A New Kind of Army

Chapter 9: Clan Crash Course

My mind just continued to be muddled. Everything that Christin had told me, had been swirling up in my head for the past two days. This had to have been some sick joke. People couldn't be doing the things he told me about. People couldn't be letting this happen in the first place.

Well, except for Hydra; I could see them kidnapping people and experimenting on them. But, everyone else?

But this still couldn't be happening! Then again, I had seen a girl send a book flying over my head without touching it, and listened to a guy talk to plants. I should be able to understand that this is all real, and not some coma dream, or purgatory. It's just this is so sickening.

I hadn't been able to see Taiga the same way after the conversation. He was really nice to me. As the one who I usually woke up to working in the med-bay, he was one of the people I talked to the most. He often helped me learn more about the future. But to be honest everything he told me was really weird. The music was strange, at least the kind that Taiga liked was; I didn't really understand was 'dubstep violin' was. He tried to explain what it meant to go 'online' but I couldn't really wrap my head around it. And then...He would tell me about his home, and how he was raised at the main base; stories about him being the eldest of six, about his mom or the woman who became his mom, and the mishaps of his early years. He seemed so happy, it just didn't seem possible that someone like him, was born in such a horrible way. I didn't want to ask him about it.

I shook my head, and sighed, pulling myself from my thoughts. I was alone again, this morning... or afternoon. I still didn't have clock down here so I didn't know if it was day or night and the lights were, 'motion activated' as Taiga had said. So, as long as I shifted every now and again the lights wouldn't switch off. I kind of wanted to know how they worked, but when I asked, I got a bunch of random gobbledygook that I didn't understand.

When I was alone it was really boring in the med-bay. Taiga had brought me a few books, but it was really difficult to hold and turn the page with only one hand. Sure, my mobility had been improving but it was still really difficult to open up a book, much less read it.

The door opening drew my attention once more. I turned and saw Taiga walking in. He smiled at me, and pulled a wheelchair through the door. This was different.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Oh, orders. Dad asked me to should you around the base, and explain a few things. There are some personnel that you haven't met yet and we need to get this out the way before we prep for leave."

"Whoa, wait prep for leave?"

"I did tell you that this wasn't our main base, didn't I? Or did I forget to relay this information?"

"No, you told me. I just thought you were posted here and received orders from there."

Taiga chuckled, "In some cases that is the situation, but for us it's a little different. We usually are posted at the main base; this outpost is only in use if an extraction team is on an out or return trip from a mission. Though sometimes these types of bases are repurposed as an active outpost. But that's beside the point. We have had to delay our return twice already, and we need to take our leave soon. Otherwise, Dad risks his spot as Clan Leader."

"Clan Leader?"

"Oh, wait that's right, you haven't been told yet. Alright, I might as well explain. In mutant culture there's something called a Counseling, that leads the mutant community in certain area. That area is split in to smaller territories, which are run by Clan Leaders. Clan Leaders are the members of the Counseling, and each hold equal power in it, as the resources that all the clans accumulate are pooled together and then distributed equally among the clans. Though, sometimes personal trades or agreements between certain Clan Leaders can be arranged."