keeping a firm grip on the seat handle. Davis was in the back of the bus calming some of the other trainees down a bit. If he hadn't been he'd have noticed and warned Chase that Odin had fallen into another nightmare.

Nothing. There was absolutely nothing.

His surrogate father used to lock him up too; in a small closet like space below the house, but through the cracks he could always see light, he could always hear birds and people outside the house and soft scratching in his small prison space and there were all kinds of things stored in this small space to entertain a 4 year old boy with. He wasn't scared of any of the bugs or the two tiny mice in the small closet and he knew that his surrogate father would soon enough let him out again.

Here however there was nothing. No light, no sound and no movement either. He knew the walls of the room were white, knew the door was on the southern wall, but once the door closed and the room plunged into darkness there was nothing. The first time he was put in there he'd been confused. There was no gravity so he should be able to hear the machine that kept the Zero G constant and controlled, but he heard nothing. Floating around in pitch-black and soundless nothing Odin soon lost his baring and all sense of time.

He'd cried and begged for what seemed like hours to be let out that first time. In reality he'd only ever been in the room for 5 minutes. Now however he was older, smarter too. Begging didn't help one bit and the old bastard only made him hang there longer if he begged or screamed. Odin could feel though that he was losing control again. He'd focused on his own body picking up on his own pulse to remind him that there was sound in the nothingness, he'd counted to one million and back and did complicated formulas in his mind to pass the time, but still he was floating in the black nothing of the Zero G punishment room. His internal clock told him it'd been three hours now; the longest to date.

Odin cursed mentally. His breathing became ragged and loud in the silence. his head began to spin as he tried to remember which direction was up and which way was north. He couldn't cry or scream though or they'd make him stay longer. He couldn't, he shouldn't he...

a soft whimper escaped his lips.

Odin curled in more on himself his body covered in sweat, breathing irregular and ragged, face scrunched tightly as his hand made the seat handle bar groan under the tight grip. A soft whimpering left his lips.
"I'll be a good boy. I promise. I'll be a good boy now..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Aqil not wanting to look suspicious should reinforcements appear wrapped his arms around the Commander in a casual embrace.
"Your informant sold his soul to the government for a cold 3 million in cash. Sorry to say, but he came here armed and brought some buddies. I have...a vested interest in your survival so I had to relieve them of their duty...permanently. I suspect that if his buddy in the government paid top dollar to rid himself of you; he'll also have paid good money to have your friend distracted enough for this to succeed. I'd sorely miss my guess if he didn't pay to have some mercenary or some other gun for hire try his hand at offing someone under your command. I'd say a trainee to keep your friend busy with that while he had your own informant off you for money. Now while our objectives are different we both want certain...controlling forces off our backs. I'd like to discuss a deal with you...but I don't like doing business here. Too open for the kind of things we discuss and whoever in the government wants you gone will be sending people soon to see why it the others didn't yet report success and we wouldn't really want to be here when they get here. There's a place near here, a coffee shop. It's safe to talk there." Aqil whispered as he leaned in closer so for all the world it looked like they were just making out in a shady corner. Aqil really wanted to get away from this corner. Being an expert in the world of business he knew they were not in a very good position for business now and exposure wasn't on his agenda just yet.

Chase watched Odin almost all throughout the trip and turned down the voices of his colleagues who were talking amongst themselves. He saw the changes on Odin's face and his eyebrows shot up at the sight of those tears. He hadn't expected it at all. In fact, his face contorted to one of worry especially when he'd heard those words.

Reaching out, he wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close to him, his free hand moving up to rest it on the back of Odin's head. His touches were gentle, strangely.

- - -

Owens turned stiff at the arms around him but he was able to recover in a little bit. His face, too, showed not much emotion with his eyes shut. He almost seemed like he was feigning enjoyment with their act. The news, though, disturbed him much. It brought turmoil in the pit of his stomach. "That would be good," he told Aqil as he let his eyes slide open again, "Lead the way."

Odin stiffened at the contact. He woke suddenly and due to his curled up position and the fever still having a hold on him his balance went out the window the second he attempted to pull away. Thus he ended up dragging whoever was holding him down between the seats as his body lurched up and to the side where there was no more seat to keep them upright. Having been the first to slip though Odin ended with Chase's weight on top of him and grunted before letting out a string of colorful words in Japanese.

Davis had cursed and run to the front of the bus to make sure his Captain wasn't going to end up killing their new recruit. He was thankful though that his captain was fairly lucid at the moment and cursing colorfully in several languages by now as he helped up Chase and checked the boy over to make sure he hadn't broken anything.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Aqil nodded and led the commander to a small diner which was quite a lot bigger inside then it appeared from the outside. The waiters and bartender as well as the cook who just brought out a plate of food nodded to the young businessman and his company.
"They are all good people. They can be trusted. Rashid the usual please for me and whatever he asks for him." Aqil said allowing the elderly lady who'd just brought out a plate of food to coddle him and giving her a warm smile as she led them to a booth in the back. The bartender a large man of clearly middle-eastern descend nodded to him and went off to make Aqil's order as the lady now turned her attention to Owens.
"What'll you have deary? I can recommend the curry special it's very good. Something to drink? We have a wide selection as you can see. Take your time to order I'll be in the kitchen. Rashid will take your order when you're done deciding." the elderly lady said handing Owens a menu card before busily walking back to the kitchen again.
"They are trusted friends of mine. She used to be my nanny and he a bodyguard of my family's. They run this restaurant with their sons and daughter. Now then on to business." Aqil said.

All this time his face had been open and his whole physical appearance had seemed innocent. He'd not said much during the 10 minute walk to the small diner. From the moment the commander had arrived Aqil had studied the man's every move right down to the slightest twitch of a muscle and he'd silently observed that the man had been disturbed at the news of the betrayal. He longed to find out more about this intriguing man whom seemed to be high on several people's 'shit list', but now was not the time.

The second Aqil said that last sentence his entire bodylanguage and expression did a shocking one eighty. Gone was the openhearted charming boyish Arab who just seconds before had been warmly talking to the elderly lady. Instead Aqil's features had become hard as stone. He leaned forward now instead of reclining in his seat and while his face was still set in its previous smile; his eyes had taken on a dark and dangerous gleam that would remind most of a predator stalking its pray.

"I have a rather lengthy story to tell so it's best if we get any questions or worries from your side out of the way first and then deal with the boring history lesson. My name is Aqil Baako. I'm sure that alone will give you quite some information on me. Now then what would you like to know before we talk business deals?" Aqil said with a calm smile. Most business men would've laughed at the fact that the boy seemed willing to give one any information they asked for, but they were the ones who ended up the fools as Aqil was a brilliant tactician and capable of giving his opponents and allies enough information to satisfy them without giving away any actually important details unless absolutely necessary.

Chase's eyes widened when he was dragged down. "Whoa!" he cried out as he quickly shot his arms out on the chair and on the window before he could bump his head against the bus. The lower half of his body wasn't very lucky, though. His crotch had pressed up against Odin's thigh and he froze for a second or two until Davis had come to help him.

"Th-Thanks," he mumbled, embarrassed before he'd cleared his throat and looked down at his red hands. He hadn't meant to do that and though he wasn't exactly, well, a homosexual, that didn't feel bad. What the hell am I thinking?

"Are you okay, sir?" he asked Odin as he returned his attention to him and worriedly watched him.

- - -

Owens followed after Aqil and took a seat across him. "I see," was all he'd said before he'd turned to look at the elderly lady and then watched the conversation between the two. Taking the menu card and considering what the woman had said, he ordered curry before he'd put the menu card aside. Surprise was what followed his curious look when he'd seen Aqil's expressions suddenly change. It was enough to tell him that their moment of 'peace' has now been broken.

Of course, that look of surprise only marred Owen's features for a few seconds.

"It has, indeed," he replied as he nodded and leaned back in his seat. Like a commander, he had his back straightened out. Even if he was resting, he didn't look like it at all. "Who sent you and how much do you know?" Those were the only question that he asks anyone whom he meets outside. At least, with those who had the intention of helping them with or without the command of another.

Odin frowned as he finished making sure Chase was fine. The incident seemed to have some kind of strange effect on him. His face was flushed and his heartbeat sped up, he also had trouble breathing and he felt strange and warm. He decided it had to be whatever caused him to have a fever.
"I'm fine. Sorry about that." he murmured briefly before climbing back in his seat and curling back up. The whole ride back he kept thinking about what had happened and how his body reacted to it.
"Damnable bug..." he murmured as his fever made him feel hot and uncomfortable now.

Odin had as Max loved to put it the emotional range of a teaspoon and as no one ever found it valuable information to teach the boy Odin also knew nothing about love or the reactions this feeling gave people. So his mind contributed all the symptoms of a man in love to his fever.

Davis chose to wake Odin carefully when the bus arrived back at HQ. He'd ordered the recruits to head to the medical office for a standard issued check-up earlier but asked for Chase to wait a moment.

"Take the captain with you. He's rarely ever sick, but when he is he seems to excel in it. I ain't trusting him to march his own behind to the medical office and I have to file the reports in his place now. Can I trust you not to kill him or get killed by him while you bring him with you for your post mission check ups?" Davis asked before leaving the two to head off without waiting for an answer.

"Ass..." Odin muttered swaying as he attempted to walk to the door and sticking out his tongue like a child. His fever had spiked once more and while normally Odin was strict and well behaved once he got sick Odin's personality seemed to loosen up as if the sickness made him forget he was a soldier.

Odin tried to make it off the bus only to fall flat on his ass and mutter about someone moving the steps and turning on the heater.

-------------------------------------

"I sent myself and I know quite a lot. I know of your plans for the world, the little ghost in your basement, the little lab-rat currently out with your troops and as I said someone is after your behind." Aqil said summing up everything he knew in such a way that Owens would know he meant the Coup plans d'etat, Max, Odin and the recently added betrayal of the commander by his informant without letting anyone else who'd walk in at this time know what he was talking about. A pair of plates and drinks were placed before them and the large Arab who ran the place spoke quietly to Aqil who nodded and thanked the man.
"Due to my position as head of one of the largest enterprises of the world I have quite a few ears in sensitive places. However such as it is the government is not too happy with me and the board of directors want me to learn at an educational facility. Of course I'm no fool and I'm well aware that the government has been leaning on some people within the board because they fear my influence on the country. Rather they dislike the way my work effects the common people. Unlike most other business men I've refused all high placed positions within the government and I've also refused to accept a delegate of theirs into my company's control system. The board must remain a group of independent Men and women who are not concerned with their own wealth or how much money we can make. The Baako enterprises has not become the world wide multinational it is now by going over the backs of its workers and that is a fact that scares the government. They are now leaning heavily on my company trying to keep me from doing my business the way I want to. This corrupt government is one that I despise and loath. Their way of handling will become the death of many innocent people. Increasing the amount of time people must work, the taxes and rents as well as the price of people's daily needs while cutting people's pay checks by half of what they currently earn demanding them to pay most of their health bills themselves...It's greedy oppression...mankind at its worst. As you can see our goals are the same except you can take action whereas I must take into account billions of people who work for me with every action I take." Aqil said.

For hours Aqil continued to tell Owens of how his family started with a small factory and slowly built on until they were a multinational enterprise which hosted a wide range of different business areas ranging from food production to construction work. He spoke passionately about the carefully set up ways his family had run the business so none of its workers had to ever be fired to make more money and how they hired people who lived on the street with no home or papers and educated them and he spoke with a burning barely withheld rage of the corrupt government which had their hands so tightly around Aqil's company that he couldn't possibly make a single move without having one of them attempt to shut him down.

"They are power-hungry monsters. As luck would have it I learned of your coup d'etat the day I was told that I had to either go through a military education or lose my company to the government. Like I said I wish to strike a deal. You have the freedom of movement and the men to pull off this little coup of yours and I have resources and money needed to pull off such a thing and I also have contacts on the street that I can maneuver to be at your disposal if you need them. Your little ghost will be able to vouch for you if they give any trouble. If the two of us joined forces I'm certain you'll find that we can both benefit of this coup. You'll have your goals and I will be able to lead my company the way my family has envisioned. I can then go back to hiring the people who most need a job instead of whoever the government tells me to." Aqil said sitting back comfortably and awaiting the commander's reaction.

Chase followed after Davis as he carried their backpacks. He only blinked, though, when he was tasked to bring Odin to the medical office for a check-up. He had noticed Odin was rather red on the cheeks. It made him think that the other was probably feeling hotter because of the fever. "Yes sir!" he said as he raised his eyebrows at Odin who had fallen flat on his ass.

"Sir, you can hang on me while we walk to the base." He gave him a small smile as he held out his hand. "Permission to touch you sir?" Chase wouldn't want to anger the man in any way. There really was no reason for him to have Odin hate him.

- - -

Owens didn't show his surprise. But, he was. He was too surprised in fact. How was it that these people knew his little coup in the military when he hadn't even told anyone about it? He's been laying low and had been doing great work at the military as a chief in commander so none of the people outside would've had noticed what he was doing. They were little steps but at least they were starting somewhere.

Aqil had a point when he'd said something about his action affecting a majority of people. But, in fact, even Owens had that dilemma. He'd be having the government as his enemy and the people who are in between - the folks in the city - may be affected. Hell, there may even be groups and alliances forming between the folks in the city to fight against either them or the government. That was one scenario he'd like to prevent from happening.

The goal? To destroy the government from inside out.

Letting silence take over the both of them for a second or two, he continued to look at Aqil. "I don't trust you," he stated bluntly before he'd pursed his lips, "But, you are free to join the military." Not the coup. Not yet anyway. Taking the spoon, he started eating the curry and rice but not after sniffing the food. He was able to detect poison with just his senses and if there is anything he hated, it was the lack of a fair play in fights, which the governments love doing.

"Natural. I wouldn't either." Aqil said his smile simply devious as he leaned on his folded hands.
"You don't let anything throw you off guard. That's good. Truth be told I know little of the coup itself, your informant wasn't very forthcoming other then that the government suspected a ploy against them and paid him for what they called a preemptive strike. They're not much fond of people who are popular among the 'common folk'. He was mostly just obsessed with getting the three mil if he offed you. Like I said I'm being pressured to take actions that will affect a lot of people negatively because the government wants it so. Personally I don't much care for fighting and warfare, but I believe in fighting for to protect the innocent. Due to my company's wide business range I have contact with all layers of society and exclusive knowledge of things the government doesn't even know are happening right under their noses. It's surprising how much a simple street-rat will hear in passing. All that I said before is true, however the government as corrupt as it is is doing all it can to squash rebellions while they're still forming. In fact they are so paranoid right now they'll have anyone killed if they suspect that person to even be thinking oppositely of the government." Aqil said enjoying some type of food which looked immensely disgusting but smelled just heavenly.
"At any rate I'm thankful for your offer to attend your military academy. Perhaps I could convince you to change your opinion of me at some point. I'm sure you'll have some way to test whether I can be trusted. As for how I know most things...it's not that hard if you know which person to ask. That and one of my employees used to work for the man who made Captain Lowe as he is now. Well then when should I report for class sir?" Aqil finished seriously before smiling openly and kindly again.
" Oh and is there an option to test out of certain classes? I'm sure I'd be able to pass several parts easily." he added as he handed his now empty plate to the tall Arab who gave Owens a dark glare.
"Now now dearest be nice to our guest. I'm certain he'll watch over Aqil as he does over all his men. Because I'm sure he wouldn't want to incur an old woman's wrath, yes?" The elderly lady said as she joined them and waved around her soup spoon quite close to Owens' face.
"Nanna, Rashid behave please." Aqil murmured his face flushing with embarrassment at the actions of the only two people who always managed to surprise him.

---------------------------------------------------

Odin stared at where the medical facility was and then back at Chase. Weighing his options carefully on whether or not he should and deciding he didn't want to end up on his butt again.
"Fine..." he muttered waiting for the other boy to help him.

Owens didn't even bother replying to what the other had said. That devious smile, though, irritated him for a reason he'd rather not share out loud in words. Instead, he'd only continued eating while he listened to the other. It hadn't surprised him at all that the government had gone to such extremes to kill even an innocent. That was a price they had to pay for their coup. Their coup was still too small and immature to go all out.

They still needed time to get ready and prepare.

"No," was his firm reply before he'd turned to glance back up at Aqil. He was just about to open his mouth to talk again when the elderly lady had waved that spoon close to his face. It was strange how he didn't inasmuch flinch nor move away. He only, of course, spoke after she did. He did have respect to elders despite him holding such a status in the military sector. Though, he made sure to keep what was work and what was not work two separate departments. "My military makes them all stronger, ma'am; both in body and spirit." He paused for a moment to give the old woman a stern look that wasn't bordering rude or threatening. He was simply keeping her gaze evenly. "But, if you're talking about how I treat them, I treat them all with respect and make sure all of them get what they deserve and get the protection they need. I give them nothing but the best."

- - -

Chase took that answer of his as a yes and leaned down to pick him up from the ground. Giving the other man a smile, he kept his arm around his waist and put that arm of Odin's around his own shoulders. "I'll need you to walk with me, sir. If you will?" Only after Odin had given him another yes did he walk toward the medical facility, only doing as much as assisting him to the said place. He was here to help.

Not to embarrass the man in any way.