Genesis Crisis: Resurgence IC

Ocean

- Lisa -

Lisa sighed as Jax slid over the side and into the waves. "The air is clear now, but unexpected storms are pretty typical over this stretch of ocean." At the mention of dry land, her eyes scanned the horizon again.

Was that? She focused in on the blur in the distance. "Jax!" Lisa stuck her hand into the water, waving it around frantically to get his attention. "Jax! Get up here!"

"Do you see that?" Lisa asked Ehlana, pointing to the blip in the distance. "I can't tell if it's land from this far out, but it's definitely not ocean."

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Communication Hub

- Alina -

"The doctor?" She turned her focus to Lecarde, considering the possibility. "When would he have had the time? He left the room for a few minutes, but I assume someone was with him." Her words trailed off, and she muttered a curse under her breath. "He could have already had the recording ready. All that he would need to do was push a button and tell someone else to send the transmission."

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Electorate Office

- Keynes -

"And what exactly would she gain from this stunt?" Keynes responded, keeping his tone even. "What agenda would she be pushing here?"

"I absolutely believe it's something she's intelligent enough to pull off, but where's her motive?"

He leaned back into his chair and sighed. "The girl isn't heir to anything. Assaulting her forces would only raise a bigger stink, and Alina isn't that dumb. I think what we're dealing with here is someone trying to divide our resources. Someone trying to keep us chasing our own tails while they get everything they want."

Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself to his feet. "Even so, a charge of Misconduct can't be initiated against someone that is already under investigation by the administration. Until Riadon submits his report, any decisions we make are moot."

Peterny - Old Guard HQ
- Alexei -

Blackness. Nothingness.

Then pain. Sudden pain. Alexei coughed and spluttered, expelling water from his lungs. For several moments he was disoriented, focused only on trying to get his breathing under control.

When he could finally control himself, Alexei rolled over onto his back and stared up at the angelic face staring down at him. He furrowed his brows, wondering if he was hallucinating.

He had to be. How could she be out here?

"Nadenka?" he murmured.

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Ocean

- Jax -

Jax bobbed up out of the water, wondering what had Lisa suddenly out of sorts. When he heard her talking to Lisa, he rested his arms over the side of the raft and craned to look at what she was pointing out.

With his keen eyes, it only took Jax a moment to realize the truth.

"It's an airship!" he said, hoisting himself back inside the boat. "The Army must be looking for us. Quick, Lisa, find something we can wave to get his attention. If you can use your Overlimit to get it into the air, we'll definitely get noticed."

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Electorate Office

- Keynes -

Serena narrowed her eyes.

"Motive? To remove opposition to her claim," she said. "I would think that would be obvious."

Keynes claimed that the girl claiming to be the former High General's daughter was not, in fact, who she said she was. But that wasn't convincing enough.

"Did the High General confirm that before the attack was issued?" she asked. "And the assault only raised a problem because it wasn't carried out efficiently enough. Had it been pulled off successfully, the opposition would have been taken out and its leadership right in our pockets. Quite ingenious, really."

Someone trying to divert their attention and resources with this wasn't impossible, but Serena wasn't the type to chase such ideas when they had a very real and likely scenario already in hand. Keynes was trying to stall for time, but that wasn't something they could afford.

"Raidon is gone from the capital," Serena said firmly. "And there's no telling when he'll return. We simply can't stand by while the government is in jeopardy."

Peterny - Old Guard HQ
Nadenka Orlov

Nadenka pinched him, "I told you to come back alive!" Said Nadenka, "And are you out of your mind? You cannot defend your people if you are dead, just what were you thinking!?" Nadenka was raging at him, then she sighed, calming herself. She sat and lean herself to the wall. "How could two of you be so alike, what made fighting so worth it? What makes this fight worth losing life for?" Then tears clawed their ways out of Nadenka's eyes, she couldn't stop, but started to sob, she was trying her best to hold though. She had her face now resting on her arms, that rested on her bent knees.  "Why can't you guys take your life seriously? Why are you guys throwing away your lives? Why can't you think about the ones you will leave behind? What about them? What about me?" She wasn't sure why, but perhaps the incident brought the pain from her past... "I'm already broken by outliving one, don't make me outlive another one.." Nadenka could not stop her tears from dropping down; she was not so sure why she was even crying in front of Alexei...

Again she felt so small and weak...

Ocean
- Ehlana -

A moment later, Jax re-appeared from under water and looked at the horizon. He confirmed Lisa’s suspicions. An airship.

Ehlana sighed quietly. She was glad they could potentially be rescued. The thought of finding her end in this endless sea of water hadn’t been very comforting. However, that left the question…what would become of her?

She grabbed a flare and tossed it to Lisa. “That should make for a good fireworks.”

------------------------------

Caltha - Bunker
- Lenka -

“I disagree,” Lenka said. “Doing something that you normally wouldn’t do for someone you care about is also very brave.”

“Now you’re just flattering me,” Lenka replied amused. “I’m not that tough. When I was little, I was a very sickly child. I still faint when my energy is low.” Then she smiled. "No matter, I won’t let that stop me.”

Lenka looked surprised at his next question. Close…Were they really though? However, after her conversation with James she wasn’t really in the mood to talk about this.

“Really? You’re asking me about this as well?” she asked and stood up. Was that the question he’d been waiting for the whole time? Was that the reason he’d been flattering her and something James may have inadvertently hinted at? She just couldn’t picture it.

“We’re friends, okay?” she said. “That’s all I’m gonna say about it. I’m going back inside since it’s getting dark.”

And with that she started walking back towards the bunker.

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Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Outside the Tunnel - Nadenka, Alexei

Lorrin and his men watched as the water from the tunnel expelled debris, men and equipment. Most of the Army soldiers had made it out before the masses of water came rushing out and managed to escape with only wet feet. Some remained motionless when their bodies finally washed from the tunnel.

A particular scene caught his eye. A woman was performing CPR on a body that he recognised as Alexei when he approached with some of his men.

Ah, the prisoner. It was surprising that she would aide the enemy so to speak. Her thoughts did not seem to be turned towards escaping.

“Kurik, we have the prisoner in sight. She’s not going anywhere. You might have to thank her one day because she just saved the life of your Arusian friend.” Lorrin said into his com. “We’ll bring them back inside once it’s clear.”

They were now close enough to Alexei and Nadenka that Lorrin could see her face. She was crying. Geez…what a bother. His men wanted to move in, but he held them back with a hand gesture.

“Call for the medics first,” he told them. “She’s not going anywhere in her condition.”

---------------
Command Centre - Kurik, General Ramirez

When Kurik heard that Nadenka had been found and that Alexei was alive, he exhaled with relief.

Finally he allowed himself to sit down. It seemed disaster had been averted. More and more reports came in that they were re-gaining control over the situation. Still, that left the question of how the Army had found out about their HQ.

General Ramirez swivelled around in his chair to face Kurik.

“So…any idea how they could’ve found us?” he asked him bluntly. It didn’t sound like he suspected Kurik, but more like he wanted an opinion.

Kurik shrugged. “I don’t know. Is it possible they could’ve found someone from the Old Guard that we placed at the palace?” he asked. “I highly doubt that the prisoner had anything to do with it. I pulled her file. She’s not in active duty and seems to have stumbled upon everything by chance.”

“Who does that leave?” He didn’t really expect an answer. “I’m certain no one in the party of Lady Adalia said a word. There was Ehlana but she is taken care of. Are all your spies accounted for?”

General Ramirez looked thoughtful. “I’ll have to check. There will be a thorough investigation and the guilty party will be found,” he looked determined. “You don’t just stumble across this place without prior knowledge.”

Kurik nodded. They agreed on that.

Caltha - Bunker
Luke Jaron

What? that was the thought that came to Luke, Luke was not so sure that was the answer he was hoping to hear. He thought he would hear the story of how they became friends... And... And, but this?

"Hey! wait up!" Said Luke, quickly catching up to Lenka, and he did the most unthinkable thing; perhaps something went wrong with his body or something... or else he would not have done it. Luke grabbed Lenka's arm, not with strong force, but gentle. "I, I don't know what you guys talk-talked about, but-but! I just want to know, to know if..." Luke sighed,"if I could be your friend." Luke quickly let go of Lenka's arm realizing that he might hurt her, "I thought, I thought I could learn something about...about how to become your friend... If, if I get to know more of... how you two became friends..." Said Luke, little disappointed that he had ruined what was going good; a step to become a friend... to be her friend..

Luke scratched his hair with the frustration; perhaps, it was silly of him to think that he could become her friend... "You kno-know what? I-I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked anything." then Luke turned around, and sighed again. "...You can go ahead and take the lift first.... I'll take the next one.. sorry to make you feel uncomfortable..."

Ocean

- Lisa -

An airship? Out here? Lisa took the flare from Ehlana, but didn't immediately fire it. Would her people assume that the job had been finished, or would they send more people?

Even so, could they afford not to take the risk? Without even looking at the raft, she knew the answer to that.

Swallowing her fear, she raised the flare gun over her head and fired it into the cloudless sky. Three of her meditation balls immediately followed it up, rotating around it to spread the flames into a cone that would be easily visible from miles away.

Now, it was just a waiting game...

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Electorate Office

- Keynes -

Keynes narrowed his eyes at Serena, carefully weighing his response. She was everything that Alina had once been. Young, idealistic, a true crusader. Funny how politics had a way of changing that.

With a sigh, he pulled out his com and pushed a few keys on it. "I'm forwarding you the recording of Alina's meeting with the Old Guard. Before you do anything else, I want you to watch it. The whole thing. If you still feel the same afterwards, I can't stop you from taking this before the Council."

His eyes locked with hers, and he made sure that he held her gaze for the rest of what he had to say. "There can't be any confusion here though. What you're proposing is a coup. If the Council finds Alina innocent, it's very likely that they'll turn around and try you for treason."

"While you and I may not always agree, that's not a fate I would wish on any of my peers."

Peterny - Old Guard HQ

- Nadenka Orlov -

Alexei sat up as Nadenka began sob, her words pained and desperate. He leaned against the wall next to her, just letting her vent her feelings out.

"That's what soldiers do, Nadenka," he said, sighing. "We follow orders, and we die."

He turned to look at her, at the tears streaming down her cheeks. Was she really crying for him? Did she really care that much?

It was hard to know how to feel about that. No one had ever cried over him before.

Not knowing what else to do, Alexei wrapped a large arm around Nadenka and squeezed gently.

"But... thank you," he said. Truthfully, surprisingly... he was glad to still be alive.

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Peterney - Old Guard HQ

- Maxim -

As General Ramirez and Kurik spoke, a communication came through from Commander Farrington, whose face was lined with anger.

"General," he snapped, "clear our airship for landing. And I want you and the senior staff ready for a briefing the moment our feet touch ground. Understood?"

On the airship, Maxim watched from the window as they descended on the base. Farrington was already primed and ready by the ramp with Ariana in heel, looking white and shaken.

"There's no need to be afraid, High Lady," Maxim told her. "I'm sure we can handle the situation."

"I'm not afraid," Ariana snapped, color flushing into the ashen cheeks.

"Yes, we certainly will handle it," Farrington muttered darkly. "When I find the traitor who leaked our location, I'll make them regret choosing the wrong side."

Maxim smiled as Farrington and Ariana brushed past him as the ramp lowered. He had no doubt Farrington would hold true to those words, but the only traitor he would find was the one Maxim had picked out.

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Electorate Office

- Serena -

Serena nodded as she received the data on her com. Of course, she would watch it. She had no intention of doing anything before fully informed.

When Keynes stared pointedly into her eyes, however, she frowned. Was he trying to intimidate her?

"I'm only proposing what has already been made provisional in the laws ratified by the High General herself," she said calmly. "And if you and your supporters choose to make an example of me, then so be it. As I recall, you and the High General were tried for treason by the previous government, and you didn't let it stop you."

She stared up into Keynes eyes just as intently, and despite her much smaller size, she in now way appeared diminished.

"In truth, I admired you, and the High General, and the rest of Aegis. We would not be enjoying what peace and freedom we do have today without all of you. But I won't allow that gratitude to sway me from doing the right thing. I think you'll find my convictions can be every bit as strong as yours."

Peterny - Old Guard HQ
Nadenka Orlov

Nadenka was caught off guard as Alexei's large arm wrapped around her, but soon her head was on his shoulder.

"Still, Next time, try to come back breathing, okay?... " She couldn't say more as she sobbed on his shoulder, then she started to calm herself down, her sobbing sound disappearing.

She fall asleep as the tension finally left her, and perhaps Nadenka's body finally registered the tiredness that she was going through.

Caltha - Bunker
- Lenka -

Lenka stopped when Luke grabbed her arm more from surprise than actual force.

Her bright blue eyes looked at Luke when he stammered out the words and suddenly she felt sorry for her outburst. All he was trying to do was become her friend. She damned James and his stupid comments in her head. If he hadn’t said anything, she never would’ve over-interpreted all of this.

“No, wait,” she called out and grabbed Luke’s hand as he walked away. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have reacted so strongly.”

She smiled at him and beckoned for him to step into the elevator with her. “I would very much like to be your friend too,” Lenka stated.

When they were both inside, the elevator doors closed and started to move down.

“The story how Marcus and I became friends isn’t all that spectacular,” she said after a pause. “I didn’t actually knew him that well. Just like you, we have a few classes together.”

“One day I was on the way to the nurse, because I wasn’t feeling so well,” she shrugged. “Okay, to be honest, I was very close to fainting. Marcus happened to walk through the hallway and helped me out.”

------------------------------

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Outside the Tunnel - Nadenka, Alexei

Lorrin waited until the medical team arrived and then he approached Alexei and Nadenka. It seemed the woman had calmed down.

“Alright, I don’t know all this came to pass,” he said to Alexei, “but I have orders to take her back into custody. And you need to go with the medical team, get changed once they cleared you. Lord Commander Farrington and Lady Adalia are approaching and are requesting a situation report as soon as they land. And that includes you.”

Lorrin waved his men forward and they picked up Nadenka, not roughly, but determined. Meanwhile two other men approached Alexei.

“How are you feeling?” one of them asked. “Any shortness of breath?”

When Lorrin saw that Alexei and Nadenka were taken care of, he walked back to his men. “Start the clean up. Take care of everyone who was injured. Once you can spare a few men, start a perimeter sweep,” he ordered. “I’m going inside to deliver my report.”

And with that, he walked towards the Command Centre.

---------------
Command Centre to Airship Flight Deck - Kurik, General Ramirez, Annabelle, Lorrin

Kurik turned around when the screen jumped to life and Commander Farrington spoke. That man was furious

General Ramirez stayed calm and simply nodded. “Understood, Sir. We’ll be there in a moment.”

The screen turned black just as the door opened and Annabelle and Lorrin came in.

“Perfect timing,” Kurik murmured. He was surprised when Lorrin came up to him and extended his hand. He shook it.

“Thank you,” Lorrin said. “For what you did and for not letting us down.”

“You’re welcome,” Kurik replied.

“Captain Davidson, get moving! We’re expected at the top deck,” General Ramirez said and moved out the door.

Lorrin rolled his eyes and threw an arm around Kurik. “Let’s go.”

They passed Annabelle on the way to the door. She looked exhausted, her arm still bleeding.

“Oh honey, let me look at that,” Lorrin said. She shot him a dark look, but allowed him to use a healing spell on her arm. The wound closed up and some colour returned to her cheeks.

“Call me honey one more time…,” she said darkly, but Lorrin just laughed and headed for the door.

Kurik followed, but stopped when he felt Annabelle grab his arm. He looked at her.

“You didn’t do too badly,” she said after a short pause and then followed out the door after Lorrin.

Kurik was surprised. That was unexpected praise. Shaking his head slightly, he started walking towards the landing area. When he entered, the airship was just being cleared for landing. The majority of the senior staff was already present. Right at the front, he spotted General Thorne and General Ramirez and more in the back, he saw Lorrin and Annabelle.

When he came in, Lorrin pointed at him. “That’s him, that’s the guy who saved our base,” he said in a loud voice and with a grin. Kurik resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This was uncalled for, but Lorrin didn’t care. He started clapping. The others joined in and for a few moments the room was filled with applause.

Kurik felt his face burn red. He hadn’t expected this and he wasn’t sure he deserved this. Anyone in his position probably would’ve done the same thing. He bowed his head for a moment in appreciation.

The noise died down when the airship finally landed and the doors opened. The ramp was moved up and Commander Farrington appeared in the doorway.

Caltha - Bunker
Luke Jaron

Luke turned red when Lenka's hand grabbed his, Luke was not so sure how to react to that, but his heart was definitely broken. He could definitely feel his face turning even redder. "Y-you do?" Said Luke, as Lenka expressed that she wanted to be his friend as well.

In any case, Luke then silently followed Lenka to the elevator; as the door closed, his heart was beating even faster; he felt like his heart was going to break out from his chest.

However, even then, he did not let it distract him. Even though, Luke's heart was going crazy, Luke did his best to concentrate to Lenka's story.

As Lenka shared how Marcus and herself became an acquaintance, Luke could not help, but feel little defeated. 'For what?' thought Luke, he shook his head slightly, trying to get rid of weird thought.

"...That still is a strong first impression, to both of you." Then suddenly Luke could not help again, but asked. "By the way... uhm.... what was your first impression of me?"

Luke swallowed, he never felt so nervous before...

Electorate Office

- Keynes -

Keynes held Serena's gaze for another moment before a grin suddenly split his face. "Alina wouldn't want it any other way."

"Unfortunately, I'm not as idealistic as either of you. If something smells like a setup, it usually is, and with the current way things are going, we can't afford to let anything else slip through the cracks while we argue among ourselves." His tone was more firm now.

"If you want to stand by your convictions, I respect you for that, and I'm sure the High General would say the same. However, while she would love to let you go through due process, if for no other reason than to test out the system she helped build, I have no qualms with playing dirty to get what I want."

Pulling a cigarette from his desk drawer, Keynes lit it and took a long drag. "Be sure, Serena. Because, while I like you and respect you, I would lay my life down for that woman, and I won't hesitate to crucify anyone that jeopardizes what little peace we have right now."

Taking another drag of the cigarette, Keynes rose from his seat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a report to go over with my people."

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Ocean

- Lisa -

It was hard to tell if the shape was getting closer or not at first, but after a minute or so, it was clearly looming larger on the horizon.

The flare had burned out after only a handful of seconds, her magic amplification having burned through what fuel it had much more rapidly than under normal circumstances. Pushing herself forward in her seat, Lisa flexed her fingers. Did she have the energy left for this? Hopefully.

Taking a deep breath, she wrapped her arms around her torso. "You guys keep the raft warm. I'll be back in a bit. Hopefully, with some help."

On an exhale, she lifted into the air, slowly drifting skyward until she was clear of the raft. Then, Lisa shot off towards the airship. If it was a friend, she needed to point them to the raft.

And if not... Well, she'd dropped bigger things into the ocean before.

Caltha - Bunker
- Lenka -

Lenka looked at him thoughtful as the elevator descended down.

“Well,” she said. “I thought you really wanted to go to that concert.” The elevator doors opened and Lenka stepped out and then turned around.

“And still you were willing to not take the ticket from your friend. So I think you have a really big heart,” she smiled at him. “And that you’re a bit shy and really honest, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

She pondered for a moment if she really wanted to know and then asked.

"And what did you think of me when I first showed up?"

Peterney - Old Guard HQ

- Alexei -

Alexei found himself smiling at Nadenka's words as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Heh, all right then," he said. "If only to make sure you don't cry."

He looked up as a team of Old Guard soldiers approached the two of them. The one leading them had his orders to take them in, and Alexei wasn't surprised. He knew the moment wouldn't, and probably shouldn't, last.

"Right." He carefully removed Nadenka's head from his shoulder and allowed them men to take hold of her. Alexei watched them intently, making sure Nadenka was being handled properly, before turning his attention to the two men who had approached him.

"I'm fine," he said gruffly. He didn't need to be fussed over. He was more concerned with the report that Maxim and the others had returned. Did they know why the attack had happened? What was their next move?

When Lorrin saw that Alexei and Nadenka were taken care of, he walked back to his men. “Start the clean up. Take care of everyone who was injured. Once you can spare a few men, start a perimeter sweep,” he ordered. “I’m going inside to deliver my report.”

And with that, he walked towards the Command Centre.

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- Maxim -

Maxim and the others descended from the airship just as applause was finally dying down. Farrington paused, eyes narrowing, but Maxim smiled as he quickly put the pieces together.

"I see you've made quite an impression," he murmured, standing next to Kurik. "I trust you weren't bored after all then."

Maxim was curious to see if Kurik would start to suspect the truth, but this wasn't the place for explaining things. There would be time for that later.

The two groups fell into step and marched into the command center. Farrington took charge at the front of the room, Ariana by his side.

"Now then," Farrington said loudly, forcing everyone's attention. "I want a full report about what happened here."

His gaze fell to his generals first.  

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Caltha - Electorate Office

- Serena -

Serena frowned as Keynes drew a line in the sand, declaring his intent to defend Alina no matter what. She hadn't expected anything less though.

She nodded and watched as he left the room. She would need to watch the footage of the meeting with the Old Guard before making any decisions.

Something bothered her though. She thought of Keynes words, and felt a twinge of something like... jealousy? There was something between Alina, Jax, Keynes, Kokonoe, and the other members of the former Aegis - a strong, passionate sense of loyalty and camaraderie that she'd never seen before.

Serena didn't regret her decisions and her vocation. But the capital had a way of making you feel lonely, especially when it felt like you were the only one fighting for your cause. Yes, she had plenty of fellow Anti-Strain sympathizers, but none of them were really there for her. None of them would defend her against the odds. And if Keynes tried to make good on his threat, no one would save her.

Sighing, Serena pushed the thought away and began to watch the footage.

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Caltha - Bunker

- Rise -

Keynes com beeped, and Rise's face appeared on the screen.

"Keynes," she said, beaming at him. "You are hereby invited to the Aegis reunion dinner. Make sure you get down here. I've cooked up enough for everyone. Oh, and make sure you get Alina down here too. Just cause she's High General now doesn't mean she gets to forget about us!"

Rise looked over at the table, where Marcus had finished setting everything up. She gestured wordlessly to carry the food over to the table and turned back to the screen.

"See you soon!" she chirped before hanging up.

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Ocean

- Raidon -

Raidon scanned the horizon, his attention split between searching for the wreckage of the transport airship and his fuel gauge. He was going to need to turn around soon if he didn't find anything, or there would be a second airship crashing today.

Just then, a flash of something in the distance caught his attention. Adjusting the controls, Raidon directed the airship in the direction of the flash. As he moved along, something whisked through the air, and he nearly barrel-rolled in surprise as Lisa suddenly flew alongside the cockpit.

"Lisa?" he called out. "What are you doing out there?"

Raidon quickly flipped a switch and lowered the hatch for her to enter.

"What happened? Where are the others?" he asked, almost tripping over his questions.

Caltha - Bunker
Luke Jaron

Luke scratched his hair, nervously and he could feel his face turning redder. "Really? My first impression wasn't that bad then... I was worried that I might have made a bad impression... I tend to do that a lot... unintentionally...." Said Luke, his voice sound joyful. and at the same time, he souned nervous.

When Lenka asked him for his first impression of hers, Luke smiled gently at Lenka, he was not so sure what came over him, but he locked his eyes with hers.

Amazingly, he could even remember what she wore in their first meeting and... how beautiful she was, and it surprised him how she looked even prettier than before...

"A beautiful mysterious girl with eyes that holds sky, who I really want to meet again."

Then realizing what he said, he quickly turned red, cleared his throat, breaking away his contact with Lenka's gaze, he started to stutter, "I mean, you are the very first girl I wanted to know more about... no, I mean...", Luke cleared his throat again. "I mean I really wanted to meet you again.... I mean, I mean, to say, thank you properly..." Said Luke.

He looked at Lenka's direction, still embarrased by his own reply.

Ocean
- Ehlana -

Ehlana kept her eyes on the horizon trying to see through the brightness what Jax and Lisa had seen long ago. Finally she did see what could be airship just as the flare burned out.

Lisa decided to ascend from the raft and go looking for it.

Ehlana stared after her, her mouth slightly open with a look of pure astonishment on her face. She shouldn’t be surprised, after all she knew Lisa’s strain and her overlimit. Still, it was different seeing first hand what it could do.

Once she was too far away to identify any details, her attention returned back to the raft.

Finally she found the courage to ask. "Chief Mathis, what's going to happen to me?"

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Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Kurik made a non-committal sound at Maxim’s comment. He still wasn’t sure what to think of all this, but hopefully there would be time to discuss this later.

“Not by choice,” he finally commented. He looked around to see if Alexei had arrived.

They all went back to the command centre where Farrington demanded an explanation.

When Farrington’s gaze fell towards General Thorne and General Ramirez, the former stepped forward. He saluted Lady Adalia and then began his report.

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Caltha - Bunker
- James -

James leaned back from his computer. Looking through the video hadn’t unearthed anything spectacular or suspicious, but he had identified all personnel that had access to the airship in the past 24 hours and sent a list to the Police HQ. They would look through it and hopefully pick out anyone who wasn’t supposed to be there.

He shut down his computer and then walked back into the kitchen, where Rise and Marcus were finalising preparations for dinner.

“Hey,” he said and went over to Rise. His arms caught her before she could move back to the stove and he pulled her into a hug. Just two seconds, he thought and closed his eyes, then I’ll go back to worrying about everything that’s going on.

Why was this so much more complicated and worrisome than last time?

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- Lenka -

They were walking back to the kitchen when Luke replied.

Lenka raised her eyebrows for a moment at Luke’s eloquent words and couldn’t help but blush a little herself. Well he was a songwriter, what did she expect? Then a genuine smile spread across her face.

With amusement she noted that he seemed rather embarrassed and tried to lessen what he had said. She’d been right, he was honest even if he didn’t mean to.

“OMG! You’re so sweet,” she said. “I can’t wait to get to know you more.”

They continued their walk to the kitchen where they found Marcus at the table and Rise and James who were embraced in a hug.

Lenka walked past James and poked him in the side and stuck her tongue out at him.

“Any news?”

James released Rise from his hug and shook his head. At least Lenka seemed to be in a better mood.

Ocean

- Lisa -

Of all the faces to see behind the glass, this one definitely hadn't been what she'd expected. Sometimes, life was poetic like that though. As she tumbled through the open hatch, Lisa considered the fact that this man was the one that had come for them. She'd given up her grudge sometime within the last year, but a part of her had never totally forgiven him. Maybe it was time to fix that.

"Never thought I'd see the day." Lisa muttered as she wrapped her arms around the back of Raidon's chair, giving him a hug that probably felt more like his seat belt digging into him. "I am so glad to see you right now."

With a relieved sigh, she pointed down through the glass in front of him. "The others are about half a kilometer to the west. If you dip low enough, I'll throw them a line."

Pulling herself away from the seat, Lisa stumbled through the cabin towards the winch. Her energy reserves were non-existant at this point, but she didn't need them to operate the machine.

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Aegis

- Marcus -

Marcus grinned at James as he pulled Rise into a hug. They might not exactly see eye to eye right now, but it was obvious to anyone watching that the two of them completed one another. He hadn't even known them for a full week and could already tell that was the case.

His attention drifted to motion by the door, and he waved for Lenka and Luke to join them at the table. Something odd was going on there. He wasn't sure what, but Luke kept glancing in Lenka's direction before swiftly looking away. Yeah, definitely odd.

He didn't have much time to dwell on it though. Only a moment later, Keynes strode through the door and made his way past the table, into the kitchen. After a few seconds, the man returned with a bottle of amber liquid, which he sat on the table by an empty seat. "Since some of you are actually old enough to enjoy it with me now..." He muttered as he poured the liquid into a couple glasses. "How about we drink to a rough day?" Keynes slid a glass across the table to both Rise and James before tipping his back.

Caltha - Bunker
Luke Jaron

Luke was not so sure if he heard Lenka correctly, but what she had said definitely made his heart beat even faster and perhaps even made his brain stopped working.

He could feel his face turning red and as if his nervousness caught up to him, he could not but walk properly. No, perhaps more appropriately to say that he was walking so stiff that he walked like a robot. A screwed loose robot. If there was one....

In any case, Luke was able to sit down, but, his head kept on replying what Lenka said to him.

'What are you thinking!? Stop it, idiot!' thought Luke and then by mistake, his eyes gazed at Lenka, which he quickly looked away.

Luke smiled faintly, 'I just became her friend... nothing more and nothing less...' thought Luke, but his thought was interrupted by Keynes.

Well, thanks to Keynes, Luke was brought back to earth; Luke was not so sure he would take that offer, so he decided to be silent.

__________________________________________________________________________

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

Belobog could not help it, but smile faintly at the scene; Belobog respected only one man from Kaddath, and that was Kurik.

However, Belobog was not so sure if this was the time to celebrate. It was evident someone was a traitor; the traitor must be found and killed.

Belobog had a firm belief that Alexei would not be the traitor, and his firm belief with his people was strong that there was no traitor among the Arusians circle.

'It must be one of them' thought Belobog, looking at the other Old Guards.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Nadenka Orlov

Nadenka woke up, and she quickly realized that her arms were chained. Then the memories of saving Alexei came back to her.

Nadenka sighed, covering her face with her chained hands. The memories of dozing off on Alexei's shoulder started to color her face pink. "I'm an idiot"

However, she quickly recovered. She stood up, clearing her throat. "Hey guards! I know I did knock some of you! But, I also know you guys need a doctor. I can help!" She shouted, "I promise I won't run!" Said Nadenka, hoping the guards could hear her out.

Caltha - Bunker

- Rise -

"Hey," Rise said, smiling at James. She was caught off-guard when he suddenly pulled her into a hug. And he didn't seem to have any intention of letting go. It was a little embarrassing, as the others seemed to be watching them, but she had no intention of letting him go either.

"We'll get things back to normal soon," she said, rubbing his back gently. "I'm sure of it."

James let go when Lenka walked up and poked him in the side. Rise giggled and stepped back to let them talk.

Just then, Keynes walked in and sat down with a bottle of liquor. Not that Keynes really needed an excuse to drink, but it definitely seemed like he'd had a rough day.

"Cheers," Rise said brightly, taking a sip from her glass. Yikes, that was strong.

"So, you did get Alina to come, right?" she asked, eyes watering.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ocean

- Raidon -

Raidon sighed in relief as Lisa maneuvered her way into the ship. Maybe Aegis still had its luck after all.

"I-" he began, when he suddenly felt something wrap tightly around him. It took a moment to realize Lisa was actually hugging him. First the pregnancy, now this. He wasn't sure how much more surprise he could take.

"I'm glad to see you too," he said, and he meant it. Not just because of the impact to Arya and the others in the capital, but because he truly would have felt the loss of no longer having Jax and Lisa in his life.

Raidon followed Lisa's instructions and directed the craft toward the lifeboat.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Jax -

Jax breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the airship draw closer. They were actually going to be rescued. He was going to be able to hold Alina again. He didn't care if the world was crumbling apart. He was going to take her into his arms and not let her leave them till the next morning.

"Chief Mathis."

Jax was shaken from his thoughts at the sound of Ehlana's voice. He turned to her and saw the trepidation in her face.

"What's going to happen to me?"

Jax looked off into the distance at the approaching airship and sighed.

"You'll appear before the Grand Council and explain who you are, where you came from, and who you're working for. Once the Council hears all the information you have, they'll determine what to do with you. I know things will go better for you if you cooperate, but... I won't lie. Even with your full cooperation, you'll probably be looking at a prison sentence."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peterney - Old Guard HQ

- Maxim -

Once the full reports about what had transpired at the bunker had been given, Farrington stroked his chin contemplatively.

"I suppose commendation is in order for your service, Kurik," he said. "And while we're all, no doubt, highly grateful to you, I'm sure you won't begrudge us holding off on a celebration in your honor until we've sorted out the other matters at hand."

Maxim wondered if Farrington couldn't help but leak sarcasm into his words when it came to Kurik. It seemed even this would not be enough to boost Kurik's position in Farrington's eyes, but Maxim had expected that.

"We'll need to make plans for relocation," Farrington continued. "We can no longer remain in a known location to the Army. General Thorne, start relocation procedures immediately. General Ramirez, initiate cleanup of the facilities. Dispose of the dead - friendly or otherwise - and triple security until we're ready to depart."

Farrington went quiet, his eyes darkening. He scanned the crowd, as though searching for the slight show of guilt.

"And now, we need to resolve the issue of our leaker. Someone divulged the location of this base to Alina Grey and jeopardized the safety of our High Lady, the efforts of our campaign, and the strength of our forces."

Maxim waited a sufficient amount of time, as the officials gathered exchanged looks and muttered words, before clearing his throat gently.

"We do have an Army prisoner here, don't we?" he asked. "If anyone would have reason to leak the base's location, it would be her."

"She was in the prison the whole time. How would she have been able to pass on the information?" General Thorne asked.

Maxim smiled apologetically, as though sorry for having to point out what he was about to say.

"I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to do it alone. She'd need an accomplice on the outside, someone who could easily speak to her and leave without arousing suspicion. Her guard, perhaps?"

Farrington nodded to one of the soldiers, and he ran out to find the security footage. As they were preparing it, General Thorne cast a glance at Lorrin, standing next to Kurik.

"I had heard," he said under his breath to Lorrin, "that our prisoner was found in a somewhat compromising position after the attack. With one of the Arusian agents."

Ocean
- Ehlana -

Ehlana cast her eyes down and didn’t reply. She felt uneasy about his words but didn’t know what else she had expected.

Jax seemed distracted and the aircraft was approaching them rapidly now. So she refrained from pointing out that if this crash was really an attempt on her life, placing her openly in front of the Grand Council was probably hazardous for her health. Especially if those who had tried to kill her found out. Why should he care? Once she was at the Capital his mission was over.

Even though this crash had worked to resolve some of her loyalties, she still felt hesitant to reveal anything about Arusia. For some reason, she felt protective of her country, most people there didn’t want anything to do with this conflict. No, all they wanted was a better future.

Maxim and his ploy with the Old Guard on the other hand…well she felt no sense of loyalty towards them anymore.

Was this how Kurik had felt? Betrayed? Ehlana thought about it for a moment and then shook her head lightly. No, he had done this by choice, she was sure of that. Technically, she also did have a choice, but right now it just didn’t feel like that.

The airship was quite close now, slowing as it approached.

“I understand,” she finally said quietly. “Still, I appreciate that you didn’t let me drown. That I’m alive. I know a lot of other people in…ehhh…my position may have appreciated an easy way out.”

And after another pause she added. “If you have to follow protocol, I won’t make any trouble...” Her hand gestured towards the discarded restraints.

She was glad the subject of magic hadn’t come up again. She remembered how much research Kurik had been subjected to and she really wanted to avoid becoming a guinea pig here.

---------------------------------
Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Kurik gave a curt nod at Lord Farrington’s words. He appreciated the notion, but found it hard to trust anything the man said.

Farrington’s other orders were followed immediately. General Thorne and Ramirez relayed orders to their Captains and there was a short shuffle of activity where people moved about to follow orders.

It was then, Maxim’s words caught their attention. These were grave accusations.

“That is correct, Sir,” Lorrin replied just as quiet to General Thorne. “If you allow me to speak freely, Sir, I also think she only acted from loyalty towards him. They could’ve escaped with the army, but made no move to do so. Nor did the Army seem to particularly care for her.”

Kurik heard their conversation and his brows furrowed. This could be troublesome. Looking at Maxim, he wondered if the man knew more than he was letting on. On a hunch he asked him.

“There something you’re not telling me.”

The soldiers returned with the video footage and brought it to Lord Farrington for playback.

--------------
- Prison - Nadenka -

One of the guards approached the bars when Nadenka called out to them. He didn’t look very happy or friendly.

“That wasn’t us. They guys you knocked out are suspended of duty,” he said calmly. “And we have strict orders to keep away from you and keep this door firmly locked.”

"Even talking to you will get me in trouble."

He turned around to walk back to the others. Almost as an afterthought he looked back. “Your promise doesn’t know count for anything here even if you mean well. Sorry.”

---------------------------------

Caltha - Bunker
- James & Lenka -

James threw Rise a thankful glance and squeezed her hand. Then Keynes came in. It seemed his two seconds were up and Keynes looked like he was having a worse day than any of them.

He sat down and just as he wanted to grab his glass, Lenka snatched it away. She had just come to the table with a cup of tea and sat down next to Marcus.

“Lenka…” She clearly didn’t care that she wasn’t old enough to drink.

She rolled her eyes when James tried to give her a stern look.

“I’m just gonna try it,” she said. “It won’t kill me and I might not even like it. So chill.”

Disregarding his half-hearted protest, she tried a small sip. Her expression turned to disgust. Plus it burned in her throat.

“Ewww,” she said and placed the glass back in James’ reach.

Thankfully and to his amusement, she didn’t like the liquor and quickly gave the glass back.

“So Keynes,” he began and took a sip from his drink. “What happened? Any news?”

Lenka turned to Marcus. “Did you ever try any of that?” she asked him. “I think I’ll stick with tea.”

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

Belobog bite his lips, his eyes staring at the Old Guards who just accused his comrade. Belobog would have definitely bark at Old Guards; however, as Maxim was there, who knew Alexei better than Belobog himself,  Belobog waited for Maxim's response.

But, he was not so sure if he could be calm if they really point fingers at Alexei; Belobog looked around for his comrade, thinking where he was at the time like this.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Peterney - Relocated Prison
Nadenka Orlov

Nadenka sighed, "Fine, I will be quiet for now." she crossed her arms. "But, I know you guys need a doctor, and if you really need one, I am here." Nadenka was about to walk away, but she stopped. She wanted to ask about Alexei before she really went into her silence.

However, she stopped herself from asking any question. After all these hell, she probably be blamed for the leaking and if she had to leave this world, it would be better she had lesser tie to this world.

'It would be best for him, too' thought Nadenka, and she sat on her bed. Silently.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Caltha - Bunker
Luke Jaron

It looked like Keynes had rough day; Rise and James complied with Keynes invitation to the drink.

Lenka took a slip, but it looked like she did not like the drink. As Lenka sat beside Marcus naturally, Luke's gaze followed to them. Perhaps, he should join them, too?

Then Luke remembered Rise conversation with Marcus; Marcus liked Lenka, and the conversation sounded like Marcus really wanted to be something more than a friend.

Luke curled his lips, perhaps, it was for the best that he did not butt in.

'Is that really okay?' A thought knocked on Luke's heart, Luke's golden eyes cast downwards, for some reason that question had thorns.

Luke smiled painfully, not so sure how to answer that question. He stood up and went where he could make some tea for himself.

He was a tea-drinker anyways, even though alcoholic drink looked very tempting.

Ocean

- Lisa -

As the airship dipped down towards the waves, Lisa kicked the lever to open the drop bay, and pushed the winch into position. After ensuring the basket was properly secured, she sat down beside the controls and pushed the button to lower the line. With his training, Jax would know how to use the basket once it got there. She'd just wait for his signal before pulling it back up.

That's when things would get interesting. Her eyes drifted back towards the cabin, where Raidon was at the controls. It would be a true test of the new administration's character once Ehlana had reached the Capitol.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Aegis

- Keynes -

"I invited her." Keynes responded to Rise before taking a long sip from his glass. "But her day has been even worse than mine. She might have other things to take care of."

His eyes followed Lenka as she snagged the glass from James, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the look on her face. Good. Maybe some of the youth wouldn't inherit the previous generation's bad habits.

"We'll discuss the future after we eat." He responded to Lenka, waving to the spread on the table. "Wouldn't want to ruin any appetites."

---------------------------------------------------------------

- Marcus -

Marcus laughed at the look on Lenka's face before she sat down next to him.

"Understandable." He responded to her question with a smirk. "Five or six years ago, I stumbled upon a bottle of cooking sherry in the kitchen at the home."

Marcus leaned back in his chair, remembering the moment. "After one sip, I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. So, I kept going, wondering if it would get better after more."

Oh, if he'd known now what he didn't know then...

"Before I realized it, I'd drained the whole bottle, and while it did taste progressively better, it wasn't worth what followed. I spent the rest of the night hugging the toilet, and the following day in misery because avoiding lights and loud noises in the home was impossible."

Ocean

- Jax -

Jax watched the growing unease in Ehlana's face, and he didn't blame her. In her shoes, he'd probably be feeling the same way. But she didn't know Alina, or the Council. They would treat any prisoner with decency, even if they didn't deserve it. And whatever Ehlana had done before, she did deserve that much.

"I'm glad I wasn't mistaken about you," he said, nodding an attempting a smile. "For what it's worth, you did help us. I won't forget that."

The airship dipped down towards the lifeboat, and the drop bay opened to lower a basket. Jax helped Ehlana into it before climbing in beside her. Then he signaled for Lisa to bring them up.

Once inside, Jax looked around for their savior and grinned at the sight of Raidon.

"Am I ever glad to see you," he said, clapping the other man on the shoulder.

"Likewise," Raidon replied, a hint of a smile on his lips. That almost immediately disappeared at the sight of the prisoner.

"You're not going to restrain her?" he asked, probably wondering how she'd gotten free in the first place. Jax shook his head.

"She won't cause trouble," Jax said. "I'll vouch for her."

Raidon said nothing. He cast Ehlana an appraising look before nodding.

"All right then," he replied. "Better strap in. We need to head back to the capital in double time. There's a lot you need to know."

---------------------------------------------------------------

Caltha - Bunker

- Rise -

Rise deflated slightly at Keynes' words. It sounded like Alina didn't have any intention of making it. Even here, at the capital, she was too busy to give them any time.

She shouldn't begrudge Alina. She knew it was a massively important responsibility on the other woman's shoulders. But sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder if Alina was too important for them now.

"All right then," she said, attempting a smile. "Let's dig in."

As they began to serve themselves and eat, Rise heard Lenka and Marcus talking. Nice to know that maybe all hope there hadn't been stamped out.

"What orphanage did you grow up in, Marcus?" she asked.

[OOC: I'm hoping to get around to the point that Lecarde is in the capital. It would be nice to get a scene between him and Marcus.]

---------------------------------------------------------------

Peterney - Old Guard HQ

- Maxim -

Thorne glanced at Lorrin, brows furrowed. "And why should she have any loyalty to him? That raises more questions than answers."

Maxim, standing closer to the front, did not hear their conversation. He did, however, hear Kurik's murmured words.

"You'll know everything I know," he said softly. "When you need to know it."

The security footage began to play out. Maxim was pleased to see plenty of footage right from the start of Nadenka speaking to her guard, though he made a show of not acknowledging her. Certainly, he could try to deny it, but the evidence appeared convincing. And since Farrington needed a target to deal with right away, it seemed unlikely that he would dig deep enough to prove Nadenka and the guard's innocence.

Then, Alexei appeared in the footage. That was unexpected, but not too concerning. However, as the images whipped by, they seemed to be mostly Alexei. Then footage of Nadenka writing notes in a strange language appeared, and Farrington stopped the tape to inspect them.

"Well, well," he growled. "It seems you were right, Maxim. The woman was obviously passing off some kind of codes after all."

He turned, his face taut with anger.

"But it seems the one she was passing off notes to was one of your agents!"

Maxim stared at the footage, his mind working quickly. This had definitely not been in the plan, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

"Yes..." he said mildly. "It certainly appears that way. During the time they spent together, she could have swayed him to her side. Perhaps she had intended to be captured from the start and delivered to us."

Farrington gave him a hard stare. For a moment, Maxim wondered if Farrington was beginning to suspect the truth.

"Kurik," Farrington said abruptly, turning to him. "Since you've been so helpful to us, I wonder if you wouldn't mind dealing with this problem for us."

Thorn stepped up, shooting Kurik a look. "Do you want them both brought up for questioning?"

Farrington shot him a contemptuous look. "I don't have time for questioning. I need to prepare a statement to Kaddath about Alina Grey's treachery, and you need to start relocation proceedings."

He turned to Kurik, his eyes narrowed. "Kill them both."

Maxim remained impassive. It was to his advantage this way. No questions meant no contradictory answers. Alexei was a loss, but one he could deal with.

"Unless, of course," Farrington said, turning on him, "you have objections? Your agents do seem to be dropping like flies."

Maxim stared him in the eyes, revealing nothing.

"No."

---------------------------------------------------------------

Alexei had finally managed to shake off the medical team's examinations to make his way to the briefing room. As he trudged up the hallway, he could hear voices in strained conversation. Maybe it was his training that made him subconsciously slow his steps to approach unnoticed. When he reached the room, he peered inside.

And froze.

Footage of him and Nadenka. Why were they watching all of that?

Then his blood ran cold when Farrington made a damning accusation against him. And despite nearly dying for them all, no one seemed ready to jump to his defense.

Without realizing it, Alexei began slinking back down the hall. He didn't know what to do, but it seemed his body was making the decision for him.

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

Belobog eyes were widen and looked at Maxim, surprised how Maxim did not make any objection to all this. It was already hard enough for Belobog to restrain himself against the old guards as they accused of his comrade, but to have his own people supporting such claim...

Belobog clenched his fists, he was not so sure what to believe... Belobog looked at Kurik, did Kurik feel the same way to Alexei as well?

Ehlana, and now Alexei... All of his comrades were dropping and tossed into wolves... There must be a real culprit....

Alexei was a charger, not a deceiver. Matter of fact, deceiver was his role and never Alexei's.  "Sir, I would like to end Alexei's life. He had compromised Arusian's honor, and I would not stand by it."

There has to be a way to save Alexei, and find the real culprit.... There was no way that Alexei who Belobog knew, would be the traitor of Arusia.

Ocean
- Ehlana -

Ehlana chose not to reply. It felt weird to hear these words. She had tried to kill them and she wasn’t entirely convinced she wouldn’t attempt to do so again if there was an opportunity for escape. No, she couldn’t afford to soften up too much.

They climbed in the basket and were hoisted up to the airship. Ehlana breathed a sigh of relief when she was inside. Away from this dreadful sunlight and the heat. Even from these couple hours, her hands and neck and any other exposed part of her skin were smarting and showing a slight shade of red.

Ehlana stopped when she saw who greeted them in the airship. She recognised Raidon by his prominent scar. He was, rightly, more suspicious of her, but accepted Jax’ word.

She walked to the very back and sat down. She felt exhausted and dehydrated, but hopefully this short trip would allow her to recharge a little for whatever awaited her at the Capital.

-------------------------------

Caltha - Bunker
- Lenka -

Lenka giggled at Marcus when he told his story.

“You drank a whole bottle of sherry?” she asked. “No wonder you spend the rest of the night in the bathroom.”

“And here I thought you had at least a basic level of intelligence,” she said with a teasing smile and a wink.

She looked around to see if everyone was here. Luke was making himself some tea, looking a little lost. Lenka waved him over when he returned with his cup.

“C’mon over here, Luke,” she said and gestured to the seat next to her. “What are you waiting for?”

At the same time, she jumped up herself to help dish out the food. Sometimes it was just too hard for her to sit still. And today was a good day, she felt full of energy and not even once did she feel like she would faint.

------------------

- James -

James pulled up his plate and began to eat. Keynes was right, there would hopefully be plenty of time to catch up after they had eaten. And he knew himself well enough. Bad news would certainly diminish his appetite.

“By the way, Keynes, when was the last time anyone turned a computer on in this bunker?” he asked lightly. “I had to update the entire system.” James rolled his eyes and grinned. “Next time this happens, I will send you a bill.”

-------------------------------

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Lorrin nodded and shrugged. He didn’t have an answers to that either, but it seemed very odd.

They watched the video footage and it revealed something very unexpected. Lorrin’s face wasn’t the only one covered in surprise. His eyes moved to Kurik, who looked just as stunned.

Kurik’s mind was in confusion. That Alexei should have betrayed them? This made no sense. He didn’t know him very well, but that man could not betray Arusia if his life depended on it. When Maxim chose which agents to bring, a high degree of loyalty was crucial.

It appeared that Maxim disagreed and readily acknowledged Alexei’s possible involvement. Kurik was about to protest, when Farrington turned towards him.

Yes, if he could deal with this, then maybe he could get to the bottom of this. Except that wasn’t what Farrington was interested in. He was ready to give them both up without questioning. And Maxim had no objection.

Suddenly Kurik felt angry. It was a familiar he was familiar with. This kind of administration disgusted him and it was exactly the kind that had prompted him to betray his country in the first place. In all honesty, he wanted to tell Farrington to go screw himself. The only thing that stopped him was Maxim. The other man had already given up Alexei. He must have a reason for this decision. He trusted Maxim that he wouldn’t just give up another man’s life if it wasn’t for a higher purpose.

“I will handle the situation,” Kurik replied in a strained voice. It took all of his self control to stay calm.

Just then Belo spoke up. Kurik had almost forgotten about him as he was standing in the background. He turned around to look at him and found the same doubts that he had in his mind were reflected in Belo’s eyes. Maybe he wasn’t the only one who believed in Alexei’s innocence.

(OOC: I left out the part for Nadenka. There will be enough action for her soon enough.)

Caltha - Bunker
Luke Jaron

Just as Luke got his tea, Lenka called his name. Luke blinked, not so sure he heard it right, but as Lenka pointed at the seat next to her... Luke never felt so glad.

He was happy.

The thought that had thorns, and that troubled Luke's heart lost its power, 'Who cares?' thought Luke, 'As long as I am with her, it's okay.'

"O-Okay!" Luke replied and got himself seated beside Lenka. As Lenka got up to grab herself food, Luke tried his best to calm his fast beating heart.

'I am just eating group dinner. I am just eating group diner...' Luke kept repeating that statement in his head, trying his best to stay calm.

But as his golden eyes went astray and looked at Lenka, his heart started to beat fast again. Luke quickly took a sip from his cup, closing his eyes. But, alas, the tea was hot, and it did surprise Luke that he took a big gulp of it.

Surprised by the temperature, Luke stick his tongue out to cool it. He could feel his face turning little red; Luke hoped Lenka did not see that... Luke almost had burnt his own tongue by drinking tea.

In any case, Luke waited others to get themselves some food; Luke knew too well that he was awfully too excited and mess was bound to happen when he is awfully excited. So Luke decided to be the last one to get the portion of the food.