FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Merc's Metamorphs

copyright 2025 comidacomida

Chapter 26: Connect Rooks

The trip out of the meeting room was as simple as getting back to the elevator; none of the other Metamorphs were in sight as the four of them loaded in. The attendant inside wasn't Corporal Davis and was nowhere near as personable, but he complied with their request, turning a key on the control console and hitting the button for the ground floor. Demon had been watching the movements closely and announced to the rest of the team through Bruiser's telepathic communication "Even though Rook could probably control this thing, at least it looks like we're not about to get screwed over by this guy not letting us out."

The Corporal removed his key as the doors to the elevator opened and he stepped outside, turning back to regard the team as he addressed Merc. "My orders are to lead visitors back to the side gate. This way please, Sir."

Shrugging, the Kangacobra shrugged. "Sure. Right behind ya."

Their guide continued his established tight-lip theme, heading through the same path Corporal Davis had taken, only in reverse. The walk was much less lively with no focus on being given a tour; their exit from the base lacked any real lively dialogue or explanation about the history of certain buildings or anecdote about why a structure had been given a specific name-- in fact, the Corporal who showed them out of the base scarcely said any words aside from encouraging the group to keep up.

Merc and his team ended up outside of the base with nearly an hour left before they'd be forced to resume their Human forms, leaving the Kangacobra why they'd worried so much in the first place about having enough time. Shrugging off the worst of the concerns, he glanced around to his boyfriends before motioning toward the road with his head, communicating with them through Bruiser's telepathic bond. "Let's get going... doesn't seem like we're gonna have any trouble but I don't want to hang around and find out."

Rook kept his senses open for any indication that they were being followed by drones or other eavesdropping technology and confirmed that they were not. The four of them returned to the spot where they'd changed into their Metamorph forms and, after confirming that it hadn't been disturbed, quickly went through the process of changing back. Merc usually enjoyed the sensations of the transformation but the experience was barely an afterthought as he continued to consider what they'd experienced inside the airbase. He wasn't the only one apparently since Chance spoke up the moment they were all redressed. "So... was it only me, or did that whole situation seem really fucked up to anyone else?"

Juan was, surprisingly, a little more pragmatic, speaking as he stuffed the last of his gear into the gym bag he had with him. "Considering how things COULD have gone, I'd say we managed to get out of that pretty light."

Cy was even less opinionated, apparently interested in reserving judgment. "Personally, I would rather have a chance to review the mission briefing notes we've received before making any assumptions..."

The team gathered up their belongings and, since they'd brought their belongings with them into the military base, Frank had made sure that they'd used reversible gym bags so nobody there would be able to identify them by the containers they carried; Christopher gave him kudos for the pre-planning. The walk back to the hotel was a mixture of long stretches of silence with occasional, spontaneous bouts of discussion covering any number of topics that were not their assigned mission.

A few minutes related to upcoming test days followed by thoughts on an upcoming new release movie ultimately transitioned into Chance bringing up the next obvious topic. "So... anyone have any ideas for food?"

That discussion lasted the trip into town and to the hotel. In the end, everyone agreed to let Chance figure things out-- it was early afternoon so a late lunch didn't seem like that bad an idea. Juan and Fran gave Chance a hug, taking his pack from him before heading up to their room. Christopher carried the file provided to them by the Secretary of State and followed after. Chance promised to be back soon.

Once the three of them had returned to their room Cy wasted no time taking a seat at the small table in the room and immediately started reviewing the information provided to them, even going so far as to start taking notes on a spare piece of paper. Frank, on the other hand, settled down onto the sofa, chewing his bottom lip as he went back over the events of the morning in his mind. He wasn't sure how much time passed, but he was snapped out of his musings when Juan sat next to him. "Que pasa, Corazon?"

Frank smiled when his boyfriend interlaced fingers with him. Shrugging, he explained his misgivings. "You know how much I hate the idea of working with the feds, right? Well... even if this gets them off our case, it still doesn't sit right with me."

Juan nodded, expression grave, but still supportive. "Claro... I understand, and I don't like the idea of crossing the border and doing work for los federales in Mexico. It just feels WRONG."

Although Christopher seemed completely absorbed in his work, he spoke up, making it readily evident that he was still paying attention to them. "That's because it IS wrong. Based on my estimate, Merc's Metamorphs will lose ten points off their rating for it."

That caught Frank's attention right away. "What the fuck?!"

The way Juan's fingers tensed in his grasp made Frank realize that his boyfriend was just as dismayed, but he handled it better. "And yet we're being told to do this by the government? Where is the sense in that?"

Cy seemed more inclined to read into things than either of them, tapping one of the sheets of paper with his index finger. "It makes sense if you think about it. They recruited net positive teams that could afford to take a hit because it means that there won't be any blow-back for the Metamorphs working for them... presuming everything goes as planned, of course."

Frank added a sardonic agreement utilizing the same words provided by Christopher. "Oh... 'of course'. Right."

He was about to add more, but Juan gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Frank glanced his way, at which point his boyfriend's creased brow and concerned expression said it all before he was asked "Que te pasa?"

Offering a squeeze in return, Frank shook his head. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Juan pushed the issue. "You don't seem fine, Cariño... you were even more hot-headed than usual today."

Frank shrugged, slowly letting go of his boyfriend's hand so he could reach up and smooth out his hair. "Well... I mean... other than having to deal with this whole fucking Uncle Sam cloak-and-dagger shit, everything's dandy."

The answer didn't seem to satisfy Juan. "You're on edge, and it shows."

Nodding, Frank slumped back into the sofa. "Yeah... no shit. Government jobs are a fuck-fest in a bad way and I'd rather not be having to do this, let alone dragging all of you along for the ride."

Juan stood and gestured for Frank to join him, adding an insistent "Up."

Once Frank stood as well, Juan stepped over and gave him a big hug, gripping him tightly and offering a firm squeeze with his arms. "You're not dragging us along, Corazon-- we're here with you and here FOR you. We'll get through this and then get as far away from it as possible when we're done."

Frank offered a small smile as they disengaged. "Yeah... thanks. Kinda like a visit to the dentist."

Juan smirked. "Si... just like the dentist."

The mood improved thereafter, making Chance's return with two large bags of burgers and fries a little more uplifting despite Juan's immediate snarky comment about his love of fast food. Chance took the time to point out that the guy who goes to get the food gets to choose the food; Juan had no good comeback for that. Frank, Chance, and Juan had a much more relaxed chat over their meal but Christopher remained a little distant, continuing to review the paperwork even as he ate.

After almost a half hour allotted to their late lunch Cy's lack of progress on his own meal caught Chance's attention. "Hey, Chris-- any reason you're only half through your fries and haven't touched your burger?"

Cy responded with one of his patented vague answers. "I want to study."

Smirking, Frank patted Chance on the shoulder. "Studying IS kinda his thing... and it's 'Christopher', remember?"

Juan rubbed both their backs. "I want to go shower. Come on... we can give him some space to look over everything to his heart's content."

The hotel room they got had an adjoining bedroom with an en suite bathroom so the three of them were able to make themselves scarce and give Christopher some space to do his own thing. The bathroom had an enormous shower stall, allowing the boyfriends ample room to shower together. Frank had always enjoyed physically intimate moments with both Juan and Chance-- they didn't specifically have to be sexual and showers were a perfect example of that. It was a long, fulfilling shower in which he got to wash and be washed by both Chance and Juan; his mood had improved greatly by the time they were done.

Afterwards the three retired to the bedroom, laying naked on the bed. Although Frank rarely passed up a chance for some 'messing around', he was surprisingly tired from their morning outing and settled for passing out in the company of Juan and Chance, laying together naked with one another. It was a very good nap, even if it didn't last long. In the end, after about an hour Juan started fidgeting, bringing an end to their quiet time as Chance sat up. "What's up, Juan?"

There was something reaffirming to Frank about Juan bringing up some of his own concerns. "This job that Secretary Alvarez wants us to take on... Cy seems to think that we'll end up losing some rating points for doing a job across the border in Mexico-- as many as ten."

Chance, despite how dense he could be at times, was also capable of some great flashes of insight. "Yeah... I figured that'd be the case. Considering they only wanted net positive teams and we're not seeking an International Powered Permit as part of this whole thing it only makes sense."

Juan sat up, letting out a deep breath. "We've worked really hard to keep our rating net positive. Ten points! That's more than we lost for the diamond job."

Frank offered his boyfriend a gentle hug. "We can earn it back. It's a pretty small price to pay for our freedom when we're done... right?"

Chance spoke up in agreement. "Right. We'll have the government off our asses and we can put this all in the rear view."

Juan scowled. "Presuming Alvarez sticks to her word."

Chance's smirk turned a little devilish. "Well... if she DOES decide to fuck us over we could always get Rook to clear up any electronic records... and probably screw up tons of their tech shit in the process... you know: a big double-finger for being a bitch."

The over-the-top statement was enough to get Juan to smile, even if just a little. Frank gave his boyfriend a light squeeze before finishing off the hug. "Yeah... and, in the meantime, this has gotta be done. We'll still be doing some good, getting rid of some drug mules, smugglers, and a cartel in the process. Sure, it may not be our traditional work, but we're still making a difference."

Sighing, Juan nodded, reaching up to pat both Frank and Chance. "Yeah... true... I guess so. That doesn't mean I have to like it though."

Frank patted Juan's hand on his shoulder before his boyfriend stood up and stepped away from the bed. Offering what support he could, Frank made a suggestion. "Spend a little while with Christopher... let him know you're worried and pose a few of your concerns. He's a smart guy, Juan, and he should help you sort through it."

His boyfriend's follow up smile was a little more genuine. "Claro... I'll do that, mi amor."

* * * * *

Frank awoke in the morning with Chance toying with an errant lock of his hair. Batting his boyfriend's hand away from his head, Frank leveled an accusatory stare at him. Chance just laughed. "What? Don't tell me you don't agree that you need a haircut. You KNOW I can't resist your curls, Frank."

Rolling his eyes, Frank leaned forward and kissed Chance. "I'll get a haircut after midterms... too much going on right now."

Chance rolled over as he sat up, positioning his feet on the floor. "Heh... we're about to go wage war on drug runners and a cartel and you bring up midterms... good to know you have your threat assessment figured out."

Frank tossed a pillow at his boyfriend's back. "Hey-- until the uni lets me use Metamorph powers when testing I have my priorities firmly set."

The two got up and dressed; Frank was honestly how much more upbeat he felt-- proof yet again what a good night of sleep could accomplish when it came to his mindset. They met by the door to the main portion of their hotel room, pausing long enough to embrace and kiss again. As they disengaged, Chance moved his hand to the doorknob. "I hope Juan managed to get some sleep too."

Exiting the bedroom together, Frank led the way down the short hall and into the main room of their suite. The dossier, which had been spread out all over the table the prior night had been gathered up and neatly stacked where Christopher had been reviewing it. Frank was focused on the table until Chance gave him a gentle nudge and motioned to the sofa; when he looked in that direction the scene made him smile: despite the narrow space on the couch Juan and Cy were asleep together in one another's arms.

A light throw blanket was spread out atop them and they were snuggled practically atop each other. Cy's back was against the back rest and he was laying on his right arm while Juan was almost teetering over the edge of the cushion with one arm slipped beneath Cy and the right one wrapped around him from above. It was a precarious arrangement but Frank couldn't help but feel that it was probably an enjoyable arrangement-- when he'd first moved in with Juan they'd also fallen asleep together in their dorm on the small ratty sofa there on more than a few occasions.

Chance didn't seem quite so content to be a silent observer, leaning toward Frank to say "Look at that: Juan has the same curls that you do... you BOTH need a haircut."

Frank elbowed his boyfriend. "Get bent."

Their mutual chuckling ultimately did result in Christopher opening an eye. As he stretched, his movements caused Juan to awaken and they spent the next few moments untangling from one another. Cy, who was still completely clothed, doffed the blanket, making sure that Juan, who was dressed only in his boxers was able to benefit from it. Standing, Cy stretched again. "I always get a stiff back when I sleep on a sofa."

Chance didn't so much as pause before offering a response accompanied with a huge grin. "Cept it looked like you were sleeping on Juan more than the couch."

Juan, blanket still wrapped around himself, stood up and moved around the furniture so he could give both Frank and Chance a hug; he followed up Chance's hug by poking him in the nose with a finger. "Don't make fun."

Frank took the opportunity to steal a second hug from Juan, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend from behind; he was joined a moment later by Chance, who embraced the two of them and, much to Frank's joy, Christopher joined them from the side. They remained that way for several long seconds until Juan ultimately spoke up. "I really like Cy's plan on how to tackle this assignment from Secretary Alvarez."

The four of them disengaged and Juan went back to the bedroom to get dressed, apparently content on being the catalyst for getting the discussion going that morning. Chance wasted no time in pressing for more info. "Alright, Cy... what'cha got?"

Christopher returned to the table and opened up the folder they'd been given. "The amount of intelligence provided was beyond helpful."

Chance grinned, meandering over to join him. "So the whole 'military intelligence' thing ISN'T an oxymoron?"

Frank followed behind his Caucasian boyfriend, leaning on his shoulder from behind so he could look past him to the pages that Cy was spreading out on the table. "Hopefully enough to help us do our job."

Cy smirked. "Better." He began lining up many of the documents. "I already found the ideal place for the ambush for Phase 1."

Chance slowly slid out from Frank's lean so he could get a better look at the documents. "And Phase 1 is what?"

Juan emerged from the hallway, fully dressed. "That's where we intercept the smugglers, Chance-- you know: the thing Alvarez wants us to get done today."

Shrugging, Chance offered a casual remark. "Open desert. Obviously. They'll have nowhere to run so we'll be able to pick em off and round em up."

Christopher shook his head, motioning to an old-fashioned paper map that was included with the documents in the dossier. "Just the opposite, in fact. There's a small town here that they'll be passing through: Palos Rojas."

Chris leaned in, looking to where Cy was tapping on the map then pulled out his cell and did a quick internet search, peering at the electronic map, zooming in as he spoke. "Ooooookay.... so the highway goes through town so I guess I can see why the smugglers'd go through there, but population centers create complications. So what's OUR interest in a-- a what? A five... six... seven... eight-- an eight-block-sized town?"

Pulling out several photographs from within the folder and turning them around so Frank and Chance could see them, Christopher explained. "The south side of town is used to having truckers pass through and local petty crime means there are a lot of digital cameras set up for security. With Rook's use of technomancy the team will have the benefit of information gathering and..." he handed over several more photos as me spoke, "considering the cinder block walls here, here, and here, anywhere along the main road would be a perfect spot to set up an ambush."

Juan nodded, leaning over Cy's back to gesture to some of the photos. "The team could do a full on ambush using just Demon and Bruiser to incapacitate the entire group of drug runners in under two minutes."

Frank wasn't opposed to the idea, but he realized that the plan didn't really maximize the use of the entire group. "That leaves Merc out of the fight entirely. If these guys have guns on them--"

Cy interjected. "Three vehicles... two men armed in the lead vehicle and one in the rear. If those three are removed from the equation then everyone else is a non-issue for a single Metamorph, so two is far more than enough."

Although it was hard to argue with efficiency, Frank still didn't much care for half measures. "We usually involve the whole team. No sense in holding back."

Christopher didn't seem to agree. "If Merc intervenes then we're wasting his versatility. No sense using a Queen when a Bishop will do the job."

Chance rolled his eyes. "Ugh... more chess analogies."

Frank wasn't quite as resistant to hearing more. "What do you mean? Merc has more flexibility than any other member of the team."

Cy nodded. "Until he selects powers for the day, at which point he's committed and his ability to adapt to situations decreases."

Shrugging in response, Frank pointed out the obvious. "True... but if the objective for the day is to deal with the smugglers then there's no reason to hold back."

Chance smirked. "Right. Why not use everyone and get the job done faster and safer?"

Christopher reached into his pocket and pulled out two black towers-- two chess pieces. "Any kind of strategy benefits from mobility-- this is true in chess the same way as it is in life. During the mid-game, a skilled chess player will maximize the ability for their pieces to traverse the board. One such tactic is called 'connecting rooks'. It means moving them to a place where their mobility can reach as much of the board as possible... and that's what we're looking to do here: we want to control the board."

Frank tapped his chin in thought. "Chess is different than fighting with guns though... and, like you said: you bring multiple pieces to bear... so why should Merc be sitting this one out then?"

Cy smirked, pulling two small white chess pieces out of his pocket before setting them on the table. "Because, Frank: the smugglers are the lest of the threats we are facing in service to the government... we do not want Merc worrying about them because his greatest benefit in this is mobility-- he can get the team from Point A, to Point B."

What Christopher was saying didn't make a lot of sense until he repeated himself, at which point Frank realized that he was gesturing to the map when he spoke about the points. Things suddenly clicked. "So you're saying you want to take on the smugglers and the hideout all in one day?"

Christopher's smile widened. "Close. I am proposing Merc's Metamorphs capture the smugglers, raid the hideout, AND siege the cartel base all in one day."

Chance stood up straight. "Well hot damn... overachieve much?" Despite the pointed comment, his voice gave off the impression that he was more impressed than dismissive.

Juan remained beside Christopher. "We both looked over the dossier. Secretary Alvarez said she expects us to do the tasks today, tomorrow, and the day after, but nothing in the actual orders we've received said we have to do it over the course of three days."

Frank chewed on his lower lip. "Except Legendary HQ is sending out groups of Legendary Heroes to attack a Legion base on day 2... this whole thing is supposed to be a distraction during their strike, isn't it?"

Cy nodded. "Yes... but, in order to reduce their hand in the affairs and to have plausible deniability they haven't actually made that a requirement to the mission they assigned to Merc's Metamorphs. They expect the entire operation to be completed by the 18th, which IMPLIES they want each phase to be done-- one each day; technically there's no reason that Merc's Metamorphs can't do everything today and have it completed on the 16th."

Chance laughed heartily at that. "I love technicalities... especially when we can use em to mess with the people strong-arming us."

Frank looked back to the papers on the table. "So how's this going to work exactly? We've never done two missions in a day, let alone three."

Christopher compiled the papers into three stacks and motioned to each in turn as he spoke. "Rook handles observation. Demon is the preliminary ambush on the front lines. Bruiser is on communications and comes at their group from behind. Neutralize the armed smugglers and the rest surrender. Merc will wait this one out, but can be available if there are any complications-- just no powers at this point."

Frank shrugged. "Okay... and once the smugglers are dealt with? What then?"

Cy pulled out the second stack and spread them out. "Merc will activate one power to get us from Palos Rojas, across the border to the safe house-- it's wired for security so, again, Rook can handle strategy and observation. All intelligence points to the main barrier is the 2 meter concrete wall and metal security doors-- none of that is a problem for Demon. Bruiser will be able to track movements via his mind sense that Rook misses with cameras."

Chance let out a whistle of appreciation. "That might be doable."

Christopher nodded, flipping over one of the pages. "According to the dossier there will be between 8-12 people at the safe house. Again, Merc will be able to provide support if need be but, if everything is handled smoothly this is another 2 Metamorph job."

Frank looked at the page, eyes ultimately wandering to the third stack. "Okay... so after that Merc brings the team to the cartel compound... then what?"

Cy's smile turned a little more pointed. "Then Merc enters the fight and can still have some flexibility in power selection. The cartel gets put down and Merc's Metamorphs are out from under the thumb of the government."

Juan gave Christopher a pat on the back. "I told you it was a good idea."

Frank couldn't argue the point. "Okay... well, let's check out and get ready to go-- we have a two mile hike in 90 degree weather but what-the-fuck: if that's the worst thing that happens today I'm all for it!"