RAW DEAL

The meeting wound down, the charged energy in the room slowly dissipating as the last of the members rose from their seats. Hushed conversation followed them out of the room, and Will watched them depart, still rooted to his seat, reeling from the results of the meeting.

"That went well," Becca said quietly.

"Then why is my heart beating out of my chest?" Will chuckled, getting up. Dusting himself off, he headed for the door where Damian stood relaxed, having a quick word with the people leaving.

Trapper was the last to leave, and the two exchanged a knowing, almost conspiratorial glance before Trapper stepped out into the hallway. A mischievous smirk played on Damian's lips, and Will looked on in disbelief.

"Oh, you sneaky son of a—" Will began, half in shock, half annoyance, as he stalked toward Damian.

Becca, catching his shifting mood, followed him. "What happened?"

Will stopped before Damian, glancing between Trapper's retreating back and his cousin, before fixing him with a glare.

"Ah! So you figured it out," Damian chuckled.

Will pointed an accusing finger at Damian. "That drama was planned. The two of you were in it together this whole time!"

Becca exclaimed, aghast, "All that was an act?"

Damian grinned. "I don't know why you all are so upset. I did say that Trapper and I would be working together."

"So you tricked the rest of the team into an agreement?" Becca accused.

"No, I didn't," Damian said calmly. "I merely guided them to a decision that they would have made anyway. I had Trapper along just so we could make sure they wouldn't go poking into things that were unnecessary."

Will's brows shot up into his forehead. This was about him. Damian was keen to shift the conversation away from him while Trapper played middleman, acting like the voice of the opposition. Even Lawson's faux neutrality was part of the ruse to make the rest of the team think the decision they arrived at was their own.

Becca shook her head. "I don't like this."

"All's well that ends well," Damian said, smiling.

Will frowned. "And what did you offer Trapper in return for all this?"

"That's for me to worry about," Damian brushed off his concern. "Focus on the here and now."

Will let out a breath. "So, what now?"

"You need to call home," Damian said simply.

Will looked confused, and Damian elaborated. "Tell them you're staying at a friend's place for a few days. In your current state, you can't be left unsupervised. You won't be going home—not until all of this is over."

Will, though reluctant, nodded.

Damian clapped him on the shoulder. "Alright then, let's go."

Together, the three stepped out of the meeting room, the iron door slamming shut behind them.

The next few days passed in a whirl. Damian and his company moved through different parts of the Undercity. The turbulent underbelly of the Tower didn't even flinch at their passing, too consumed by the chaos already unfolding. The ongoing war between the gangs had reached a fever pitch, threatening to spill over into the rest of society. Many factions had begun hiring mercenaries, and Damian's crew happened to be one of them.

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"Move the equipment over the field!" yelled Damian over the commotion. "I don't want to see any gaps!"

Will watched the proceedings with trepidation. The mercenaries rushed about securing the building, erecting gun turrets and fixing blast doors. Meanwhile, small groups patrolled the surrounding area for saboteurs.

A loud rumble came from somewhere deeper in the underground city, followed by secondary explosions. A red glow bloomed in the east district, accompanied by the acrid scent of burnt plascrete.

Damian tsked, gazing over at the recent attack with irritation. He spoke into his earpiece, "What's the status, Tara?"

"It's the plaza," came Lawson's tinny voice over the speakers. "Three dead. No casualties on our end."

"Hooray for small blessings," muttered Damian.

"This isn't going to be the last of them," Lawson warned. "I've already instructed the others to begin deployment. You're the last one."

Damian sighed, glancing at the time on his slate. "I'll be out by nine. I'm going to need a lot more men if you want us any sooner."

"I'll join," Will interrupted.

The last few days, while hectic, had left him restless. He was eager to do something—anything—in the field.

"No," Damian said flatly, stomping out any spark of initiative from Will before he could continue.

"Why?" Will asked incredulously. "You said you need more people."

"You've got plenty of work here at the base. No need for you to go running around," Damian said flippantly.

Will looked confused, then annoyed. "Why are you talking to me like I'm your next mark?"

Damian had a wry smile on his face. "Whatever do you mean?"

Will scowled. "You don't want me out there, do you? You want me stuck at your hip, until all this blows over."

He'd had an inkling ever since the meeting at the packing plant. His cousin hadn't let him out of sight even for a moment—and now Will was certain that Damian had every intention of keeping him locked away until their final confrontation with the Revenant.

Will scowled at his cousin, and Damian sighed. Chuckling, he raised his arms in mock surrender. "You got me. Guilty as charged."

"Why? I can help!" Will said, frustrated.

"How are you going to do that in the state you're in?" asked Damian, poking Will in the chest.

"I can still fight!" Will insisted.

"And suffer an attack mid-battle," Damian finished. "You're a danger to yourself and the people around you. Until you have that thing within you under control, you are a liability."

Will swallowed, his throat tight as his cousin's words hit home. The truth stung.

Damian clapped him on the shoulder. "The Doctor said the best way to delay it was to subject you to a variable field. Unless you have a way to carry the train around with you all day, you're not going out into the field."

Will tamped down his anger, his mind racing for a solution—when suddenly, he was struck by an idea. Pulling out his slate, he started furiously making notes.

"What are you doing?" Damian asked suspiciously, glancing down at the slate.

Will's fingers flew over the screen, and with a final few taps, he finished his work. Satisfied, he showed it to Damian. "Here! This is my train."

Damian snatched the slate and began flipping through the notes.

"These are the schematics for your school project. I signed off on these mechs."

"Yup," said Will.

Damian continued flipping back and forth through the additional notes—until he finally grasped what he was looking at.

"No!" he exclaimed, exasperated.

Will shrugged, trying not to smile.

A buzz of static came from the speakers as Lawson spoke. "What did he show you, Rye?"

Damian snapped back to the present and glanced at his comm. "You're still here?"

"...Yes. You didn't cut the line," Lawson said simply. "Now, what is going on over there?"

"This is so dumb..." Damian muttered.

"But you're not saying it won't work," said Will.

Lawson cleared her throat.

Damian sighed. "The kid plans to turn his mech's field generators inside out and project its field onto himself."

Lawson paused before asking, "Will it work?"

"It will!" Will insisted.

"It'll cut your defenses in half," Damian snapped.

"I'll tune the field projection to compensate," said Will.

Damian snorted, but before he could protest, Lawson cut in.

"Let him do it."

"You can't be serious," Damian clicked his tongue.

"I am. You can't be with him 24/7, Rye," Lawson said. "We're short on personnel, and I need you at the front."

Damian looked torn, and Lawson continued.

"Just give the kid the means to defend himself. It's what's best," she finished.

Damian sighed and gave Will an irritated look. "Fine."

Will broke out into a grin, and seeing his smug look, Damian couldn't help but pinch his cheek.

"Ow!" Will exclaimed, slapping the offending hand away.

"You were a lot cuter when you were little." Damian sighed again before giving him a serious look.

"You can head into the field after you've modified the mech," said Damian, handing Will back his slate. "I'll check it after you're done. Deal?"

"Deal," said Will, breathing a sigh of relief. The shard thrummed with his heartbeat as more explosions went off in the distance. This was going to be a long week.

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