(BL) Hunting The Field Guide - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: The E.A.G.

Chapter 56: The E.A.G.

Uncle Tom spent the next hour going over everything that he knew.

Captain Sergei had already gone through most of this information, but he was happy to add his own personal experiences or opinions for the benefit of Kellen and the Captain.

It turns out that the organisation called themselves E.A.G.

Espers against Guides.

It was simple, and disgusting.

What they found out was that this was a much larger group than they thought.  The E.A.G.

had branches across the globe.

Ever since the Guide Act was put into place about 40 years ago, there had been active protests from both sides.

The Guides protested because at first, it put a huge target on their backs.

It made it easier for those who wanted to harm them to find them if they registered with a government body and told them where they were hiding.

But when the Act actually worked in protecting them, it gained more positive attention from Guides.

It had taken about 10 years for the attitude to flip for Guides, and now most Guides were registered.

Any Guide who wasn’t obviously had their own reasons, and even if Kellen didn’t like that they wouldn’t, he was not one to force others.

The Espers, however, were a different story.

They didn’t like the Act because it attempted to put a stop to their horrendous behaviour.

Prior to the international agreement to put the Guiding Act into action, Guides were not treated like humans.

They had been treated like cattle.

Creatures to be dragged around and used until they were worthless.

For female Guides…you can only imagine what it was like for them.

Kellen got sick even thinking about the treatment before the Act was put into place.

He knew that nowadays, Espers were still crazy, but they knew better now.

No one, unless they weren’t afraid of getting caught by the government, behaved that way anymore.  But that didn’t mean there wasn’t a full fucking movement of like minded individuals out there.  Kellen wanted to assume that the E.A.G.

started from a good place.

He wanted to believe that they were just worried that there would come a time where Guides were actually too powerful.

Where Guides had more authority than Espers.

Maybe in their twisted minds there was a point down the line where Espers would have actual collars and Guides would hold the leashes of them.

Kellen knew that was never going to happen, but he wanted to believe that their fears actually came from a somewhat reasonable place, instead of bigotry and a desire to possess others.  But the more that he heard about the group, the more he knew that he had too high of hopes for them.  Uncle Tom made it clear that the branch had been in operation in the area for about five years.

Each branch had an Esper who ran it, and they had to be at least B Class to be in charge.

The rumour on the streets was that the Head of the E.A.G.

was potentially S Class.

Kellen shivered at the thought that there was a chance a true psycho was running the show.

Kellen, for the most part, didn’t view Espers as poorly as some other Guides did.

That was because from a young age his parents had made him desensitized to the true, crazy nature of them.

He grew up around S Class, A Class, and even one SS Class Esper.

He knew what crazy looks like, but unlike other Guides, he embraced it.

It was the reason he got along so well with other S Classes, and why they all felt comfortable around him.

Even Brent, who Kellen would consider around the same type of Guide as him, was hesitant around most S Classes.

That also meant Kellen had a better understanding of them, and it was also why he was terrified if an S Class Esper was running the show behind the E.A.G.

Whatever logic an Esper came up with for hating Guides was flawed.

On principle, you shouldn’t ever hate someone who gives part of their livelihood to save you.

After all, a Guide could guide someone to the guide’s own death if they weren’t careful.

That was what the side effects were for.

They were warnings to stop, and also protect them.

But S Class Espers who refused guiding were a different problem.

Kellen had never met any who had outright refused guiding, which was good, since S Classes had a baseline thread of insanity built into them.

It wasn’t anything they could control, either.

Once you went past A Class, there was nothing you could do about it.

Humans were not built to hold the powers they were given, and it seemed like the tap out point was A Class.

Kellen had only met one S Class Guide in his lifetime, and he’d had a thread of insanity just like an Esper would.

The difference between the two types of insanity was the fact that the Guide kind of floated.

He wasn’t all there, while any Esper he’d met was harsher around the edges.

Like a giant predator with their mouth open.

A prey vs predator situation.  So having someone whose insanity he couldn’t predict in charge of an organisation that’d just attempted a crime against a large group of people, both Guides and civilians, left Kellen quite worried.

So were the Captains.

It also didn’t help that they hadn’t known about this organisation at all for the five years they had been operating in the city.

There was no excuse on their part.

That was a long amount of time for something to operate under the government’s nose.

Given how upset Uncle Tom was, he wasn’t lying about it either.

Kellen had a feeling that his Mother was going to have another ‘vacation’ soon.  Some of the information on the group they were able to figure out was that outside of the main Esper, there were about six others who held a significant amount of power.

Even if it was a small group, it was a powerful one.

Powerful enough to hide in a city that had four S Class Espers promised to protect it.

For the sake of the guilty conscience of Captain Sergei and Captain Thatcher, the two of them spent quite a bit of time on the front lines trying to protect the country.

It was a small reprieve of guilt, but that didn’t mean that either one of them accepted it.

Captain Sergei was taking it particularly hard that this had happened right under his nose, and Kellen found he hadn’t been aware that he had such a strong patriotism for the country.

The reason why it was allowed for the S Classes to reside in a city when usually a grouping of so many S Classes in one place spelled disaster, was the simple fact that the city was the closest to the front lines.

If something bad happened there, they could mobilize all S Classes to help.

Captain Sergei apparently took that very seriously.

Uncle Tom was the one who should be feeling the most guilt, since he was the one who was supposed to be in charge of not only the D.E.C.

but he was also supposed to have a pulse on the police as well.

Captain Sakura should also be held accountable, but at the same time, her Guild as it was known, was only 3 years old.

She’d inherited the mess of a Guild from the previous Captain, and had only gotten into her groove in the last 1 year and 1/2. In fact, she wasn’t even here because she was helping her Guild oversee the reconstruction of the damaged area.  All of this was to say, Uncle Tom had a laughable amount of knowledge on the group that had attacked the city.

It was actually quite embarrassing, and when Kellen and the Captain shared a look, they made a decision.

They were going to have to ask someone to research the group and see if they could get more information about them.

Both of them had a feeling this wasn’t going to be the last they heard of them.

This had to be the first of many attacks.

~ After the not so helpful, but publicly important meeting, the two left the office of Uncle Tom with Captain Sergei.

Kellen still held the Captain’s hand, and Captain Sergei glanced at the two before turning his attention forward as they waited for the elevator down.

Captain Sergei actually looked paler than he usually did, and Kellen felt worry well inside of him.

From his behaviour in the office, he knew that the man had to be overworking himself.

Prior to the Captain and Kellen announcing their pair, the only person who’d had a consistent partner out of the four S Class Captain’s was Uncle Tom.

Captain Sergei had no one to look out for him, and that worried Kellen.  Without his knowledge, Kellen squeezed the Captain’s hand tightly, and the Captain glanced down at his Guide.

Staring down at him he could tell that Kellen was deep in thought.  “Uh, Captain Sergei, are you going to the area of the attack?” Kellen asked tentatively and Sergei glanced over at him.

Sergei slid his gaze towards Captain Thatcher, before turning his gaze towards the Guide.  “I planned to.

I left Lieutenant Turner there to help while I spoke with Captain Tom.

With the lack of activity on the front lines because of the competition for the new gate, we have time to put more feet on the ground.

Were you two planning to go there as well?” He asked and Kellen glanced behind him at the Captain.  “Well, we’re supposed to just walk around so that others don’t think we were injured from yesterday.

At least, that’s what we were ordered to do.” Kellen said, and Captain Sergei’s lips turned up in a smile.  “Ah, Esper Pamela told you so?

I can see that happening.

She’s quite…forceful.

She often gives Esper Rene a run for her money as well.” Kellen narrowed his eyes, that name sounding familiar, but he wasn’t sure why.

The Captain chuckled.  “Yes, Pamela can be a handful.

But she has our best interest at heart.

Giving us an excuse to go out for a date is very kind of her.” It took everything Kellen had not to blush in front of Captain Sergei.

The Captain was unrepentant, and with his wide smile that didn’t reach his eyes, Kellen knew there was a reason for it.

At least, it felt that way.

“She didn’t really say-” “Of course she did.

Pamela is a romantic, Mr.

Woods.

She wants the world to know that we are happy in our pairing and thriving.

After all, our kiss was all over the news yesterday.

It even made international news.” Kellen furrowed his brow, unsure what the Captain was referring to.  “The one in the hallway?

Why would that one make international news?” Captain Sergei raised an eyebrow at Kellen’s response while the Captain laughed.  “No no, the one where you guided me.

Don’t you remember?

I held you in my arms?

The police and the D.E.C.

were there?” A wave washed over Kellen as he remembered.

He’d only just been coming out of his delirium from overexerting himself, and he usually never held himself fully accountable for what he did during that time.

He, however, could not say that in front of Captain Sergei, and also couldn’t hurt the Captain that way either.

He was in a sticky spot.  “Uh, kinda?” Kellen said, and the Captain froze.  “Kinda?” He repeated, and Captain Sergei looked away from the pair, a small smirk on his lips.

Secretly, Captain Sergei was ecstatic that his friend, Kellen, had found his pair.

On the flip side, he was also excited to see Captain Thatcher get dragged around to Kellen’s beat.

This moment?

This was a gift Kellen was giving him, even if he didn’t know it.  “Well, if I’m honest, I had overexerted myself already at that point, and was only just recovering from delirium.

I’m not completely aware of what I said to you then, if I said anything to you.

I barely remember meeting Captain Sakura there.” It was clear from Captain Thatcher’s expression he had never considered that.

He frowned, staring down at the man before him.

Kellen shifted nervously, uncomfortable with being stuck in a small space with the two other men.

“I’m sorry if that upsets you.” Kellen offered easily and that only made the man holding his hand frown more.  “You don’t remember?” Kellen nodded, unsure if that was what he wanted.

The Captain sighed heavily.

“Well, guess we’ll just have to do it again.” He said cheerfully, and Kellen’s eyes widened.

Captain Sergei coughed, and thankfully for him, the elevator doors opened at that moment.

He stepped out first, followed by the Captain and then Kellen.  “We don’t need to redo it.

I’m fine with not remembering it.” Kellen insisted as they crossed the lobby, every eye on them and Captain Sergei.

Captain Thatcher smiled down and the nervous Guide.  “Oh Kellen, I don’t want you to forget a moment of our courtship.

So I am happy to repeat anything and everything you might forget.

Is there anything else you think you’ve forgotten that you need a reminder of?” He asked sweetly as they reached the doors.

Captain Sergei was holding them open and Kellen nodded his thanks.  “N-No Captain.

I think that’s it.” Kellen muttered, hoping beyond hope that the Captain wasn’t being serious.

Captain Sergei’s chuckle carried on the wind, and Kellen spun his head to stare at him.

His eyes were smiling as he looked over the new pair.

“Yes, Captain Sergei?

What’s so funny?” Kellen asked, feeling the heat sneak up his neck.

Captain Sergei waved a hand.  “I was just finding it humorous how Captain Thatcher tries desperately to keep your attention on him.

He panics when your attention is drawn to anyone else.

Granted, you two have only recently realised what you two mean to each other, but it’s refreshing.” His smile turned his pale face from stoic and harsh to a softer, brighter look.

Kellen blinked, while the Captain tightened his grip on Kellen’s hand.

“I’m happy to find out that he’s just like the rest of us.

He’s been so smug for so long I’m glad to see that someone is proving to be a challenge.”  “That’s enough, Captain Sergei.” The Captain’s tone held an edge of a threat and without thinking, Kellen smacked the Esper’s chest.  “No more fighting.

I swear, if you pick a fight right now after I just put in so much work to fix you I am going to be pissed.” Kellen threatened, and Captain Sergei was in his glee when it worked.

The Captain backed down.

Captain Sergei smiled, shaking his head.  “Ah, the powers of a good Guide.

I’m happy for you, Guide Kellen.

But, I know when not to third wheel.

I’ll meet you two there.

Have fun on your date.

I hope it’s memorable.” He teased the pair, before he unfolded a thin sheet of metal, stepped onto it, and used his powers to levitate himself away quickly.

Kellen found himself in a bit of a shock.

Not only had Captain Sergei provoked the Captain, he had also teased both of them.

It was the most emotion he’d seen out of the man in years.

Captain Thatcher didn’t seem amused by it in the slightest.

“That damn sneaky man.” He muttered quietly, but loud enough that Kellen was able to hear him.

He sighed.

Well, thankfully, it seemed that Captain Sergei had distracted the Captain enough that Kellen didn’t feel threatened anymore.

Now he just needed to get through the rest of this ‘date’.

CREATORS’ THOUGHTS CalyB I would never say that Captain Sergei is a bad guy, but him and Captain Thatcher do have a ‘healthy’ rivalry.