Genesis Crisis IC

Satellite Tower

James sank to his knees after releasing the spell. Every muscle in his body was exhausted and his legs wouldn't keep him upright anymore. Breathing hard, he looked at the disfigured body of what had once been Pale Rider.

However, before his mind could linger on the consequences of what he had just done, his eyes flickered over to Rise. Seeing her lifeless body on the ground, he got up on his feet and walked over to them. Sinking down by her side, he took her hand and held it tenderly.

"Rise?" he asked. "Please say something." James looked rather pale and exhausted himself from the amount of energy he spent but he kept his eyes on Rise, full of concern when he felt her cold hand.

"Why did you let that happen? Why did no one protect her?" his voice sounded raw and looked around frantically, trying to find someone who could give him an answer. "WHAT DID HE DO TO HER?!!"

There was pure anguish in his voice and he almost screamed the words, looking for some release of his emotions. The death of Marcus, the fact that he had killed him, together with seeing Rise so hurt and lifeless jumbled his emotions together and right now he was just looking for someone to blame.

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Snow spun around when he heard the huge explosion of electricity and once all the Majin disappeared he was able to fully comprehend what happened now in the battle between the Legion guy and the others. "It's not over yet," he said and pointed towards the other members of Aegis. He put an arm around Lizzy and walked over to Rise, Jax and Commander Grey.

"Help him, would you love?" he asked Lizzy quietly and nodded towards Jax, who looked pretty torn up. Snow took a few steps back and lit a cigarette while he watched the crowd disappear. This couldn't have been the end.

When he was done smoking, he glanced at the girl with the brown hair, who looked rather pale and motionless. "Can you still feel a pulse?" he asked huskily and watched calmly as the kid who had unleashed the lightning spell came over. He looked messed up and behaved just as traumatized, but in his eyes was only worry and fear.

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Safe House

No, no...please no.

Her fingers went weak, allowing Raidon to pull away. She felt small, like she was sinking down in endless darkness. Her mind was still in shock after his words and she continued to stare at him blankly. Barely did she notice how her tears had brimmed over and were now slowly rolling down her cheeks.

"You are wrong," she whispered eventually. "I've had so long to search my feelings. Even though I am grateful and I do admire you... I also love you deeply." Arya choked the words out, barely able to speak as the tears threatened to suffocate her voice.

She started to take a step towards him and then stopped, gazing into his serious expression. "I don't care about what you can or cannot give me. I only wish for you to allow me to love you..." her voice broke and she shook her head.

Arya turned around, unable to bear the look in his eyes. Together with the sadness came the fear. 

The fear of being alone again. 
The fear of being left behind.
The fear of having failed someone she cared about.

She closed her eyes. "I could never force you to pretend for my sake." It almost hurt to say the words.

Satellite Tower

“Rise?” Alex said in a concerned tone as he ran over to see what was happening to her, but most of his concern was over shadowed by James as he was demanding an answer like some sort of battle cry with Alex slowly moving his way in his group crowded teammates to get a better view of the situation.

“If only I…” Alex muttered to himself, but quickly shook the thought out of his head. He knew there was a reason he had engaged the fight, and wasn’t about to second guess his decision like he had done time and time again. Rise, the girl who was his friend that he had spent his entire journey with was in such a critical condition, it wouldn’t help fretting the situation now.

“What’s wrong with her?” Alex asked with concern, as it looked like some sort of plague had hit Rise. There were only a few spells that could do that, but curses were extremely difficult to remove even for healers….

Army Squad (Daemond)

“It is, but it’s only because the roof collapsed when I was stopping a member of legion getting in…” Daemond stated in a defensive formation with fear showing in his eyes that were greater than any member of legion or majin could cause. To think he would be struck down for something like this and labeled a traitor, it’s not something he would want anyone or more specifically Troy’s family to hear about.

“But I did see what was in there…” Daemond muttered in sort of a curse in front of anger at his own incompetence. He couldn’t help himself, he couldn’t lie to his comrades he’d been with for so long especially with the expressions they were giving him.

At this point he just wanted someone to say that it was going to be alright, or to hear someone like Sasha’s cheerful voice to make a joke about how clumsy or how dorky he was…. But at the same time he couldn’t forget about the punishment in the oath.

“What are you going to do?” Daemond muttered in anguish, as he waited for the team to make a decision.

Army Squad (Aera)

“Daemond…” Aera muttered, as she closed her eyes negating her angel eyes almost like she couldn’t bear the sight of looking at his tortured face. It was probably one of the most difficult sights she had seen, next to that time with her family.

She had to weigh her choices, would she disobey the army she fought to upkeep, or would she let this one slide and act like some acceptance to some criminal. But, she had trouble bringing herself to this view, or even calling Daemond a criminal in that matter.

“Sorry..” Aera muttered, as she unsheathed her blade and began to pull it out towards her side. Though, she didn’t do anything too rash, she waited for the rest of the group to come to their choice as she had already made hers.

Satellite Tower

Jax shook his head at the barrage of frantic questions, only beginning to realize the horrible reality of this situation. As their only healer, Rise would be the only one to treat a spell curse like this, were she not the one suffering from it.

"What do we do? What can we do?" he thought, ignoring the pain to pull himself into a kneeling position beside her.

"Rise.." he whispered, touching his hand to her cold cheek. Not again.. not again.

"We have to get her back to the bunker," he said, searching for Keynes. "Maybe Kokonoe has something that can help. But she can't stay here."

It was fortunate that most of the group had already gathered around Rise, so Keynes only needed to crack the small crystal shard in his hand to cause the magic circle to envelop them, twisting space around them till the bunker seemed to reform around them.

"You're back," Kokonoe said, entering the room calmly. "Well, you'll be pleased to know-"

She paused at the sight of Rise's deathly pallor and Jax's injuries, her expression became grave.

"We need to get them to their rooms," she said quickly, looking them over. Jax's condition was bad, but at least she knew what his situation was. Rise on the other hand..

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Safe House

"I'm sorry," Raidon whispered, stepping away from her. It felt as though the room had suddenly become too small for the two of them.

If only she could understand how missplaced her affections were.

She was flawless, and he was scarred.

She was pure, and he was blood-stained.

She was warm, and he was cold.

"I wish you could understand.." he thought, turning away from her.

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Army Squad

Lancar's mind could barely grasp what was happening. It was just too awful to accept.

"You can't.." Xennox said quietly, looking particularly at Aera. Cash and Carrie turned their eyes to him for a moment before glancing at Lancar.

"Lieutenant?" Carrie asked, watching him closely. Lancar swallowed thickly before stepping forward next to Daemond.

"We're a squad," he said quietly, eyes hard with determination. "We stick together through everything, even when friends and family don't. I won't kill Daemond, and I won't allow anyone else to do it either."

Xennox nodded, stepping beside the lieutenant.

"That's treason, you know," Cash said casually, picking at his nails.

"You're betraying the government you've sworn to serve," Carrie continued, folding her arms.

Yes, Lancar understood that well enough. He'd dedicated his whole life to the Army, and turn against it now seemed to go against all his reasoning. But..

"And what about the government that betrays the people it's sworn to protect?" he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "Loyalty and duty can't replace morality. I won't do what I know to be wrong.. no matter who asks it of me."

Cash and Carrie slowly turned their eyes to each other, exchanging a knowing look. Before Lancar could process the danger, Carrie had already throw her axes toward him. The blades whizzed past him harmlessly, but the chain caught him in the throat. Snagged, the axes whirled back around to wrap the chain further around his neck, choking as he fell back to the ground, the axes embedding in the ground to pin him in place.

"Take them alive," Cash ordered, hurling a handful of knives at Daemond.

Bunker

One of Keynes' strong arms wrapped around James from behind, holding him still. "Calm down." He barked, making sure the man had stopped shaking before letting him go again. "Getting upset won't help any of us."

Lizzy had started to reach for Jax at Snow's request, but when she got a better look at Rise, she gasped and let her hands fall away from him. Without warning, she batted Alina's hand aside, feeling for the pulse herself. "Back off!" She growled at them all, going so far as to push Jax's arm away from Rise's other hand.

"Hold on a minute..." Lisa started to reprimand the woman, but the words died in her throat from the glare Lizzy gave her.

"We're not moving her anywhere. She wouldn't last for the trip."

"No, she will." Keynes said, pulling out the crystal and breaking it. The familiar sense of space being distorted greeted the members of Aegis, but for Lizzy and Snow, it would be a new experience.

The former of the two's eyes darted this way and that when the group appeared at the bunker, and she briefly wondered what kind of mess they'd gotten into. Not only that, but judging from what had just happened, they'd left Snow's bike in the canyon... How were they supposed to get out of here now?

Pushing any other thoughts aside, she pulled Rise's arm over her shoulder, hoisting the girl up to carry her. "A bed..." She said wearily. "Now!"

Lisa squeaked in surprise at the sudden violence in the woman's voice, and after taking a moment to recover, she waved for Lizzy to follow her. "Here..." She led the woman down the hall to Rise's room and opened the door.

Lizzy half carried, half dragged Rise along to the bed and threw her down onto the sheets before running her fingers over the girl's neck.

"I don't know if I have the strength..." She mumbled as she pressed her fingers against Rise's neck and a warm glow enveloped her hands.

"What are you doing?" Will's voice was somewhere between concerned and accusing, as if he expected ill of her.

Perhaps it was then that Lizzy realized for the first time she had an audience. "Out! All of you. I need to focus."

Bunker

James stared at Keynes for a few seconds, completely surprised by him. Then he nodded slowly. He knew the older man was right, but he just couldn't help but let his emotions out. "Okay," he choked out.

Taking a deep breath, he turned back to Rise. Her situation had not changed and looking at her pale face sent fear through him. She looked so close to… no. No! He couldn't think that.

Thankfully, Keynes transported them back to the bunker with another traesto gem.

______________________________

Snow blinked disoriented when his vision returned the dimensions to normal. Though not comfortable, it was certainly a quick way to travel and he gazed around, surveying the room. Lizzy was already a few steps ahead, carrying the unconscious Rise and he quickly followed them.

"She's going to try and cure her," he replied to Will, a little gruff but not unfriendly. He understood the pain these kids were going through. Ushering everyone outside, he had to pull James with quite a bit more force as the young man was very reluctant to leave Rise again.

Once everyone was outside, Snow returned to Lizzy and rubbed her shoulders softly. "Don't worry, love," he whispered huskily in her ear. "If anyone can do it, it's you." Snow gave her another kiss on the forehead.

"I'll be right outside, so just call if there's anything I can do," he offered and stepped outside. Leaning against the wall made it clear he didn't intend to move any time soon.

_____________________________

When Snow threw him out of the room, James walked into the kitchen. It still felt like he was underwater. Everything, every word and every movement seemed to be slow-motion. Sitting down at the table, he continued to stare into the distance, worry and fear replaying the last few moments of the battle in his head.

_____________________________

Safe House

Arya kept her eyes closed for a few more seconds. Then she straightened up slightly and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

She turned around to face Raidon and gave him a sad smile. "You should not ever have to apologize for being honest," she said. Her voice was still a little off, but she was in better control than she expected.

No, she didn't want to accept it, but it seemed there was no other choice. She knew for certain, that she would not ever be able to understand his reasons and despite what he said, she would never stop loving him. It was crystal clear in her mind when she gazed into his eyes again.

Unable to say anything else, she laid down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her knees, hugging them tightly. Even though she had not planned to sleep now, eventually emotional exhaustion took over and she drifted to sleep.

Army Squad (Aera)

The sound of rustling metal was the only sound that Aera heard during the debate, as Aera’s mind began to panic. The twins, they were planning on attacking the lieutenant! But, what could she do… disobeying the army was a form of treason. They signed the oath, and….

That’s when the sound of Carrie throwing the axes at Lancar went off like sirens in her ears, she didn’t have time to make a choice. She needed to act now, or the other members of the army would show up and make this even more of a scene.

Then, the next sounds of metal could be heard, as the sound of moving air with Cash’s hand grabbing onto a handful of knives rung like nail on a chalkboard.

“Stop!” Aera yelled, as she quickly dashed in front of the knives to block the attack with her shield held up in front of her at arm’s length away from her body with a deep glare at the two of the twins. She needed to think of something to say to explain herself... Now

“I can understand killing Daemond” Aera said mournfully, as she looked down at her shield with a sad gaze, but she quickly rose it to continue her thought, as she continued to say with more conviction “But attacking other members, a superior at that, is just as bad.”

In fact, Area was pretty sure it was worse. She specifically remembers the army text telling her about how an officer was supposed to deal with insubordinates in their squad and how it endangered a mission and the lives of others.

“mahama!” Aera yelled, as it was now obvious that she was holding her shield in front of her face like a book during the speech for the casting stance, as a beam of light came down to blind the twins.

Army Squad (Daemond)

“Aera….” Daemond muttered in a kind voice but there was a grimace on his face all the same, as he thought to himself “Did she just say she would kill me? What the hell!”

Daemond quickly dashed over to Lancar the moment the mahama spell went off, as he quickly tried to take the axes out of the ground, and thankfully some of the strength from his tarakaja spell was still lingering… so it wasn’t the most difficult of tasks.

“We need to go now.” Daemond demanded, as he didn’t like staying in this place any longer then he should after that stunt, as he quickly pushed himself off the ground and prepped himself to run wherever the hell they were going.

Bunker

Rise moaned, twitching feebly in her bed with a vacant, pained expression on her face.

"J..ax.." she whispered, gasping for breath and writhing.

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Jax seemed to be completely forgotten in the rush to help Rise, but he didn't mind. Rather, he was glad that they were devoting their attention to her. He could bear the pain for now, and if anything happened to Rise.. he just wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

"You're a strong girl, Rise. You can pull through this," he thought, dragging himself over to the wall and leaning against it, wincing as the scythe-wound on his back throbbed with contact.

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Safe House

Raidon watched Arya retreat to the bed, looking so small and alone. He couldn't help but feel responsible for hurting her again.. again.. Was that all he knew how to do to her?

"You should not ever have to apologize for being honest," she had said. But that was the problem, wasn't it? He hadn't been honest. Not entirely.

Sighing, he sat down on the chair, watching her beautiful, sleeping form, perhaps for the last time.

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Army Squad

Cash and Carrie paused during Aera's speech, but as soon as the shield went up before her face, they already knew her next move. As soon as she called her spell, Cash and Carrie had dived to each side, making it outside the bounds of the spell circle before it went off. They hit the ground running, each preparing to cast a spell.

"Shibaboo!"

"Sukukaja!"

Shadowy chains errupted from the ground, ensnaring Aera in their unyielding grip, as a green light enveloped Cash, doubling his already impressive speed. The next moment, Xennox was on his back, unconscious, as Cash gave him a blow to the back of the head.

Meanwhile, Carrie had recovered her axes and launched one at Daemond's back, but Lancar whirled about, deflected it with his sword. Instead of following it up, however, Carrie stopped, simply watching him. Before Lancar could figure out why, however, he heard Cash whisper the words "Marin Karin" before a blow came from behind. As he fell to the ground, unconscious, Daemond stepped forward, eyes vacant and unblinking.

"Now, why don't you take a nap, Pup," Cash said before Daemond collapsed on command. With all three of her teammates, Aera was the only one left, still bound by Cash's spell. Carrie approached her from behind, leaning forward to whisper in her ear.

"Bad move, Bat," she said, lips curving in a malicious smile, before a blow came to Aera's neck, and blackness overtook her.

Bunker

As everyone filtered out of the room, Lizzy frowned at Rise, and put a hand on the girl's chest to keep her still. This was going to be difficult enough without having to hold her down too... Snow's light touch on her shoulders let Lizzy know that he had returned, even if only for a moment, and she savored his presence, drawing what strength she could from it. "I don't know if anyone could do anything..." She whispered, looking down at Rise again.

Lisa pushed her way past Snow when he stepped outside, quickly locking the door so he couldn't do anything to stop her. Lizzy gave the girl a dark look, but to her credit, Lisa didn't shy away. "I'm staying." She said flatly.

Letting out a sigh, Lizzy motioned for the girl to come closer. "Hold her still then. It'll be easier for me to work if I don't have to."

Swallowing nervously, Lisa nodded and walked to the other side of the bed. She slowly picked up one of Rise's hands, feeling it for herself. The cold fingers gripped down on her thumb, as if it were a lifeline, and Lisa didn't have the heart to pull them away. Instead, she gripped the hand tightly and put her other arm over Rise's torso to keep her held down.

When LIzzy was satisfied that the other girl had her securely, she removed her hand from Rise's chest and once more touched her fingers to the girl's neck, where the black serpent mark was wrapped around it. Letting out a long breath to clear her mind, Lizzy pinched the skin at the end of the mark. Her fingers glowed in a pale green, and a tiny magic circle surrounded the skin she held between them.

As she pulled upward, the inky marking separated from the skin, peeling away like a scab, but the more she pulled loose, the more effort it seemed to take. Sweat ran down her face as Lizzy wearily pushed herself to her feet and put one foot on the bed, using it as leverage.

Lisa clicked her teeth as Rise's fingers painfully dug into her palm, but she continued to hold the girl down while Lizzy pulled away the curse. Seconds felt like hours as the magic circle slowly crept forward, peeling away only a fraction of an inch with each strained pull on the curse, until all that remained on Rise's skin was the head.

With one last pull, Lizzy tore the curse loose, and a black circle appeared over the bed, sucking the serpent into it and vanishing with a loud crack that would definitely be heard from outside the door.

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

"How about we get you patched up too?" Alina asked as she stepped over to where Jax was leaning against the wall. "The others will take care of her, but you need some medical attention of your own."

She quickly glanced over his form, taking in all the wounds she could immediately see. The corner of her mouth twitched the slightest bit, as if a frown had started to from, but she stopped it halfway. "Can you walk to the infirmary, or should I lend you a shoulder?"

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

Will muttered an unintelligible stream of words under his breath as he stepped into the kitchen and pulled out a chair to sit down. James was across the table from him, but apparently, Will's presence hadn't even been noticed by the boy.

"You gonna make it?" He asked. "You're almost as pale as Rise was, and at least she didn't have the sweats."

Bunker

"Oh, don't mind me," Jax said, offering Alina a weak smile as he used the wall to force himself up. Alina didn't seem very convinced, but Jax began to walk before she could say anything else. The infirmary wasn't too far a walk, thankfully, and Jax was able to make it to one of the beds before he collapsed. He laid down on his stomach, exposing the scythe wound on his back.

"Not to sound pushy, but do you think you can start with that one first?" he asked, grunting as the fabric of the bed sheet rubbed painfully against his other wounds. He could hear Alina moving about the room to get medical supplies, but he barely registered it as he thought about Rise.

"She'll be okay, right?" Jax asked in a small voice, for the first time sounding in desperate need of reassurance. "I can't.. not after Miki.."

Bunker

Alina followed Jax down the hallway, ready to catch him if he collapsed at a moment's notice, but to his credit, the man made it to one of the infirmary beds before going down.

Convinced that he wasn't going anywhere, she began collecting supplies from drawers and cupboards, sitting them on the table by the bed. "Yes, we can start with that one." She said calmly. "But we'll treat all of them in due time."

She almost didn't register his second question because of how quietly it was spoken. If the same thing hadn't been on her own mind, she might have had to ask him to repeat it...

"Who's to say what day any of us should die?" She asked as she stood over him. Her voice barely wavered, but the expression on her face showed more than enough concern by itself. She'd lost a lot of soldiers in her time... Each of them weighed equally on her mind, even now. Not one of them would ever be completely forgotten.

"I can't determine her fate." Alina whispered as she gently placed one hand on his back. With a warm washcloth, she sponged away the blood that had begun to dry so she could get a better look. Alina grimaced as she dipped the already red cloth into the water pan to clean it. "This is going to need stitching..."

Bunker

Snow frowned when Lisa locked the door from the inside, but he didn't move to stop her. The minutes ticked by while he waited and the grim expression never left his face.

After what felt like an eternity, there was a loud crack and his head snapped to attention. He stepped close and knocked on the door. "C'mon, open up," he insisted with his husky voice.

Once Lisa unlocked it, he walked inside, rushing to Lizzy who was kneeling in front of the bed. "Did it work?" he asked softly and put an arm around her shoulders. She could barely keep her eyes open, her forehead glistening with sweat. Snow shook his head and reached down to feel Rise's pulse.

It was stronger and more steady than before and some color had returned to her cheeks. Satisfied, he pulled Lizzy closer. "You've done enough for tonight, love," he said and picked her up.

"You should let the others know. She'll still need caring," he said to Lisa and walked out the door, heading towards one of the empty rooms. Gently he set Lizzy down on the bed and sat down next to her, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You need sleep. No arguments," he said and pulled her hand into his. It felt a little cold and he gently rubbed it between his fingers. In no way did his expression reflect the worry he felt. Lizzy had clearly over-exhausted herself and for who? A bunch of kids. Well, he hoped that wouldn't backfire, especially after this mess they'd gotten themselves into.

___________________________________________

Bunker

James didn't notice Will's presence until he spoke. Blinking to clear his mind from the images he kept remembering, he looked at him and waved it off.

"I'll be fine," he lied. "I'm just exhausted, but I don't want to rest until…" he broke off and stared out into the hallway towards the room Snow stood in front.

Suddenly there were sounds in the hallway and he jumped to his feet abruptly. Will, his own exhaustion and the cruel images that still followed him were completely forgotten. Quickly he headed for Rise's room only to run into Lisa. Snow and Lizzy had apparently just left.

"How is she?" he asked Lisa concerned, trying to keep the agitation from his voice. "Is she gonna be okay?"

Bunker

"Oddly enough, that doesn't make me feel any better," Jax replied with a sigh. However, he didn't want to disrupt her concentration, so he fell into silence.

In a strange way, Alina's careful treatment did manage to relax and ease the tension in his body, if not his mind. The delicate touch of her fingers on his skin was soothing and electrifying in ways he couldn't describe.

When she had finished treating his back, Jax rolled over so she could see to the front of his body. Despite his best attempts not to bother, the Red Rider found himself watching her work.

"Alina.." he began, but the words died in his throat. Instead, he offered her a weak smile.

"Thanks.. for taking care of me, even though you probably want nothing more than to lie down," he said quietly, warm grey eyes soft with gratitude.

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

Despite the initial rush of activity, things in the bunker seemed to quiet down just as quickly. Kokonoe ignoring most of the others, approached Keynes with a serious look.

"So, did we take in a couple more strays?" she asked, referencing Snow and Lizzie. "How well can we trust them?"

Although they seemed to have immediately rushed to help Rise, their intentions were completely unknown.

Bunker

"Sorry." Alina replied as she threaded a needle and tied off the line. "I just don't want to lie to you about it, even if it means being unsure about the future."

Without warning, Alina ran her fingers down one side of the wound, numbing the skin with a touch of her magic, and just as suddenly, she placed them on the other side of the cut and ran them in the opposite direction, doing the same for that side. It would definitely be uncomfortable for him, but it was better than having to feel the tug as she started stitching him up...

Silence reigned as she worked, counting the stitches so she would know how many to remove later. Thirty seven was the count when she finally tied the line off and cut it.

"Don't roll over yet." She ordered as she stepped away to wash her hands. After scrubbing the blood from beneath her fingernails, she opened up a jar of cream and dipped her fingers into it before running them down his back to smear it over the wound.

"Now you can turn." She said, and after waiting for him to do so, she began dabbing the cream onto his other wounds.

When he spoke, she paused, listening, but after he finished, she pulled her fingers away, as if afraid to touch him again. For several moments, she stood like that, unable to move or speak, until finally her fingers reached out to touch another of his wounds.

"These were meant for me..." She said, almost choking on the words. "You took them... For me..." If he thought she hadn't realized, he was wrong. She'd known all along. "This can never be thanks enough."

As her fingers gently massaged the cream into the wounds, she let a little of her ice magic trickle through, chilling it so that it would be soothing to the touch but not cold enough to shock him. Even after she'd covered all the wounds, she traced them a second time, as if burning them into her memory while her chilled fingers soothed away his pain.

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Keynes lit a cigarette and took a long drag as he watched Snow carry Lizzy off to an empty room. "I trust the girl." He responded thoughtfully to Kokonoe.

He blew out a cloud of smoke and leaned back in his chair. The fingers of his free hand drummed on the table, a nervous twitch from long, long ago, while he took another drag of the cigarette. "The guy with her I wouldn't normally trust, but by the looks of things, she's got him wrapped. So, I don't anticipate him being an issue. Still, I'll keep an eye on them while they're here." He looked in her direction as he blew out a smoke ring.

"Seeing those two like that kinda reminds me of old times though." He said absentmindedly as he crushed out the cigarette an stood up. "Maybe it's best if I don't watch them after all..."

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"Yeah..." Lizzy breathed out the word as Snow's strong arms wrapped around her. "She'll need sleep, but she'll make it." She responded, unable to be sure if she was referring to the girl on the bed or herself.

She didn't even protest when Snow picked her up, and if that didn't speak volumes about how tired Lizzy was, nothing would.

"I'll stay with her tonight." Lisa responded as Snow moved towards the door. "Thank you." The last two words came just as Snow reached the door, and Lizzy simply smiled back at the other girl, unable to offer any other kind of response.

A few moments later, Snow laid her on a bed, and Lizzy moaned as she slowly stretched out on it. "No arguments from me tonight..." She said with a yawn. "Too tired..."

Her arm raised weakly, and her fingers threaded around Snow's wrist. "You too though." Despite how tired she was, her fingers wouldn't move from the grip she had on him. "Dunno where we are... Stay with me..." She barely finished the words before her eyes slipped closed, surrendering to the sleep that took her.

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Lisa had just stepped out of Rise's room when James came around the corner, looking rather frantic. "She's fine." She responded, giving him a soft smile as she turned to open the door and let him see for himself. "You can sit with her for a minute while I go get some warm water if you'd like. When I get back, you'll have to leave though. I need to get her clothes off and clean her up a bit. She has Jax's blood all over her arms." She stepped around him and headed for the bathroom, leaving the door open for him to choose whether or not to enter.

Bunker

Jax gazed at the silky, crimson hair cascading down Alina's shoulders against her creamy skin as she worked, her lush lips pursed and in concentration. There was no doubt she was beautiful; perhaps the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on.

But it was her spirit he found most appealing. She was strong and determined, preferring to face the truth head-on, no matter how painful or disheartening.

But even ice could melt; and as he heard her voice crack, he knew that no matter how hard she forced herself to be, she was a compassionate person at the core of her being.

"Hey.." Jax whispered, covering her hand on his wound with his own, "I'm not a brilliant mind like James or Kokonoe, or a nuturer like Rise, or a leader like Keynes or Alex or you. The only thing I know how to do is use my body. I don't care how scarred or beaten it gets, as long as I can keep using it for that purpose."

Wincing slightly, Jax got up from the bed, feeling out his limbs and muscles. It wasn't comfortable, but it would do until Rise could heal them properly. As he headed to the door, he paused and swallowed thickly.

"Besides, you're too.. I mean, I don't think scars would suit you," Jax said, feeling his face heat up stupidly. Whispering a hurried good-night, he closed the door and headed to his room before he could stick his boot any further in his mouth.

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

Kokonoe shrugged at Keynes analysis, by now resigned to the inevitable influx of more strays into the group. The researcher momentarily felt an urge to give a sarcastic retort about how well he'd watched their last suspect member, but bit it back. Even for her, that was going a bit far.

As she turned to leave, Kokonoe stopped cold at Keynes' words, wondering how he had the gall to bring that up. She gave him a cold look, clearly indicating that just because her animosity was more concentrated on the Army than him, it didn't mean it was gone.

Bunker

"I won't leave you alone, love," Snow said and waited until she fell asleep and her grip loosened a little. Then he got up and walked into the bathroom to clean his weapons. Only when he was done, he walked back to the bed and took his shirt and boots off before laying down next to Lizzy. Cuddling her sleeping form into his arms, he pulled the blanket around both of them and closed his eyes.

Since he didn't quite trust the others yet, he only fell into a light sleep, ready to be alert at the slightest unusual sound. However, he did believe that right now they probably had other worries and concerns than two strangers sleeping in the room next door.

________________

When Lisa left, James nodded and entered the room shyly. He sat down at the bed and took Rise's hand. She still seemed out of it, but in a restful kind of way and he exhaled relieved when he saw that the black mark on her neck was gone.

He sat with her quietly, watching her sleep, until Lisa came back and motioned for him to leave. Tiredly he got up and left the room. At the end of the hallway, he caught sight of Jax, who was about to enter his room.

With a few quick steps, he caught up with him. "Jax."

When the young man turned around, James could only offer a tired smile, despite being patched up by Alina, Jax didn't look all that well either. "I just wanted to let you know...that woman cured Rise of the curse," he said and pulled his hair behind his ear. "She's sleeping now, but it looks like she is going to make it. Lisa is staying with her tonight."

Even though he knew about Rise's affection for Jax, he couldn't leave him in the dark. They were friends after all, right? Rise was allowed to make her own choices and even if his wishes were different, he would never be able to let someone else suffer for it. "She'll want to see you when she wakes up," he added, feeling slightly awkward.

There were a few seconds of silence and then James spoke again. "Well, I should get some rest too..." he said and motioned for his room. Once inside, he dropped his weapon belt and jacket on the way to his bed. However, before he could even take his boots off, he pretty much passed out on the bed, his exhausted body sinking into a restful darkness.

Day XIX

Spoiler:

I knew..

I knew the moment I first laid eyes on you.

It didn't matter that we were on opposite sides. It didn't matter that I knew nothing about you. And with every passing day, I felt it more and more.

So strong and tough, but tender and kind. Wonderfully handsome, but so humble. Determined and unyielding in your passions.

You were everything I could have wanted, but you also made me want to be a better person.

For so long, I've wanted to tell you what you mean to me, and what you've done for me. But I'm a coward at heart. I'm too afraid of being rejected, too afraid of what you might say.

Still.. I'll never know unless I say something. And really, the only thing worse than the truth is not knowing what the truth is.

So I have to tell you. I need you to know that..

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

Spoiler:

Jax wasn't too surprised when he awoke very early the next morning, even before dawn. Even though James had told him that Rise was okay, he had wanted to confirm it with his own eyes.

"Well, I won't be getting more sleep anyway," he thought, slipping out of the covers and moving quietly out into the hallway. Making sure not to disturb anyone, he made his way to Rise's room and peeked inside. He froze, however, at the sight of an empty room.

"Rise?" he whispered, switching on the light and looking about the room. Sure enough, it was empty. His first thought was to alert the others, but Jax didn't want to cause trouble if she'd simply gotten up to use the bathroom or something. A cursory examination of the bunker, however, showed that she was nowhere in sight. Feeling alarm mounting, Jax decided to check outside, just in case.

To his relief, he saw Rise leaning against the wall of the bunker, gazing up at the fading stars and moon. Feeling the tension bleed from his muscles, Jax sighed and approached the young woman, still looking a bit pale and weak.

"Rise, you should still be resting," he said gently, touching her shoulder. She gave him a brief smile before turning her eyes back up to the sky.

"You remember, right?" Rise said quietly, eyes distant as she spoke. "That night when you stood outside the seaside cottage and I found you. I know it's a painful memory for you, but.. it's one of my most precious memories. It's the day.. we became friends."

Jax wasn't very perceptive at reading emotions, but he could definitely sense that something was off. As he took a step closer, he could see tears beginning to gather in her eyes.

"I was so afraid.. that I would die.." she whispered, the tears leaving trails down her cheeks. Jax immediately pulled her into a hug, feeling his heart tug with guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Rise. You got hurt trying to help me," Jax said, holding her tightly, hating the way her body quivered and shook with weeping. Rise shook her head, but she couldn't find the words to speak. After a minute or so, her body calmed, but she still didn't pull away from him.

"No, you don't understand.." she breathed, wishing he could hold her like this forever. The warmth of his body, his strong arms encircling her..

"I was afraid I'd never get the chance to tell you.. that you'd never know."

Jax's brows furrowed in confusion as Rise let go of him so she could look up into his eyes. Before he could form the question, he felt her small hands on his face as she pulled him into a deep, fervent kiss. For a moment, Jax could only stare in surprise before he succumbed to the sweet taste of her lips and the feel of her hands running through his close-cropped silver hair.

Rise thought her heart would explode with the release of all her feelings, the incredible sensation of his hands on her waist as his lips glided against her own. The moment she'd hoped.. she'd dreamed.. she'd longed for...

Jax released one hand from her hips, bringing it up to run through her long, fiery red hair, but it only moved through air. In that moment, his mind snapped, and he instantly parted with Rise, his eyes looking guilty and remorseful.

"I love you, Jax. I love you so much," she whispered, her hands sliding down from his face to rest on his chest. Jax was unable to meet her gaze, however, as he placed his hands over hers and removed them from his body, holding them tightly in his calloused grip.

"Rise, I.. I'm so sorry.." he tried to say, the whole impact of the situation crushing his reasoning power. Rise flinched, pulling her hands away from him as she took a step back.

"It's her, isn't it?" she whispered, giving a sad smile. Jax's silence, his refusal to meet her eyes was all the answer she needed. Rise nodded, swallowing down her emotions as she tried to control herself.

"I thought so. I knew it all along, but.. I had to be sure."

It hurt. It hurt terribly. But in a strange way, she felt a sense of relief. All the uncertainty and fear was finally gone. She finally knew the truth, even if it wasn't what she wanted.

"You don't have to feel guilty," Rise told him, stepping forward and placing a hand on his cheek so she could turn his eyes toward her. "We can't help who we love."

The anguish in his eyes for her sake let her know that no matter how much it hurt, she hadn't made a wrong choice in loving him. She hugged him once more, wrapping her arms around his neck as she resolved to leave behind her feelings and move on.

Jax wished there were something he could do. Rise had done so much for him.. more than anyone had before. But for this one request from him, he couldn't do anything for her.

"You're the best friend I've ever had, Rise," he told her tenderly. "I wish there was something I could do for you."

"Thanks, Jax," she said softly, pulling away and smiling through her moist eyes. "But if you want to do something, then tell her how you feel. I want to see you happy, even if it's not with me."

Turning away, Rise headed back into the bunker to leave Jax alone to reflect. He turned his eyes back up to the sky Rise had been watching, thinking about what she'd said. Perhaps he should, but he didn't think he could show the strength Rise had..

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

Safe House

Raidon rose slowly from his place on the chair, checking the time on the radio. Yes.. a little before dawn. He should be able to slip away now.

With the bookcase slightly ajar, thanks to directions to Cecilia from when she came to take the dinner tray, leaving would be simple enough. The former chief had considered leaving a note, but he didn't think he'd able to say anything to properly excuse what he was about to do.

"I'm sorry, Arya," he thought, pausing beside the bed long enough to gaze at her one last time before turning and heading to the door.

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

Bunker

Rise headed into the kitchen, feeling a strange weightlessness. With her feelings finally resolved, she seemed to have found an inner peace beyond the pain. It would take some time before she was fully healed, but for now, she felt better than she had in a long time.

"Keynes.." she said, stopping short at the sight of the older man at the stove, cooking the breakfast she should have been making.

"You know that's my job," she chided him, looking for her apron. "You should be resting."

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

Taurus Barracks

Lancar groaned, rubbing his head as consciousness began to return to him. He could see Aera, Xennox, and Daemond lying beside him. Where were they?

"Oh, waking up, are you?" came a familiar voice. Lancar blinked, realizing he was staring past bars to see Lymond, watching him with a horrifically smug expression from his place on a wooden chair, with Cash and Carrie standing just behind him.

"Lymond.." he muttered bitterly, glaring at the man.

Bunker

"She took that rather well..." Lisa's voice drifted down from the ledge over the balcony where Jax was still staring out at the stars.

With a sigh, she pushed herself off the ledge and dropped to the ground. As Jax turned to look at her, she brought her hand across his cheek with a loud crack, leaving a red mark where it had collided with his face.

"That's for breaking her heart." Lisa said, but after giving Jax a second to realize what had happened, she leaned forward, barely brushing her lips over the same spot she had just hit. "And that's for being man enough to not string her along." She said before she turned on her heel and disappeared through the door.

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

Keynes raised an eyebrow at Rise's comment and raised the spatula in his hand to point at an empty chair. "Plant yourself over there and relax missy." He commanded. "If anyone here needs rest, it's you. Besides, how many times have you lot eaten my cooking at the bar? I'm not incapable."

Dismissing any of her attempts to argue, he turned back to the skillet, giving the sausage a turn before flipping on the oven light to see how his biscuits were doing. "Besides." He continued. "If I don't cook something occasionally, I'll get out of practice, and that's how you go out of business."

"Something smells good." Lisa commented as she stepped into the kitchen and pulled out a chair to take a seat.

"Glad at least one of you appreciates me around here..." Keynes commented over his shoulder.

Bunker

Snow woke up once he heard people talking outside in the hallway. Before even moving a muscle, he opened his eyes only to see that Lizzy was still sleeping deeply. Without disturbing her too much, he got up quietly and headed for the bathroom.

When he came back a few minutes later, he sat down on the bed and softly ran his hand along Lizzy's cheek. "Good morning, love," he said softly. When she stirred, he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "You look so much better than last night" he said, his husky voice masking the true extend of the worry he had felt.

"Why don't you get some more rest, while I check out the mess we got into," he suggested and after giving her another kiss, he got up and moved to the door.

A few moments later, Snow walked into the kitchen, raising an eyebrow at the sight of Keynes in an apron. He noticed that Rise, who had been near death last night, seemed to be feeling much better. Almost everybody seemed to be there.

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

Just then, James walked into the kitchen, past Snow and sat down. He was barefoot and for once without his jacket. His hair was still wet from the shower, but it didn't look like it had woken him up really. The dark rings under his eyes showed that whatever rest he had gotten, he could certainly use a bit more.

"Morning," he said. His voice still sounded a bit hollow, but he was more in control. However, his face lit up to smile when he saw Rise, being out and about. "It's good to see you up," he said to her. "You had us quite worried."

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

Snow cleared his throat to call attention to himself. "I guess we didn't really get a chance to introduce ourselves last night…" he said huskily, looking at the group.

______________________________________

Safe House

Arya woke up when the wall moved and she stirred. Almost immediately something felt off and she sat up just in time to see Raidon leave. For a second she was frozen until the realization sunk in that he was about to leave her and then she quickly jumped up.

She slipped into her shoes, grabbed her jacked and followed him into the hallway. Before he could walk out the door, she caught up with him and touched his shoulder.

"You were going to leave without me?" she asked and maybe for the first time there was an accusing tone in her voice. She looked sad, confused almost. "Why? Is it because of what I said?" Losing him was an unbearable thought and she could barely keep the desperation from her voice.

"Don't tell me you cannot deal with it… you promised I could come along, that you'd protect me…" her voice trailed off.

Bunker

Jax blinked in surprise at the sound of someone's voice. He was only just able to locate the source - Lisa - before her hand cracked across his face. As quickly as the slap came, she'd placed a kiss on the spot before leaving.

For a few moments, Jax stared at the direction she'd left, rubbing his cheek absently.

"Women.." he sighed, shaking his head. Life was so much easier when it was just him and a punching bag..

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

Rise relented to Keynes' demands, taking a seat at the table where she could watch him work. It was nice to be able to take a day off.

"I do miss those days a bit," she said quietly, watching Keynes work. "I hope your place is all right after all this."

Snow entered the kitchen shortly after, followed by James. He seemed rather worn, and Rise felt a bit worried at the hollow look in his eyes.

"Thanks," she said, smiling gently. "Sorry for worrying you."

Kokonoe and Jax entered the kitchen, and Rise gave him a fleeting glance to reassure him that everything would be like normal so he wouldn't feel awkward. He still seemed a bit unsure, but returned the smile weakly before taking a seat as Snow tried to introduce Lizzie and himself.

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

Safe House

Raidon froze at the sound of Arya's voice. Her tone carried a hint of accusation that he'd never heard there before.. not that he could blame her, of course.

"I wasn't honest with you last night.." he said softly. "Not entirely."

He kept his back to her, knowing that it would be impossible to say what he needed to while meeting her pleading eyes.

"I know I can't be what you need.. but I want to try anyway. I want you to be happy with someone better suited for you.. but the thought of you with another man is unbearable. I know my presence will poison your life, but I can't bear to be separated from you."

His voice was low and thick with self-loathing as he hung his head.

"I'm a terrible man.. selfish and heartless. I want you, even though I'll destroy you. And I don't even understand why.. Someone like that doesn't deserve to be around someone as pure and unblemished as you."

Bunker

"Mhh..." Lizzy regarded Snow with half open eyes. Her mind was still hazy, and after a moment, he made it clear that he didn't want her to bother with waking the rest of the way up. Fine by her. As he left the room, she rolled over, burying her face in the pillow and letting sleep take her once more. He wouldn't go far...

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

"Not to worry." Keynes commented over his shoulder as he pulled a tray of biscuits out of the oven. "I left an old friend in charge of the place. So, it should still be there when this is over."

"You'll have to invite me over sometime." Alina said as she entered the kitchen, giving Keynes a wink before she pulled out a chair to have a seat.

A large portion of the group seemed to have gathered already when Snow mentioned something about introductions, but amidst the chaos around the breakfast table, the comment was almost lost.

"Breakfast first." Keynes said, sliding a platter of food onto the table in front of Snow. "Introductions after."

Lisa plucked a piece of toast from the platter, taking a bite before turning to Snow. "Where's your lady friend?" She asked conversationally as she observed the looks that passed between Jax and Rise. Hopefully, James wouldn't notice them... He already looked to be in rough shape this morning.

Bunker

Alex walked into the room with the scent of breakfast filling the air, as he saw everyone sitting at the table but he was mainly focused on Rise.  The two of them had been friends for a long time, and lately they’ve grown out of touch with all the chaos…

“This really does remind me of the days back then though.” Alex replied to Rise’s comment, as he sat down next to her with a biscuit and some other food on the plate in front of him with him taking a bite of the food to taste it.

“The university and all that was fun for sure, but you always told me about how you found math dry.” Alex said with a slight laugh, as he tried to quickly eat the food so he wouldn’t reply with a mouth full of grain, as he continued to say “So, it’s a good chance to practice some singing, don’t you think?”

Alex refrained from naturally looking away while talking, from all the problems he thought he caused and how the engagement was his fault it was difficult not to fall back in his sulking routine… but he wanted to cheer Rise up after all this has happened, after all, he’s the only one that gets to sulk.

Army Squad

“Lymond, what hell are you doing?” Area immediately stated, as she sat straight up hearing the voice of Lymond that woke her up from her daze.  The worst kind of scowl on her face with her reaching out only to feel the bars in her hands, as her mood only seemed to worsen with the knowledge that she was imprisoned

“You support Cash and Carrie attacking a lieutenant who has all the reason to be reluctant?  That’s shameful!” Aera boldly stated, as she continued to hold onto the bars in front of her almost as a guiding her rage.  Though, she didn’t pay any attention to cash and Carrie, as the didn’t give their position away yet.

“Daemond would have been brought back to the army anyways, so you’re just wasting potential and endangering the mission if more legion showed up which is just as bad.” Aera continued to say, as she finally let go of the bars and sat back, saying all that she needed to say.

She didn’t look nervous of shiver, in fact she had her head held high almost like she had confidence that the army would see the stupidity behind this decision and let them go.

Though Daemond wasn’t nearly as verbal as Aera, he just sat their quietly with his head looking down on the ground, listening to the exchange from person to person not saying a word in his own pain.

Safe House

He wanted to be with her.

Arya clasped her hands over her heart. After last night, his answer was unexpected and she listened in complete silence. An inner warmth ran through her chest and it hurt just a bit to see him hang his head.

She took a tentative step closer. And another one until she stepped around him, facing him. For a second she said nothing, even though her face had lit up, her expression was unreadable.

Suddenly, she smacked him lightly in the back of head. "Stop that," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "I said I love you and I meant it," she swallowed, fearing her eyes would tear up again. "And that includes everything about you."

Arya stared into his eyes, refusing to let him look away. "You are not selfish, you came back to save me. You are not heartless, because you do feel something," she tapped his heart lightly. "I don't believe you will destroy me…us. So don't you dare question my choice. If I believe I deserve you, you certainly deserve to be with me."

Tears collected in her eyes and she smiled at him happily. She threw herself in his arms, closing the small gap that separated them and buried her face in his chest. It felt releasing, like a huge weight lifted from her chest and she could not stop smiling. "Besides, I am happy when I am with you," she mumbled.

___________________________________________

Bunker

James nodded and before he could speak again, Jax entered the kitchen. Rise's attention immediately went to him and the young man cast his eyes down, unsure whether he could successfully hide his own feelings today.

He decided to focus on his food for now and after a few bites, he began to feel better. Keynes cooking was pretty good, something he didn't expect. "This actually tastes good," he complimented Keynes.

Snow looked at the plate and then shrugged and sat down. Having breakfast first fine by him. He grabbed a cup of coffee and began to eat. Since he had nothing else to do, he observed the group, unobtrusively, wondering what kind of dynamic they had going.

His musings were interrupted by Lisa's question. "Lizzy? She's still sleeping. Healing a curse is exhausting on its own, but she's been healing people since hours before that," he replied huskily.

"She'll be fine though, she's tough," he added before anyone could express any worry.

When he was done eating, Snow leaned back and looked around.

"I know you guys and your story," he said and pointed at the former students of the university. "And of course I know the former Commander," His eyes turned to Kokonoe and Keynes. "By the looks of it, I'd guess you're a researcher and you, just like me, are also ex-military. By the way you still carry yourself perhaps a higher rank?" Snow guessed.

He took another sip of his coffee. "That leaves you," he said and pointed at Jax. "I can't see how you factor in this. You're obviously trained but you were not with the army..." Snow shrugged. "So I'm guessing Legion or just a highly ambitious individual with a strong moral compass."

"How close am I?" he asked with a half-grin.

James, before absorbed into the conversation between Alex and Rise, looked up when Snow spoke. It was surprising how much this stranger seemed to know about them. Even though they, well rather Lizzy, had save Rise, his suspicion rose. He decided to ask the obvious question. "How do you know so much about us?"

"Chief Raidon wanted me to be an informant. Since I've been thrown out of the military my street contacts are way better than his. Normally he wouldn't even speak to me, but I guess sometimes unusual situations call for unusual measures. And you guys certainly upset quite a few people. I do my homework," Snow shrugged. "The name is Snow by the way," he added dismissively and downed the rest of his coffee.

Bunker

Rise smiled as as talking with Keynes and Alex brought back good memories from before this all happened. She didn't regret at all this change; she could never have met all these wonderful people otherwise. But it didn't mean she had to discard the past either, even if it held painful memories as well.

When Alex mentioned the singing, however, Rise's cheeks flushed and her eyes snapped up.

"Idiot, don't bring up embarrassing things!" she said, scowling at him. It was one thing to perform for fun during a night out; it was another to mention it as an aspiration.

Fortunately, Snow distracted everyone with his talk about researching them all for Raidon. The name brought up the very tragic memory of Jane, but Rise refused to dwell on negative feelings.

"I wonder what happened to him.." she thought, glancing at Keynes.

Meanwhile, Jax was listening intently to the new stranger speak. When Snow addressed him, Jax grimaced slightly.

"Yeah, Legion.. under duress," he emphasized, not wanting to be associated with them. "Well, I guess we owe you for your help yesterday. But.. why did you decide to help us?"

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

Safe House

Raidon brought his eyes up hesitantly to look at Arya, wondering what reaction he would see there. Disgust? Disappointment?

To his surprise, the first thing she did was smack him lightly on the head. Blinking stupidly in confusion, it took him a few moments to realize she was looking at him as tenderly as she always did. As she threw herself into his arms again, he sighed and gently brought his hands up to hold her.

"I don't know why you feel that way." the chief breathed softly. "But I'll try to keep you happy, if I can."

Raidon pulled back slightly to look into her vivid, emerald eyes. He felt a unusual impulse, but he decided not to question it or think of what he was doing. He leaned forward slightly, his nose brushing hers as he hesitated uncertainly for a moment before he pressed his lips to hers in a simple, tender kiss.

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

Army Squad

Lymond listened to Aera rant, arching a brow as he leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. Once she'd finished, he smirked and gave a small, derisive laugh.

"Thank you for the input, Aera, but unfortunately, I don't care what you think," the captain replied, rolling his eyes. "Besides, why wouldn't I support Cash and Carrie's actions? They were following my orders, after all."

Xennox grimaced, sitting up and glaring at the captain.

"What are you saying?" he asked, ignoring the exasperated looks on the twins' faces, as though this whole ordeal was beginning to bore them.

"Not that I leaked information to Legion about where the shipment would be, knowing some of our soldiers would inevitably see the contents of the storage units, as an exercise to test the loyalty of the Army's soldiers, of course," Lymond said innocently, inspecting his nails. Lancar's face grew pale with anger, and he could feel his body shake.

"You.. snake.." he hissed, grabbing the bars and squeezing them as though they were Lymond's own throat. This seemed to amuse the captain, as he made a motion to Cash and Carrie, who went outside the door to retrieve something.

"Yes, an old friend of yours had similar sentiments," Lymond laughed, casting his eyes to the door as the former Captain Colt was lead through the doors before being thrown to his knees. "And look where it got him."

Bunker

At the mention of Raidon, Lisa suddenly lost her appetite. Smiling weakly, she put her fork down and pushed her chair back to stand up. "Excuse me..." She muttered as she all but fled the room with thoughts of her sister and the horrors they had both suffered on her mind.

"He works for Raidon." Will growled, pointing a butter knife at Snow like it was a weapon. "Knew we couldn't trust him."

Keynes' hand caught Will's wrist, pushing the knife back to the table. "It's highly unlikely that Raidon would send a spy that's stupid enough to say they work for him." He said mildly, reaching for his coffee cup. "I believe, in this case, it's simply a case of unfortunate circumstances. Besides." He paused for a moment, taking a sip of his coffee. "I seriously doubt Raidon is in any position to be sending people after us at this point."

Alina frowned at the depressing air that had settled in the room. Turning to Snow with an apologetic look, she tried to explain. "You'll have to forgive us for being a bit suspicious. Raidon took away someone very important to us..."

Bunker

Raidon's name produced a variety of reactions and Snow sat there, waiting for them to settle down. "I'm not surprised," he said to Alina and then glared at Will. "Weren't you listening, Will? I said I was thrown out of the military," he barked.

"Look, obviously things didn't work out. Lizzy was my handler and after that stunt you pulled with Commander Chastenay, every information about any of you became extremely sensitive. They tried to apprehend Lizzy," Snow continued his explanation and his eyes became colder, almost icy when he thought back.

"I wasn't going to let her get arrested under false charges. They would've never let her go," he said, a bitter undertone in his voice. "So we left."

He looked at Jax, who had asked why they decided to help. "There's no straight answer to your question. I did swear an oath to protect the people once and to be honest, I was afraid what was going to happen if the Legion got their hands on that satellite cannon," he shook his head gravely. "For the rest you should thank Lizzy, she did most of the helping."

"Coming here wasn't our plan," Snow grinned. "I have to talk to Lizzy, but I'm not opposed to staying to help out, unless you guys say you want us gone," he shrugged and crossed his arms.

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

When Snow was done talking, James looked at the others, wondering what they were thinking. In all honesty, he didn't really trust Snow, but he was forever grateful for Lizzy's help when she saved Rise. Didn't that prove they weren't enemies?

The tension in the room almost suggested differently and there was a short silence. "It doesn't really look like there are any alternatives," James said. "Besides, maybe another healer…" He bit his lip before he could continue and looked at Rise.

What he was about to say, he realized, made it sound like he thought Rise was incapable, like she was not doing enough. He didn't want her to think that. She was invaluable to the team, to him and the last thing he wanted was to hurt her feelings. It was only worry for her, that if they were to encounter another situation where she got hurt, someone was there to heal her.

__________________________________________________


Safe House

Emotions exploded in her chest when Raidon leaned in to kiss her and his lips touched hers. Love and tender affection, together with a happiness that felt so overwhelming she almost did not believe it, sent her heart rate racing.

Neither of them expected Arya's reaction to his kiss. She put an arm around his neck and stood up on her tiptoes to reach higher, be closer to him. Creating a kiss that was far more passionate and longer than he probably intended, she locked her vivid green eyes on his deep grey ones.

Finally their lips pulled apart, but Arya stayed close. She felt like she did not ever want to let go of him again, afraid this was all a dream and she would wake up with nothing but air in her hands.

Giving him some space, she looked up tenderly. "So where were you going?" she asked softly.