Genesis Crisis IC

Bunker

Alex could only smile as he saw Rise get embarrassed, as it’s felt like it’s been forever since he saw her or any of his old friends like that.  He was about to tell her how she was a great singer so she shouldn’t be embarrassed, but her reaction and the conversation happened about snow caught Alex’s attention rather quickly.

“We do have our fair of former army members.” Alex stated rather reluctantly, as he remembered Kokonoe and Alina both members who had lost a lot before they joined their ranks.  Though there was still something that concerned him, which was shown on Alex’s face as he squinted in thought for a few seconds.

“Though, the fact that the army did nothing when such a large engagement broke out in front of their base seemed rather strange to me…” Alex noted, as considering how strict the army was, it surprised him they didn’t want to stop such an uprising quickly.

Army Squad

“I see, so there really was something going on with you…” Daemond stated, his emotionless gaze now turning into a glare as it was Lymond purposely setting him up that caused this and not his own stupidity.  It was mind boggling how such a man could get this position, but the fact that captain colt was here now.

“I’m surprised they let a weakling like you how got injured by a common solider on our squad’s first mission.” Daemond retorted, as he said the statement more to knock the smug expression off that stupid man’s face.  It annoyed him majorly, ever since the first day that they met on the squad.

But, his words were sound drowned out but an even sharper voice from Aera, as she continued her tangent with Daemond calming down as he wasn’t about to be able to overpower that voice.

“Don’t care?  I’ve always got a wrong vibe from you Lymond, but I never thought you could be this stupid.” Aera continued to say with her pride, as she turned her gaze over towards Captain Colt with an increased infuriated expression,

“Just following orders hu?” Aera mumbled with distain, as she glanced over at the twins.  With her last bit of rage spent, Aera moved to the back of the cell with her same solid expression with her mumbled to Lancar “And here I thought they were better people then that…”

Bunker

"I don't think we're in the position to be turning down any help, right?" Rise said lightly, attempting a smile at Snow. Jax gave a silent chuckle, nodding in agreement. At Alex's words, however, his expression grew grim. It was indeed a strange turn of events, considering Lecarde had pulled out all the guards just to bring down a rally. Jax opened his mouth to say as much

Spoiler:

The words never came out, however. Instantly, his expression froze, eyes wide in horror as he stared into the corner of the room. With a loud, startling clatter, his chair fell to the ground as he leapt up, eyes still fixed on that one spot. The others, unable to help but notice this reaction, all turned to look and suddenly found themselves immobile.

Spoiler:

"The Grand Army of Kaddath has realized its powerlessness, as you soon will," the familiar figure whispered, its voice carrying despite its low volume. Jax felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle at the sound of it, a chill sweeping down his spine.

"You couldn't save thousands of innocent people from being harvested for Majin," the mocking clown taunted, its venomous eyes glowering at them. Jax balled his hands into fists, trembling as the memories of Miki's tiny, lifeless body in his arms swept over him, nearly bringing him to tears.

"You couldn't stop the Army from crushing the freedoms of its people. From turning its people into pawns."

The scornful gaze moved from Alina to Kokonoe, who felt her breath catch as the sight of Millie, innocently clutching Beethoven as she smiled gently, changed into the sight of the dead child lying alone in a bed, with no one to care any more than if a computer had to be replaced.

"You couldn't even prevent a single a woman from being struck down before your very eyes."

The memory of Jane's body being pierced by Raidon's blade.. the sight of her curling into Keynes arms, looking so broken and weak.. made Rise bring her hands to her mouth to stop choked sobs from being wrung from her throat.

"What makes you think you can stop the chaos I will reign down on this nation?"

Everyone wanted to disagree, to banish the malevolent spectre with words of strong determination.. but in the fact of its derisive smile, the painful sting of its words, the despair and absolute powerlessness crashed over them like a wave.

Weaklings

Failures

Fools

"By dawn, the world as you know it will change forever. The glorious revolution will succeed, and when the capital falls, so will the rest of Kaddath. So run. See if you can run and hide from my grasp. Or fight.. And I will crush you once and for all beneath my heel."

With that, the apparition faded, leaving the momentary glow of its hateful, taunting eyes before the shadows encompassed it completely like it had never been there.

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Safe House

At the feeling of Arya's lips, Raidon's head buzzed with a strange dizziness he couldn't describe. It was so foreign, so alien that he almost felt frightened by it. But when she deepened the kiss, her arms encircling his neck, the burst of euphoria was absolutely maddening. The world was spinning around him, and he forced Arya back against the wall behind her, pressing his body closer to hers in a desperate attempt to make the moment last, to prevent the return to doubts, confusion, and uncertainty.

When they separated, Raidon gasped at the sudden air, trying to collect his thoughts and feelings as his heart rate slowed to its normal pace. His grey eyes searched into her green orbs, trying to find stability in the midst of all this change. It was so different from anything he knew that it took him a few moments to process and respond to Arya's question.

"Caltha," he replied gruffly. "The next time Legion makes a move, it could be the last. I can't afford to be too far away to affect the outcome."

It was risky. There was a great chance that they might not return.

The former chief's fingers intertwined almost shyly with Arya's own. Regardless of the the circumstances, they wouldn't be separated again.

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Army Squad

Lymond rolled his eyes as Daemond and Aera took terms hurling taunts and insults at him.

"If the two of you are quite through," he said exasperatedly. "I suggest you shut up and listen."

When no one spoke for a few moments, Lymond smiled once more and yanked Colt's head up by the hair before patting it demeaningly.

"Say hi to everyone, Jacob," he cooed softly. Colt's eyes searched for Lancar's, and the two exchanged a pained, remorseful look.

"Lancar.." he whispered, before Lymond immediately cut him off.

"Old Jacob here was more than a little pissed off when he heard of what I was planning to orchestrate for your last mission. He lost his head a bit. Even told the High General himself what he thought of all this. Well.."

Lymond trailed off, chuckling to himself.

"You can see where that got him. You should thank me though. They were going to execute him right then and there, but I arranged to have him brought here for a little reunion."

Lancar's eyes stung with tears, and he simply glowered hatefully at Lymond. The captain seemed amused by this, but wagged his finger reproachfully at them.

"Now, that's not the gratitude I'd expect. Very well. I'll have to teach you a lesson."

Lancar's mind was numb as he watched Lymond unsheath his blade, and it was a second too late that he realized what the captain was planning to do..

..just as the blade was thrust through the former captain's back, the tip piercing through the front of his chest.

Bunker

"I won't turn down any extra help." Keynes responded to Snow, taking another sip of his coffee. "Especially a few seasoned fighters with army training."

Before he could say anything else, the entire room erupted in chaos, as Jax was suddenly on his feet, and the figure in the corner of the room held everyone's attention. Alina's heart clenched at the figure's words. In the back of her mind, she could see the towns burning, hear the people screaming all over again during the White Rider's campaign... And then, all drowned in silence as Jane looked up at her, unspeaking, unmoving, already gone, just like the specter.

"He said the capital would fall..." Alina spoke the words slowly, as if unsure of her own voice.

"Aye, that he did." Keynes replied as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Of all the others in the room, he seemed the least affected by their visitor. Perhaps he had already hardened his heart against such foes after previous battles. "But the real question is, 'why did he say it?'" He continued, taking a long drag of the cigarette.

"He's taunting us." Will growled, putting his cup down on the table with an irritated bang.

"Perhaps..." Keynes said, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"It's another trap." Alina whispered, feeling more lost than before. They had defeated this foe, and yet here it was, still alive and kicking.

"Most definitely." Keynes continued. "But what kind?"

Safe House

Arya smiled warmly at him, even when Raidon's expression turned a little grave when he answered. She knew it was dangerous, but she did not care. As long as she could be with the one person that made her feel safe, she would follow him to the end of the earth.

She felt his warm strong hand wrap around her own. Squeezing it gently, she looked at him warmly. It seemed like all shadows and all the pain had disappeared from her eyes and they were only glowing with love now.

"Let's go then," she simply said.

___________________________________________________

Bunker

Suddenly there was chaos and Snow turned around to look what caught Jax's attention. After a second, he noticed he couldn't move and even though the man's voice also made images from past failures appear in his head, he stayed calm.

James froze at the sight of the figure. There were images in his head he didn't want to see. There were sounds he wanted to drown out. The sight of the Majin in the underground base of the Legion, the fight against White Rider and Jane's dead body, blood-smeared.

It took him a few seconds to realize that the figure had disappeared. Looking even paler than before, he pushed his plate away. Already barely hungry before, he lost his appetite completely.

Unable to pull his mind from the haze of pictures, he sat there and simply listened to the discussion. To his own surprise, he couldn't find anything useful to say.

Eventually his mind cleared a little. No, he didn't want to worry the others even more, not with this problem they were facing now.

"It's easier to see the trap if we had a plan. Then we can figure out the possible locations for a trap," James said, still sounding a bit off. "It's difficult without knowing the whole extent of his powers, but I imagine it's either one to kill or to make a huge public display…."

When the figure was gone, Snow reached in his pocket for his cigarettes but after a second he pulled up empty handed. No, he wouldn't smoke inside, not in a bunker. The craving for a cigarette would just have to wait a little longer.

"Who the hell was that?" Snow asked huskily, but calm. "Also can you be sure he told you the truth? I sure as hell wouldn't if you were out to get me..."

Bunker

When the figure appeared Alex just remained completely silent, as she listened to what the words this thing had to say. Even with the pale rider gone, this thing was still overly confident about everything and it really pushed Alex the wrong way, as feelings of hatred built up inside of him.

Usefulness though, that had been an emotion Alex had dealt with far too many times.  He was sick of it, always punishing himself for something even though he had tired his best.  So, as the thing faded, Alex quickly gave himself words of self-confidence, waiting for his team to start talking.

Alex took a very deep breath, as he tried to push back all the strong feelings that lurked inside of him.  Everyone was already discussing the possibility of a trap, but Alex wasn’t sure what that trap would be… was there even a trap and he could just be playing mind games with him.

“Well, he did mention the armies’ powerlessness…. And ours.” Alex stated quickly, as he nodded in agreement to symbolize it.  Though the question is what exactly would it be if that was the case, the citizens were just taken out attacking the base, so that’s certainly…

"The army supposedly just killed a bunch of citizens attacking their base and with a little push…” Alex grimly stated in response to snow’s second question, as he shook his head from such a gruesome engagement occurring.

Army Squad

"What?" Aera muttered, as she immediately covered her mouth in shock when she heard the blade pierce Colt's chest with such a sickening sound. How the hell could they do that? He was just voicing his opinion and yet they just threw him aside like a rag doll.

"There's no way the higher-ups could approve of that, they wouldn't want to execute him..." Aera stated softly, as she held back her shock that felt like someone had just smacked her upside the head with a pipe. It took all of her energy just to stop herself from breaking down.

Daemond looked at the horrible shape Aera was in with pity, and while he was shocked they would kill Colt like that he wasn't surprised. The army had great members but their government always struck Daemond the wrong way ever since the first mission, but but he didn't think they would go this far.

"I kind of wish you remained blind Aera, at least then you would of been on the other side." Daemond thought to himself, as he continued to glare at Cash, Carrie, and Lymond. Though his actually emotions were screaming for him to save Colt... but in these bars there was nothing he could do... even with all the practice he had done with his dia strain.

Bunker

"They're going to finally start the revolution," Jax said, fingering the pale blue ribbon he'd pulled from his pocket. "They've been building up to this with undermining the Army's reputation, removing the people's security, and revealing that satellite cannon. If the soldiers fight back at the capital, they only spark more outrage in the people around Kaddath. If they don't, Legion secures the capital, deposes the High General, and takes total control."

He wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let Miki's death be repeated in countless families across Kaddath. He owed it to her to settle things with Legion.

"Even if what it said is true, we have to try to stop them anyway," Rise replied quietly. She inspected her appearance in the reflection of her spoon, easily able to see Jane in it. She wouldn't let Jane's death be meaningless. She sacrificed herself for all of them so they could keep up the fight.

Kokonoe listened to the others trying to piece together Legion's plans, but it all just sounded like distant buzzing as she got to her feet and quickly exited the room. Bypassing her room, she instead headed for the stairs, finding an alcove to sit and hide. She pulled out a picture of Miki, holding Beethoven after she'd just gotten him on her birthday.

"What the hell am I doing?" she muttered, swallowing dryly. Her revenge on the Army wouldn't accomplish anything really. And when it was all over, she'd be empty-handed for all her efforts.

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Safe House

Raidon felt slightly guilty rousing Cecilia and disturbing her sleep after all she'd done for them, but they all knew it was safer for them to slip away during the early hours to avoid being noticed. She was gracious enough to provide them a bag with food and other provisions for their journey.

"Good luck," she said, hugging Arya. "And.. if you see Darcy.."

She paused, clearing her throat awkwardly.

"Make sure he doesn't get himself killed, okay?" she said, smiling. Raidon placed a hand on Arya's shoulder, indicating that it was time to go. The two slipped out the back of the store, heading to the train station. With security the way it was now, they'd have difficulty slipping into the capital. But they'd manage somehow.

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Taurus Barracks

"Noooooo!" Lancar screamed, slamming his body against the iron bars in a desperate attempt to reach Colt.

"Lan...car.." Colt whispered, choking on blood. "I'm sorry. I tried to look out for you, but.."

Lancar's eyes stung as tears made their way down his face. This was a nightmare. It couldn't be happening.

"I wanted great things for you.. and if there's any justice in this world, you'll get them."

Lymond scoffed, watching as Colt dragged himself feebly to the prison cell, leaving a trail of blood behind.

"Don't give up hope.. You're stronger than that, son."

Son.. the words tore a sob from the lieutenant's throat as Colt's hand reached him, and their fingers brushed momentarily before Colt's head sagged to the ground, his breathing ceased. For a moment, Lancar could only stare in horror before he screamed in rage, banging his hands and arms against the bars until they bruised.

Cash and Carrie winced, annoyed with the noise level. But Lymond seemed to soak it up like beautiful music.

"The transport will be arriving shortly to take you all to the capital. I'd like to see my former squad executed with style," the captain said, grinning. "Oh, and grab the dead weight from the hospital wing and send him with them too."

Xennox, horrified by what he'd witnessed, took a few moments to understand who they were referring to.

"Mitchell? But.. he wasn't even on the mission. Why would you send him?" he demanded. Lymond gave him a bored look.

"Cause he's of no use to us. So we might as well make an example of him, right?"

The captain swept out of the room, Cash and Carrie trailing behind before the door slammed shut behind them. Lancar slid to the ground in a miserable heap, body wracked with silent sobs.

Bunker

Almost everyone was acting timid and quiet, which was not befitting of any of them.  Kokonoe even left the room in a quiet and empty fashion, creating an even worse atmosphere to deal with.  He had to do something... if not this wasn't going to end well.

"I know most citizens wouldn't want to fight, but once something starts... it's hard to stop." Alex stated briefly, as he closed his eyes for a moment to get his thoughts straight as they jumbled all around wanting him to simply scoff at how horrible both side are.

"There should be some evidence we can use to stop him with all that the legion has done." Alex continued to say, as he looked around the room to see if anyone looked slightly more hopeful about the situation, or maybe even add on the idea.

"It doesn't need to be solid, just enough to stop that spark." Alex continued to say, as he looked over in the direction that Kokonoe had walked towards.  After all, she had made very clear she had lost a lot from the army, so there had to be something they could use.

"Then, we just need to show it to a large group." Alex emphasized with him placing both his hands down on the table, waiting for someone to weigh in to tell him how his idea held up.

Army Squad

"Lancar?" Aera stated in a surprised tone, as she covered her mouth to her the sound of he lieutenant weeping on the ground.  Aera personally knew how it felt to lose someone close, and her heart was clearly reaching out to the lieutenant after such a display... but to see them die in front of you... how cruel.

Also immediately Aera rushed over to the lieutenant to embrace his slugged and weakened form, as she tightly hugged him in an attempt to calm him down.  It felt awkward and strange, but she knew she had to do it, she couldn't bear to see him in such a wrecked state.

"Please calm down, you'll... no we'll get through this.  We'll get rid of this corruption and make sure nothing like this ever happens again." Aera pleaded in a sobbing tone, as she desperately tried to get the lieutenant back to his former self.

"You've helped me a lot since I joined your squad... so let me help you now in return." Aera genuinely pleaded.

"She's right, you've helped us both a lot sir... and I can say that I wouldn't of lasted nearly as long if it wasn't for you." Daemond stated with confidence, as he slowly rose to his two feet, as he continued to say "In fact, I would of died just a bit ago if it wasn't for you, and that alone makes you an amazing person."

"So like I said before, we've had your back since the start of this squad... and always will." Daemond stated with a nod, as he extended his hand towards Aera and Lancar in an attempt to help them along.

Bunker

"No, he told the truth..." Alina responded to Snow. Her eyes continued to watch the space in which the shadow had occupied only a moment before. "That's what makes him so sickening. He always tells the truth, even if it is a twisted version of it."

"Calm down, all of you." Keynes barked before blowing a cloud of smoke across the table at all of them. There was a pause in conversation as he pushed himself to his feet. "Regardless of what kind of trap it is, we'll just have to spring it. That's the only option available to us."

He crushed his cigarette into the ash tray on the table, looking at each of them in turn. "If I had to wager, I'd say the attack will take place at night, just like the Pale Rider's. Those things they use, the Majin, only seem to be able to move after dark. So, it's unlikely that they'd wage a frontal assault unless they could leverage those as part of their fighting force. That means we have until sundown to prepare a plan." Keynes continued as he stepped towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Will asked over the edge of his coffee cup.

Keynes turned back for a second, making a face that looked like he'd just swallowed a hornet. "To ask if Kokonoe has any more of those crystals..." He said before disappearing around the corner.

"Great..." Will muttered as he got up and stalked off as well.

After he left, Alina let out a long sigh, and her head slowly lowered until her forehead rested on the table. She stayed like that for a few seconds before sitting up again. "Well, I guess that means we should prepare..." She said weakly, failing at any attempt to sound encouraging.

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

"You know, I'm asking myself the same question right now..." Keynes responded gruffly from where he was leaning in the doorway at the foot of the stairs.

"But you told me to get my act together and deal." He continued. "And now, I'm telling you to do the same."

His tone wasn't demanding though. Instead, he sounded more like someone offering whatever small comfort he could. From where he was standing, neither of the two could see the other, but that was probably for the best. The only support he could really give her was from a distance anyway.

Safe House

Arya pulled Cecilia close for a second, unable to express how grateful she was to this woman. "Yes, I will," she promised and smiled back. When she felt Raidon's hand on her shoulder, signaling for them to leave, she gave one last nod to Cecilia and followed Raidon out the door.

They were walking along the road to the train station, mainly in silence, and the sky just began to become a little lighter. Arya pulled her jacket closer, thanking Cecilia again in her mind for lending it to her. After a few minutes of walking, she took Raidon's hand, intertwining her fingers with his.

___________________________________________

Bunker

"Those Majin are nasty," Snow agreed. He listened to the rest of the discussion, but the general course was clear. They wanted to stop the Legion. Snow couldn't help but notice that the mood wasn't exactly encouraging.

He stood up and gave Alina a light pat on the shoulder. "You know, if you guys stay a sorry bunch like that, you won't really succeed, no matter how much you want. Actually believing you can do it helps a lot," he said gruffly and headed out the room, muttering that he needed a cigarette now.

Before checking on Lizzy, he stepped outside for a couple minutes, lighting a cigarette. He inhaled deeply, letting the nicotine calm him down. Whatever plan they could come up with, the situation would stay dangerous.

Leaning against the wall, he looked up at the sky and sighed. It would work out somehow…
He returned back inside and headed to the room they slept in. Opening the door quietly, he checked if Lizzy was still sleeping. She needed to know what had just happened.

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

Bunker

With every word that was said, it became increasingly difficult to focus on the conversation, especially since it seemed no one had a solution. James found himself staring off into the distance more and more often. The cigarette smoke in his nose pulled him back to the conversation, he coughed lightly. "Well that seems to be settled," he said when Keynes went to Kokonoe and he got up to clear his plate from the table.

James watched as everyone left one by one. Snow was right, they were a sorry bunch right now. Unable to offer any other words of support or encouragement, he simply started clearing the table.

Was he ready? Seeing his reflection, he shook his head slightly. No, he needed to clear his head and get his act together if he wanted to be any help.

Bunker

"I.. I want to make a message for the people of Kaddath."

Rise looked around at the remaining people in the room, feeling slightly embarrassed. Jax blinked in surprise, but didn't comment; no one did, so Rise decided to continue on.

"I think the people are just scared and confused," she said softly, averting her eyes to the table. "Especially when the capital becomes a complete warzone. So instead of trying to tug them one way or another - cause let's face it, they're probably tired of the Army and Legion playing games with them - we should just try to encourage them to be strong to do what's right."

Jax couldn't help but smile. Even if things felt a little weird after what had happened that morning, he still knew he was immensely proud of Rise.

"So what do you plan to say?" the Red Rider asked, leaning forward. Rise swallowed a bit nervously before looking up.

"Nothing.. I plan to sing."

It shouldn't have been surprising if he thought about it. It was her passion, after all, and no better way to communicate her feelings.

"Well, I'm not so good with that kind of stuff, so I'm going to do some training," he said, standing up. "But I'm sure Alina could help you."

He shot the red-head a look before leaving the kitchen, heading to the training room to get in some practice. He needed to be ready for whatever they were going to face, and he only knew one way of doing that.

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

Kokonoe froze at the sound of Keynes' voice, feeling caught in the middle of something vulnerable. For a moment, she felt anger and was tempted to lash out, but the feeling died down swiftly. Even if she didn't like it, he was right.

"That's the first and last time you get to tell me what to do," the researcher said, tucking the picture back into her lab coat and standing up. She remained out of sight for a few moments, making sure she was composed, before stepping out to face him.

"Now, why exactly are you stalking me?" Kokonoe asked, scowling at him, although it seemed to lack most of its usual coldness.

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Arya and Raidon

All transportation into Caltha had been effectively locked down, with identification screening needed for all people using transportation into and out of the capital. Fortunately, with the use of Raidon's Trafuri spell, they were able to pass into the storage unit on the back of the train undetected.

"It's not first class, but it'll do," Raidon said quietly, putting an arm around Arya to guide her as they sat down on the floor of the dark compartment. With little to no visual or auditory stimuli, his sense of touch seemed to be hyper-aware; it still seemed so strange to be so close and intimate with another person.

"I hope nothing goes wrong.." the chief whispered, hearing the train begin to depart.

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Army Squad

Lancar tried to fight back tears and choked sobs, knowing he couldn't afford to be weak. He turned his face away from the bars, not wanting to see the blood stains on the ground that Colt had made. The lieutenant couldn't manage words yet and simply rested his head on Aera's shoulder, forcing his emotions back under control.

"Thank you.." Lancar managed at last, swallowing thickly. He pulled away from Aera, avoiding looking at anyone, though he managed a pat on Daemond's shoulder. Xennox approached the three, feeling slightly left out of the bond that they all shared.

"We'll make it through this somehow," he said quietly. "Together."

He looked at Arya, biting his lip, before averting his gaze. It wasn't the time to be bringing things up like that.

The doors opened, and soldiers appeared to drag them off to one of the transport vehicles. Cash, Carrie, and Lymond himself followed and got into the vehicle as the rest of the squad was lead to the back. They only had a glimpse of Mitchell sitting in the far corner, staring vaguely off into space, before the doors were shut tight, leaving them in semi-darkness as they set off for Caltha.

Bunker

Alina couldn't help but feel as if she'd failed as a leader when Snow got up from the table, saying that they should all be more positive. It wasn't always possible to see the bright side of things though. What they needed right now was someone who still could...

All of a sudden, Rise spoke up, and as she laid out her plan, Alina couldn't keep a smile from tugging on the edges of her lips. Maybe someone here still had it in them to go on after all. "I'd love to help." She said when Jax offered up her services. "If that's okay with you." Alina continued, ignoring the look Jax gave her on his way out. She didn't need him to tell her how best to use her knowledge.

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

"It may be the last..." Keynes responded, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Considering the odds of any of us making it past morning, but I hardly think that was the first." Before she could respond, he held up his hand to cut her off.

"Sorry, my thoughts aren't exactly organized at the moment, and whatever crosses my mind seems to come out without being filtered." He took a deep breath before actually looking at her.

Ignoring her implications about him stalking her, Keynes spoke directly to the point, making each word clear and crisp. Right now, he wasn't speaking to anyone other than the person that could help him get the rest of the group out of this alive. "I need to know how many more of those crystals you have, and if you happen to have any other tech lying around that I'm unaware of, now would be a damn good time to let me know about it. I want a very accurate stock of our resources for the plan I'm about to lay out. The devil's in the details when it comes to surviving the night."

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

Lizzy stirred at the sound of the door opening, rolling over and cracking one eye to look at Snow's shadow in the doorway. "Mhh... Morning love." She greeted him lazily before letting out a long yawn. It only took her a moment to realize that he seemed troubled though, and after stretching her arms up to the head of the bed for a moment, she sat up.

"What's wrong?" She asked, patting the bed beside her in an offer for him to sit down and tell her.

On the train

"It's fine," she replied softly, letting Raidon guide her through the dark compartment. They sat down and Arya moved a little closer, enjoying the feeling of his arm around her. Even though she had travelled in a dark, uncomfortable way before during the prison transport, this was much more bearable and somehow comfortable. She felt so much safer and warmer with Raidon around.

Finally she felt the train beginning to move and let her head sink against Raidon's shoulder, seeking more close contact. "I am sure it will be fine," she replied. "Though with security so tight, I am sure they will check every inch of the train for uninvited travelers." There was a slight hint of concern in her melodic voice, but she trusted Raidon to find a way.

___________________________________________

Bunker

Lizzy was finally awake and Snow walked in, sitting down beside her on the bed. He put an arm around her and pulled her close. In a quite voice he told her what had just happened in the kitchen, of their uninvited visitor and the grave news he brought.

"So they're preparing now. I said we'd help, if you want," he finished huskily. "But honestly, I don't see any other way. If they can't do it, no one can…"

He ran his hand up to Lizzy's shoulder and began to play with her hair, lost in thought. "No matter where we go or what we encounter, I won't let anything happen to you, love," he finally said after a long pause and turned to look at her, his eyes full of love.

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

"I think it's a great idea," he said to Rise with a small smile. She would be great at this. He finished clearing the table and turned around to Rise and Alina. "You can go ahead and start practicing. I'll finish up here," he offered. At least this would keep his hands busy.

After he was done, he headed outside and sat at the wall of the bunker and leaned his head back on the concrete. His eyes stared up into the sky without actually taking in the sight.

Without him noticing it a tear began to run down his face when the fear came back. It wasn't the fact that he killed Marcus that scared him. Quite the opposite, Marcuse deserved to die, especially after what he did to Rise and James knew, in the moment he fired that spell, he did have every intention of killing that man. Yes, he had wanted to kill him for what he did to Rise. He wanted to make him suffer just as much. However, it scared him that it had felt so good to take revenge, the hatred and the anger forming into a cold weapon that made watching him writhe around in the lightning storm not only bearable but almost enjoyable.

He buried his face in his hands. No, no, he didn't want to become that kind of person. He didn't want to become the kind of person that took pleasure in seeing other people suffer and die. It would make him a monster just like the Legion's Rider.

Bunker

Rise smiled at Alina's offer and nodded greatfully. The two of them headed over to the communication rooming, shutting the door and removing all outside noise. It seemed a bit uncomfortable for a few moments as the two found themselves alone for the first time, but Rise quickly recovered.

"Hey, Alina.." she said, sitting down in one of the empty seats, "even though we've been living and fighting together, I feel like I don't really know you."

In a way, she felt a bit sad that she could have made another good friend and instead was too busy fruitlessly trying to fight for Jax's affections.

"I know it's a bit late, but.. I'd really like to," Rise said, smiling at the other girl.

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

Kokonoe listened to Keynes' words with a stoic expression before nodding slowly.

"Come on," she said, motioning for him to follow. It would be easier for him to see for himself, rather than have her explain. They headed down the hallway until they reached her door.

"Something wrong?" Keynes had said as Kokonoe rested her hand on the doorknob. She knew it was silly, but she felt a bit nervous.

"I've.. never had a guy in my room before," the young woman had said, averting his gaze. Feeling slightly annoyed by the raise of his eyebrows, she rolled all her eyes  and threw open the door before pulling him in.

The researcher had to fight down the nausea rising up her throat as she opened the door and headed inside, keeping her back to Keynes.

"One Traesto gem left," she said, waving a hand carelessly toward the desk. You can sort through the other stuff if you like."

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

Jax grunted with exertion as he lifted the heavy barbell, trying to keep his mind on training and the events of the following day instead of Rise words outside. about telling Alina how he felt.

His eyes flickered to the doorway, and he saw Alex passing by the training room.

"Hey, Alex, you mind spotting me?" he asked, worried that with his mind distracted he might end up doing something stupid. Besides, Alex was best when he wasn't left alone.

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

Train

Raidon held onto Arya more protectively at her words. He didn't think it likely they would inspect this storage compartment - at least not until they arrived in Caltha - but they had to be careful.

"Arya.." he said softly, barely able to make her out beside him. "When did you first realize.. how you felt?"

It was still hard to add "about me" on the end, but with time, he hoped that would change.

Bunker

Lizzy sat and listened to Snow's description of the morning's events in relative silence. She seemed to be processing it all a bit more slowly than usual, but when he started gently tugging on her hair, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I hope you know that works both ways." She whispered. "I'm not some wilting beauty that needs to be protected all the time, and if you think you're too macho for me to protect you too, I'll kick your ass."

Pushing the sheets aside, she stood up and groaned at the strain it put on her muscles. "I feel like I ran a marathon yesterday..." Lizzy said as she took a few experimental steps away from the bed. "Guess that means I'll need to work the tension out a bit."

Not caring that Snow was present, she bent over to touch her toes, expanding the muscles in her legs until they burned. "Well, I guess if you're willing to help them, they must be pretty trustworthy." She commented from her upside down position. "If you think it's the best option, I'm on board."

Righting herself again, Lizzy leaned to the left, then the right and lifted her feet one at a time in a methodical manner until she was satisfied that she could walk normally without much pain.

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

Alina thanked James for offering to clean up and then followed Rise down the hall to the communication room. Circling the room once, she took stock of all the equipment they had while Rise made herself comfortable.

She'd just pulled a sphere from the desk when the other girl spoke, and Alina pulled herself up a chair before giving Rise a warm smile. "Well, I can't promise I'm as great a person as they make me out to be." She responded, tossing the sphere to Rise. "But I am who I am, for better or worse."

Aina pointed at the sphere in Rise's hands. "That's a vocoder. If you twist the top a quarter turn and sing to it..." She turned and pointed to a display screen behind her. "This will record the audio data and convert it to a digital signal."

She paused for a second, letting Rise inspect the sphere before continuing. "What do you want to know?"

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

Keynes stepped into Kokonoe's room and immediately went over to the desk. No comment was made about the stacks of books laying on the bed or the four half-empty coffee cups on the night stand. He didn't even say anything about the open suitcase in the floor with unfolded clothes thrown into it. All of it was a familiar scene to him.

He picked up the one remaining gem from the desk and seemed to weigh it in his hand before sitting it back down. "Only one huh... What are these then?" He asked, reaching across the desk to pick up a small jar full of similar gems.

On the train

Since it was dark in the compartment, Arya had closed her eyes. She listened to the sound of Raidon's breathing, the steady sound that was almost drowned out by the noise of the train. When he spoke, she looked up, even though she could hardly see anything.

"Mh…" she said, thinking. "I did not know how I felt about you for a long time," Arya admitted.

"But just before you came back, when they said you died..." she broke off, her voice flooded with pain. "I felt so sad. I wished so desperately that it was not true. And then you came back….and it felt like my heart would jump from my chest with relief and joy," her voice was almost a whisper now and she could feel her cheeks burn red.

"I knew I cared about you more than I ever thought I would, that I loved you and nothing would change that. The moment I thought I lost you forever, was the moment I realized I did not want to be without you."

There was a pause, so long it almost seemed she had said everything. The she started again. "You know, Samael…I almost did not tell you. I was so afraid you would reject me, but in the end, everyone deserves to know the truth…"

____________________________________________

Bunker

"I have no doubt you could, love," he murmured half-loud when Lizzy said she would kick his ass. When she stood up, he simply opted to watch her stretch. It was a beautiful sight and he couldn't take his eyes off her body. His mind hardly processed the words she said and eventually he stood up.

"You should not be doing this to me," he said huskily in her ear as he came close and put his arms around her. Nibbling lightly on her ear, he spun her around and pressed a passionate kiss to her lips. Finally he pulled away, his hand still buried in her hair.

"You know, if the situation weren't so bad outside, I would love to help you relieve that tension in your body," he said with a wink and then straightened up slightly and sighed. "But as it is, you're probably better off sticking to your routine, otherwise I might not let you leave this room all day," there was a playful tone in his voice and he covered her neck with soft kisses while he spoke.

Bunker (training room)

It seemed like his idea paid off, as Alex couldn't help but let out a warm smile when Rise offered to sing for everyone and covey the message.  And unlike his idea, it didn't scare the people like the army had been doing for so long, even if his were for the right reasons, it inspired hope instead.

"You'll do great." Alex muttered to Rise before she walked off to the communication room, as he glanced around to see what everyone else was doing, but it wasn't anything he could get involved with so he started walking back to his room to relax before the whole ordeal.

"Oh, sure." Alex replied, catching him off-guard but he made sure he didn't show much of the shock.  But looking at the weights he was lifting, it was never anything he could even dream of budging, just looking at it made his arms hurt.

"I might want to lift some weights after you, would be a good way to blow off some steam." Alex said with a smile, as he casually walked over to Jax to spot him to make sure he didn't mess up with his workout, even though it seemed very unlikely.

Army Squad (Daemond)

They didn't have much time to talk to each other, it seemed like the were almost immediately dragged into a transport vehicle as everyone went into these things with minimal effort, especially Mitchell.  Inside, Daemond could barely see anyone for a while, his eyes were adjusting to the darkness.

Eventually he could make out a darkened silhouette of everyone down and dull, as he took a deep breath trying to calm himself as he didn't want to make himself too loud to tick off the driver.

"You alright Mitchell?" Daemond whispered to his former squad mate, as he looked at the ensign at the corner of his eyes.  He seemed very depressed, but it wouldn't hurt to talk to him, as it pained to see anyone in such a state.

Army Squad (Aera)

"I don't think talking to him will matter.." Aera stated rather depressed to Daemond, as she didn't even bother to glance in Mitchel's direction... mainly because she didn't know where he was sitting.  Though, she was more concerned about Lancar then anything, and their words would be a lot more useful on him.

"I've never seen or.. heard an execution before, my family lived in a far away village between the cities." Aera stated curiously, as closely listened for someone to speak up, "I've read about it in books for sure, but I don't really know what to expect."

Bunker

Lizzy leaned back into Snow's embrace when he caught her from behind, inhaling sharply as his teeth raked across her ear. Before she could say anything, he spun her around and claimed her lips as well, and she couldn't keep herself from melting into the kiss while it lasted.

"Unfortunately, I don't think spending the day in this room with you would relieve any of the tension in my body." Lizzy responded, gently pressing her lips to his chin. "It would most definitely make it worse instead."

Giggling as his lips tickled the soft flesh of her neck, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a squeeze. "How about a rain check?" Lizzy asked huskily as she pulled away from him.

Bunker

"I think if I watch you any longer, I won't be able to restrain myself," Snow replied playfully and gave her a quick kiss. "So a rain check will have to do," he added and pulled away from Lizzy. His fingers stroked softly along her cheekbone and then he headed for the door.

"I'll go have another smoke. There food in the kitchen I think," Snow explained and blew Lizzy a kiss before leaving the room.

Instead of heading outside the same way as before, he actually wandered about the bunker for a bit, exploring to see if he still recognized the structure. Eventually he exited through a door at the end of the stairs and found himself on the roof.

Snow lit a cigarette and leaned against the door. At first he believed himself to be alone, but when he turned around, he saw Lisa sitting at the edge of the roof, looking into the distance. He cursed himself for not seeing it earlier. Of course he had noticed her reaction when he mentioned Raidon's name before, but he was probably the last person she wanted to talk to now and if he was honest, he didn't really see himself fit to talk to a young girl about her problems.

He sighed and gripped the door handle to leave again and then stopped. Shouldn't he at least try? After all they were going to be working together and what they were planning didn't exactly leave a lot of room for lack of concentration and mistakes.

After a few indecisive seconds, he walked over to Lisa and sat down next to her. He took another drag on his cigarette, letting the silence settle for a few seconds. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked huskily, but not completely unfriendly.

Bunker

Rise analyzed the vocoder in her hands, marvelling at the advancement of technology like this. But for the moment, she was more interested in continuing her discussion with the other woman.

"Well.. anything you'd feel comfortable telling me, I guess," she said, shrugging. "I mean.. I want us to be friends, if we can."

Since it didn't seem exactly fair to have Alina spill everything about herself without hearing anything from Rise first, the brunette decided to recount her time at university and how she met Alex, Will, and Keynes before they got caught up in all this mess. Since everyone now seemed to know about her passion for singing, along with her new-found love of cooking, there didn't seem to be too much else to share.

"And, well, it kind of sucks having been surrounded by guys for so long, since I've never had anyone to do girly things with," she said, giggling. "I didn't get along with Lisa right away, but it's nice to have a girl friend now, and I'm certainly open to having more."

Although, Rise had to admit, Alina didn't seem like the type to have much patience for trying on clothes or painting nails and gossiping, despite the fact that she seemed so glamorous.

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

Kokonoe turned to glance at the jar Keynes had indicated before snorting derisively.

"To the uneducated eye, I suppose you might think they were the same," the researcher scoffed. "Look more closely. The shapes and colors vary according to the spells contained within. It's easy enough to get most of the strains, but.."

She trailed off, glancing at the pocket of her labcoat where she knew Millie's picture was.

"The Traesto strain is very rare," Kokonoe finished, averting her gaze before sitting down on the bed and reaching for one of the partially-filled coffee cups. She blanced slightly at the lukewarm taste before reaching for a cigarette from her pocket and lighting it.

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

"Thanks," Jax said, nodding gratefully as he returned to his weight-lifting. It felt good to work up a sweat and channel all his thoughts and feelings into his muscles. Once he finished, Jax toweled off a moment before nodding to his companion.

"No better way," he agreed, smiling. "Go ahead. I'll spot you."

After removing quite a bit of weight from the barbell, he stepped back to let Alex take the bench. As he watched his teammate and friend work, Jax contemplated the young man for a while before speaking.

"You know, Alex, I think we're a lot alike," the Red Rider mused, scatching at his stubbled chin. "We both desire above everything to protect people we care about. But.."

He gave a rueful smile before continuing.

"You have to realize you can't protect everyone. You're just one guy. But that's okay. You can't get weighed down on the defeats and the losses. You just have to think of them as weights to add to barbell to get stronger."

To punctuate this, he slid on a couple extra weights on either side while chuckling.

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

Train

Raidon felt warmed by Arya's words, though the use of his first name caught him the most by surprise. Jane had been the only one to address him so, and it had been appropriate, since she was the only one to recognize his true self.

Until..

"Do you think.." the former chief began, finding it difficult to come up with the right words. "my actions can ever be forgiven? There are many others besides you whose lives I've affected for the worse."

Jane and the members of Aegis came to mind. Particularly, a certain temperamental young woman.

"Your sister would never approve," he said, trying to not sound dejected by the realization that this new-found happiness was likely to be short-lived once the sisters reunited.

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

Army Squad

True to Aera's word, Mitchell made no indication that he heard or understood Daemond speaking to him. Lancar felt disgust for Lymond for dragging the damaged ensign into all of this, but by now that was only throwing another stick on top of the raging bonfire.

"Kaddath rarely used executions before," Lancar replied in a hollow voice to Aera's question. "Only in the case of treason against the state.. back when that phrase used to mean something."

Xennox frowned, feeling pity for the lieutenant. But his greatest concern was for Aera.

"I wanted to protect you. To keep you safe. But I couldn't even do that.." he sighed to himself. He slid closer to his sister, touching a hand to her shoulder.

"You doing all right?" he asked quietly.

On the train

"Did you not act in accordance to what you thought was right and necessary to archive your goals?" she asked back a little surprised. "I cannot say if everyone will accept that. You will have to ask those whose forgiveness is important to you."

"Just know, you won't ever have to ask me for it, because I love you," she added and softly kissed his hand.

Arya thought back to her years of working for the military. "No one can make decisions that only have positive outcomes for all parties involved. Look at me, I was a weapons developer. The discoveries and weapon systems we released certainly affected some people negatively," Arya said and turned a little to look at him. "You cannot ask for forgiveness for everything you did and you shouldn't. It has made you who you are…"

She turned quiet when he mentioned her sister and closed her eyes. "Don't worry," she finally said quietly. "I will work itself out. Though I know it will not be easy, I will not let her separate us. Lisa…she is very temperamental, but she has a good heart."

Bunker

As Snow's fingers stroked along her face, Lizzy reached up to capture his hand with one of hers and gently pressed her lips to his palm. "If watching is a problem, I could always blindfold you." She responded playfully before letting him slip away.

After waving at him as he exited the room, she stretched her arms upward again for a few moments. When she was satisfied with her range of mobility, Lizzy made her way out of the room and down the hall, looking for the gym. She wandered for a few minutes before she found it, and to her surprise, it was already occupied when she entered.

Two of the men from the night before seemed to be having a weight lifting session, and she observed them as she made her way over to the sandbag hanging from the ceiling. Only halfway listening to their conversation, she punched empty air a few times, relaxing her shoulders before the real work began. After she was satisfied with that, she picked up a roll of tape that was laying on the floor and wrapped her fingers before applying them to the bag, producing a series of muffled reports as it swung back and forth.

Getting into it now, she started to increase the pace, throwing in the occasional elbow along with her flurry of punches, until her entire body was a blur of motion that danced around the bag, cutting it off at every pass.

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

Lisa noticed the man as soon as he stepped outside, but she quickly dismissed him, looking off into the distance instead. The others apparently hadn't restricted his movements out of suspicion, but that didn't mean she had to like him. For a moment, she was strapped down to a table, able to do no more than watch as some filthy pig violated her sister. The wind whistled around her as a dust devil that hadn't been there before spun off the side of the roof, twisting the grass about as it drifted away.

Only a moment later, the man sat next to her, and she gritted her teeth in an effort to not immediately get up and walk away. "There's nothing to talk about." She responded coldly. "Raidon was a bastard of the first order, and I don't consider any lacky of his to be any better."

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

Alina's grin seemed to grow a little more with each word out of Rise's mouth, until she was opening laughing at the end of the other girl's speech. Raising a hand, as if in defense, she let out a few more giggles, and then reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I do agree that being around men all the time can make you feel like your IQ is dropping." She responded. "But considering the work I've done all my life, I can hardly pretend that I've had many girl friends either."

She reached out to take Rise's hand, giving the girl a warm smile. "I'm not opposed to having a few good girl friends though."

Still smiling, Alina told Rise of her university years, which, in comparison, seemed far more lonely than Rise's. Being the best at everything tended to isolate you from the group, and being from a noble family didn't help much either. "I don't think you'd find many of my war stories very interesting." She concluded, looking a little sad. "You tend to shy away from those when you're living one from day to day."

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

"I see..." Keynes said, pulling one of the stones from the jar and turning it over in his hand. He did the same with two or three more before putting them back. There didn't seem to be any more of the jars. So, Keynes reached for the next thing on the desk, which was some kind of wound cord. It didn't seem to be any different from normal rope, aside from how thin it was, and it had a slight give in it, as if it were elastic of some kind. "What's the rope for?" He asked as he put it aside and moved a stack of papers.

What he found beneath it wasn't another invention though. It was a book of fairy tales, and he picked it up gently flipping through a few pages before turning around and holding it up to ask an unspoken question.

Bunker

Rise was glad to see that Alina was responding so well to her attempts to be friends. It was also interesting to think that despite her seeming so much more beautiful and intelligent and accomplished, they had a lot in common.

"No.. I don't think I'd like those much," Rise agreed, looking sympathetic. "But I hope when this is all over, we can make more memories worth talking about."

On that note, it seemed like a good time to get to business. Taking a deep breath, Rise nodded and picked up the vocoder, trying to remember the words to the small speech she'd decided on. Steeling her nerves, she proceeded with it before beginning her song. Although normally she would have felt a bit shy, especially in front of Alina, her conviction pushed that all aside as the words spilled out in a lovely, heartful melody. Once she finished, she bit her lip and pushed the button to end the recording before turning to look at Alina, hoping it had turned out well.

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

Kokonoe looked up, sighing as she analyzed the "rope" Keynes had produced. It seemed as though he really were determined to find any possible items he could make use of.

"It's a special fiber cable for the mobile dolls," she replied, thinking back on Prototype Lambda and how it had assaulted Aegis without her orders. "It's wound around fixtures in the arms, legs, and torso to allow movements like bending and stretching."

As she was just finishing her explanation, he had held up another item, this time letting the object as the question for itself. Her eyes locked on the fairytale book, thinking that Millie must have slid it in with her other things for safe-keeping.

"I didn't say you could search through all my possessions," the researcher snapped, snatching the book away from him. He didn't have a right to know. He didn't even have the right to ask.

Kokonoe's fingers trailed over the surface, and she recalled that night so long ago when she'd grudgingly read the story of Red Riding Hood for Millie, who seemed to find it the most fascinating thing, despite her constant ad-libbing. The memory brought a faint smile to her face before she remembered that Keynes was still in the room, and she slid the book inside the drawer of the nightstand beside her bed.

"You done then?" Kokonoe asked, folding her arms and turning to regard him coldly.

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

Train

"Of course I did," Raidon said, peering into the darkness to find Arya's face. "But since my defeat, I've begun to doubt any of my previous decisions."

She was right, however, that the past constructed the present form - and that included mistakes. There was no sense in regretting them.

It was also encouraging to hear that Arya would not allow Lisa to destroy what they'd finally come to appreciate, though he had to imagine her hatred would only grow stronger if Arya were to place Raidon over Lisa's own wishes. Still, they would cross that bridge when they came to it; the far more pertinent issue was the imminent move of Legion against the Army.

"We'll have to find a weapon for you if you're going to stay with me," the former chief said thoughtfully. "I'll protect you with everything I have, but I would feel more at ease if I knew you wouldn't be helpless on your own."

Bunker

Snow raised his eyebrows at her cold response and couldn't help but chuckle. "You're pretty quick with your judgement there," he said and took another drag on his cigarette, blowing the smoke away from them. "That's gonna blow up in your face one day. Take it from someone who knows."

"Look, I could tell you how wrong you are, but I doubt it's any use with a stubborn selfish girl like yourself, so I'm not wasting my time trying to force you to listen to me," Snow said huskily and crushed the cigarette butt under his heel. He leaned back and looked up at the sky. "I feel sorry for the team you're letting down though…but since you're not the only one emotionally upset, it don't matter I guess…at least the others aren't brooding alone."

He straightened up slightly to look at her, to watch her reaction. Wondering what exactly she went through, he did feel a bit sorry for her, at least enough to not immediately walk away, maybe because he was one of the few persons who knew what Raidon was truly capable of.

___________________________________________

On the train

Arya let out a melodic little laugh at Raidon's request. "You think I am helpless?" she asked and then thought back to all the situations they met. Tilting her head, she smiled. "Maybe you are right, because that is all you have seen so far," she said thoughtfully.

She squeezed his hand gently. "I can be strong. I will be," there was a determined tone in her voice. After a short pause she added. "I am pretty good with bow and arrow, but I can make do with a sword…"

Bunker

Alex gave a brief nod towards Jax’s thanks, as he watched the man bench all that weight.  He’s pretty sure that if he ever tried to lift that he would need help lifting that thing during the first set, but somehow Jax did it with complete ease… didn’t even seem like he needed someone to spot him.

“Oh uh, sure.” Alex stated rather surprised, as Jax finished his set with Alex lying back on the bench to begin lifting the weights with him evenly splitting out his arm’s length and taking a deep breath before he began.  His arms tensed and at first he was afraid that he wouldn’t be even able to lift the weighed down bar, but once he got going it wasn’t so difficult.  He naturally lifted the bar up and down, like he had just been lifting the weights yesterday.

Alex remained silent during Jax’s speech, as he focused purely on lifting the weights with him beginning to slow down as time went on from the burning sensations and fatigue in his arms.  But the weight of Jax’s words hit him hard the moment he felt the sudden weight hit his arms.

“What are you doing?” Alex exclaimed, as the bar was on his chest when the weight was added.  He could feel the pressure on his chest, and the bar felt like it weighed a tone more as Alex struggled to lift the weight above him back onto the holder of the weight but right before he did it his arms gave in and the weight came slowly back down to his chest with Alex’s arms shaking from the effort.

“Ya….” Alex managed to utter, as he looked at the weight that was barely resting on his chest at this point with him looking at Jax with an annoyed expression, but said jokingly “It’s really tempting not to want to lift the bigger weights though.”

“I get your point though…. But… a little help?” Alex said with a friendly smile, as he lied there stuck under a weight that he didn’t want to just toss on the ground.

Army Squad (Aera)

“I see… I don’t understand how the army could get so bad.” Aera stated in an annoyed tone, almost like she was blaming herself for the corruption.  Though, the fact he couldn’t even describe the executions, the army must be pushed really far back to do something like this so easily….

Though, when Xennox touched Aera’s hand, she could only let out all those thoughts with a big sigh as she looked over to her brother with calm and emotionless eyes… if he could even see them in this darkness.

“I’m fine” Aera stated, as she moved her hand away from her brother’s, but what she said was basically a lie.  She in all honesty had this heavy and strange hollow feeling in her heart, like something was gnawing at her and she wanted to tear the damn thing out… but that wouldn’t be very… effective.

“There are still good people in the army, we’ll just have to hope for the best.” Aera said trying to reassure her own head, as she looked away from Xennox before her emotions caved in.  

Though, that reminded Aera of the solider that had saved her from the fire.  He was garnished in medals and emblems and stood proud and tall like everything in the world was right, and even when he noticed she had a magical strain.

“Makes you wonder what Sasha is thinking, hu?” Daemond stated with a light smile to try and cheer everyone up, mainly directed towards Lancar.

"Not exactly the person I had in mind." Aera jokingly replied, as she let out a slight laugh from the thought of her.  Even though she had never been with them directly on the missions, it wasn't squad 7 without her commenting on the situation.

Bunker

It took Jax a moment to realize that the younger man was slowly being crushed underneath the new weight of the barbell. He quickly moved forward, heaving the weight off of Alex with relative ease before setting it back on the rack.

"Sorry about that," he chuckled. "Glad I got though to you though."

The Red Rider looked around, noticing that someone else had come into the room with them and was practicing her moves on the punching bag. Jax brightened up at the sight and walked over, watching her appreciatively.

"You've got good moves," he said appraisingly, nodding to himself. "I thought I was the only one around here who could appreciate using one's own body as their weapon."

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

Train

Raidon didn't respond to Arya's question. He was rather new to relationship matters, but he had a feeling answering in the affirmative was not a wise decision. Still, Arya did not appear bothered by it, instead assuring him that she could hold her own. That was reassuring, though it still did not ease all his concerns.

"We'll have to locate some weapons then. Actually.."

He removed a small pen-light from his pocket and stood, shining it around the compartment. It was likely that there would be some weapons in here. With the capital being reinforced after recent attacks, no doubt they would be shipping in more weapons.

"Here," Raidon said quietly, motioning Arya over. Using his katana, the former chief pried open a crate to reveal a stash of various weapons. No doubt the surrounding crates contained similar loads.

"Take your pick," he said, indicating the weapons with a jerk of his head. "We should be arriving shortly."

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

Army Squad

Sasha.. Lancar hadn't even thought about her yet. It was good that she hadn't been implicated in all this, though he had to wonder if anyone was really safe anymore.

"If only.." he thought, reaching up to where his earpiece would be. Then he could try to contact her.

No.. there wasn't much she could do. And he couldn't ask her to risk her life for them.

"I'm sorry," the lieutenant said quietly. "It was my duty to watch out for this squad, and instead I've gotten us all killed."