markdown-everyday-life-with-raptors/chapters/part_12.md

# Part 12

“Do I need to repeat the question?” The prosecutor asked. He didn’t need to repeat it. Owen had heard it very clearly…and he wish he hadn’t. This trap was far more clever than he’d anticipated, and he was struggling to find a way out of it. The room felt like it was closing in as the ghosts of both outcomes kept haunting his shoulders, daring him to choose their side….daring him to misplay his hand. There was nothing he could do…he had to answer honestly, and the truth would do anything but set him free.

“I am the handler of the Raptor Squad.” Owen answered.

“Are you more than that?”

“…If you mean if I’m romantically involved, then no, I’m not. That would be a breach of our professional relationship.” Owen answered, his eyes daring to dart to Blue and Charlie who were both sitting stiff and rigid, neither moving or responding. They were just as interested in how this shaped up. He felt a pang of anger at them for this…could they not anticipate the horrible thing he was about to say?

“Certainly you’re not romantically involved, but after living with four healthy young women for as long as you have, surely feelings have come about.”

“Anything done between myself and the squad is strictly professional.” Owen answered flatly. The prosecutor smiled. Here it comes…and Owen had to brace himself.

“If that’s true, would you object to a reassignment? After all, if this case goes south, you could very easily just reassign yourself and this all goes away. It becomes the responsibility of their new handler. Why go through this whole trial and façade when your relationship to the girls is simply professional?” He asked. Owen had no where to hide now. It was true. The trial was meant to prove the girls sentience, but there was deeper context. If the girls were found sentient, then they were simply soldiers acting in self defense. But if they were not sentient, then the Navy would be held responsible for not handling their “weapons” properly and the girls would be taken away and the Navy would take the fall. The easiest thing to do at this point was resign as their handler. The girls were not technically considered soldiers as of yet, and thus reassigning himself wouldn’t be much different than signing over his sidearm for a different one. Just exchanging faulty tools and being done with it. But Owen couldn’t. Such an action would ruin the relationship he had with the girls…the thing he was pretending didn’t exist.

“Lt. Grady,” the prosecutor pressed, “if the girls are just soldiers under your command, then why are we here?”

“Objection! Badgering the witness.”

“Overruled…Lt. Grady will answer.” The judge responded, waving the objection aside. Owen groaned and finally conceded the only option he could.

“The girls are soldiers.” Owen replied slowly and carefully. “They’re naïve, inexperienced, and in many ways…ignorant. They require proper handling, time, and care to be used effectively. They’re a lot like dogs; they respond well to people they trust. I have the good fortune of being someone they trust, and thus respond well to me. If the Navy expects them to work at maximum efficiency, then I’m necessary to lead the Raptor Squad. Anyone else would be hard for the girls to trust.”

“So your relationship is necessary for them to perform at their best?”

“Yes.”

“It has nothing to do with love, or compassion?”

“….Those things can’t be afforded in our line of work. I care about the girls because they are an essential unit that the Navy needs to use right now in these confusing extra species circumstances we find ourselves in. Without the Raptor Squad as a test case, we have no basis on the potential of an extra species response team…this is the prototype: the beta. As such, these things must be handled delicately and therefore I’m needed. But as I said…….there is nothing between myself and the Squad that would be considered more than professional and…business.” He’d said it, and as he glanced at Charlie and Blue, there was an obvious expression of disappointment…even crestfallen disbelief. He’d worked so long to show these girls he cared about them…that he wanted them to rely on him like they were family. And now, in front of the entire court, he’d announced it was all an act to keep them in line…a means of earning trust to make them efficient. His heart broke with the force of bones shattering. The prosecutor stared him up and down and then stepped back.

“The people rest.” He replied. Hammond rose to his feet quickly.

“Your Honor, I move for a directed verdict.” The room erupted into a hushing hum of disbelief and Owen found himself staring around at everyone, surprised himself by Hammonds suggestion.

“On what grounds?”

“The people’s case hinges on the argument that the girls are not cognizant of their actions and feelings. As we’ve proven through this trial, they are more than cognizant. I think that’s more than enough to consider the facts as they stand.” The judge looked from him to the prosecutor and then inhaled slowly. As he exhaled a long and thoughtful sigh, he nodded.

“Will the people and the defense rise?” The two tables followed his direction quickly and willingly, climbing to their feet. Blue and Charlie stumbled up fast, standing at attention. The judge waited a moment for dramatic emphasis and then carried on. “As soldiers, it’s our duty to monitor our weapons…to clean them, care for them, and know how to use them properly. With this interspecies exchange program in place, and the advocation of extraspecies soldiers, the question has been raised whether we consider them soldiers or another form of weapon to be used. I have always stood impartial, and I was interested to finally see for myself which side held water. After hearing the testimonies of Charlie and Blue, I am convinced of three things that I was not previously.” Blue and Charlie were holding their breath.

“The first is that the Raptors in this room are some of the most frightening killing machines I’ve ever seen. To think that only four of you could engage a force of hostiles over four times your size is astounding, and the Navy should reconsider its stance on how to best utilize you.” He explained harshly. Charlie’s face fell in disappointment and Blue wrapped an arm around her. “The second is that despite your clear killing prowess, you are empathetic towards others, even humans. You clearly care about lives lost and lives saved…which is something no gun could ever do. Therefore, I can see that you are cognizant, and thus fully in control of your actions, and capable of thinking rationally. That is beyond doubt.” He ran his hand through his hair and snorted with an almost laugh. “And thirdly, I hope that this little experiment is a success. If we could have more units like yours associated with the armed forces, I can’t begin to imagine the benefit that might be to our country.” He then raised his gavel. “I find the Raptor Squad and Owen Grady not guilty on the grounds of self defense in the line of duty, as per any other commissioned Navy operative. We’re dismissed. Get the hell out of my courtroom.”

Blue nearly collapsed from the relief and Charlie squealed, jumping up and down in a completely unreserved fashion. Owen ran to both girls and threw his arms around them in a tight hug. For a moment, the awkwardness was past. He knew that what he’d said would be brought up later…he knew there was no simple taking it back. He prayed with all his heart that Blue and Charlie would forgive him…but for now, they were still together and safe. Hammond nodded and shook Owen’s hand, both giving continuous thank yous to one another.

“Does this mean we can go home now?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah. We’ll pick up Delta and Echo and head home right away.” Owen answered.

“Home…sounds wonderful.” Blue sighed. Owen glanced at her and, though she was smiling, there was a shadow of doubt in her eye. Charlie didn’t notice anything and was running to Hammond to thank him, forcing her way through dozens of onlookers who were simply trying to snag a glimpse of the raptor girl.

“Blue…about what I said.”

“Alpha, you said what you needed to say.” She said stiffly, straightening her back and forcing her smile. Forced though…it was forced.

“Blue, you girls mean more to me than-”

“No sir, you were right…” Blue interjected. “We’re soldiers, and we have to trust our commanding officers. There was nothing wrong in what you said. Don’t feel ashamed of it.”

“I’m not ashamed of it, Blue.” Owen muttered. “I want you to know that it’s…not how I really feel.” Blue finally relaxed a little, but the feint shadow of disappointment was there. It would have to do for now, but one thing was for sure…the group was together again, even if a cloud hung over their heads for a long time to come. Owen did what he had to do, even if it hurt…but he couldn’t help asking if it had been worth it.


“That no good bastard.” Hoshkins hissed from the lab desk. The doctor on the other side, a short Asian man with cut close hair and slanted eyes was sipping tea calmly behind the desk, gazing at the lab notes to the corner of his white desk. There were glass walls on all sides, all showing the lab work going on outside. A yellow tint was made on the windows, giving the illusion that they were surrounded by walls of gold or amber. There was a soft hum of generators powering the equipment around them. “I can’t believe it…I can’t believe that son of a bitch…”

“Relax, Hoshkins.” The Asian doctor replied.

“Relax?” Hoshkins hissed. “What the hell do you mean, ‘relax?!’”

“I mean that things are still proceeding on schedule and there’s no immediate need for the Raptors yet.”

“The longer we sit on this, the more likely there’s an investigation. Do you know what the media’s gonna hit us with if they find out-”

“The Raptors won’t talk about this island, and even if they did, they don’t know what’s been going on here. They have no recollection or knowledge of the operation. I highly recommend that we think on the matter at hand.” Hoshkins paused and glanced back at the good doctor.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Henry?”

“It means she’s reached maturity.” Henry answered with a smile. “Would you like to meet her?” Henry stood up from his desk with his tea cup still in hand and walked past Hoshkins out of the lab door down a long and blank hallway. There were various doors and gates leading off to different locations on the compound. Each door and gate had signs and numbers on them, marking what was inside, where the path lead to, and the quantity. But at the farthest end of the hall was a door marked with the letter “I” and a number 2 that was scratched out and replaced with the number 1. Henry pressed his hand on the pad and the door slid open. The path beyond the door lead out to a walkway with bulletproof plexiglass walls and roof around them, allowing Hoshkins and Henry to look out but nothing to get in. They stood on this elevated pathway looking down at a paddock nearly two acres in radius with jungle fauna all around. Below them, sleeping in a patch of the tall trees, was a figure that made Hoshkins blood curdle and his hair stand on end. Its hair was white, and its body was large…nearly 9 feet in height if it were standing. Spines ran along its back and there were traces of red stains around its lips which Hoshkins didn’t want to speculate on what left them. It was horrifying, and yet striking at the same time.

“She’s…terrifying.”

“Precisely.” Henry agreed. “And she’s almost ready. I’ll be calling our financiers at the Navy to discuss next steps, but for now you can see why the Raptors are not our top priority right now. If we can have her fitted, trained, and ready for deployment, no one will even care about the Raptor Squad.”

“I ever tell you that you’re one optimistic son of a bitch?” Hoshkins muttered. “If that thing is as dangerous as you’ve claimed, I ain’t sure what kind of man could train it.”

“Definitely not our Lt. Grady.” Henry scowled. “It was a mistake to trust the Raptors to his care…he’s too sentimental. They’re animals at the end of the day. All these extra species people are more animalistic than society would like to admit. If you sympathize with them, it only detracts from the animalistic tendicies that separate them from us. What use is there in domesticating these people when it is their wild nature that so intrigues us to begin with? The world is boring enough as it is, in my opinion…why take all the fun out of it?”

“And you think THIS will make it more fun?” Hoshkins asked.

“No, but it will certainly make things more interesting.” Henry answered. Hoshkins turned walking to the door. “Done?”

“Get me the hell out of here. I dunno who scares me more, that monster…or you, Dr. Wu.” As the two walked out of the pathway, the creature in the paddock opened a single yellow eye, tracking their movements and smiling to itself. It now knew how they got it…and how it could get out.