At the time, he'd only shouted at Franz for maybe a few seconds, trying to get him to stop stabbing that poor dead son of a bitch. But really, it felt like so much longer, like he was shouting at a wild animal, something all-feral and more dangerous to him than one of his wolves. Isaac had...a pretty good chance of taming an animal in the wild, but you can't treat humans like that. They need to be snapped back to reality in a hurry so that they don't get comfortable with the idea of not thinking. The only danger was that the man might've turned his knife on [i]him[/i], but even if he had...he'd've either held it in place or blocked it with some part of his machine gun. Thanks to the army, Isaac took control of situations around him fairly well, though he did get into a brief argument with Ines over him doing it that amounted to her shouting that he didn't have to do that and him pointing out that they didn't have the time to do otherwise, right now. He wished he didn't have to at all, but there we are. The situation outside of the inn didn't last long, because [i]thankfully[/i] Jean and company caught up with the rest of the squad, citing a very brief head start to work on to get the hell out of there. Isaac took that and ordered people to get into a nearby building to get them out of the open, so that they could press on - room to room - and push their way to eventual safety, where only open streets would bely any true danger. He would get some better use out of the prybar now, as the doors were ordinary and unimpressive, much easier to get through than the main door at the inn. Eventually, they would escape this nightmare and the gas would finally play itself out, allowing them all to breathe easier, figuratively and literally. The next days would be no picnic, of course, but at least they had that. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Time passed, and - after alot of trudging, fighting, sneaking around, and so on - they made it to an area with the rest of the main group. Jean had mentioned that he thought the Federation would be pouring into Amone after the gas attack - it was now being called 'the gas attack', like it was a point in history...and maybe it WAS one, at that - and Isaac agreed. This sick and twisted maneuver that had practically terrorized them at the moment of its inception... Of [i]course[/i] they'd take advantage of it, because they had the masks! So, they had made the main battle group and, shortly after reporting in and all that, the question was asked: What the hell was that gas? Seemed a fair question, considering they'd been inundated by it, and the soldier that Isaac had asked gave him the 50-cent explanation. He told him it was a new weapon, a compound found to be deadly to human beings that could be blocked by the new masks, and that the order to implement it to gain access to Amone had been ordered by, at least in part by... [color=f7941d][i]Oh, that son of a bitch...[/i][/color] Middleton! Oh, there'd been others in the officer line who'd signed off on it, but apparently Captain Middleton had been [i]very[/i] vocal about it...enough that the grapevine caught wind and circulated the fact. Isaac must've swore out loud, because the soldier then looked worried and asked if he was alright, to which Isaac replied [color=f7941d]"Oh, I'm just [i]fucking wonderful![/i]"[/color]. That made the soldier wince, getting the idea in his head that he didn't want any of this on him and decided that a peace offering was in order. He asked Isaac what his squad number was, and then handed him a bag marked '15th Atlantic Rifles' on the tag. [color=f7941d]"What's this?"[/color] [b]"Your mail. There's been a bit of a backlog, and your squad [i]has[/i] been out in the field, but you're still entitled to it."[/b] The mail, at last! He'd only been able to send anything off from the White Hart. It'd been something they managed for him after the first night. He'd been collecting and collecting and never managing to get it out because it was hard to get anything through, and now...would he have a reply? With a funny and downright [i]fiendish[/i] grin, he made his way back to the squad with the mail. He knew that Jean wasn't getting anyway, at least not from family...but he tried to keep his spirits up as he shouted "MAIL CALL!" to the squad and just upended the bag somewhere dry and safe they could pick it up. Isaac found his own...[i]box[/i]. Good lord, what the hell? He opened it and it contained not only a thick amount of papers, but also... [color=f7941d][i]That smell... It's gotta be...[/i][/color] His smile broadened, and he called out. [color=f7941d]"I got beef jerky here and I'm sharing! Get it while it's there!"[/color] Beef jerky, straight from home. Dad's own spicing and all. Lovely flavor, good quality beef. Isaac took a piece for himself as he saw Britta getting a letter from her parents, eyeing the box now. [color=ed1c24][b]"The fruits of your labor?"[/b][/color] [color=f7941d]"The cut of my loins."[/color] And immediately, Britta just [i]stared[/i] at him, her face going red. [b][color=ed1c24]"I-Isaac...!"[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"What?"[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"What you just [i]said![/i]"[/color][/b] He blinked, thought about it, then facepalmed hard. [color=f7941d]"Not like that! It's a cut of [i]beef![/i]"[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"Oh yeah? What part?"[/color][/b] [i]Now[/i], she was teasing him. [color=f7941d]"It's...it's near the spine. It's good quality. I didn't mean..."[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"I know, but it [i]sounded[/i] wrong."[/color][/b] [color=f7941d]"Please take a piece and enjoy before I die of embarrassment..."[/color] [b][color=ed1c24]"Yes, sir."[/color][/b] She did just that, and Isaac started chewing and enjoying his own jerky as he unveiled the letter that had arrived with it. [hider=Letter From Home] [color=00a651][i]Dear Isaac, Hello, it's Emeri here, speaking for the family. I'm afraid I got saddled with the duty of responding to all the things you sent us. You could've labeled the pages, at least! I guess it must be hard, though, since you were saying it took a long time to find someone to send all of it off, and I guess alot of things happened after the first letter. So, as I am the eloquent writer and you are the soldier in desperate need of discourse, I was recruited to the task, just as you were to the army. Sorry, that IS a bad joke, I know, but it comes with good news: The recruitment officer that took you in has been transferred to the front lines! Dad got really mad at home when it all happened, but he didn't unleash even one-tenth of it at us! He was angry, especially that they wouldn't let you go home and prepare like a normal human being. After you were gone, he started to complain to a legal advisor about the whole situation. It was just inappropriate, war or no war, to conduct themselves that way. Between the work we do and the way the man behaved, there was an inquiry into the man himself. We couldn't use it to get you back, but the army deemed him unfit for the position he'd been assigned to and had 'im shipped out, or trained, or whatever it is you do. So, if all goes well, you'll be seeing him eating crow for what he'd done to you. I know it must be tough up there, having to kill men and women when the worst you'd ever done at home was slaughter cattle. Whatever talent that ass of a man wanted to squeeze out of you wasn't worth it for all the good inside you they'd be tainting along with it. Our hearts all go with you, Isaac. Come back safely. We'll keep the farm together, so you just focus on you for a while, okay? I don't care if you've got some crazy idea on how to take on an armored car that's got a machine gun on it. Stay alive. And speaking of which, I do remember that Mila you were writing about in your letter, the one that died. You got separated from us on a foggy day in Hadleigh and we found you again in some kind of a shouting match with an upper-class girl that'd been teasing you. The Wagners aren't exactly the best of people, but I guess I wouldn't wish their daughter dead. It's a sad thing, regardless off WHO it is. Mother, father, and Alex have you figured for 'having what it takes', and for the most part, I agree...but we all wouldn't wish this on you, so we'll be thankful when you're back and getting to work. And with that said, we've all been reading about the people you're with, the people you've been caring about like they're your own pack. Jean, Michael, Lucia, Franz, Diana, Britta... Those ones seemed to figure most prominently, so later on, tell them that we're praying for them too, especially Jean. Poor guy. The way you describe him, it's like thunder and lightning follows him around with a grudge. Be good to him, alright? I know I don't need to tell you, but take my sympathies along to him. And as for Britta, did something happen with you two? We took to writing the Hagens, like you asked, to reassure them about her. Sounds like you've got a nice soft-spot going on there. I'd like to meet her, get the measure of the girl, sometime. Dad thought the idea of cornering the meat and veg market by working alongside of them was pretty cheeky, but I know my little brother. He's not a clever man. He's a gid stupid wolf who's all heart. You like her, don't you? She's a nice girl, basically in the same line of work, eminently practical, very caring of those around her - you found yourself a playmate, didn't you? Well, I won't waste anymore time, making you red in the face. Just make sure you get them home, so we all have futures to look forward to. Yours Truly, Emeri Black PS: Rikes got Ellis pregnant again before we sold him off, so we're having to keep her behind to raise the pups and Alex has his hands full![/i][/color] [/hider] After all that was said in that letter, the last part made Isaac laugh out loud, knowing EXACTLY what his brother was going through, and generally proud of his alpha wolf bringing new pups to the pack before he left. He had had precisely one minute of good feelings from home, from that point on, until [i]guess who[/i] decided to ruin it all. This man was like a bad leach. No matter what they seemed to do, Captain Middleton seemed to stick to them and make things miserable, and now [i]here he was[/i], aiming the full force of his Grumpus...on Michael! Wait, on Michael?! WHY? Isaac stood up from where he'd sat and read his letter. He'd been in plain view of everyone and every[i]thing[/i], allowing his beef jerky to be partaken by many. He was sure that Michael had gotten a letter, passed on from hand to hand or something. He hadn't seen him until now, when Middleton called him out. Why? What the hell had he done, other than be a soldier, get shot, and- Ohhh... He didn't quite understand it, understand the [i]why[/i], but Isaac suddenly got that it must've been something to do with Lucia. It was the only thing that Michael HAD done that might offend the Captain, that this ward of his - whom they all loved as much as they hated Middleton himself - was clearly very close to Michael Daunte. Well, Michael deserved something good in his life. The look in his eyes after the attack on Hill 58 left him looking dead inside. If the Asseni girl's antics made him feel better, then shut the hell up, Middleton. Isaac wanted to interfere with this, to cite the Captain's own words that the affairs of enlisted men should be in the hands of the enlisted and not his personal attention. He'd said this, first day. He'd made it like a standing order that they were responsible for guys like Michael, so he shouldn't even be doing this. The man was such a hypocrite... Fortunately, it didn't look like Michael needed any help. He knew that Middleton was looking for a fight, or even an excuse to shoot him, and Michael was being the obedient little soldier, emphasis on the 'little' part, but only in size. Michael was a towering mass of 'bring it', right now. He wasn't smug or goading or threatening in any way. He simply reacted as an innocent man who isn't being browbeaten by an officer about things, and so...by that token...he [i]wasn't[/i] brow-beaten. Middleton was just blowing smoke out of his ass. He almost got the Captain to lay down just what it was he was so unhappy about in regards to Lucia, but instead he said something cryptic and weird about Lucia's 'growth', and then stormed off. None of that made [i]any[/i] sense, of course. The man was [i]obsessed[/i] his ward, whom he - as far as everyone else was concerned - treated very poorly and should be kept away from at all costs. It was [i]good[/i] that she had gotten close to Michael. According to Britta, she was even partially or [i]fully[/i] responsible for killing two Imperials who tried to take his and her masks. Isaac was frankly proud of how those two were handling themselves, even moreso at Michael's actions, just now. He headed over to the short sapper now with a smirk on his face. [color=f7941d]"Michael, I owe you a drink. Come see me later, when you have the time. I have some leftover Scotch from the Inn."[/color]