(BL) Hunting The Field Guide - Chapter 278

Chapter 278: Preparations for another tense press conference Chapter 278: Preparations for another tense press conference While Kellen worked on some of the things that Casper had left him, as well as making sure that the Field Guides were on the right track, Rhys was up to his neck in dealing with the fallout of that surprise takeover of the news.  He had the big screen activated again and everyone who was ever important in the city was there, speaking to Kellen’s pair.

Kellen felt a small surge of pride at that, before he tried to put his head down and work.

Now was not the time to brag that he had a pair, even in his head.  Everyone was panicking.

The civilians were panicking, the higher ups were panicking, and no one was able to come up with a clear path forward because of it.

The civilains who were in higher up positions were trying to come up with easy, but clear solutions like ‘trying to punish them in a court of law’, or ‘freezing their assets and forcing them to reveal themselves’.  It was clear that the Espers who were higher up didn’t want to play by the normal standards.

The Espers didn’t want to play nicely.

They wanted blood.

Rhys and Uncle Tom were the only two Espers that were speaking any kind of sense.  It shouldn’t have surprised Kellen that the Espers weren’t doing well.

Really, it shouldn’t have, but who did surprise him was Captain Sergei.

It shouldn’t have surprised him that Captain Sergei was ready to explode.

The man was fiercely loyal to the city and had been very upset about the first terrorist attack.

He’d felt like he had personally let the city down last time.

This time?

Kellen could only imagine how the man was feeling.  Captain Sergei when projected onto the large screen behind him looked like he was on the edge of a surge.

The veins in his neck were tight, his teeth were clenched, and he looked ready to kill.

His hair was a mess, his piercings ruffled.

They hadn’t looked like they had been adjusted yet, and as Kellen had always known him as a well put together, but quiet man, it was shocking to say the least.  It if wasn’t for the fact that no one could replace him on the front lines, even with Uncle Tom there, he would have flown the whole way back to the city and weeded out the terrorists with his bare hands.

It was written all over his jerky movements and his tense expression.

With that in consideration, the Captain was holding up quite well given that they had basically declared they were going to hunt down the Woods family.

They didn’t make it super clear if they were going after just Kellen’s Dad, or also Kellen.

But Kellen was ready.

Even if he was sure that Rhys hated the thought of Kellen in danger again.  Those motherfuckers could aim for his life.

He’d love to see them try.

He was going to take full advantage of Esper Blake and her ability to make a shield for the press conference, and he wouldn’t be caught dead without a weapon anymore.

The shooting range in the building was going to become one of his favourite places now.

He’d cut down on gym time to make sure of it.

He was sure Brent would love it too.  They both liked guns, and Brent was sure to agree that Kellen should get some extra practise in.  Those fuckers better watch out.

Kellen was going to fire first, ask questions later.  While Kellen was around, he watched as everyone around him had hard, angry, but determined looks in their eyes and on their faces.

It didn’t matter what side of the room he looked at, nor how big the bags under their eyes were, it was the same across the board.  Half of the team was still working on the gate, while the other half had transitioned to the new issue and making sure the press conference went without a hitch, under Pamela’s watchful gaze.

Just because the gate got exposed, didn’t mean that they could stop working on it.

It was more crucial that they got everything right because the public knew about it now.

It was even more of a problem.  Uncle Tom and Captain Sergei’s update on the gate told them that while the gate appeared to be maintaining its current growth, and the levels were within ‘normal’ readings, they were still on the outward edge of those readings.  It might be safe to come to the front lines now since they were less worried it was going to expand again, but that didn’t mean the gate was safe.

It probably was never going to be safe.  Sakura did bring up after they had finished panicking about the current state that the public was in that her team were close to finishing up the updated suits.

They had been working away on a new set that would be able to withstand the poison being released from the gate, possibly from the inside as well.  It was huge news, and something that they could break at the press conference as well to instill some calm and control back to the common folk.

It also appeared to calm some of the higher ups as well.

Kellen wasn’t as calm hearing the news.

Not because it wasn’t spectacular news, but because it meant they were one step closer to going inside the gate.  His Field Guides that he was training, especially Bree, were one step closer to danger.

He wouldn’t lie and say that he hadn’t gotten attached to them in the few weeks that he had worked with them.

It was going to make it hard for him to say goodbye to them with a smile on his face.  It was one of the reasons Kellen had never trained anyone besides Brent on the front lines.

He didn’t know how the other Guides were so strong.

Maybe if he had taken up drinking like the rest of them, or a different vice, he might have understood.

Instead, he’d worked alone, solo, until Brent wouldn’t leave him alone.  Either way, this was good news.

Kellen had no doubt that Carlos was working on the suits, and it made him happy that his visit had paid off.

Every small step that they took towards taking care of not just this gate, but the exploded one overseas, was a step worth taking, in Kellen’s mind.  He had faith that Carlos would be able to find, if not a cure, then something that could fight against the poison leaking from both gates.

Especially since he had a Guide who could help him manage his levels.

That was crucial to someone like Carlos who had an ability that was so temperamental.  Powers like Carlos had, and honestly, like Taylor, that weren’t necessarily combat heavy, needed a much bigger pool to pull from when it came to a Guide.

It didn’t really matter the Class of the Guide, though that did help if the Guide was at the same Class as the Esper, but the pool they were working with.  It wasn’t something he had run into much while he was on the front lines, but something he had encountered when he’d come back and worked at Guiding Center B.

Kellen’s pool had been slightly above average when it came to a C Class Guide, and that had meant he was slightly popular with the exact type of Esper that he wanted to be.  Elemental types didn’t care about that, and cared more about the Class of a Guide they worked with since they focused more on their own pools then that of their Guides.

It was an interesting topic, but not one that Kellen wanted to explore further with so much on his plate.  He should look into more books on the topic when he wasn’t so worried about the whole city being swallowed up by a poison gate and damn terrorists trying to take over his city.  ~ The late afternoon stretched into late evening and eventually, Rhys called it.

He signed off from the meetings he’d been in, he closed the laptop he’d been working from.

The several laptops he had been working from, and turned to look over his people.  Everyone was exhausted.

Hill had gone through two huge bags of her favourite lollipops, Gunther’s skin had sunken into his face, his dark eyes looking even darker with the purple/yellow bruise on half of his face, and the dark circles under the other half, and Pamela looked like she was awake by sheer will.  Rhys deemed that if they worked on this anymore, it would only become a garbled mess.

Everyone needed their rest.  Rhys wouldn’t let Kellen walk again.

Kellen, who was also growing tired, but had made sure that food had been ordered, everyone had eaten, and that most of the excess work that had built up for him was done, didn’t expect that Rhys would scoop him up from where he had been sitting.

Kellen hadn’t even had time to close the programs he’d been on, or sign out.

With a smile, Rhys left, encouraging everyone else to do the same.

Kellen quickly shook himself out of his surprise as Rhys gathered up his cane and bag and waved at everyone as they left the conference room.

Kellen could hear Hill’s laughter as they left, and for once, Kellen wasn’t bothered by it.