Blood Lily Company - Afghanistan, year 1

LXX

So we accompanied the light-eyed Pashtun to the small room, which was empty since Rafa was in sick bay. Erk joined us with Kris, who had gone to get him and explained what Lin had done.
- So, you see, Erk, we isolated the culprit, he said as they entered the small room.

The Viking's face darkened, as if clouds were hiding the sun. He frowned and his mouth took a hard line.

I'd seen the angry Viking before, but this one, never. It wasn't anger, it was worse. Was there sadness, anger, the feeling of being betrayed, hatred? It didn't look like the giant I knew. Had he failed to shake the sadness over my idiotic remark?

Erk walked over to the guy who stumbled backwards until he was backed into the back wall. Then silence.

And in the silence disturbed only by the guy's halting breaths, we heard a low growl. And Kris, next to me, put a hand over his eyes and then his mouth. But I saw he was trying not to laugh. I raised a questioning eyebrow to him, he nodded and rushed over to his brother.
- Erik... Erik, listen to me, calm down, okay? If you rip his head off before we've had a chance to ask him questions, that'd do no good, right?

And Erk let out another growl. It sounded like a wolf ready to attack.

Kris managed to calm him down a bit and drag him outside, giving him to me to calm down completely.

Once we got out, we headed for the parking lot and the bikes. Mac and Jo were tinkering on one of the bikes, I waved, and they sped the engine up, making the engine roar.

And Erk and I burst out laughing.

All of this, of course, had been prepared in advance.
- Fuck, Erk, you scared me, I said when I could calm down.

Jo cut the engine to hear better.
- Tell us, Erk, please?

He did, quickly.
- Seriously, Erk, you growled?

He nodded. And he did a demonstration again. He stopped smiling, I saw his throat move and we all heard the growl of a wolf warning that the shit is just about to hit the fan.
- Fuck!
- It only works because I'm intimidating, with my size. And then I've got a natural amplifier, he said, slapping his bid, wide chest, and it just resonates.
- Anyway, I said, it sounded effective. The guy was almost peeing himself with fright.
- Are we sure it's him, at least? asked Quenotte.
- 99%. Let's hope Lin and Kris are convincing.
- I'd like to be a fly on the wall right now.

Erk looked at me.
- Channel 2, he said, tapping his earpiece.

We have some more modern equipment now, and our comms now have nine channels. Channel 1 is the general channel, it acts as an intercom.

We all patted our earpieces and heard Lin's sweet(!) voice.
-... op whining. We know. We just want to hear you say it.
- But say what?
- Are you kidding me? (that's Kris)

Silence.
- Okay, I'll go get the giant, it looks like that was not enough for you the first time.
- He doesn't scare me. (his voice trembled a little, despite the sentence being full of empty bravado)
- Oh? Really? So, you need to get a second dose.

Beside me, Erk sighed.
- I don't like it at all, scaring people like that.

I looked at him, and I understood. I remembered a remark his brother had made to him, I don't remember on what occasion. Erk doesn't like people to be afraid of him. And even though, to protect the rest of the Company, he had taken on this role, he hadn't liked it. I squeezed his shoulder, to comfort him. He smiled at me.

In our earpieces, the conversation continued. Since Kris hadn't come to get Erk, the guy must have deflated.
- So you just said you were spying on us. But we got that, pal. Your little battery-powered radio told us that before. No, we want you to tell us who your employer is, hum? Come on, we're all ears...
- He's ... the Old Man on the Mountain.
- There you go, it wasn't so difficult ...! Kris exclaimed after a very, very short pause.