Gangreen's Muscle Soldiers 15

Scene:17

Visitors
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The sun rose, painting the bedroom with warm light. Jason awakes, but he didn't want to get out of bed, preferring to snuggle deeper against Unit 4's beefy muscles. The soldier noticed the boy's movements, immediately hugging him closer, kissing his hair, and rubbing his scruffy jaw against boy's face. Jason giggled, completely enjoying the morning cuddles.

The soldier kissed him again, and Jason, inhaling deeply, asked, "What's that smell? Is that bacon?" Unit 4 pulled back slightly, making a series of hand gestures, trying to explain. But Jason didn't understand most of it and looked confused. Then, Unit 4 slightly twitched his pectorals, and Jason giggled, momentarily forgetting about the bacon smell. Unit 4 continued to kiss and cuddle him, enjoying the moment.

In the manor dining room, Professor Gangreen and Igor were already enjoying their breakfast. Walter placed a holoprojector on the table, displaying an updated report on the new constructions. The outer fence and gates were fully completed. Staff would begin laying the maglev tracks—which resembled illuminated runway lights—after breakfast.

Just then, Unit 4 carried Jason into the dining room, arriving at Gangreen's table. "Look who finally decided to join us for breakfast!" Igor exclaimed, his mouth full of waffles dripping with wet cream and honey.

Unit 4 gently sat Jason down, gave him a kiss, and then took his seat next to him. Walter quickly brought them their breakfasts.

"Igor, do you have more of those earpiece translators?" Jason asked, his eyes wide with curiosity after the earlier confusion with Unit 4's hand gestures.

"Whoa, kid, you don't want one," Igor immediately replied, a warning in his voice. "Trust me, you don't want to know what that big guy can sign with those military hand signals."

Unit 4 let out a low grunt in response to Igor's comment, then signed something back with a swift, fluid motion of his hands.

Igor's face frowned. "Hey, come on, watch your mouth at the table!" he protested Unit 4, clearly offended by the unspoken message.

From the head of the table, Gangreen intervened calmly, "Behave yourselves, boys."

Unit 4 simply grunted again, leaned over to give Jason a quick kiss, and continued eating his breakfast, the exchange apparently settled.

"Jason," Gangreen began, "I need you to pick out a few more beefsteak tomatoes from the garden after breakfast. We need more soldiers to man the outer gates."

"Got it, Professor," Jason replied, already enjoying the delicious breakfast Barry had cooked up. He noticed, however, that only Unit 4 had bacon on his plate today; it seemed bacon wasn't on the regular menu.

"Hey, why do you get bacon?" Igor grumbled, reaching over to openly steal a few strips from Unit 4's plate. Unit 4 then looked at Jason, took a few pieces of his own bacon, placed them onto Jason's plate, kissed him, and continued eating his breakfast, unmoved by Igor's behavior.

---

A Special Touch in the Garden

After breakfast, Jason and Unit 4 arrived at the vast underground garden. Jason immediately spotted the new, small colorful tomato plant, carefully protected within its barriers. Curious, he reached out his hand and gently touched some of its vibrant leaves. As his fingers made contact, the leaves glowed slightly, emitting a soft glowing light.

Unit 4, also tried to touch the colorful leaves, but nothing happened; they remained unlit. "I think you need to be gentle, like this," Jason explained, demonstrating by touching the leaves again. This time, they glowed brightly with vivid rainbow colors. Unit 4 tried once more, but still, no glow. "It's okay, big guy," Jason said, smiling up at him. "Maybe plants just aren't your thing."

Jason then reached out, playfully tickling Unit 4's balls. The soldier let out a low grunt, his body shivering in response to the unexpected touch. He then leaned down and gave the boy a deep, tender kiss. Jason giggled, then turned his attention to his task, beginning to look for ripe beefsteak tomatoes.

Suddenly, yellow blinking lights illuminated the pathways near them, casting an urgent, pulsing glow over the garden.

---
The bright yellow lights in the underground garden suddenly turned off after a few seconds, just long enough to grab everyone's attention, though small yellow indicator lights continued to blink. Unit 4 felt an immediate urge to get to the command center to understand the cause of the yellow alert. He didn't want to leave Jason in the garden, so he quickly picked Jason up, gave him a kiss, and rushed to the command center.

When they arrived, Igor was already there, his eyes glued to the holographic monitor. The monitor displayed two dots approaching the property, each marked with a yellow caution sign. On another monitor, live drone footage showed two police vehicles driving steadily down a dirt road leading to the property.

"Looks like we have guests today," Igor smirked, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Let's send them a welcome party."

One of the soldiers at the tactical station, misinterpreting Igor's casual remark, used a series of hand signals to activate a command. With a low hum, the massive "big guns" at the nearest outer gate rose from the ground, their barrels swiveling and ready to fire.

"Whoa, hey!" Igor exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "Put those guns away! I didn't mean that kind of welcome party!" The soldier, swift to correct his error, deactivated the big guns, and they smoothly retracted back beneath the ground.

Unit 4 looked at Igor, then made a series of rapid hand signs. Igor's earpiece translated: "You need to be more specific with your orders."

"Okay, okay, yes, my bad," Igor admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Open the gate, let them in, and have the nearest patrol truck guide them to the manor." The same soldier executed another set of military hand signals, and the command was sent. "We need to update the Professor," Igor added.

Scotty quickly initiated a call to the lab's comms, and a holographic window popped up, displaying Professor Gangreen's calm, composed face.

"What is it?" Gangreen asked, his voice even.

"We have guests, sir!" Igor replied, then quickly corrected himself, "I mean... master. It's the local police."

Gangreen's expression remained unworried. "Show them our hospitality, Igor. I'm sure you know how to handle them."

"You want me to bribe them, Professor?" Igor asked, a hopeful note in his voice.

"No," Gangreen replied dismissively. "Just make them feel comfortable. Clearly, they're here about the missing individuals, but they don't have any evidence. There's nothing to be alarmed about. And shut those blinking lights off." With that, Gangreen ended the communication.

The communication window shut off, leaving Igor to execute the Professor's orders. "Alright, listen up!" Igor began, giving out rapid commands. Scotty relayed these orders through the comms system.

"Have Walter prepare the study room for our guests, and light the fireplace. Have Barry prepare his best donuts and coffee, cookies, cakes, desserts, and anything else he can come up with. Have the guards stand post at more hidden positions until our guests leave."

Igor then looked at Unit 4, who was still holding Jason. "Do you have clothes to wear? We can't have you standing next to the boy in your underwear." Unit 4 grunted in response. "Scotty, have Archy conjure up some clothes for Unit 4 with the machines in the workshop, let him know it's a priority. I'll go change into my formal outfit. See you in twenty minutes."

---
Uninvited Guests

It took the police vehicles about ten minutes to reach the nearest outer gate of the expansive property, and another ten minutes to finally arrive at the majestic, castle-like manor. The patrol truck that had escorted them drove away, leaving the two police cruisers to park outside the moat. Four officers exited their vehicles and crossed the wide drawbridge on foot.

Igor, dressed in a detailed medieval royal outfit, complete with flowing robes and a feathered hat, greeted them with a grand smile. "Welcome, welcome! What can I do for you gentlemen?"

The Sheriff, a stern-faced man with a neatly trimmed mustache, stepped forward. "You don't happen to know about a bunch of missing individuals, would ya?"

"Oh, please, come in," Igor insisted, gesturing towards the manor's entrance. "Let us talk inside. Anyone want coffee?" He guided the four officers to the study room, where a fire crackled brightly in the fireplace, making the room warm and cozy.

The officers took their seats, and Walter silently brought in four sets of elegant afternoon tea stands, filled with all sorts of inviting desserts: mini cakes, tarts, and delicate pastries. He placed cream and sugar on the table, then elegantly poured coffee for each officer.

Just then, Unit 4 entered the study room, carrying Jason. Unit 4 was dressed in tan cargo pants with the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up, showcasing his muscular, hairy arms. A small pin in the shape of the Roman numeral four decorated his collar, and his sidearm was strapped to his leg. He gently seated Jason on a fancy Victorian-style armchair near the fireplace, next to a small, round coffee table. Jason himself was dressed like a royal medieval lord, his clothing garnished with all sorts of rich decorations.

"Gentlemen," Igor announced with enthusiastic voice, "this is Lord Jason, and that is his personal plaything," gesturing to Unit 4. Jason blushed, while Unit 4 let out a low grunt of protest at Igor's description.

Walter then placed a plate stand filled with Jason's favorite dessert and a tall, pink strawberry milkshake on the small table next to him. Igor sat down, and Walter brought him a glass of milk in a high-class teacup.

"So," Igor began, settling in, "you were saying about missing people?"

"Yes," the Sheriff replied, pulling out a stack of reports. "It's all over the news. How could you not know about it?" He began flipping through the pages, revealing names, photos, and detailed information. "Perhaps you might have seen these people before?"

Jason, noticing a plate of bacon on one of the dessert stands, discreetly handed a piece to Unit 4, who was standing protectively next to his chair. The soldier took it and ate it.

"Well, as you can see," Igor said, gesturing loosely around the room, "we don't have television in this house." Jason handed another piece of bacon to Unit 4.

"My lord," Igor interrupted, a hint of displeasure in his voice, "please don't feed him during the meeting."

Jason spoke softly, looking up at Unit 4, "Sorry, big guy, you can have your bacon later." He then took the entire plate of bacon from the stand and handed it to Walter.

Igor then pointed to one of the photos in the report. "Yes, I recognize him," he said, overacting a thoughtful expression. "He was following me when I was picking up groceries in town a few days ago."

"Can you be more specific?" an officer asked.

"Yes, I was in town with a staff member for grocery shopping, and this creep was following us wherever we went," Igor exaggerated.

"Mind if we record the report?" the Sheriff asked.

"No, not at all," Igor replied, waving a hand. An officer quickly set up a recorder, beginning to capture Igor's words, while another busily wrote down the details for the paperwork. Igor then launched into his story, describing his grocery trip. Most of it had indeed happened, but it was, of course, highly exaggerated, and he carefully excluded any mention of the night of the attack.

---
"Thank you, Mr. um..." the Sheriff began, fumbling for a name.

"Oh, call me Igor," Igor interjected smoothly, offering a charming smile.

"Okay, Mr. Igor," the Sheriff continued, extending a form. "Please sign here. And we're done. Thank you for your cooperation."

Just as they were concluding, Walter entered, carrying four generous boxes of Barry's homemade donuts. "These are donuts," Igor announced, gesturing grandly. "Please accept them, made by our cook, fresh this morning."

"Oh, wow, homemade donuts!" an Officer exclaimed, eyes wide. "They smell so good, thanks, man," added another Officer. The last Officer wasted no time, opening his box and taking a large bite. "This stuff is way better than the ones in stores!" he mumbled, his mouth full.

The Sheriff, despite the tempting treats, stated, "Okay, we really have to go now."

"I'll walk you out," Igor offered, leading the officers towards the exit. As they reached the moat, a patrol truck was already waiting, ready to escort them.

"Just follow that truck," Igor instructed, pointing. "He'll show you guys the way back to the entrance."

"Yeah, this place is so big, can easily get lost," the Sheriff agreed, holding his donut box securely. "And thanks again for the donuts."

"Anytime," Igor replied with a wink as the police vehicles, following the patrol truck, drove off.

Igor went back inside, heading towards the study room. There, he found Unit 4 seated in the fancy chair Jason had previously occupied. Jason sitting on Unit 4's lap, holding the plate of bacon that had been temporarily removed. He was tenderly feeding the soldier one piece of bacon at a time. Unit 4, in turn, gave Jason a tender kiss each time he put a bacon strip in his mouth, and Jason was giggling, clearly enjoying the affectionate exchange.

"Hey, kid, stop fooling around!" Igor interrupted, a playful tone in his voice. "You still have tomatoes to pick!"

Unit 4 let out a soft grunt, then effortlessly stood up, holding Jason securely in his arm. He carried the boy out of the study room, with Jason continuing to feed him bacon as they went. Igor then proceeded to the lab, ready to report the results of his police encounter to Professor Gangreen.

---

Growth in the Garden

In the underground farm, Unit 4 gently let Jason down. Jason immediately noticed something unusual. "Does that plant look bigger to you, Unit 4?" he asked, pointing at the vibrant, colorful tomato plant.

The soldier responded by bouncing his pectorals, first left, then right. With the movement, the buttons on his tight shirt popped off, scattering to the ground. Jason giggled, bending down to collect the buttons and handing them to Unit 4, who gave him a kiss in return. Jason took the pec bounce as a positive sign, as it usually was.

The colorful tomato plant had indeed grown significantly since Jason had last seen it. He reached out his hand to touch the plant again, and its leaves glowed. Jason then playfully tapped every single leaf, and each one responded by glowing even more brightly with rainbow colors. Unit 4, curious, reached out and tried touching the leaves again, but as usual, nothing happened.

"Come on," Jason said, turning to Unit 4, "let's go pick those beefsteak tomatoes. Professor Gangreen's still waiting for them."

---

Unaccounted for Casualties

In the lab, Igor reported to Professor Gangreen. "I think they bought it," he announced, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Well done, Igor," Gangreen replied, a rare nod of approval.

"But something doesn't quite match up," Igor noted, a frown in his brow. "The police showed me twenty-two reported missing, but our system detected ninety-six life signs that night. There must be something wrong with our system. I should go talk to Scotty."

Gangreen, however, dismissed his concern with a wave of his hand. "There's nothing wrong with the system, Igor. Most of them were probably undocumented immigrants."

"Oh, crap, why didn't I think of that?" Igor slapped his forehead.

"It's all about experience, Igor, experience," Gangreen stated dryly. He then glanced around impatiently. "Where are my tomatoes? What's taking that boy so long? And when are you going to take that silly costume off?"

"Professor," Igor protested, gesturing to his attire, "this is authentic medieval cloth! I had Archy make it with the machines in the workshop. I was going to wear it on Halloween."

Just then, Unit 4 arrived at the lab, carrying Jason in his arm.

"Why are you two playing dress-up too?" Gangreen asked, a hint of disapproval in his voice.

Unit 4 gently put Jason down and gave him a kiss. "Igor wanted me to pretend I'm the Lord of the castle in front of the police officers," Jason explained, "and he thought Unit 4's original attire was inappropriate as my bodyguard."

"Fine," Gangreen allowed, then got to the point. "Do you have the tomatoes?"

"Yes, I picked fifteen ripe beefsteak tomatoes, Professor," Jason confirmed, handing them over to Igor.

Igor immediately began the transformation process. Placing five into the separate transformation chambers at a time. It took three cycles to complete all fifteen new soldiers. As they emerged from the chambers, they stood tall and imposing, fully equipped and ready for duty.

"Very good," Gangreen addressed the new soldiers. "I believe you all know your duty." They stood in perfect formation, saluted crisply, and then left the lab.

Gangreen looked at his watch. "Great, time for lunch."

---
Lunch Time

The four of them – Professor Gangreen, Igor, Jason, and Unit 4 – arrived at the underground mess hall. The theme for today's lunch was clouds, and the artificial windows displayed soft, fluffy white clouds drifting lazily across a relaxed blue sky. They seated into their usual table.

Walter placed a holoprojector on the table, ready to show Professor Gangreen the latest construction updates. He first brought their drinks: a classic Coke float for Jason and Igor, a tall beer for Unit 4, and a refreshing lemonade for Professor Gangreen.

Lunch was Barry's special homemade hamburgers and fries. And, thanks to the incident at breakfast, everyone had a generous serving of crispy bacon on their plate today.

The holographic reports detailed the rapid progress of the construction. The maglev tracks were now fully completed, and staff were already using them for quick transport across the vast property. The big guns, tanks, and gunships had all been successfully placed into their specially designed, concealed bunkers. The next phase, the construction of the underground missile silos, was expected to begin after lunch.

"Looks like we're way ahead of schedule," Gangreen declared, a note of satisfaction in his voice. "Well done, Walter."

As they ate their lunch, the yellow alert lights suddenly began blinking throughout the mess hall, then quickly switched to smaller, persistent indicator lights after a few seconds. Gangreen looked up, a hint of impatience in his voice. "What now?"

---
The holoprojector, already active, suddenly opened up several new display windows, temporarily blocking the construction reports.

One window showed the surveillance map, highlighting a yellow caution sign at the very same gate where the police had entered earlier. Beneath the blinking icon, text indicated: "ONE VEHICLE, TWO LIFE SIGNS."

Another window brought up a live drone feed hovering directly over the gate. The footage clearly showed a man holding a microphone with a news station logo, standing beside a cameraman aiming his equipment towards the manor.

A third window displayed a live news channel, the familiar headline scrolling across the bottom, hinting at a breaking story.

Professor Gangreen's brow frowned slightly. "Where did those reporters come from?" he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.

Igor, leaned forward. "Professor, want me to let them in and lock them up in the dungeon?" he offered, a mischievous glint in his eye.

---
The voice from the live news channel, sharp and dramatic, filled the mess hall. A male reporter, looking serious and intense, stood directly in front of the manor's outer gate.

"Over two hundred individuals suddenly went missing," the reporter declared, his voice rising, "without a trace! We are talking about human beings, over two hundred missing human beings! And this place," he gestured dramatically towards the fences, "may have the answer. Right now, I am standing in front of the entrance to a property bigger than an entire city. We know the Sheriff is investigating the missing folks, and was spotted exiting from this very entrance earlier today. Are the missing folks still alive? Or are they being held hostage behind these huge, impenetrable fences? Stay tuned for more at Channel 69 News."

"Turn that off," Gangreen commanded, his voice sharp and low. The holoprojector immediately complied, closing the window displaying the news channel.

---
Igor's face was a mixture of disbelief and outrage. "Over two hundred?" he exclaimed, looking at the now-blank screen where the news had been. "The Sheriff's report was only twenty missing! And our land is not bigger than a whole city! That reporter over-exaggerated about everything. He's going to attract a lot of unwanted attention to this place."

He then turned to the monitors showing the exterior. "And how did the surveillance system not detect the Sheriff being followed? I thought we had full control of the tactical systems already!"

Unit 4 responded with a series of precise military hand signals. "The tactical system can only pick up physical threats," Igor translated, his brow frown in thought.

"Do you mean there's more we haven't unlocked yet?" Igor asked, looking at Unit 4 with renewed curiosity.

Unit 4 gave him a clear thumbs up, then leaned down to give Jason a soft kiss. Jason, meanwhile, was completely absorbed in his coke float, happily scooping ice cream with his spoon, seemingly unaware to the unfolding news drama.

"Enjoy your lunch, Igor," Gangreen stated calmly, cutting into his hamburger. "We can deal with this later."

"Yes, Professor," Igor replied, though he still looked agitated. Walter, anticipating Igor's need for comfort food, promptly brought him an extra serving of pickles for his hamburger.

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