(BL) Taming the Field Guide-Chapter 94: A little scatterbrained

This didn’t feel like a big deal to Kellen. Truly, he knew that he should be panicking and worrying about everything going on. He could tell that everyone else was, and if Kellen was going to be a part of the rescue mission, he probably would be worked up and worried.

He wasn’t though, and instead he was sitting in the ’green room’ with a bunch of snacks, endless good quality tea at his fingertips, and Espers who couldn’t keep their mouths shut. Kellen found that this moment wasn’t that much different compared to all of the other press conferences he’d done so far in his life.

He was just missing Rhys at his side.

He was still getting makeup put on his face, just not by Izzy but by another person hired by the Nemesis Guild.

Hill wasn’t by his side, but that was only because she was in the next room with Sergei and a few others, going over security and what they were to expect. That did not mean that Kellen was alone. He had three of the members of the Saturn Guild with him, all of them sitting around, chatting, fully dressed in their pretty Guild uniforms to show off where they were from.

Honestly, Kellen remembered what it was like the last few times he’d done a press conference. The first time he’d been nervous because he’d never done one before. The second? He was worried about what the idiots would say to him, that they wouldn’t believe him. The last time? He wanted someone to mess up. Try to hurt him.

He had a similar feeling as that press conference flowing through his veins. That was probably why he wasn’t as stressed out as he normally was, nor why he was as worried about Rhys being away from his side.

Well, that one also could be that he just trusted Rhys. That didn’t mean he still didn’t want to be there to rescue Gunther, but Rhys had been rescuing Gunther for a lot longer than Kellen had. He had to respect that, and also, Gunther might not want to see Kellen since he was the one who put him in that situation.

Kellen twitched in the makeup chair as he thought of that. It was the first time that he’d considered that Gunther might not even want to see him. Gunther had said before he went undercover that he was fine with the fact that Kellen was the one who suggested he go. Kellen hadn’t considered that his mind might change after he came back.

Oh no. Would Gunther hate him when he got back? There was a chance. Kellen had forgotten that the E.A.G. had had him for a while. They could have used all kinds of techniques on him, including attempting to brainwash him. Kellen had faith in Gunther that he wouldn’t be brainwashed against Rhys, but Kellen? The Guide who had sent him there?

Kellen was suddenly feeling a little less confident and a little more worried.

~

Time passed quickly for Kellen, and before he knew it, the 11 am call for the press conference was underway. Rhys and his crew had left hours ago, scouting out the area the day of so as not to alert the E.A.G. members who wouldn’t have a clue that they were coming. It was going to be a surprise attack, and Rhys meant surprise.

Sergei was dressed in his Guild best, even wearing a Captain’s hat like Rhys normally would. Kellen had no doubt about who he was dressing up for. After all, it wasn’t like he hadn’t invited international newscasters for no reason. Kellen was glad that he did. Not just because he also wanted Brent to see him, but because he wanted the world to know what his city was doing and how they were protecting their people from harm.

Not with pissing contests that levelled lesser cities, but by uniting their forces and working together. Granted, Kellen knew that wasn’t all other cities, but he did know that a majority of the other cities didn’t work together as well as their city did. Correction, it wasn’t the city, it was the S Classes who practically ran them.

Kellen was just used to using neutral terms because that was how his Mom spoke, but everyone knew the truth. The other S Classes got too big for their own damn egos and would butt heads with the other S Classes and then nothing would get done. Rhys still did that, but when things became so important that his ego didn’t matter? He dropped it. Same with Sergei, and even Sakura.

They valued their people too much.

That was what Kellen believed, anyways.

Hill, also dressed in her Lieutenant best, was nervous beside Kellen. She’d also had her makeup done, since Kellen wasn’t allowed to go onto the podium alone, and she looked like a wreck. Even her people were trying to make her feel better, but Hill just brushed them off. She kept glancing at Kellen, her expression hard to read, before looking away.

Kellen had no idea why she was so nervous. They either tried to kill them, or didn’t. That was the reality of the situation that they were in.

Sergei was speaking to his people quietly, monitoring the situation, and after a long pause and a deep sigh, he turned to Kellen and Hill, getting up from the chair he’d been sitting in.

"It’s time. Let’s move to the second location where you’ll be waiting until I announce you. Will you be alright, Kellen?" Sergei asked and Kellen nodded. He was feeling fine actually. His body was continuing to heal after the blood transfer, so he was feeling quite good. His arm was also back in the sling, he was in his Guide Uniform jacket again, and his pants. He was just more worried about the fact that he stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of dark uniforms since his was so white.

"I’m good. Hill, are you okay?" Kellen asked and Hill let out a shaky laugh.

"I think the least hardy of us shouldn’t be asking if I’m alright. Compared to the injured man I’m about to parade around in front of everyone, I’m doing much better." She said dryly and Kellen chuckled. He turned to smile at Sergei.

"We’re ready, Sergei. Let’s go." Kellen said, giving a thumbs up. "My new gun is itching." He added, just to prove he was actually okay. Sergei’s lips twitched for a second before he sighed, shaking his head.

"You’re only excited because it’s a gun that can’t be used on the front lines." He muttered, having gotten an earful from Kellen earlier about his gun. Kellen just smiled in response.

Sergei began ordering the others around in a soft, but firm voice. Everyone knew what they needed to do, having already gone through it with Sergei. Kellen watched the other Guild move, impressed again with how coordinated the Nemesis Guild was at all times. Sergei took great care to train his people, and this moment was a good example of that.

Kellen, Hill, and the other Espers were moved with Sergei and Kellen realised why once they got to the doors. There was a small spot out of view of the others where Kellen would wait. It was a blacked out spot, even amongst all of the glass panels around them, that no one would be able to target. Why?

The same fabric that Kellen was wearing on his body was blocking out the view for everyone else. If someone fired at it, it would probably reflect. If someone tried to stab it, it would reflect. It was basically two seats that had been surrounded in a protective fabric curtain. A very expensive fabric curtain, but still a curtain. Kellen was a little shocked, but Sergei just smirked at him.

"We have a farm in our gate." He told Kellen, answering the question in Kellen’s eye. Kellen narrowed his eye. That was...almost unfair. Kellen knew how expensive just his shirt was, knew it was a ridiculous expense that Rhys had gotten him so many different sizes for his Field Guide uniform, but also knew it was important. If Sergei had a farm in his gate....

Kellen scowled at him, and that brought out a real smile from Sergei.

"There was a reason I was always so generous." Sergei told him cockily, and Kellen really wanted to give him the middle finger. Half of his damn wages as a Field Guide would have gone back to Sergei if he was the supplier of this fabric for this area. Damn man! And he’d never said anything about it either!

The Esper that he’d assigned to take on the role of guiding the others and being the front of the company, a smaller woman with eyes that hadn’t stopped glowing the silvery blue of her telekinesis powers the whole time Kellen had been listening to her speak was now ushering Sergei out the doors and down to the stage. They had put up a curtain from behind, as well as a set of stairs from the back so Sergei, and eventually Kellen, would enter from the back of the stage.

Sergei waved to them, taking two of his Lieutenants, Lieutenant Turner and Lieutenant Davies as he left the building. He didn’t look back, too focused on what was about to happen. Hill, Kellen could tell, was worried about the space that Kellen was going to have to walk with very little defenses. The fact that he’d probably be a sitting duck, waiting for someone to shoot him.

Kellen wasn’t as worried. He hadn’t been worried this whole time.

He really, really wished that someone would attempt to hurt him.

Kellen turned to the Esper in charge.

"Are we able to hear what they are talking about from here?" He asked her. She blinked, and then swore.

"I have an earpiece, but I completely forgot about the others who would want to watch it. I’m sorry, Guide Woods. It completely escaped my mind." She looked horrified that she had missed something so simple. That was okay with Kellen. Did it mean that he might miss his cue? Maybe. He didn’t really care. They could wait a little longer.

Kellen instead turned to the few pages of paper he’d written to get his thoughts down properly about what he wanted to say. He’d shoved them into his pocket, both the Esper jacket he had worn before this, and now his Guide Uniform. He knew his brain was a little scattered, and had noticed more little things about him that weren’t the same as before he’d been in the gate. He mostly chalked it up to the poison in his damn veins, so, notes.

Things he normally didn’t have, but this was supposed to be a debrief of what happened in the gate, what went wrong, and what he found. He could do that easily, but he also knew that there were some things that he shouldn’t say to the public. More for the image of the Guild and the other Guilds, and hell, even for Kellen’s image. Whatever that meant.