The Red Hand

Chapter 215 – The Special Support Section.

"It's good to finally meet you, and please, have a seat." President Rosewood shook Birdy's hand as she greeted her. This meeting was a long time coming, and Rosewood was grateful that negotiations over the use of one of Akagi's returnees had gone well. Birdy would be a major asset to the United States, and it was expected that her presence would propel scientific research in multiple different fields.

After the Council's plans were thwarted, and the Kingdom Dumetor was officially established, Birdy began her trip to the United States to fulfill her mission. At present, she was meeting with the American President in the Oval Office, alongside Agent Nariyuki who was acting as a minder.

"It's nice to be here Madam President. I never imagined I'd be back in the States, let alone in the White House." Birdy's family was partially from the United States, and she'd been here many times throughout her childhood, which was why she spoke perfect English. Akagi hadn't sent her along with Hikari's team since she was needed in the infiltration of Libra, though things worked out for the best as a result.

{I haven't been in the States for nearly a decade, and its kinda strange to be back, not gonna lie.} (Birdy)

"Before we discuss anything, could you tell me how would you like us to address you?" President Rosewood wanted clarification on this issue as she knew it was contentious, with many returnees preferring to go by their names from FWO. "Your legal name is still Mayori Ijin, but I've only heard you addressed as Birdy."She thought it a strange name, but was not about to question it.

"Please don't call me by that other name, Birdy is good." Birdy shook her head as she sighed. "I'm not even really part of that family anymore, so I don't see a reason to use that name." She hadn't gotten along well with her family, and hadn't spoken to most of them for at least a decade.

{Not like they even wanted me to use it anyway. Well, at least, until they saw what I became after FWO... Fucking scumbag bastards!} (Birdy)

"Part of it or not, your parents have been putting heavy pressure on my administration." President Rosewood sighed. "It seems they're not fond of the idea of their daughter working for the American government, and they want us to ship you back to Japan." She'd gotten numerous messages from the company and the Ijin family who all demanded that Birdy be sent home. They never outright said the reason why, and tried to hid behind excuses, such as Birdy not being a good fit for the role she was being given.

{I get the feeling they're trying to bring her under their control and don't like one of their family members splitting off like this. Their excuses basically break down to them trying to reign in someone who went off the farm.} Rosewood understood a bit of the Ijin family dynamic and even had her intelligence services investigate Birdy and the Conglomerate that her family ran. What she found was a sad story of a parent dying early, a remarriage, and an unpleasant home environment. Though she was wary of pressing the issue directly, since that might offend the woman in question.

"Hah! Those bastards only want to use my power. Before FWO, I was nothing more than an inconvenience, and that whore who claims to be my 'mother' has the gall to run my father's company and act like she owns the place." Birdy bit her lip in anger. She'd had a massive falling out with her mother after her father's death, and the two were not on speaking terms.

{That bitch didn't even wait for my father to be cold in the ground before she remarried. I'd bet good money she was seeing that prick behind Dad's back, and if you told me that SHE killed him to take his company, I wouldn't be shocked. I hope that bitch rots in hell for all she did!} (Birdy)

{I suppose that confirms some of the claims in our investigation. It seems the family dynamic is quite toxic, and I suspect things are a bit more volatile than even the C.I.A. can detect.} (Rosewood)

"Regardless of your relationship to the other members of your family, know that I've no intention of listening to their demands. No matter how much pressure they place upon this office, my cooperation with you and your employer are far more valuable to me than whatever they can offer." Rosewood's look got sharp. She had little tolerance for companies threatening American interests or policy, and had tried to make that perfectly clear in her phone call with Ijin. "They might have quite a substantial amount of corporate power and influence in both Japan's and the United State's economy, but I will not allow them to compromise our national security."

{The whole reason we brought this girl here was to aid us in research and development. It's likely that other nations are actively recruiting returnees, and we can't afford to sit idly by while our enemies gain the upper hand. Some Senators and Reps might get annoyed if Ijin starts pulling out business, but that's just going to be the price we pay for such a boon.} (Rosewood)

"Whatever." Birdy sighed. "I'm here to do a job, and that's what I'm gonna do. I don't really care for all that politics stuff, since Akagi handles that." She turned to Nariyuki. "I'm sure you can understand what it's like having a pain in the ass as a boss." She smirked.

{Akagi can be quite the slave driver, though she's fun to work for.} (Birdy)

"Yep, this one here doesn't pay me enough to deal with her crap." Nariyuki nodded.

"Nice. You just casually insulted the President of the United States to her face." Rosewood rolled her eyes.

{How many other people would act like that? Though it is refreshing, since most people are way too uptight around me.} (Rosewood)

"Note, you did not deny anything I said as being false." Nariyuki commented or her lack of a defense.

"I swear to god, Nariyuki, you've always been a troublemaker, but ever since you met Akagi, I get this feeling your attitude has only gotten worse." Rosewood sighed. Since Akagi's visit Nariyuki had gotten a bit more lax with her attitude.

"You're just imagining things." Nariyuki assured her that it was not true. “I'm the same as I always was.”

{I don't doubt it...} (Rosewood)

"Akagi has a certain quality about her that makes people... let's just say open up a bit more." Birdy laughed. "It's part of why I like her so much, and not to mention she's funny."

{I mean, come on. Who wouldn't like someone who casually turns into a rabbit during important meetings? Some might find it stupid, but I find it funny as hell!} (Birdy)

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you end up serving her?" President Rosewood couldn't find anything about this question, and her intelligence agents were similarly clueless. She figured it must have happened in game, though from what she could tell none of the other returnees knew the reason either.

"She helped me with something personal, and because of that..." Birdy thought for a moment. "Because of that, I was able to pull at least one good thing out of my time in FWO. So, I serve her because I want to repay that favor, and because I've come to understand its the best place for me."

{Removing that idiot was the most cathartic thing I've ever experienced in my life. I just wish I could have been there to see my mother and step-father's faces when they found out their 'perfect heir' died.} (Birdy)

"If you don't want to go into detail, then I won't pry." Rosewood nodded, understanding that further digging would be counterproductive. "Then getting back to why you're here, shall I explain what will be happening from today on? I know you were already briefed before arrival, but I'd like to make sure we're on the same page."

"Shoot." Birdy waved her on, and Rosewood began her explanation of Birdy's new role. She'd be heading directly to the Pentagon from here where a joint team of military specialists and civil agents would be working with her. Her first duty would be to facilitate military testing, as the U.S. military wanted to gauge its capabilities against returnees. After that she'd be part of an intensive research program that covered all facets of her power and abilities, from the biological makeup of her body to the metaphysical aspect of her powers.

Once this was explained, and Rosewood thanked her again, Birdy was directed to an awaiting vehicle and began the short trip over to the Pentagon. Nariyuki would be accompanying her during her time in the United States, as President Rosewood wanted to ensure that no issues occurred. There was little worry that the bird girl herself would cause trouble, rather Rosewood was anxious that other government officials might cause a problem, and she really wanted to avoid that.

"You know, I think this is the second time I've been here before." Birdy says as she stepped out of the SUV. They were in an underground garage at the Pentagon and were getting ready to head inside.

"When and why were you at the Pentagon? Even I've only been here a couple of times before today, so why would a civilian come here?" Nariyuki asked as she came up behind her.

"A tour." Birdy answered with a very obvious reason. "They give them out and I came here once with my father. If I recall correctly, he was working on a contract with the U.S. military for cyber security at the time."

{That was about a year before he died. He was so excited about the chance to work directly with the American Military on that project.} (Birdy)

"That's right, Ijin handles quite a bit of networking, so it's not surprising that they'd be in that business." Nariyuki and Birdy continued to speak as they were escorted into the Pentagon. After some initial security checks, the two women were taken down an elevator to a restricted area below the building After the events of Yokosuka, the U.S. Military set up a dedicated task force to handle returnees and events involving them. Even after Libra's defeat, this operation continued and was actually expanding as there was fear that nations like Russia or China could get hold of some and cause chaos. Birdy was to meet with those who ran it, and they would dictate what she'd be doing and where she would be going.

"Oh yeah, word of warning." Nariyuki glanced at her. "Harold is beyond excited to have you here, so just a heads up the man is... excitable..." She sighed.

{Joy...} (Birdy)

Once they were cleared for entry, the two women entered a room that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. There were countless monitors with dozens of different things being show, with one in particular, showing Elna in her cell, rocking back and forth.

{So they're spying on returnees. Not exactly surprising, and from what I see, they've got active surveillance on quite a few of us.} Birdy scanned the monitors until one caught her attention.

"So you wanna explain why that screen has a live feed of the estate on it?" Birdy glared at Nariyuki. She could see an image of the Dumetor Estate from a distance. It seemed that the States were keeping a close eye on Akagi, and her people.

{I'll have to tell her about that, not that she'll care anyway.} (Birdy)

"Don't look at me, I've got no part to play in this." Nariyuki shook her head. "But I'd imagine that your boss probably knows about this and is simply ignoring it."

{Probably...} (Nariyuki)

As they stood around and discussed the different monitors, a man's voice rang out. "Is that her?!?" A dark-haired man called out from the other side of the room. He was wearing a golf shirt and brown slacks, and at his side were two other people, an older man and a woman around his age.

"I don't think anyone else has literal rainbow hair..." The woman sighed. “So yeah, that's probably her.”

"Fair point..." The man gave a nervous laugh as the three of them walked over.

{I assume that's Harold...} (Birdy)

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The older man greeted her, offering his hand. "My Name is Cliff Landington, and I am the Director of the Special Support Section. This young woman is my Deputy Director, Sarah Hood, and this individual is my head of research and Development, Harold McMillin." He's eyes rolled slightly when he introduced Harold.

{Ah, so he's one of THOSE kind of people.} (Birdy)

"Nice to meet you." Birdy shook the man's hand and gave a smile.

"So she does speak English." Harold noted something down on his AR.

"That was in her file, you idiot." Sarah sighed. "Please forgive him, he's just excited to meet an actual returnee." She shook Bird's hand. "If he does anything strange, feel free to give him a good wack. Though we need him alive, sadly." She shook her head.

"Will do." Birdy chuckled.

"I think her wacks might be enough to kill me, Sarah." Harold laughed nervously.

"Keeping to the matter at hand, Ms. Birdy I assume you've already been briefed on your role?" Cliff asked.

"Yes, you basically just want me to help figure out how your military tech handles a returnee's power, do all sorts of tests on me, and then you'll be sending me around the country on some PR missions to aid in quieting down the public." Birdy said.

"That's a much less nice but ultimately more poignant way of putting it, yes." Cliff nodded. "We've already taken care of your living arrangements, and Ms. Nariyuki can escort you there later, but for now, I'd like to begin with some preliminary physical tests. I've got several members of the Joint Chiefs waiting on standby, and they'll be watching."

"And then after that, we'd like to do some physical analysis. The chance to examine an actual returnee is invaluable." Harold's eyes lit up as he talked about examining Birdy's body.

"Too bad for you that I will be the one doing all that." Sarah sighed again. "I'm not letting you start poking her with all kinds of instruments, lest she really send you flying."

"If you want to run medical tests, that's fine." Birdy shrugged. "Just be warned that you might not be able to use devices that are meant for Humans. I know that normal needles can't break my skin." Birdy had previously aided Akagi in some minor experiments, and this was one of the first issues they encountered.

"We'll figure it out." Harold assured her that things would be fine. "But anything we can get will be valuable, and I can't wait to see all the differences between you and a Human." He stopped for a moment, the look on his face showing regret over his choice of words. "I mean, well... your body isn't Human but you... um..." He stumbled over his words, and Sarah groaned as he only made things more awkward. Birdy was no longer physically Human, and while many returnees no longer considered themselves human, some did, and he was worried he might have just stepped on a landmine.

"It's fine, calm down." Birdy put her hand up to get him to stop. "I'm not Human, in both body and mind." She continued. "I'm a Dark Phonexian, not a human, and that doesn't bother me."

{If anything, I'd rather be like this. Why on Earth would I want to retain my humanity? There's nothing wrong with Humans, but my current species is literally just BETTER.} (Birdy)

“Yeah, but still... sorry...” Harold apologize and Sara scolded him for being stupid.

After a bit more discussion, Birdy was taken into a second of the Pentagon which deeper underground and covered in reinforced walls. They'd created a special open area for live weapons testing, and they'd have her perform her demonstrations here.

"I guess that's the brass." Birdy whispered to Nariyuki. Overlooking the large open testing area was a glass window, behind which stood several older men and women in uniform.

"Yup, General Andrithson, Admiral Smith, and the Chairmen of the Joint Chief's Abigal Goldwater." Nariyuki replied.

{That's one hell of a lineup, all three of this nation's top military brass are in one location. Not to mention all the other officers alongside them.} {Nariyuki)

"Ms. Birdy, we're ready for the first test." Cliff's voice came over the PA system, and Nariyuki was ushered into a secure room to avoid any danger to her person during the tests.

"Sounds good." Birdy began walking towards the tank which was placed in the center of the room.

{How much of a pain in the ass was it to get that thing down here?} Birdy thought absentmindedly as she approached it.

"We'd like to see how the modified armor of this Abrams handles one of your magical attacks, so please use one. Though we request you refrain from anything too large scale, as we are not convinced that this facility could handle your full power." Cliff said, his voice containing a hint of nervousness.

"Is it ok if my attack destroys this thing?" Birdy asked as she cracked her knuckles and neck. “Just want to be sure before I go turning it into slag.”

It took a moment for a response as Cliff needed to confir with his technicians. "That would be fine, yes." Cliff's voice was now showing more nervousness.

"Great!" Birdy's lips curved into a wicked smile as she unleashed her Dark Phoenix power, and her transformation momentarily startled everyone. "Don't get mad at me when there's not even a single scrap left!" Birdy roared as she chucked a negative energy blast at the Abrams which impacted it, causing a minor explosion that vaporized the tank and left a small crater in the floor.

Thoroughly pleased with herself, Birdy looked up at the window where the military brass stood, shocked at how easily she destroyed the vehicle. "So, how's that for a first test?" She smirked.