Chapter Text
"I'm glad you two came in a timely manner." General Galeforce said, "This is important."
Charles, Henry, and the general were in an empty office, on the opposite side of the building to the break room, where almost every soldier was gathered to drink and be idiots. They needed to be sure nobody would overhear.
"Of course, General." Charles replied, "If I may ask, though, why did you need us? And why does it need to be a secret?"
Galeforce ensured the door was locked and sound-proof before answering, "Well, I've recently found evidence of...an undercover agent on base. A mole."
Charles' brow lifted, "A mole? On base?"
"That's right. They've been feeding information to our enemies, and compromising several missions that have gotten soldiers hurt."
Henry felt a lump forming in his throat, lifting his hands before letting them fall.
"Sir..." Charles said slowly, "You don't think that Henry...?"
Galeforce picked up on their unease, "No, I don't think it was Henry. These activities have been going on undetected for many years, much longer than Henry has even been with us, so we know it can't be him."
Henry deflated in relief. He didn't know what he'd do if he had been accused of anything and gotten all of this taken away.
"Likewise, Charlie, I've known you for so long, it's inconceivable that it could be you. Your father is my best friend, and I even knew you as a child. However, I can't confirm anyone else's intentions, so I have no idea who can be trusted."
"What? But General..." Charles took a step in front of Henry, "What about Rupert? I've known him almost my whole life! It can't be him, right?"
"Well, there was a large portion of time when you didn't know 'im, and when Rupert joined the force, a major mission was compromised. I know it could just be a coincidence, but until I know that for sure, I don't know if Rupert can be trusted."
Henry signed, "What about," and then made the sign for "Flower" using the letter E.
"Ellie fits in with many of the new recruits." Galeforce explained, "She's been in this line of work for long enough that I can't reasonably rule her out as a suspect. She is, admittedly, very unlikely to be the mole, but until I can be absolutely certain, she can't be trusted either."
Henry shrugged. He could deal with "Very unlikely."
"So..." Charles grinned, "You want us to be like secret agents to weed out the mole?"
Galeforce gave a good-natured chuckle, "I knew you'd be excited for a prospect like this. Now, you're probably wondering what the evidence is, and who the most likely suspects are."
Henry nodded enthusiastically as Galeforce procured a folder, full of files and names.
"There are three suspects, one of which is my primary suspect, but I'll get to him in a second." he pulled the first file, "The first suspect is a red recruit by the name of Jacob Rose. He's the older brother of Ellie, but though he joined us soon after Henry did, he's been in this line of work for a long time, and he's hardly ever on base. Every time he is, a mission goes wrong. His case is mostly circumstantial, but I still think he's worth noting."
The next file caught Henry's eye, and Charles gasped softly.
"The second suspect is Konrad Bukowski. He and his brother Calvin both joined a few years after Charles did, right when the first instance occurred. The first incident of soldiers getting hurt from a compromised mission. Ever since, he's appeared to be a loyal soldier, but Calvin himself has expressed concern in his brother's activities, so it could just be a front for something more sinister. Currently, he's my number two suspect, beaten out by only one other."
Charles had a crease in his brow. He looked mildly angry, but over what?
"And finally..." Galeforce hid the final document in the folder with both hands, "Charlie...if you hear this name and decide to opt out of this mission, I won't blame you one bit."
Charles shared an uneasy glance with Henry, who took his hand in sympathy.
"Wh-why? Who is it?"
Galeforce slowly swept the file out into the open, "His name...is Chad Brandon."
Charles' face flushed a sickly green color. Henry was afraid he would vomit, but instead, he fell over and Henry was forced to catch him.
"Yeah. I thought you might say that." Galeforce pulled out a chair for him, "Like I said, you can opt out of this entirely, and I will understand."
"Why is...how is...?" Charles wheezed as his heart pounded and he was forced to breathe faster.
"Are you alright, Charlie? Do you need to lay down? Water? A bucket, perhaps?"
"N-no, I-I'm fine." Charles leaned on the table, "Christ. How did you get him as a soldier?"
"I really didn't want to." Galeforce knelt beside him, a steadying hand on his shoulder, "But if I had turned him away despite his good record and the fact that he seems far more pleasant now than he did all those years ago, I could have faced legal repercussions thanks to the very laws that are protecting you. Luckily, thanks to my position, I've been able to keep the two of you on separate teams so you don't even have to look at him, but now, I fear it may be unavoidable."
"Fuck. No." Charles' lungs constricted as he grabbed the front of his shirt in both fists, "I can't. I..."
"Like I said, please stay out of this if you need to." Galeforce took Charles' hands in both of his own, "Hey. Soldier. Listen to me, boy. You're going to be alright. I know who you are. Henry knows who you are, and you know who you are. This means nothing. Nobody else can decide anything about you. Just breathe, okay?"
Charles did. As his lungs filled, he remembered when they couldn't. When breathing was more difficult. When the panic stole what little breath he had until the pressure around his ribcage was like a vice that suffocated him.
He took another breath. It was helping.
"He knows."
Galeforce sighed, "I know, Charlie. I know he knows. Don't worry about it. I doubt he'd recognize you anyway, and like I said, I've carefully crafted your duties and routines so you wouldn't even know about the other's existence. Maybe I should have told you sooner that he was on base, but I knew you could handle yourself, and nobody would be on his side if he acted up."
Henry wrapped his arms around Charles in comfort, softly nuzzling into his cheek. Charles reached up to hold Henry's hands over his chest, and he smiled as he leaned into the affection.
Henry's voice came out quiet and slightly hoarse, "What did he do?"
Charles didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to think about it. He thought he had healed from this pain, but Chad had always been stronger than him, and his bullying didn't stop, simply because he knew how not to get caught. He was eventually expelled, but the damage had been done. Charles only wished he had said something sooner. Maybe Chad would have been investigated sooner. Maybe the abuse would have stopped before the big event that traumatized him.
Thinking about it again hurt beyond measure. He was so grateful that he had people like Henry, who cared so much about him.
"You don't have to tell me." Henry said in response to the dread-filled silence, "It was in the past, so it can stay there, right?"
Charles smiled, recalling that he'd said the same thing to Henry before, "I know, but...I don't want you to be caught off-guard." he broke out of Henry's grasp, "I'll get involved in the case. I don't want to be afraid of him anymore."
"That's very courageous of you." Galeforce said gently, "But I don't want you to get hurt again. Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'm sure." Charles stood from the chair, "Who knows? Maybe he really is better now. I haven't even seen him since the first year of high school. I'm a lot different now than I was then. And anyway, if I'm one of the only people you can trust right now, I want to help you fix the problem."
"I thought you might say that." Galeforce returned to the file, "In any case, Chad Brandon's file is suspicious to say the least. His activity doesn't line up with failed missions or data leaks, but the day he joined does line up with when the suspicious activity started. Moreover, he often separates from his team, preferring solo missions whenever possible, and the people he's closest to are often at the forefront of the damage when personal information is leaked. This is why he is my primary suspect at the moment."
Henry stood up straight to sign, "So, what would you like us to do?"
"What I would like from you two young 'uns is to secretly investigate suspicious behavior. Let me know if you have evidence for or against a soldier's case. As soon as we have enough evidence, proper legal action can be taken. I wouldn't be askin' this of you if I didn't think you were capable, but remember yourselves too. Please, don't feel pressured to accept."
"No, really sir, I think I'll be okay." Charles adjusted his signature red headphones on his head, "Besides; If we do catch Chad in something unacceptable, I'm sure it'll be fun to get him arrested."
"That's the spirit, soldier." Galeforce lined the files up one by one, "Now, this is the perfect opportunity to scope out possible suspects. The soldiers automatically drop their guard at these parties, and this is amplified by the alcohol they consume. If people still seem jaded, it may warrant further investigation, and, of course, if soldiers are absent, make note of that as well."
"Well, we don't have to treat them as enemies immediately." Henry pointed out, his signs more pronounced than usual, "I never go to these parties if I can help it. I prefer to drink at home."
"No, obviously, there are plenty of reasons why someone may be acting a certain way that have no malicious intent behind them. Most people are going to be harmless, as these leaks and sabotage events are not being caused by more than a small handful of people at most. As such, don't treat this like everyone is suddenly a threat. Instead, it's more like you're trying to find a needle in a haystack. A lot of soldiers have been victims of this behavior, so I've reasonably ruled them out as suspects, but not enough to trust them with the whole story; That someone from the outside is trying to sabotage missions and blackmail soldiers with stolen information, as well as leaking this information to our enemies."
"I see..." Henry pondered the information before his hands lifted again, "What if we find something that absolves someone of suspicion?"
"Well, I would hope you would come to me with any information you find, but I'll trust you to use your best judgement. If you find something that makes a soldier's involvement impossible beyond a reasonable doubt, then you can be honest with them about the mole. Otherwise, it's better to stay quiet. I'm worried that if the mole realizes they've been caught, they'll become even craftier to stay hidden, or worse, they may flee and come back stronger. I've already questioned people I think may have had involvement, and I've asked other branches of the military to help me puzzle this out with no results. At this point, I'm desperate to just make the sabotages stop, but I'm terrified of accusing the wrong person."
Charles gazed at the files as he spoke. Jacob did resemble Ellie strikingly, but instead of red hair, he had blond hair, and his eyes were green instead of red. Henry had met Konrad before, but he didn't know anything about him, and he didn't get why Charles was trying to avoid looking at the picture of the young-looking recruit with cropped orange hair, identical to his twin brother, of course. Henry's gaze lingered on the final picture. Chad Brandon looked like Henry's idea of a typical douchebag, with a bleached blond beard that only grew around his jawline, big lips bordering on comical, and muscles that were well-defined but clearly just for show. Even Henry was sure he could suplex this idiot, and he didn't consider himself particularly strong. Charles, on the other hand, was known to lift entire vehicles off the ground when mechanical lifts weren't available, and he could carry multiple people on his shoulders without showing any signs of strain. When Henry asked if he had a superpower that gave him superhuman strength, he had just confusedly replied, "...maybe...?"
That's why it was so jarring to look up at Charles and see him shrinking away from the picture, so visibly uncomfortable it bordered on physical pain. That's when Henry knew that what Charles had been through was not only deep-rooted, but psychological as well.
Again, Henry hesitantly signed, "What happened?"
Charles made eye contact with Galeforce...and the resulting empathy that radiated from his expression said it all.
"Well..." Charles swallowed, his voice a little weak, "When I was in middle school, the guy the year above me, Chad, he was known to be a bully, but he scared his victims into silence. He was the reason I almost didn't come out, because being a young girl at his mercy was bad enough. He was the kind of person who would use anything against you, no matter how minor, so if he found out I was trans, I knew he'd use it to torment me, and I was right."
Oh no. Charles was trans. Henry always forgot about that because he'd only ever known him after his transition, but how bad must this have been? Was it anything close to true psychological abuse?
Henry took his hand, signing a simple, "How old?"
Charles looked away, rubbing his neck, "I was twelve when it started."
Henry thought his eyes would bulge out of their sockets. A twelve-year-old child.
It's safe to say that Charles couldn't lift vehicles back then.
"I remember the day I decided to try something new; I tucked my hair inside a baseball cap. I didn't have long hair, but I wasn't committed to the idea of cutting it all off yet, so I wanted to see how being a tomboy would feel. Chad picked up on it immediately, and he stole the hat. I remember crying that day, and I didn't even know why. It was just a hat. I had like six other hats just like it at home."
"Because he pushed your boundaries." Henry pointed out, "I know I'd be shaken if a bully just ripped a hat off my head."
"Exactly. I don't think I'm being unreasonable by just asking for some basic level of human respect." Charles sighed, touching his headphones like he wanted to make sure they were still there, "Anyway, events like this were common in those two years I was tormented. It happened when I started wearing track shoes to school, then when I cut my hair really short, then when I started wearing headphones to help manage sensory overload and filter out distracting background noise."
Henry turned to the general, "And you know about this?"
"Oh, kiddo. I was there when it happened."
"Right. There was one final event."
Henry's hands were visibly shaking as he signed, "What did he do?"
Charles took a huge, deep breath. Here goes nothing.
"He...he snuck up on me when I was washing my hands in the school bathroom. It was the boy's bathroom, and yes, that detail matters." he began, "And he said..."
If you insist on being a man, then face me like one!
Once again, just pushing boundaries. Chad had gotten away with so much, he thought he could get away with more.
Charles squeezed his eyes shut.
His lip was bleeding when the first punch came. He slammed into the tile wall, dropping his backpack, his headphones flying off so he heard everything, and what he heard was his deadname being dropped. Over and over and over again. There was no meaning behind the word, no declaration that it was his real name or that he wasn't really Charles; It was nothing more than a jab to upset him, and it was working.
He had tried so hard to put up a fight, but his ears were ringing, and his shoes were slipping on the floor. He finally turned things in his favor when he managed to escape, and he sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him all the way down to the principal's office.
He told them everything. He didn't have the strength to hold back. He told them about every aspect of bullying he'd faced, every stolen item, every deadname dropped, every crack in his psyche.
That was the beginning of the end for Chad. To Charles' relief, the school believed him. His parents believed him. He had the evidence, he had the testimonials from other students, who were given courage by Charles' refusal to stay silent, and Chad was officially expelled and charged with a hate crime against a transgender child, along with a laundry list of other offenses that included bullying, blackmail, and physical and psychological abuse.
Charles had never seen him again, and the rest of his transition was mostly smooth sailing from there.
By the time he was finished with the story, Henry was covering his mouth as he gazed at the picture of the douche.
"Oh my god..." Henry muttered quietly, "Wait, General, you know about this? You were there when it happened? Couldn't you tell that something was wrong?"
"Well, the only reason I got involved is because Charlie's father is my best friend." Galeforce replied, "Frank was concerned that he seemed off during that time, but when I asked Charlie myself, he just told me that everything was fine. There wasn't really much I could do. I didn't want to keep pushing him if he didn't want to talk. When I went to his school after hearing about that final incident, I remember being horrified that this had happened without anyone's knowledge. He said that he was afraid no one would believe him, or that he'd get the blame for not fighting back."
Charles blinked when his eyes filled with tears.
"I've never felt like such a failure..." Galeforce pinched the bridge of his nose, "...than that day when we learned the truth."
Henry could feel his own emotions boiling over as well. He remembered no one believing him when he told them about abuse he had faced. He remembered learning to internalize his emotions so that he wouldn't be punished for "overreacting". He took solace in the fact that Charles had a much happier upbringing, even learning about how everyone accepted he was trans without a second thought.
The idea of Charles facing abuse like that was so...
Henry brought Charles into a huge hug, "I'm sorry."
Charles gave him a squeeze in return, "Hey, don't apologize. It's in the past. It really hurt then, but I'm fine now. I'm okay. Please don't cry."
"Let him cry." Galeforce took Charles' cheek in one hand, an uncharacteristic act of tenderness, "Let yourself cry, too. You'll be more rational if you let your feelings out now."
Charles shook his head, "No! I hate this! I don't want to feel helpless!"
"You're not helpless, Charlie." Galeforce replied smoothly, "This is just a side effect of pain. Even the strongest among us are not immune to pain. I know, it's not fun to feel this way, but sometimes, it's unavoidable. At ease, Soldier."
Charles buried his face in Henry's shoulder. Just hearing those words was a relief to him.
"He knows." Charles's voice was muffled by Henry's hoodie, "He knows my deadname. I'm scared. What if he tells everyone?"
"Charlie, it's not your name."
"I know, but I don't want anyone to know it. I don't even want my mom or my aunts and uncles to know it, but it's unavoidable. Just the thought of it makes me feel wrong."
"I know, but it's not your name." Galeforce pushed him back from Henry to make eye contact, "I know how much it bothers you, but it just isn't your name. Nobody worth having around will listen to someone forcing a name on you that you don't want. It's. Not. Your. Name."
Charles sighed in frustration. He knew it wasn't his name, of course he knew that, but that didn't mean he could just disconnect it from himself. He was called that name constantly for almost 13 years of his life, struggling with feelings that he didn't understand. He remembered the day when everything clicked, and being called that name tipped into painful territory. It's a name that reminds him that he's different, and as proud as he was of the fact that he was trans, sometimes...sometimes he just wanted to forget the heartache it inevitably caused him, even if his family never intended to cause him pain.
Henry stepped back to sign, "Don't worry, Charles. I love my boyfriend just the way he is."
Charles chuckled, "Thanks, Hen. That means a lot to me."
He glanced up at the clock; 11 pm. The party would be starting in earnest by now.
"Alright, soldiers." Galeforce took a step back, back in General Mode, "This is your most important mission together yet. I've given you all you need to know to get started, so now all I ask is that you don't pry into the inner workings of this catastrophe, for the sake of soldiers who have had their personal information leaked. Do I make myself clear?"
Both Henry and Charles saluted, "Sir yessir!"
"Good. Now..." Galeforce took a key from his pocket, "This is currently the only key to this office. You will be locked inside until you decide to leave. Nobody will be able to interrupt you. If you need help for any reason, call me immediately and I will unlock the office to get back inside. Otherwise? You're on your own."
Galeforce headed back to the door, opening it up and tipping his hat to them before closing the door as he left, and they heard the click as the key locked them inside.
"Okay." Charles dug into the files, "Let's see what we're working with here."
***