Brown felt the pain as if it were his own. He looked with shock at Jaeger, who was staring with the same intensity as the rest of the room. Two guards strode over from the side of the room and hoisted the unconscious Lewis by his underarms. They dragged him to Brown's table, and eased him unceremoniously onto his seat. Jaeger strove to provide assistance, while Brown just stared and stared with numbness and horror.
He saw the holes the bullets had made, but strangely enough, there was no blood at all. No gaping wounds, no torrent of oozing blood. The guards flung Lewis' clothes at them, and Fuchs managed to snatch the jacket and shirt out of the air before they hit the ground.
"You are not invincible." The bald man announced. "Do not think that these so called hydrostatic gel implants will protect you from the most important thing of all; your mind. You WILL feel the pain, even if it does not kill you, you may wish it did. Have a good dinner."
That meant Lewis was far from dead then! Brown leant forward and placed his head on Lewis' heaving chest. He heard the familiar strong pulse of the sergeant, and sighed with relief. He glanced quizzically at Jaeger.
"How do you get the bullets out?" Jaeger shrugged his shoulders. Brown glared at him, and experimentally squeezed Lewis' right breast. Immediately Lewis let out a shudder, and a "Squelch" sound was heard. The bullet, still in one piece, undamaged, slid out and hit the carpeted floor with a minute "Thump". Out of curiosity, Brown inserted the smallest finger of his right hand into the hole. He felt Lewis' soft skin, only that it was much hotter.
Lewis, for his part, let out quite a loud groan and straightened up in his seat. Fortunately, the sound of clinking cutlery and of chattering drowned it. His eyes flickered open.
"You alright?" Brown asked.
"It hurts, oh god, it hurts." Lewis moaned, screwing his face up into a grimace of pain. "Why me?"
The senior members chuckled softly.
"Just hold still, and we'll get the rest of the bullets out." Lewis was not pleased. Not pleased at all. He gave loud groans of disapproval, which were smothered by the quick-thinking Fuchs by use of a table napkin, as Brown squeezed each area to coax the bullet out. After that was done, he gave Lewis a quick massage, and watched with wonder as Lewis' skin slowly eased its way out again, to the same perfect, smooth shape it was before the bullets nearly perforated it.
"Hey, Mike." Lewis finally managed to breathe out. "Umph!" he grunted, as Brown engulfed him in a tight hug. "Ooh, what's all this?"
"I thought you were dead!" Brown nearly sobbed into Lewis' bare chest. The newer team members had crowded around Lewis and Brown, waiting with bated breath. Now, they breathed sighs of relief, as the senior members stared with interest from their positions.
"Hey, Cayden. I didn't know you could get bullets out like that. Used to take ages to wait for it to come out." Harrison said. Lewis gently pushed Brown away, and straightened himself out. There were red welts on his flesh where the bullets had struck, and Brown, with a pang of sorrow, touched them, much to the detriment of the staff sergeant.
"No! No! Stop! It hurts!" he cried, slapping Brown's hand away.
Lewis donned his clothing, and Brown enjoyed an excellent meal along with the rest of the squad after that. Twenty minutes later, fully satiated, he leant back against his seat, fiddling with his tie. Suddenly, Brown heard a thumping of footsteps on the carpet behind him, and looked around. A light-brown haired boy not too much older than them was staring expectantly at Lewis, with cold grey eyes. Brown looked for his rank, but realised that everyone was wearing clothes, thereby blocking the rank from view. Lewis quickly got to his feet.
"This is our Commanding Officer, Commodore Max Jacobus. He is the person whom I report to, and he is the one who will assign our missions to us." Lewis saluted, and the rest of the team promptly followed. The commodore waved it off.
"Forget about that. You know I don't really care about salutes." The boy tossed his head, and his medium length hair that curled at its ends followed his momentum. He had a sharp hawk-eyed look about him, and Brown had no doubt that this person was as ruthless as the terrorists. Two guards stood warily behind him, hugging their G36s. Brown saw the fear in the boys' eyes.
"Commodore Jacobus is from The Hague, Netherlands. His parents used to be part of the international court of justice before he was transferred here."
The commodore smiled, and shook hands with the entire team. He and Lewis immediately launched themselves into a talk that only close affiliates could engage in.
"You alright, Coby, old boy?"
"Yeah, I am good." Brown liked the Dutch accent.
"How's the family and all? How's Jurgen?"
"Ah, he's fine. I just wish he thought about his decision before he made it."
"Aww, no worries, mate. He'll be fine. The Coalition treats its soldiers."
"Not too good, so I just saw."
"Oh, I guess that barmy old coot was just trying to prove a point."
"But look. How does that benefit you?" The Dutch commodore leant forward and lightly patted Lewis' chest, causing the sergeant to stiffen up and inhale with pain.
"Not everybody's like that."
"I know. That is why I need a favour from you."
"Sure, mate. Anything for you."
"Listen. I know your squad is full, but would it be alright if..."
"If Jurgen joined us?"
The commodore shuffled nervously in his position.
"Yes. Please. This means a lot to me."
"I don't know, Max. Old bald Richmond might not like that." Lewis motioned to the bald man sitting alone at his table.
"You let me worry about that."
"Okay then. When will he be reporting in? We're starting our advanced training soon. Has he..."
"He's done basic training, yes, yes. Basic Combat Medic training."
"Oh excellent. He can help Mike out then." Brown raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"Thank you. You don't know how much..."
"This means to you, yes, yes. Heard that so many times before." Brown nudged Fuchs hard, as a sudden thought sprang to his mind. Fuchs stared at him quizzically.
"That's what you ALWAYS say!" Brown hissed to him. Fuchs nudged him back, and glared at him.
"Alright, mate. Stay safe." Lewis clapped Jacobus on the shoulder, while the Dutch boy patted Lewis in the midsection, causing him to wince.
"Sorry." The commodore wandered off to the other tables, guards in tow. Brown looked over at Lewis, but before he could say anything, Roberts spoke up.
"Why do I sense another pathetic junior joining us?"
"Take a chill pill, Mark. It's only one more person."
"And one more stack of paperwork." Groaned Blake.
"Well, deal with it. He's joining us. This topic is non-negotiable." Lewis said, in a final tone. And that was that.
Brown flung himself onto the bed with a sigh, enjoying the feeling of the soft eiderdown against his recently showered body. The room was so cold that he could actually see the steam rising from his hot body. Not wanting to lose that, he quickly snuggled into the sheets. After a few minutes of groping in the darkness under the blankets, he finally discovered a sticky-smooth warm body. He explored the slowly breathing torso, and, unable to determine its owner, poked it quite hard in the stomach.
"Urrghh..." Gurgled Lewis' voice. "Mike, that hurts! I'm trying to get to sleep and forget the pain."
Brown got to action immediately. Fighting the cold, he ran over to the squad's medical kit and came back with the Edirol painkillers. He turned them over, and read "For best effect, apply on affected area." Fine. Lewis would have to deal with some pain.
He pulled off the covers, revealing Lewis' superb body. Lewis looked up at Brown, and his eyes widened with shock.
"Don't you dare."
"Cayden, these will help you."
"I think I know what's best for me, thank you."
"What's the matter with you, man? Are you afraid of pain or something?" Lewis clamped his mouth shut and stared at the ceiling.
"Oh, sorry. You need this all the same." Lewis vehemently shook his head. "Please? Just for a few minutes. You can tell me when to stop." He pestered Lewis for a full five minutes before Lewis finally gave in.
"Alright. But stop when I say stop, okay?"
"Sure." Brown squeezed the translucent orange fluid onto his palm and very carefully worked on the welts on Lewis' left breast. The sergeant screwed up his eyes and lolled his head backward with pain, hissing as Brown pressed into the welt.
"Oww, stop stop stop." Lewis groaned after a few minutes. Brown complied, and after ten seconds, Lewis nodded for him to continue. Brown continued in the same vein for twenty minutes, and finally finished with Lewis' bruises.
"There. All better." Brown said in a nurse-like voice.
"Oh be quiet, Florence." But Lewis appreciated it, and Brown knew it. The rest of the team had showered respectively, a reluctant Fuchs being forcibly pushed into the bathroom by Martin and Matthew, and showering after being threatened with the promise of a beating up by the twins. Fuchs now lay beside Brown and Lewis, waiting for his favourite spot to be available for him. Brown had an idea. He rolled over and tapped a dozing Matthew, who was resting his head on Martin's chest.
"Yeah?"
"Could you just lie on Cayden for awhile to ease his pain?"
"Why? Couldn't you do it?"
"I... I... Don't think I'm on good speaking terms with him."
"Oh, alright, alright." The platinum haired boy levered himself up with his hands, and shuffled over to Lewis, where he very carefully eased himself face first onto the sergeant's body. Lewis groaned softly in relief, and turned to Brown, nodding his thanks.
As Brown scooted back and sat leaning on the headboard, Fuchs gazed up at him expectantly, and made to rise. Brown pushed him back with a glare, and Fuchs looked at him questioningly. He laughed softly, and slowly eased himself onto Fuchs' soft body, appreciating the firm bulge of the German boy's chest. Fuchs sighed softly.
"You haven't done this before." Fuchs exclaimed. "I'm usually... on...top..." he faltered, realising the double meaning of the words. Brown chuckled.
"Don't worry about it, man. It's quite comfy up here as well." Fuchs nodded slowly, and began stroking his Brown's back.
"I...I'm not very good at this, so..." Fuchs murmured as he found each link in Brown's spine and pressed against it.
"Ahhh... that's fine. Keep doing that." Brown managed to breathe out, before he fell asleep.
"Hey, we gotta get up!" Fuchs whispered into his ear, nudging him gently to consciousness. He groaned loudly, not ready to face the world yet. Red chrome on his retinas told him that either the light was on, or the sun had risen extremely early. Either way, he still was far from awake.
"Fritz, this the first time you've woken before me. What's up with that?"
"I don't know. The sergeant woke me up first, and I didn't wanna put a bad impression on myself."
"I see. Where's the rest of the team?" At this, Fuchs giggled.
"They're taking their showers. Cayden's making them take showers two at a time, and Lee's not very happy with that. You're fine with that, aren't you?"
"I guess."
"We can lay down here for about ten minutes I suppose. Then we hafta go."
"Okay, okay. Wake me, please." Brown placed his ear over Fuchs' breast, and promptly fell asleep again amidst the heartbeat.
Eventually, he did rise, and showered together with Fuchs, too sleepy to notice anything. Fuchs silently washed himself beside Brown, and it was by tacit agreement that nobody said anything about the other's body. They eventually finished, and Brown exited the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Observing the rest of the team, he donned only the camouflaged Coalition trousers, and neatly combed his hair back, using Blake's gel. They ate an excellent breakfast of bacon and eggs, courtesy of Lewis, and then followed him down the elevator into the basement level.
The first thing Brown saw when he exited the elevator was a huge insignia of the Coalition, and a polished marble floor. Then, the rest of the room was given his attention. There were glass doors everywhere, along with dimly lit corridors.
"This, team, is the information centre of this complex. Fritz, you're doing bomb defusal, so you're off to the explosive ordnance area. Matthew, join him will you? Ooh, someone better keep an eye on that Silver boy. Mark, follow him, won't you? Martin, you're off to weapons handling and management, so the Firearms department is on your left. Joshua, go to the Engineering department." The junior members plodded off, bare torsos shining in the light.
"Ah, Mike. You're in the Medical wing. Go on. We need to welcome our new team member and assign a position for him." He faltered. "Err... I think someone better accompany you. That place needs security clearance, and I'm not ready to feel the pain yet again. Also, I want to see how the Coalition's health department is managing its training. Who wants to follow him?"
"I'll do it." Jaeger immediately volunteered. Lewis smiled.
"Of course. Well, the rest of you are... free to do whatever you want. Go for a jog or work out at the gym, whatever." The rest of the team shuffled off, Blake muttering "He woke me up just for this? I'm going to hit the sack again. God, unbelievable!"
Jaeger chuckled, and beckoned Brown to him. They went through an elaborate "maze" of glass doors and wooden panelled corridors, until finally Jaeger stopped in front of a large metal door labelled "Medicine and Toxins" and a sign below stating that "Security Clearance Level 5 Required for Entry."
Jaeger sighed.
"Time for pain." He groaned, as he stepped up to the adjacent machine. Immediately, needles pierced his large pink nipples and his navel with a "Sssshk" hiss.
"Ohhhh!" Jaeger screamed in extreme pain. His knees buckled, but he held on nevertheless.
"Ungh!" he cried out, as the needles withdrew back into the machine. A level five security verification was obviously more intense than a level one clearance, for example their quarters. Jaeger dropped to his knees with a thud and a moan, as the door hissed open.
"Get in there! It'll close in a couple of seconds." Brown dragged Jaeger into the white room. Once inside, he stopped to massage the Swedish boy's massive nipples and caress his abused navel, causing him to loll his head back in ecstasy and pain, while groaning incomprehensible words.
"Welcome to the medical wing. It's been awhile since any new trainees have been in here. How do you do?" A sandy blonde haired boy extended his freckled hand to Jaeger, who pointed at Brown.
"Oh, sorry." The British accent was vaguely familiar. The boy moved round to Brown, and helped him to his feet. Brown gasped as he stared into the doctor's face.
"C-Cayden?!" The doctor was a spitting image of Lewis, although he was wearing rimless spectacles.
"Err... no. But how do you know Cayden? And why do you not call him Sergeant?"
"He's our squad leader. He told me to call him Cayden, coz he's my assigned companion."
"Ah, I see."
"Who are you?" The doctor grinned, his bespectacled eyes crinkling up.
"I'm James. James Lewis." The boy replied. "I've always wanted to say that. Makes it sound like James Bond. Cayden's my older brother. Don't see him around much, except when he gets breaks, which I don't. Is he here?"
"Yeah. He told me to go for medicine, and now I know why." Lewis let out a laugh.
"Of course. He wanted you to meet me, and vice versa." The doctor had a mixture of brown and blue eyes instead of pure blue like his brother had.
"Well, let's get started, shall we?" Lewis led him to an operating table, and projected a hologram of an unknown boy, who was clutching his stomach and writhing in pain. "Now, in this situation, what you're expected to do is..." Brown listened attentively, never taking his eyes off Lewis or the hologram. He noticed that Lewis had the same physique as his older brother, although he was lither and less muscular. His nipples were roughly half an inch in diameter, slightly larger than Cayden's and his stomach held a neat six-pack, along with a protruding navel that had the slightest cleft in its centre. Lewis' rank of Lance Corporal was neatly implanted onto his chest, but he also had a Red Cross protruding from the centre of his solar plexus. Enemies would identify him as a medic and therefore would not open fire, the Coalition hoped.
The next four hours was spent going over various medical terms and examining medical equipment that Brown was supposed to bring to operations. Various members of staff, all boys of their age group entered and exited the wing; some entered the ward and did not return. Brown knew they were doing shifts. Jaeger watched nearby with a hawk's eye, arms folded across his body, making his chest bulge out. Finally, Lewis glanced at his wristwatch.
"Oh, nearly time for lunch! It's ten to twelve. I'll join you for lunch; maybe Dennie will appreciate my presence." He pressed a button and the door slid open. "Come on!" he strode out of the room.
As they were walking, Lewis turned to Jaeger and said "You could have used the intercom, you know. Then I would have opened the door for you." Jaeger, nursing his aching chest, glared at Lewis silently. They made their way through the vast labyrinth of the Coalition's underground complex, small talking, and found their way back to the elevator.
"Ooh, I think we're a little late." Lewis exclaimed, glancing again at his watch. They entered the elevator, and it took them to the Coalition's cafeteria. Brown could smell the hot food as the lift door opened, and it made him slightly dizzy with hunger. His stomach growled loudly, and Jaeger patted it with a grin.
"James!!" Brown heard a loud exclamation, and Cayden Lewis sprung from the metal chair he was seated in and ran with arms outstretched toward James. The two embraced for a long time.
"I missed you." Lewis' voice broke as he hugged his younger brother tightly.
"Umph!" James croaked. "You're crushing me, Dennie!" he managed to rasp out.
"Oh, sorry." Lewis replied, releasing his hold on James.
"Didn't tell me you were back, did you?"
"I... I thought you were busy."
"I'll have you know I am very busy indeed. But not too busy for my own brother."
"Aww, sorry, mate." Lewis murmured sheepishly.
"I'm Mike's teacher for medicine." Lewis' eyes widened.
"Oh! That's a surprise. I didn't expect him to meet you, much less SEE you!"
"The staff told me a trainee was coming in, so I made myself free for him." The younger Lewis stated. Brown's stomach could not help releasing another growl. Lewis grinned.
"Okay, go get yourself some food, Mike. You too, Hans." Brown made his way to the counter, where he was doled a generous helping of mashed potatoes, meatloaf and long beans. He hurried back to the team's table, and devoured the food in huge mouthfuls. The rest of the team laughed softly at him, while the Lewis brothers conversed rapidly while seated at the adjacent table.
Brown finally finished his food, and covered his mouth for the incoming loud burp. Lewis took the chair beside Brown, and beckoned to James, who promptly sat on his lap. Lewis smiled.
"He's three years younger than me. Back when I was like this, and he was a tiny lad, we used to do this. It's the same now, though." He stroked the doctor's chest, and James smiled behind his glasses. He suddenly noticed the welts on Lewis' torso.
"When were you shot?" he asked in a clipped tone.
"Yesterday." Lewis replied.
"But... how..."
"Richmond. He wanted to prove a point. I was his guinea pig. The collateral."
"Damn that sick small-bollocked cun..."
"James!"
"Sorry, Dennie."
"Anyway, Mike, I want you to meet our new team member." He motioned to a blonde haired boy whose hawk-like features resembled the commodore. "Jurgen Jacobus. Call him JJ."
"Hey." Brown shook hands with the boy.
"He'll be joining you in the medical wing for toxicology. He's your counterpart. While you save lives, he takes them."
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." The Hagen replied. He had a well defined chest and a smooth stomach. His skin was slightly tanned, and produced an orange sheen, while his eyes were a mixture of green and brown. His nipples nearly matched the tone of his skin, but were slightly redder, while his navel was a small vertical slit.
"Well, aren't we a happy family." Lewis exclaimed. "Everyone's brother is here. We got a set of twins; we have James, and even the commodore's brother." At these words, Jaeger looked at his food and picked at it silently. Brown noticed this behaviour and went over to him.
"Don't worry, Hans. I'm here. I can be your brother." Jaeger looked up at him with sad green eyes, prompting Brown's eyes to fill up with tears. "Don't, Hans. Don't. Let's be happy for a change. I hate it when you're sad, coz it makes me sad as well."
Jaeger managed to pull himself together and smile, squinting his eyes and wrinkling his nose.
"My brother." He whispered, and ran his fingers through Brown's hair. Next on the schedule was martial arts and self defense, led by Roberts. James stayed to watch a few demonstrations which mostly involved Matthew Silver being kicked in vital areas and sinking to the ground with weird expressions of pain on his face. He backed off in a hurry however, as Roberts started striding towards him with clenched fists as Matthew was helped to his feet.
He stumbled, and fell into Brown's arms. Brown appreciated the doctor's soft, untouched skin, and took as much guilty pleasure as possible by prolonging contact. Lewis straightened up, and turned to Brown with a grin.
"Better get back to the wing. Sick people there." He said. Lewis went over to his older brother and wrapped his arms around him one last time, murmuring words into his ear. Cayden grinned, and patted James on the shoulder, while purposely knocking his glasses askew. James left with a wave to the rest of the squad.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Mike." He called. Brown nodded in response as Lewis finally exited the gym. They practised for four more hours, each getting their fair share of bruises from Roberts, who alternated between pairs before Lewis finally called it a day.
"Alright, people. It's time we went for dinner. Oh bollocks, I need to cook again." He sighed. "Come." He led them back to their quarters, and they each took showers, Fuchs taking an exceptionally long time with his, only exiting when the twins banged on the door repeatedly, screaming threats at him.
They finally ate their dinner, and this time Brown volunteered to help Lewis with the washing up, much to the scorn of the senior members.
"Don't worry." Lewis told him. "I do all the work for them, but I'm sure they appreciate it. After all, we're a team. Someone has to make sacrifices."
"Yeah." They washed the dishes in silence. "Hey, Cayden."
"Yes?"
"How did you feel when your brother joined the Coalition?"
"James? Oh. I persuaded him to join the medical sector, partly because it would do him a lot of good, keep him out of mischief and all that."
"Oh. Why else?" Lewis spoke in such a low tone Brown had to cock his ears to hear it.
"I can't lose him. He's the only family I've got." Lewis looked intently at the dish he was holding. "I've had enough seeing Hans suffer. He used to cry all the time at night, and Mark used to just hold him. It's a surprise, really. Mark's usually not that type of person. More of an introvert, in my opinion." Brown nodded.
"Yeah. What's up with him?"
"I think he lost someone he loved very much before he joined this squad, and nothing will replace that."
"Oh." Brown pondered for awhile, before asking again. "Do you think that there is any chance that any people who were lost are now in the opposing army?"
"Hmm..." Lewis scratched his chin. "I don't know. The Liberation army hasn't published anything about recruiting enemy troops into their ranks. We never leave anyone behind, anyway."
"No. what I meant was, if I had a brother, and I thought he was dead, would there be a chance of him being in the opposing army instead of dead?"
"Well, there is the distinct possibility. However, the chances of finding him before him killing you are very, very small. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, just wondering." He replied. Lewis grinned.
"Why don't you go and take a break? I'll manage these last two plates. I feel like another massage, so prepare yourself." He turned back to the dishes.
"Hey, Cayden."
"Yes."
"How come you don't use a dishwasher?" Lewis laughed.
"You don't know what the Coalition puts into these things. My colleagues have had many experiences of certain `mind-controlling' substances that have been added into the dishwashers here. So, I prefer to hand wash them. Much safer, and it only takes a few minutes. Off you go."
Brown padded over to the bedroom, and threw himself onto the same bed he always used. He was surprised to find someone in his position.
"Oh, hi." It was Jurgen, who gazed up at him with green eyes, quite like Fuchs'.
"Hello." Fuchs looked over his shoulder, and Brown could see that they had been conversing quite comfortably with one another.
"Am I interrupting?"
"Oh no, not at all." Fuchs replied. "He's got the most amazing massaging skills ever!" he whispered in Jurgen's ear.
"Really?"
"Yeah!" Fuchs replied animatedly. "Mike, could you massage him, please?" he pleaded with Brown.
"Sure." Brown replied. "Turn over." Jurgen flipped over onto his stomach so that Brown could perch himself on his waist.
Brown dug his fingers into Jurgen's back, feeling strings of tension amidst the soft skin. He tried not to think about the fact that he was indeed touching the commodore's younger brother. Jurgen sighed softly as Brown eased the tension in his shoulders.
"So, JJ, What are your hobbies, and where were you before you joined?" Amidst his sighs, Jurgen managed to dreamily mumble a reply.
"I was in Holland for training, and Max was there as well. I... ughh... I went for Medic training, and I'm supposed to join someone named Michael tomorrow for ad...advanced... training." He groaned. Brown smiled.
"That's me. I'm Michael Brown, nice to meet you. I come from Seattle. It's a port town in the United States, and it always used to rain over there." He said to the groaning boy.
"Ah... I see." Jurgen replied. "Err... could you do my... chest, please. It's been aching so much ever since the... the gel was inserted into me."
"You've got the hydrostatic implant?!" Brown exclaimed, momentarily forgetting his action.
"Yes. Max made sure I had it before I joined. He doesn't like some guy named Richmond or something."
"Did it hurt much when they injected that fluid in?" At that, Jurgen shuddered slightly.
"I'll never forget that pain for the rest of my life." Brown's blood chilled. The imposing threat of extreme pain once again racked his nerves.
"Does it really hurt that bad?" Jurgen nodded, his hair crackling as it brushed against the pillow. He raised himself with his elbows, and turned so that Brown could massage his chest.
As Brown ran his fingers over Jurgen's slightly bulging breast, the Dutch boy stiffened up and sucked in his breath. "Ah... aargh..." he cried softly, as Brown pressed onto the meaty area of his chest. To his surprise, a tiny amount of gel eased its way out of Jurgen's nipples and formed a drop in the middle of each. The boy cried out as more liquid was forced out. Brown just sat and stared at Jurgen's chest.
"Oh, wow." He murmured, spreading the liquid around, while the Dutch boy squirmed with pain and pleasure. He came to his sense presently, and began massaging Jurgen's chest earnestly, making the boy cry out and sigh in pain.
"Ahh... I... I think that... that's enough for now." He heard a faint murmur. He released his hold on the boy's breast, and Jurgen immediately nursed his aching chest, moaning softly as Fuchs stared on.
"Alright, mate." Lewis leapt into the bed beside him, displaying his freckle infused torso. "I'm waiting."
When Lewis was asleep, after groaning from the massage, a shadow suddenly loomed over Brown. He looked around hastily. Roberts was there, with an unreadable expression on his face. Fearing for his safety, Brown looked around at the other members, but all of them had either fallen asleep, or were in a state of semi-consciousness.
"I need a word." The adolescent boy loomed over him.
"Uh... okay." Roberts took him by shoulders and frogmarched him out of the bedroom to the living room.
"Sit down." He pointed at the sofas. Brown sat, and Roberts immediately took the chair opposite him. Brown braced himself for the verbal abuse that would most likely be thrown at him, although he was oblivious to why it would happen.
"Listen. I... I don't know how to say this... but... thank you." Brown was surprised.
"Oh, you're welcome. But for what?"
"Ever since you've been here, Hans has never been happier. I've seen the way he looks at you. It's like... it's like I'm seeing a new Hans. Nobody ever cared for me when I first came, except for Hans. He made me feel as if I was accepted."
"Umm... I don't know what to say."
"You don't need to say anything. Just be here. For him. I can't bear it, seeing him in pain all the time. He looks lost whenever you need to go somewhere by yourself. Maybe you should pay more attention to him."
"Yeah." Roberts let out a yawn.
"I'm getting sleepy." He said. "Come. Jaeger's sleeping on our bed tonight. Why don't you join us?"
"Alright."
He followed Roberts back into the bedroom, shivering as the cold got to him. The twins were still whispering amongst themselves, but everybody else was asleep. He walked up to where Jaeger was slumbering as Roberts flipped the light switch off. He stood and admired Jaeger's features for a few moments. The serene face, freckle infused at the nose, the small pink lips, the dishevelled blonde hair. He looked down at the Swedish boy's exposed torso, and his stomach lurched as he took in Jaeger's well defined chest, the miniature breasts that protruded outwards, the smooth unblemished stomach, and most of all, the extremely large puffy nipples that he loved tweaking so much.
He was pushed suddenly from the back, and fell onto the bed with a muffled yell. He looked up, and saw Roberts standing tall, a very slight smile on his face.
"Sorry. Couldn't resist." Brown glared at him, and crawled over to Jaeger. As he placed his hand on Jaeger's bulging chest, the boy gasped awake, and turned to face him.
"Oh, it's you. What do you need?" Brown smiled, climbed atop him, chest touching chest. Jaeger sighed gently with the added weight, and pulled him into a warm embrace. Brown could not resist letting out an "Ohh..." as he felt Jaeger's warm body. It was not long before he fell asleep.
Over the next few months, he became even more acquainted with Jaeger, and they became inseparable. One Day finally Lewis summoned him.
"Michael." He said in a serious tone. He never called Brown "Michael" unless he meant serious business. Brown dropped his rifle cleaning kit along with the rifle and walked over to Lewis.
"Yeah?"
"I... err... it's time for you to get the hydrostatic implant." Brown's heart dropped.
"But... but... Cayden..." he tried to find an excuse not to do this.
"Sorry, Mike. But it's gotta be done today." The rest of the team stared.
"Okay." He obediently followed Lewis out of their quarters, and began the long walk down the corridor to the lift that would ultimately bring him to experience great pain. As they entered the elevator, Brown tried to calm the butterflies in his stomach. He stared at the lift floor, which was transparent, and saw the many levels below him. He gulped. Lewis pressed the button for the fourth floor, which was labelled "Infantry Implants and Augmentations."
As the door slid shut, a hand forced itself between the gaps and caused the door to open again. Jaeger's face poked itself through.
"Hey. Mind if I come along?"
"Sure, Hans." Lewis grinned.
"Don't worry about it, bro. It's a pain soon forgotten. A nasty moment that is soon over." Jaeger assured him.
"Level Four, Implants and Augmentations." The computerised female voice spoke. Brown felt like vomiting.
He walked with Lewis and Jaeger into a small room marked "Hydrostatic Implants". Inside it was a contraption similar to the basic identity recognition terminals that were outside rooms that required security access, but this machine had five inch long needles, and was connected to a huge tank of viscous colourless liquid.
"Don't worry. I've requested a special doctor for this procedure. He'll make sure you come to no harm." Lewis said. Brown was far from reassured.
A medic walked into the room, and immediately Brown was less nervous. It was James. The blonde haired doctor smiled at Brown, and patted Lewis on the shoulder.
"Do your thing." He said to James.
"Okay. Mike, I tried so hard not to tell you what was in store for you today, during class. I succeeded, but only by a tiny bit."
"Thanks." The sarcasm was teeming in his voice.
"Alright. Just sit back, and everything will be alright." James soaked a cotton swab with alcohol and dabbed it over Brown's nipples and navel, making him gasp at the cold sensation.
"Stand here, and hold those handles there, will you?" Brown reluctantly raised his arms and took hold of the two bars that were suspended above his head.
"Excellent."
A "Ssschhk!" sound was heard, a split second before Brown felt a sharp pain especially in his nipples, and less so in his navel.
"Uaaaahhhh!! Cayden!" he screamed, screwing his eyes up. He was aware of fluid being pumped into his body via his nipples, and each pump brought an excruciating throb to his chest.
"Ahh! God! Aaaahaaa!" He cried out with each pump of the machine. "Please... stop it... stop, please. Ahhhaaaaa!" he became delirious with pain.
"Just a few moments longer. Hang in there." He heard James' voice. He screamed till his lungs felt as if they would burst.
Then, as suddenly as it started, it ended. The dreadful pumping stopped, leaving throbbing aftershocks in his torso, and the needles were extricated quickly from the afflicted areas.
"Aahh!!" he screamed his final call of pain, as the needles were pulled out. He dropped to his knees, not daring to touch his stricken torso.
"Uh... uhhh..." he moaned with pain. He felt soft hands grabbing him by his underarms, and he was hoisted to his feet by Lewis.
"It... it hurts."
"I know. I know." Lewis whispered in his ear. He whimpered with pain all the way back to the quarters, not quite paying attention to his surroundings, until Lewis lowered him down onto a bed. Then he found out that it was not Cayden at all. It was James.
"Oh, it's you."
"Yesss...?" he sounded exactly the same as Cayden, except that he spoke with a little more flair than his older brother.
Another sickening throb spread through his body, and he groaned with pain. He reached out to touch his own chest, and James slapped his hand away before he could.
"No. You need to wait until Dennie brings up my kit. I need to spread the fluid round your body."
Presently, Lewis returned with a red medical kit, and placed it on the bed. James dug into it and retrieved a abnormally large syringe. Brown's heart leapt into his mouth. James looked at the syringe with disgust for a moment and threw it into a wastepaper bin in the corner of the room.
"How the hell did that get into my bag?"
"Oh." Brown sighed with relief.
"Aha!" James fished out a bottle of medicated oil. He tipped some oil onto Brown's slightly red chest, and began rubbing it in. Brown groaned with both pain and pleasure, and had an inkling of how Jurgen must have felt.
"Hey... no one ever did that to me." Speaking of the devil, Jurgen had crept into the room with all the junior members and was now perched on the bed, looking at James' handiwork.
"Does this mean I can't lie on you anymore?" Fuchs asked, voice tinged with concern.
"Not for the next few days, I'm afraid." James answered for Brown. He felt fingers tweak his nipples gently, and he moaned in earnest. Their sensitivity had increased tenfold.
"Hey, stop that!" James scolded one of the members.
"Mike, James is going to come up here instead of you going to the medical wing for your training. Saves you a lot of torture." He heard Lewis whisper.
"Okay." He was beginning to enjoy the limelight he was placed in.
"So... does it hurt?" One of the twins asked. He nodded his head.
"How much?"
"Bad."
"Oh..." He heard both of them whispering to each other after that.
"You'll be alright. The fluid will spread to the rest of your torso, including your back. The protective capabilities of the fluid are at their strength when they are protecting your front. So don't turn your back on the enemy." James eventually said.
"Tomorrow, you'll go down to get the augmentations implanted into you. Your weapons and life-signs will be synchronised with headquarters and you'll get to monitor your own health."
"Oh. More pain?"
"Oh not at all."
"'kay."
James continued the body rub, and Brown eventually sank into a deep uncertain slumber. He woke during the night, and discovered James' slightly cool body pressing against his, the implant on his chest making it evident against Brown's. He found it weird that James, who had an office and bedroom of his own, would rather share a cluttered bed of more than five personnel.
He very cautiously ventured to touch his own chest, and realised with surprise that it was relatively soft compared to before the transition. His breasts still ached considerably, and his nipples hurt when he touched them, although the feeling of pleasure was beneath. He decided not to worry about it and dropped back to sleep, amidst James' gentle breaths on his ear.