50 Joining the Gang 2

Ika exits the stairwell with a deep frown and leans against the wall beside the door. He forces air out of his nose and tries to collect his thoughts. He almost lost his temper with that guy.

'Calmate. Calmate,' he thinks before adjusting his black jacket and scanning the area for his boss's wheelchair.

This area of the vehicle depot is reserved for managers and the head of Warts. A few people are running around. A lot of the rations and inventory are moved here during storms. A group of guards sit off to the side of the stairwell entrance and at the elevator at the other end of the level.

There are several tables set up in a square. At one table a group of people are sitting and checking ammunition. Across from that table, people are looking over large lights and a generator. The table nearest to the exit only has empty chairs. At the head table, a dark man in a steel wheelchair is speaking with a person with long deep burgundy locks atop their head. The standing individual is holding a sheet of paper and motioning to details on it. Their voices combine and echo throughout the makeshift room.

Everyone's clothing looks worn, but no one is dirty or smelling of foul things like Ika.

He takes a breath and shoves his trembling hands into his pockets as he strolls over to his boss. By the time, he gets over to the tables most of the people conversing are leaving to go to the upper level.

Ika grunts and lifts a chin in acknowledgment of Dennis. Dennis lays a brown hand on his advisors' wrist and moves the paperwork away before wheeling himself closer to Ika. The advisor tsks and puts the paperwork down before walking over to one of the engineers to ask about the damages from the last storm.

Ika walks deeper into the level away from the tables. Dennis follows. When Ika feels they are far enough not to be overheard, he stops and turns to his older brother. Dennis pushes down on his brakes without looking and focuses on his brother's tense face.

"What's up?" Dennis asks.

Ika slides the bottom of his shoes against the asphalt and lifts a trembling hand to rub on an eyebrow. The frown of his lips gets deeper and deeper as time goes on. He sighs and turns away from Dennis.

"Lobito, I heard Turner is out, and Nard is injured as well. Lo entiendo, its tough with your team out for the count, but... Keep your chin up," Dennis says before unlocking his brakes and wheeling over to sit beside the solemn figure.

"Turner's lost his leg," Ika whispers.

"Aah," Dennis responds.

Dennis puts a hand on his pierced ear and tugs the lobe.

"Nard's arm was impaled. Priya is gone. Ralph's squad isn't missing...They're all dead." Ika blurts out to finish the debriefing.

Dennis blows his breath and doesn't speak until he can figure out something to say. Something to lift the responsibility off of Ika's shoulders and absolve him of the blame he can see burning Ika's insides. He glances in his peripheral and sees minute trembles that start at his brothers' fingers and ride up his arms.

Ika sucks in a breath and blinks his tears away, "A lo hecho, pecho. What's done is done."

His voice wavers at the last word. He tsks at himself and rubs the sparse hair on his chin. His blue scarf feels as if it's restricting his breathing. He rips it off and tosses it to the ground.

"Well," Dennis struggles to address the awful occurrences. "We'll need to recruit some more men from the surrounding area with Ralph and Davis's group gone. Kelly's men are on their way here. It should be any day now."

Ika nods at the words and starts to bite at his thumbnail. Dennis swipes at the other man's arm to pop the thumb out of Ika's mouth. Ika blinks and shoves his hand in his pocket.

"Where are your goodies? You should be glad I'm not Anita. You know she hates you doing that. Anyway," Dennis pushes forward a cheery smile. "Good news. Sidney caught some word of a humanitarian group that's coming through near Brook. West of Brook, if he caught the coordinates correctly."

Ika grunts and licks his chapped lips. It's nothing new. Humanitarian aid used to come frequently at the start of all this and they always left before making contact with natives. Usually, dropping a crate in a vacant field. Some merchants have even transported crates to Warts because they have no tools to open the large containers.

"Have you eaten?" Dennis says with worry in his eyes.

Before Ika can answer the stairwell exit slams open and the stranger from before rushes through. Ika had forgotten about him. Ika stands more upright as he eyes the new guy from across the room. The stranger scans the room and spots Ika.

Ika can see determination that hadn't been on his face a couple minutes ago. When Marcus gets closer to the pair, Ika doesn't look away. There is something familiar about this man. He can't quite figure it out, but...

The short black hair and dark skin aren't unusual. Dark skin and short hair are the usual cases these days. Not as many tourists as before. The young man, Marcus, is tall and has wide shoulders. His jacket hides much of his upper body. Ika can't tell if he has any muscle beneath the puffy jacket.

'What is it about him?' Ika wonders while looking down at Marcus's shoes.

Black steel-toed boots. Ika blinks a few times.

'...'

Ika looks back up at that brown eye as the young man speaks.

"I think we should get back to my supplies as soon as possible!" he shouts to Ika.

Ika opens his mouth, but Dennis speaks first, "Hermano, who is this?"

Ika points at Marcus with his hand, "We crashed into his van on our way here."

"You leave when the storm passes. Not a moment before, and several hours after. We never know when nature decides to hit us again just to be a frigid bit**," Dennis informs Marcus.

"No!" Marcus yells. "We don't have time for that. We have to go soon. By the time the storm finishes all the stuff will be damaged or we might lose the location. He said you need the supplies. Shouldn't this be your first priority?"

Dennis starts to get angry, "We aren't endangering any more lives for some stuff."

"It's food! Rations! Things you can't live without, yea?" Marcus says. "Who are you to decide? Didn't you say we were meeting your boss?" Marcus directs the later statement to Ika who is comically widening his eyes.

"He is the boss," Ika calmly replies.

Marcus's shoulders drop and he takes a step back. He feels embarrassment settle in the pit of his stomach.

'Dumbie.' Marcus rebukes himself.

"Rompiste tu camioneta, tal vez por tu bien, bobo.*" Dennis mutters to himself. [You broke your truck, maybe for your own good, idiot.]

"You'll wait up with the rest, and when the storm ends we will lead you back to your crash," Dennis tells Marcus.

Ika suppresses a laugh and walks away. Marcus looks down at the ground and spots Ika's blue scarf.

"Oh!" Marcus exclaims before reaching down and scooping up the baby blue cotton scarf.

Marcus trots over to Ika and grasps his shoulder. Dennis puts a hand to his mouth as he watches the disaster about to happen. Outside of family, Ika doesn't like others touching him.

'Tonto, what you doing?' Dennis thinks as he waits for Ika to strike.

"You dropped your scarf," Marcus says.

Ika adjusts his footing and brings a hand up to grasp Marcus's wrist.

CAUTION!

OVER THE SHOULDER THROW INITIATED

It happens in a split second. Ika pulls Marcus arm to initiate an over the shoulder throw, but Marcus takes two steps to the side. Ika accounts for the change in Marcus's position and slides a leg behind Marcus. As he reaches down to scoop Marcus off his feet...something unusual happens.

SUKUI NAGE (SCOOP THROW) INITIATED

Marcus steps forward two steps and spins out of Ika's grasp. The younger male blinks as he looks at Ika's tense form.

The blue scarf is still dangling from his other hand.

"Uuuh. Sorry?" Marcus says.

Ika steps forward and Marcus steps back. Ika glares at the other male. He had thought the younger male would have easily succumbed to that throw. Not many can react so swiftly to Ika's movements.

Dennis's eyebrows are raised to their highest point.

'The fu**?!' he thinks.

Marcus tosses the scarf at the shorter male and cautiously walks around him to retreat to the stairwell exit door. He checks over his shoulder several times before jogging to the door and vanishing behind the metal door.

Dennis wheels himself over to Ika while the man rotates his wrist. Dennis chuckles.

"No juzgues a un libro por su cubierta, Lobito*. I guess you found your match." Dennis says. [Don't judge a book by its cover, little wolf.]

"Ha Ha, vete para el carajo, pend*jo." Ika mutters under his breath and stalks to the stairwell as well. [Go to hell, motherfu**er]

Dennis pretends to be offended and gasps.

"You kiss my mother with that mouth?!" he shouts at Ika's back.

Marcus is long gone by the time Ika opens the stairwell door.