The Dragon Awakens

Chapter Fourteen

Lanie knocked hard on the door three times before it swung open to reveal Shang, actually wearing a shirt this time. Granted it was incredibly tight, but at least he was clothed.

"Thank you for joining me Ping," Shang walked away from the door and Lanie took one last look behind her before walking inside and closing the door to the outside world. To her friends. Shang's cabin was massive compared to her tent; large enough for a dining area and a full-sized desk. His cot was tucked into the corner, sheets tight and folded over and pillow fluffed. Lanie's tent in comparison looked like a bomb went off, but in her defense half of that was Mushu.

"Of course sir. What- Why am I here, exactly?" she asked, standing in the middle of the floor with her hands clasped tightly behind her back. Mushu was suspiciously silent in her ear and she didn't like it.

"For food that actually has some flavor," Shang scoffed and placed two plates on the table with a full-sized steak, baked potato, and steamed mixed vegetables. Her mouth immediately started watering and when Shang gestured to the chair she sat a little too eagerly and picked up her fork and knife. "We'd give you some better food but, budget," he shrugged and cut a massive piece out of his steak and chewed quickly, studying her from the other side of the table. Lanie cut her first piece and hesitated. She had been groomed her entire life, in the DA and especially at home with her mother, to eat like a lady. Small bites, elbows in, and never eat everything on your plate. All her meals lately had been so small and simple she'd had no issue but now there was... Cutlery. Actual, non-plastic forks and knives.

"Everything alright?" Shang asked, sipping his water.

"Yes. Just... Why do you get all these meals when the rest of us suffer from salty dried meats and bland porridge and almost stale bread? Where do you keep filet mignon?" she snapped, pushing the plate away from her. It hurt to not dive into that steak, but if her "brothers" couldn't have it then neither would she. 

Shang raised an eyebrow and set the glass down. "You best watch yourself. I brought you here to give you a promotion, don't make me change my mind."

Lanie opened her mouth then closed it again. Mission objective one: check. "Sir? Promotion?"

He cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes. The men seem to not hate you enough to listen to your orders, and the arrow thing not only impressed me but also Clark. I need someone strong at my side to appease mostly everyone. You seem capable and smart enough. Will you accept?"

"Yes," Lanie answered without hesitation. She pulled the plate over to her and popped a fresh piece of broccoli in her mouth. Shang nodded and slid a badge across the table to her. It would go on her uniform from now on, distinguishing her status among her fellow comrades. Yao and Linc would give her endless shit about this but she didn't care. As she took the badge she felt proud since arriving here. She'd earned this merit all on her own; not had it given to her by the DA falsified through paperwork and computer hacking. It was her skill, her hard work, that got her here.

"I'm sure your father would be proud of you now Fa," Shang said as Lanie pined the badge to her top.

Lanie's head shot up and she frowned. "What do you know about my fath-"

The door blew open behind Lanie and she had to stifle her surprise when Mushu strolled in wearing the dark grey uniform of the military messengers. He had a cream-colored enveloped grasped in his hand and Lanie's eyes narrowed. Mission objective two: in motion.

"Yes?" Shang stood and Lanie moved discretely off to the side, watching the DA employee.

"Urgent news from the front sir. General Zhou requests your team at once at the Tung Shao pass for immediate backup." He thrust the envelope forward and Shang ripped it open. Clark burst in a moment later and took the paper from Shang. Lanie saw a flash of handwriting and she was impressed that one of Mushu's skills was copying handwriting but she was also not surprised. Agents of the DA could do anything. 

Clark scanned the writing and looked up at Shang and gave a brief nod. "Well, then that's that. We leave in the morning. I hope your troops are ready Captain." Clark left with Mushu following close behind and slammed the door behind him. Shang glanced at Lanie who stared impassively back.

"Are the troops ready?"

She hesitated before nodding. "They will be when they see what their training has prepared them for sir. They have no choice." He nodded slowly, distracted, and dismissed her with a head nod towards the door.

"Oh Ping," Shang called, "you tell them."

Lanie hesitated before nodding and closing the door behind her sharply. All the men were still milling around as dinner came to an end and she walked towards them and climbed on top of a picnic table.

"Attention everyone!" Lanie called and all heads swiveled towards her. Simultaneously all their eyes went to her new badge and she cleared her throat. "Captain Shang has informed me that tomorrow morning at dawn we will be leaving for the Tung Shao pass to meet up with the general. Evening sessions have been canceled. Have all of your bags packs and ready to go and do not be late or you will be pulling the ammunition cart alone."

"Yes sir," they replied. Lanie dismissed them and all but ran up to her tent where Mushu was still in his messenger uniform. He was throwing things into bags and packing up all his technical equipment. Khan was prancing anxiously outside and only stilled when Lanie handed him an apple she'd stolen from a table in Shang's room. He wouldn't be needing it anyway.

"Mushu what the hell are you doing?" Lanie snapped, untucking her stuffy uniform.

"Trying to figure out what I have to bring with me and what I can spare to leave behind," he answered, examining a strange silver round ball.

"You're coming with?"

"Of course I am, I'm your aid. I can't leave you, that's why I had to deliver the message to Shang. All he needs to think is that I'm reporting directly to the President and anyone else who's above him," he explained, placing his laptop delicately in its bomb-proof case. Lanie shrugged and sat down on her sleeping bag and pulled her shirt over her head. The tail of the dragon peaked out from the corner of her tank top and she pulled that off too so the only thing she was wearing was a sports bra and her combat pants.

"Mushu we're not actually going into a war zone are we?"

Mushu glanced at her, the teenager who had lived through too much, and he sighed. "The General would have set his camp up a few miles outside the war zone and hopefully after you finish your mission we can get out of there and not have to worry about any of that war business."

She glanced outside the flap of the tent to the camp below her where her friends were packing their backpacks and duffles to head off to a very uncertain future. They could live, they could die, they could not fight at all since they weren't even supposed to be going to the Pass. She knew the DA would extract her as soon as she had eliminated the General but she couldn't leave her fellow soldiers behind. Her friends.

"Lanie..." She turned to look at Mushu, who was wringing his hands together. "I know that your missions in the past have been covert, simple, and generally undangerous. But I want you to know that I will be there to protect you. Even if no one else is, I will be." He reached forward and took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. "I promise you." 

She took a sharp breath and nodded, squeezing his hand back. "I'm there for you to Mushu. I couldn't do this without you." 

He gave her a soft smile and a firm nod, before turning back to his packing. Lanie zipped the flap closed and began packing her own bag. She didn't want to leave her friends and she wouldn't. She just wasn't sure how yet.