Gone

32.

Stone manages to get her plane ticket exchanged for an earlier date, that same night she arrives on base and is met by General Granger.

"You had a week left," Granger comments as he walks up to the vehicle Stone is climbing out of, "there wasn't anything for me there," He sighs as he decides not to push the subject.

"The living situations are different since you are a Captain now. You have your own room in a dorm-style apartment, you have a roommate who, by the way, is a Banshee, so you might need ear muffs. The apartment has one bath, small dining and living area, and a kitchenette." Stone nods as they start walking.

"You have a smaller squad right know because I have six Captains, either Smith or Raji might be transferred. The S.Ls, you picked before you were transferred will return to your squad." Stone follows silently as General Granger shows her around. "That's the whole base, now let's go to the quad the Unit is waiting, I'll show you to your living space after."

"General Granger! Captain Stone welcome back!" Stone nods to a very chipper Hendy. "Well you remember Row, Coon, and Williams," Williams approaches Amoura and she dodges his hugs.

"I don't like being touched, so don't try it or I'll break whatever is touching me." General Granger doesn't let Williams speak, "this is Captain Smith and Captain Raji. Smith took over your squad when you were transferred."

Stone looks at the unit and sees that Hendy and Stark are staring at her, Granger motions for her to say something, "In the last two years my tactics have changed. A lot. I have this rewiring saying I'm indestructible and that I work best alone, that being said I will be teaching you my tactics so don't hold onto the training you all have now. You all will adapt to me, not I to you. So I suggest you listen to me because either you follow me and live or disobey and die. Got it." Stone asks and they reply with, 'yes, Captain.'

Stone sits down as General Granger dismisses them "S-" Granger cuts Williams off and leads Stone away to the Captain's apartment-style building. It was two stories and gray, with double doors on all for sides.

He takes her to an apartment near the middle entrance to the stairs. "This is your apartment, if you need anything I'm sure your fellow Captains will help you, our unit has the training grounds six to eight AM and PM." He hands her a key and walks off, she waits till he's gone to go inside.

Stone's roommate had guests, "Oh hi!" Leo looks at her surprised, "Captain Stone, I'm your new roommate, can you point me to my room?" Stone asks and she nods.

"Leo and it's down the hall to the right." Amoura walks past her and to her room. Amoura sets her bag down and sits on the bed, "this is annoying." She grabs her headphones, iPod, and cigarettes and walks out. She walks around for a while before finding a bench to smoke on.

"Those are going to kill you," Stone doesn't look up, "they told me the same thing about General Alzack yet here I am," Coon sits beside her.

"Welcome back Stone," Stone stays silent and continues smoking, "Stone!" Williams rushes over to her, "you found her Coon!" Williams bursts into a smile.

"Stone you really shouldn't be smoking those-" she pulls her hand away from his reach, "don't touch me." Row shows up then, he leans against Williams. "We're glad you're back."

"I'm not you all are awfully loud," Stone gets up, "hey where are you going?" Williams asks, "for a walk, I came out here for some peace and quiet. You all are ruining it," Amoura walks away, "you'll get lost!" Williams yells, "so be it."

"Stone wait!" She quickly grabs the arm holding onto hers and snaps the elbow, Williams whimpers in pain, "I told you not to touch me." She turns away, "is this why General Granger advised us not to push you?" Williams asks Amoura. "yes." She walks away.

Stone walks around with a lit cigarette till she finds a quiet bench to sit on, "those are going to kill you," Stone's blood turns to ice as she registers the owner of the voice. 

"You're not going to say anything?" Stone questions his presence, maybe she's finally lost it. "I'm hoping all the idiots who say cigarettes are going to kill me will disappear." She speaks as he sits beside her.

"So now those who care for your health are idiots?" She looks at him coldly, "no those who think something as simple as a cigarette kill me is an idiot, if a bullet to the brain didn't kill me I doubt these will."

The intercom goes off and Stone is called to the command center. "I liked you better when I thought you were dead," Amoura speaks up after a few minutes of silence. She gets up and heads to the Command Center.

"Captain Stone, I was called in?" The Rook nods and leads her to a conference room. "Sir, Amoura Stone is here."

"You don't look like a prodigy?" One of the older Generals asks. "I'm not, the prodigy was among the ones you all wanted to murder." She replies plainly.

"Watch your tongue!" The older General splats, "Or what you'll have me killed too?" She stares at them uninterested, "where is Alister Alzack?" They ask her, "how the hell should I know? Is it not your job to keep him in check?" Stone asks. "Alzack escaped two days ago." A female General speaks up.

"You all are terrible at your jobs, can't even keep one madman in check," Stone speaks as she looks at them uninterested, "your parents informed us they got a call from a man telling them you were in a hotel near the airport in your hometown."

"Since when is it a crime to check into a hotel? Besides, I didn't help him if that's what you're insinuating. That man doesn't deserve help," Stone makes direct eye contact with the older General, "good then you have no problem hunting him down."

"Why should I clean up your mess?" She asks them, "Because if you don't our deal is over and we'll hunt down the vampires we let go free." Anger rises in Stone, "don't threaten them, it's not their fault you all are incompetent." She heads to the door.

"Where are you going?" Stone pauses, "to do your job and catch Alzack. Oh and don't ever threaten our deal again. You'd do well in remembering I know how to get away with murder." They growl at her, "is that a threat?!" She looks at them dead in the eyes, "yes it is." Stone walks off. "General Granger you will assist, you vouched for her now make sure she listens."

General Granger finds Stone in a study room looking at maps, "what is it Stone?' She slides the map over, "Sir is the compound in Canada still standing?"

"Yes, why?" He looks back at her, "because that's where he'll go, he can protect himself there," General Granger stares at her for a second, "alright prepare the unit we leave in thirty." Stone stops him, "no sir a whole unit is too big. He'll see us coming and he'll know exactly how to take the unit down. Don't risk more lives than we have too."