Chapter 44: Shuffle

We make our way out of the build now a party of 6 rather than the party of 5 we started with. Gunga din at point, Seth and Gun flanking me and our new friend. Camulus following behind.

"Why the hell do I keep end up following you," he mumbles from his place in line.

"Universe, likes me," I sing out.

"Your universe can bite me," He grumbles.

"Knock if off you two," Gunga Din says as we near the area where we last left the rest of the Protectors. But He keeps his tone light, he knows we are only feeling good and I would never let anything happen to my friends.

We round a corner and see the rest of the Protectors. There is no fighting going on now. My guess is they have killed everyone who was going to resist. and anyone who is left is in deep hiding. I would hide too if I saw this crew coming.

There is relief on the faces of the other Protectors as we make our way around. And there is curiously at our new friend.

"Y'all found your self a varmint?" Holiday smirks at us.

"Not varmint, I am Wezzel!" Wezzel bellows angrily at Holiday.

"It can talk," Holliday says in a stunned tone.

"And darn proud of it no doubt," Seattle chuckles and slaps the stunned Holiday on the back.

The next thing we know there is a very angry Napoleon making his way toward us.

He storms over, his eyes manic and looking to pin this new twist on one of us. Camulus stalks forward and intercepts Napoleon before he can reach me.

"We found a scanner." Camulus say dead calm. "he was the only one left alive in the the cells."

Napoleon still looks like he is screaming mad but, at Camulus' word much of the steam goes out of him. He looks sharply at Wezzel and raises and eyebrow.

"A scanner?" Napoleon asks.

"Yep, he name is Wezzel. he was scheduled for termination, but his collar malfunctioned." Camulus explains leaving out all the detail of how we found him in the first place.

"Collar?" Napoleon looks again at Wezzel. "I don't see a collar."

"It malfunctioned, other wise it would have fried his brains," I say in my usual belligerent tones. "I believed it to be a safety hazarded and removed it." This leaves Napoleon glaring at me. I roll my eyes at him. "We found 4 others all electrocuted."

He stares at me impassively. I cross my arms and cock my head to one side.

"Fine, I want it under guard 24/7." he says curtly and stalks off.

"Wezzel no like that man." The little Scanner says in a sour tone.

"He is our battle leader," I explain to Wezzel with understand I don't feel. "He makes many hard decisions. So he must be hard in turn."...

The wrap up of the battle shows us a high body count for the Neo Army. The two healers and I have been laying out the dead for a couple of hours.

"Should we even be doing this?" Pallox asks.

"It's our work." Caster says solemnly.