The Last Bastion: Bunker Chicago

[Persephone]

Florence Morgenstern and Box Copter - Thinking Outside the Box​

As soon as Eve stepped through the doorway and the shooting started, Florence froze in place. Her Mother was out there, enduring a hail of gunfire attempting to retrieve Ezekiel, and she wasn't by her side. She was supposed to be a loyal servant of God, and yet the thought of going out to meet the sinners face to face hadn't even crossed her mind. However, her thoughts were cut short by a multitude of voices flooding her mind without warning. For a few moments, Florence felt nothing but the pain and anger of the voices, overwhelming her with their intensity. Then, just like that, it was over, and the voices were gone just as suddenly as they had arrived.

Now however, someone was firing towards the doorway, most likely to keep them from going out to help Eve. In addition, the sinner who had fallen from the fourth floor had gotten up while she had been distracted, and was now trying to speak with them. But as Florence looked at the person she recognized as Box, anger started to well up in her, as she remembered the voices and what Eve had said about Box being a lost child. Box was like them, and yet she had willingly chose to serve sinners and heathens. As the words left Florence's lips, they practically dripped with vitriol towards the wounded woman. "Well, well, well. The sinner wants to leave unharmed, does she? Let me guess, you want to crawl back to your masters like a starving dog begging for scraps, leaving those who'd truly care for you to die. It makes sense though, I will admit that. Once a coward, always a coward, isn't that right, Box?" At that, Florence raised Hellfire to point straight towards Box, cycled the fire mode to two barrels, and waited for the woman's response.

Box's eyes focused on Florence. The woman's word stung, deep, and had they been in any other context she would have engaged in such a discussion. But right now, lives were in the balance and she was the most vulnerable person in the room. She was a them. "I know nothin' of faith, Florence." Her voice was getting raspy, her breathing slightly more difficult because of her painful ribs. She really needed to get the FUCK out of here. "We can discuss sunshine and daisies another day, ma'am. I just... I want to live."

Florence let out a chuckle at Box's words, shaking her head as she did so. "Of course you know nothing of faith, Box, sinners never do. As for living? You would simply not believe how many sinners just like you have said similar words at the stake. Crying out, 'Oh please, spare me, I just want to live', and so on and so forth." Florence lets out another chuckle at the thought of sinners burning at the stake, before continuing. "None of them were spared, of course. Normally, you'd be joining them, but Mother thinks you're a lost child in need of guidance home, and I dare not disobey her orders by killing you. And truth be told, if I lose Mother, I lose everything. So, either help us escape with Mother and Ezekiel, or face the alternative. Trust me, you don't want the alternative." Florence hoped that she'd see sense, even if it meant betraying her masters. It would be a shame if Box were to die in service of such sinners.

Box frowned at the fire-wielding woman and sank her teeth in her lip. Losing one's family was something Box could relate to, from the darkest corners of her mind, she who had lost both her families. "I'm wounded but... I will help you escape, but I will not betray my friends. You leave the folks from the Old Guard intact, you understand?" The woman's pained eyes were fierce, and despite the looming dread of betrayal, she knew she had little choice in the matter. She wouldn't let Hewitt's death be in vain.

Florence smiled when she heard Box's response, and lowered Hellfire slightly. If Box tried anything, she'd regret it, but for now they were allies. "Very well. I will try and keep the members of the Old Guard from harm. I do hope that you'll choose to stay with us after this is all said and done, but if you don't, remember this. You owe me, and if I require something of you, you best not refuse." Florence gave Box a look of pure menace as she delivered that last line, before continuing in a much more pleasant tone. "Now then, how do you propose we escape this rather unpleasant situation, hmm? I was thinking you could shoot those horrible little machines shooting at Mother, but if you have a better solution, I'd love to hear it." Florence hoped that Box had some semblance of a plan, considering that all their lives were hanging in the balance.

The injured woman grimaced. Everything Florence said was making her feel sick, drained from hope, and Box knew she was not one to follow religious fanatics. In truth, religion held very little place in her world, and it was not about to change. She had to use the conning skills her surrogate mother, Jane, taught her.

She casually and non-threateningly lifted her unarmed hand and scratched the back of her head, in all appearances looking like she was thinking really hard about this, when in fact she discreetly thumbed her comms on. She didn't set a channel, but it had originally been on all channels. Unless Florence could see through Box's gas mask, she would be no wiser. "We'll see about that, Florence Morgenstern. I'll blast the 'droid here with my unharmed side, I rarely miss my shots, unless your second buddy here thinks I'm too dangerous." Box carefully treaded towards the door with her gun raising slowly, and her eyes remained on both Florence and the other woman.

As Box made her way towards the doorway, Florence frowned for a moment at the injured woman's words. Something about the way she had spoken was off, with one detail in particular bothering her. Box had used her full name instead of simply calling her by her birth name, which made Florence wonder if the woman had any ulterior motives. However, time was of the essence, and Florence couldn't waste it trying to determine if Box was planning something. With that in mind, she gestured towards the doorway. "Go right ahead, Box. We won't stop you." Of course, she neglected to mention that the barrage of gunfire wasn't stopping anytime soon. If Box was planning to double cross them, Florence would make sure she'd regret it.

Box nodded to Florence's comment and she leaned against the wall, beside the rain of bullets. "All right, if I leave the room, you will not shoot me in the back. That would be the coward way, eh?" She wouldn't wait for the other woman's answer, but she kept against the wall, not leaving the room right away.

 

[Brovo]

"I've been dragged into a cult of pessimists somewhere along the way."
-Shlan, Page 4.​

The Coalition – Carter is Alone​

Carter's rapid fire into the wall is enough to give him the satisfaction of one scream of pain. As he drops his rifle and takes a position behind his table, he could hear the door finally breaking down. Yet, nobody charged through. He hears something bounce off the floor as he takes a peek over, and before he can react, a bright flash and loud ringing informs him of the flashbang that just went off in the room. Though he pulls the trigger to blind fire with his SMG in hopes of buying himself time to recover, he runs out of ammo before the ringing stops or his sight returns to him.

The last thing he feels is a heavy blow to the back of the head, as U-ARM forces overwhelm his position.

Red Star​

Morai turns and looks at Ozzy as he enters the room. Glancing at the knife, he nods in approval, and taps the side of his helmet. "Wisdom, we are getting out of here." There's static on the line as Wisdom replies, making it hard to understand her, though not impossible. "Airstrike heading for your position! I couldn't divert its course—hold onto something!" Morai motions to Línghún jī to grab and protect Ozzy, which she does to the best of her ability.

Children of Eve vs The Coalition​

As Florence and Box debate and prattle about how best to handle their unique situation, Eve remains resolutely standing alone. The hail of gunfire from the drone is punctuated by a bright flash of light as Jenive pulls the trigger, striking Eve at point blank range with her laser rifle. The drone runs out of ammo, as Eve grasps her chest where she was hit—seeming actually injured in some way by the shot. Yet, it was clearly nowhere near sufficient to be a lethal blow by itself. A sickening smile reaches her lips as she glares at Jenive. One word calmly leaves her lips. "Die."

The large, amorphous creature turns its attention away from Carolyn and Catheryn and swings in one, large, elongated motion toward them. Without even thinking twice, Jenive grabs Russell and, though she struggles to hold him, taps her jetpack and shoots up toward the sky to try and avoid the blow.

Dust fills the air as the creature slams itself against the apartment complex, a grayish ooze floods in from the northern gaps where the staircase once was on the lower floors, and the rooms closest to it on the ground floor are simply broken entirely. Biscuit, the drone, is crushed instantly. Though it only moves in a few feet it's enough to touch Eve's feet, and she simply takes a handful of it and absorbs it into her own apparent flesh. The wound on her chest was gone as she turned and looked at Lillian and Florence. Yet, her attention turns with curiosity to Box, as her text communicator beeps.

Meanwhile, Jenive falls out of control with Russell. The two of them bounce off the top of Aleksa's tank and land beside it, though both manage to avoid severe injuries. At least, that's what Russell believes initially. Glancing around, he notices a small splatter of blood on Aleksa's tank, and following the trail, he sees Jenive cradling her leg in a state of shock. Rather, more accurately, what was left of her leg. Everything from the knee down on her left leg was simply gone, and he realized why in a single, sickening moment: The creature had struck her leg and barely missed his, and simply ripped it off like a piece of paper. It took what little of her self-control remained to ensure they landed at all, and it seemed she had none left as tears ran down her cheeks. The Coalition squad holding the street starts preparing to move out, as two medics in the squad run over to Jenive and pull out their medkits—starting to treat the wound to the best of their ability.

The Coalition​

As Shlan and Tristan move out, they would hear the sound of the creature behind them, smashing the structure once more. They could see the foundation cracking—it wouldn't last much longer. With the explosive stuck to him, Ezekiel clears his throat, but otherwise follows the instructions given to him. It seemed that, at least in his current state, he did fear the device strapped to him. Just as they reach Aleksa's tank, two bodies ding against the top of it and fall to the side. One was Russell, and the other, Jenive. In the momentary confusion, Ezekiel kneels down beside Jenive. "I can make the pain stop for you."

Jenive does not respond, instead clinging to the fragment of her leg that remained, with heavy gasps as she struggled not to scream. Before he could continue, however, a loud explosion rocks the entire area...

The Old Guard​

Kiku and Bob watch the entire scene unfold before their eyes. It was enough to tell them that Ezekiel had escaped with The Coalition at the very least, and was moving toward Aleksa's tank. Yet, they also received a text message on their communicators, along with the rest of The Old Guard's forces.

"INCOMING AIRSTRIKE. GET OUT. GL BOX, CAROLYN. --MOUSE."

It was just enough time for them to bolt for the nearest exit—avoiding the trouble they had by all means decided to try and evade. They manage to get out into the alleyway between the southern apartment and the target apartment.

Box, meanwhile, looks at her communicator, and then shows it to Eve. Eve frowns, but nonetheless approaches Box and wraps her arms around her gently. "Hush, my child. For this, I will keep you safe," she whispers soothingly. Lillian follows suit, though less gently, and grabs Florence to protect her from whatever threat Eve had noticed in the message.

Carolyn, seeing the message, motions Catheryn back and away from the entrance to the apartment—she wanted to be as far away from debris as possible before it hit.

Collateral Damage​

As the creature starts to pull itself together, the undeniable sound of a pair of rockets in flight reaches the ears of everyone on the ground. Without warning, even for Coalition forces, a pair of missiles penetrate the surface of the large creature. Then, after two seconds, explode violently, sending a shockwave that shatters all the glass in the apartment Catheryn and Carolyn were standing in. The creature explodes into tens of thousands of chunks, sprayed all across the area. The target apartment starts to tilt and fall, with the entire first floor collapsing altogether. The second floor upward falls down toward the apartment complex Catheryn and Carolyn were in, and strikes it. The fall is momentarily stalled before the third floor of the apartment buckles at the support structure and snaps, causing the entire structure to crumble down. A few rooms survive in a crude manner of speaking, though were now on their sides.

The grayish ooze from the creature falls all around for a few seconds, and a couple of Coalition soldiers are struck with large chunks that kill them instantly from the impact alone. Though, it became apparent that the ooze was rapidly cannibalizing them. A few chunks hit Aleksa's tank, though don't penetrate through, and her tank serves as a shield, blocking chunks that would have otherwise hit Jenive and Shlan.

When it all finally stops, an uneasy, disquieting peace settles. No more gunfire, no more screams. Outside of Jenive's sharp breaths of pain, no sounds of suffering either.

The thousands of chunks of ooze—save for the two large ones cannibalizing the dead Coalition soldiers—start moving slowly all toward a central point. It seemed that, given enough time, all of its individual pieces were going to meet together once again...

Children of Eve – Post-Airstrike​

Box and Florence could hear the structure collapse around them. Darkness envelopes the both of them, though it fades quickly for Florence.

There was a thick cloud of dust that choked the air, that permeated every breath. They would only have this cover for a couple minutes, but it was all that they needed. Lillian lets go of Florence, and in that moment, Florence would have a divine revelation: Lillian had molded her body whenever necessary to protect them both. Yet, during such moments where Lillian had enveloped parts of Florence to keep her safe, she had been unable to discern it at all—as though it was not foreign at all to her. Something within her veins was warm now. Something she hadn't noticed before, and couldn't quite describe with words.

Box, on the other hand, was unconscious. Eve lays her down gently on the dusty ground, and stands up slowly. Looking over to Lillian, she simply nods, then speaks telepathically to Florence. "There is nothing more we can do here. You have the briefcase, it is safe. You have done well my child, we should leave now." Eve points north, toward the collapsed northern apartment. "Follow, and we shall depart this place safely." Lillian glances over toward Box. "What of her?" Eve smiles gently. "Leave her there. She will awaken in a few moments. Perhaps she will see us, perhaps not—but she must choose to join us willingly, when she is ready." Lillian's eyes fall down toward the ground. It seemed she didn't entirely agree, but was keeping it to herself, and simply obeying.

Eve turns, and starts walking through the dust cloud to the north.

The Coalition – Post-Airstrike​

Ezekiel remained kneeling the entire time, though glances around at the ooze. "One does not simply silence a graveyard." He then turns his attention to Jenive, seeing the medics attempting to stop the blood flow from the stump at her knee. Ezekiel turns his emotionless look toward Shlan and Tristan. "I can make her pain stop, if you allow me."

Red Star vs The Old Guard – Post-Airstrike​

With the target apartment devastated, Carolyn motions for Catheryn and the rookie to follow her toward the entrance. She had to know the aftermath before she could issue orders.

The room Red Star were in had partially collapsed, the walls had fragmented, but they had ultimately survived. Nonetheless, they were in a battered, terrible shape. Ozzy still had the blood coated knife—their one piece of intel they could still walk away with. Morai coughs as he stands up, brushing dust off of himself, and looking around the area. Wisdom's last drone had been destroyed in the collapse. The room they were in had landed a few feet from the entrance to another apartment complex. Before he and the other members of Red Star could get their bearings, three figures step out of the apartment complex.

Carolyn pulls out her pistol and aims it at one of the mysterious, lightly armoured and masked figures recovering from the collapse. Though she couldn't identify him, Morai raises his shotgun and aims it at her in turn. It seemed they were now in a standoff, though neither party was immediately opening fire—giving room for negotiation.

Meanwhile, Bob and Kiku are coated in dust head to toe—to the point that their hair is grey. Still, they were vaguely aware that they could either head west where the last known position of The Coalition was, or head east and try to regroup with Carolyn's last known position.

 

[DeadAxl]

Russel And the Coalition: A Long Fall
​

When Russell hits the edge of the tank, he is left breathless from the impact for a few brief moments. When he is able to breathe once more, and notices Jenive's condition, his eyes go wide with shock, before he shakes his head. (Now I can see why she's the face of the Coalition. She could have left me to die, but didn't. Hah.) He takes a moment to think to himself before he slowly rises to his feet, using his battered, yet still somehow intact weapon as a support. Once on his feet, he scopes out the area, though the dust provides limited vision. He can still hear the short screams of Coalition soldiers as they are consumed by what remains of the monstrosity that removed most of Jenive's leg, and takes notice of the many blobs converging on one singular point. He switches his comm-device to the Coalition frequency, before issuing a few commands. "This is Russell. We have the target and are preparing for retreat. The line may be tapped, so I'll leave out key details, but any Coalition forces remaining are advised to pull back. That monster'll probably be back in a few moments, and I think we should be long gone before it has a chance to recuperate." He clicks off his mic, taking a mental note of something he heard before everything went down. (A traitor amongst our ranks or theirs...? And who is that Florence Morgenstern...? Something to keep note of.) Once he's finished contemplating, he makes his way over to the gathering of four. He lowers his rifle, for now, but is ready to bring it up at a moment's notice, particularly keeping an eye on the target. "Our willingness to allow you to end her pain depends on how you intend to do so." His tone wouldn't bear any hint of prejudice against him for being a mutant, simply stern and blunt, though somewhat reverberated by his combination rebreather/helmet.

After speaking to the mutant, he would reload his rifle, and turn his back on the group of four, posting overwatch in case any hostiles survived the blast and the aftereffects of it.​

 

[Jorick]

Bob and Kiku
A collab with @LimeyPanda​

Bob swiped a hand over his eyes, trying to clear his face of some of the dust that coated him. He coughed and spat out a mouthful of dusty saliva, then grumbled under his breath and repeated the process. "Fuck me, that was too damn close for comfort. You alright, Kiku?"

Kiku was sitting on the floor, rubbing dust out of her eyes and spitting out globlets of dusty spittle. She grumbled something unintelligeble under her breath about bad tastes in her mouth, but after a few moments she rose to her feet, still favouring her right arm heavily. "That was not fun. Remind me never to ask someone 'rock my world' again." She said, as she spat out another globlet of gray, dusty spit.

Bob chuckled as he wiped fruitlessly at some more of the grime on his face, but he could already feel a lot of it mixing with sweat and sticking like mud. That just pissed him off, so he growled and left off trying to clean himself up. "Well, least we lived. It'll make a fun story to tell folks about. Ain't no time to rest though, still gotta make sure the target gets out in friendly hands of some kind. You ready to move?"

She laughed at the general annoyance on the older man's face. "Probably faster than you, boss. My arm's hurtin', but we have a target to secure. Let's move out."

Nodding in amused agreement with her comment on their relative speed, Bob headed west at a quick pace. As he did so he grabbed his little radio control gadget, blew some dust off the readout, and made sure it was still set to the Old Guard channel before pressing the button to activate the thing. "This is Bob, still alive with Kiku, still headed to the target. Lemme know if y'all aren't dead."

 

[HerziQuerzi]

Shlan Fletcher - The Coalition​

Shlan looked over at Russel, brows furrowed. "Fuck that," she said, using her detonator to motion Ezekiel away from Jenive and towards the corner of the tank. "I don't want him in arm's reach of anyone."

Clambering onto the tank herself, Shlan looked back towards the collapsed apartment, a hollow fear crushing her stomach, pushing bile up into the back of her throat. "Hewitt," she said, switching on her comms, "I don't care if you're half dead. Get your comms on and tell me you're out." Part of her wanted to jump off the tank, head back into the destroyed apartment building and find him, but every part that advocated bravery, there were two that urged cowardice. Run and hide, it's what you're good at. It's what she did as a child, out in the wastes, as her friends and families dwindled under the harsh onslaught of wildlife and bandits. Turn her back and look out for herself.

I'm a different person now, she thought, but did nothing.

 

[Rain of the Night]

Helicopter Down, Samples Up - Gabriel Desrochers​

There had been no time to acquire any visuals within the target apartment; the missiles that had been called in came into earshot, even within the helicopter, then all went to shit. The shockwave had Gabriel compensate and adjust his flight. A cloud of dust hid part of his vision, and he was left in the dark for a few seconds, maybe even a minute… a precious minute that mattered for his fuel reserves.

By the time Gabriel realized whatever monstrosity had been shattered to pieces was crawling back together, he didn't have enough time. This meant he needed to land and get out; there was no point in trying to continue this fight, especially considering the lack of targets to aim at or use of his helicopter. As much as it pained him to take this decision; he needed to leave it behind.

The helicopter came forth towards the gathering around Aleska's tank, setting it down not too far. Jumping out when he could… He saw an opportunity like any other for some samples of his own, something he could work with that didn't involve a living person. Using the tools of his emergency repair kit, he would try to get a piece of the ooze into a non-organic container, such a metal or plastic, and made sure not to directly touch it with his skin. He would have more than one thing to work on when he got home.

Afterwards, if time permitted, he'd join the others at the tank, with the samples and his laptop ready to go back to the bunker.

 

[Pahn]

Crumbled Boxes

The world crumbled around the black woman. Suddenly, the warmth of the motherly creature to whom she had showed the message was overwhelming her. Had Box had time to react to the situation, she might have embraced that empowering feeling and shed tears: never had she felt so close to someone's inner heated core, as though every inch of her body was being graced with some kind of divine love. This was too much – and so when the woman released her, there was no better place than her own mind to hide in.

Box remained unconscious for a few minutes, just long enough for most of the dust to settle in. She was so tired, so hungry. Most of her energy had been spent earlier to heal herself. She couldn't think of Hewitt Ziegler either, else she would never come out of this sleepy nonsense she was trapped in. Even as her breathing regained a regular rhythm, she kept her eyes shut, trying her best not to focus on the pain in her side that was growing due to the adrenaline drop. Adrenaline… The foggy thought tugged towards her mental inventory of the contents of her backpack, which included two adrenaline syringes. Wait, why did she have those? A medical kit… Oh.

I'm the medic. I have to get up now. Get up. Get up. GET UP. GET UP.

Sluggishly, Box pushed herself on her elbows and heaved herself up. She drew in a sharp breath of pain and balled her fists to redirect some of the discomfort. Her ears were still buzzing from earlier, and truly her legs were more wobbly than she would ever admit. Blinking a few times under her surprisingly unscathed mask, Box used her unhurt side arm to pull her backpack towards her front. It was pretty fucking wrecked and shredded, but the contents were untouched and safe. A dusty and dirty gloved hand slipped in and grabbed a nut bar, trembling slightly, and without a second thought Box tore the wrapper with her teeth before wolfing down the bar. A second bar. Under a minute, she had stuffed herself with a total of three bars, and she was beginning to feel some of her focus coming back. The buzzing in her ears died down.

Without taking another look at the other women, mostly the one with orange eyes, Box replaced the tattered backpack on her back and muttered, "Thank you." as she marched out of the shattered apartment block. She was almost to an exit when she remembered Hewitt. Taking a painful deep breath again, a silent sob ruined her features with a grimace. From what she could see, or couldn't see, Hewitt was not in vicinity. Box swallowed with difficulty, and turned away.

She thought to head towards where she had last seen Caroline's tank, and with a lead weight in her stomach and heart, the woman didn't even need to find a door or open a window, and instead slipped through a torn down wall to make a jump-and-roll exit out of this hell pit. The pain in her side sent her groaning but it wasn't something she couldn't handle. Once she turned the corner of the small alley she had stumbled out on, the sight of the Old Guard's tank, almost completely wrecked, made her choke out another sob. No… She instantly radioed in to the Old Guard channel, "Box in. Minor injury. Where y'all at? Anyone hurt? Ziegler is… Hrrm. Box out." The words died in the back of her throat and she decided to drag herself to the nearest human-sounding commotion.

 

[Firemind]

Tenuous Alliances - A collab between The Old Guard and The Coalition
(Feat. @Brovo as Ezekiel, the medics and Jenive, @Jorick as Bob, @HerziQuerzi as Shlan, @Maxim as Tristan, @Tyrannosaurus Rekt as Aleksa, @DeadAxl as Russel and @LimeyPanda as Kiku)

​

With the radioing done and dusted, Kiku led Bob towards the direction they believed Ezekiel and the Coalition to be. With no major distractions left, getting to Aleksa's tank was easy enough, and they were greeted with a scene of carnage and misery. Jenive was surrounded by medics, Ezekiel had a lump of C4 planted on his neck, and everyone seemed to be on edge. Kiku, seeing this, acted in the most appropriate of ways. "What in the actual fuck is going on?!" She said, sprinting over to Jenive. Seeing the mangled leg was enough to have her cringing and wincing, but she tried to push closer nonetheless. "Jenive? Jenive! C'mon pretty thing, speak to me." She turned to one of the medics, shoving them violently with both arms. "C'mon, help her for fuck sake!" She winced, feeling a sharp pain in her left shoulder from the bullet wounds. Adrenaline was keeping the worst of the agony at bay, but that would fade sooner or later.

Russell tracked the two targets approaching from the dust. Their silhouettes lacked any sign of raised weapons, and when they came into view and noticed their dust-covered forms, he lowered his rifle. When the female of the two ran over to Jenive, he follows closely. "The monstrosity did this. She was attempting to escape after she had wounded the leader of the third party with her laser rifle. Some odd woman who spoke in disturbingly calm tones, and was immune to bullets. Jenive saved my life, which is why she had this injury." He kneels down before continuing. "We need to stop the bleeding, and prevent an infection. I doubt we will be able to cauterize the wound, unfortunately."

"Back off kid," Shlan snapped, clearly on edge. "Medics can't do shit if you're shoving them, so fuck off back to daycare and keep your hands to yourself." To Russel she gave nothing but a small glance and a smaller nod. He and she may disagree on apparently everything, but the man was still competent and calm headed, traits that Shlan could only lay claim to half of at the moment.

Bob followed Kiku at a much more sedate pace, keeping his rifle ready to hand but not raised as he walked up the the Coalition tank. He offered quick nods of greeting to those he passed. After getting a good look at the scene, he let out a low whistle. "Well shit, I thought we'd had bad luck with that building nearly falling on our heads. Kiku, let 'em work, you're gettin' in the way." Bob cast a wary eye at the man with the explosive stuck to his back. "That's some nasty work there. Guess he's the one all the fuss is about then. Who slapped the present on his back?"

The screen to Biscuit went out in a haze of static. Aleksa quickly recalled her other drones as her comrades approached the tank. Poor Biscuit, Priss would miss that one, but not as much as Aleksa would. Drones costed money. The juicy whack was what caught Aleksa's attention at first. She only saw something hit it hard and then bounce off. There was screaming, noise, and then a lot of people near her tank. She kept her drones close, but had turned off their automatic fire.

It was then that another noise broke through the white noise of her tank and tinnitus. That airstrike must have finally of landed. Good. The monster was neutralized, at least for now. Several globs of it had hit her tank, and she sent a drone to make sure that none of it covered the hatch. It didn't. Assured, that she was among friendlies—at least no one was shooting at her—she undid her hatch and poked her body out.

Aleksa's mouth went slack when she saw Jenive. That was what that noise had been. She cussed under her breath in Russian. All the voices hit her at once. She looked at Russell. "I could heat up one of my guns enough to cauterize the wound, but she might go into shock. We need to stabilize her. The young man says he can help," she said, motioning to the target, "would it really hurt to let him try?" Those globs were moving towards a fixed point. They wouldn't be in the clear for long. "Because if we wait much longer, we'll lose the opening that the airstrike gave us."

Russell shakes his head. "Like I said, it all depends on how the target intends to 'help'. The best we can do right now is use a tourniquet, stop the bleeding. Cauterizing can come later, though we will still need a way to disinfect the wound, but we can do that on the move." The man shifts his gaze to Ezekiel. "Now tell me. How do you intend to 'stop the pain'?"

In the tension of the moment; Kiku nearly snapped. It would take her barely a second to have her knife in her hand, withdrawn and ready to plunge into Shlan's eye. She stood up with a slow menace, only to settle when Bob offered a far more soothing rendition of Shlan's 'advice.' "Fucking hell, I can't believe this has been fucked so royally. Fuck!" She said, before finally turning to face Ezekiel. Her voice notably softening. "You say you can help her? Save her, even? What's your name mister? I don't like calling friends 'he'." She said, shooting a sideways glance at Aleksa, even if she'd only said a few words.

When Russel spoke up, Kiku felt another errant twinge of anger. "Where the fuck do you get off acting like you're in charge, asshole? It's your fault she's hurt. If he can do something, then let's fucking let him. Better than her bleeding out on the floor because you fucked up!" She said, without a hint of remorse. "You TC pricks can't even look after your leader. Like fuck are you going to 'take care' of this guy. I want him back in the Bunker with all of his limbs, thank you very fucking much."

Russell would look towards the angered Kiku when he was addressed. He would give a grim chuckle before giving his response. "I will not deny that it was partially my fault that Jenive was injured, but it was not due to a mistake, as you assumed it was. Jenive was going to attempt to kill the leader of the third party, the aforementioned soft spoken, nigh invulnerable woman. She intended to do it alone, originally, but I decided to stay behind with her to provide cover fire so she could line up the shot properly." His voice showed no hint of anger or remorse. "After she had fired off the shot, she could have left me, and if I were in her place, I would have. But she chose to save my life, a fact that I not only commend, but applaud. She is a truly good person, which is why I'm being careful with the target's offer. There are a myriad of ways to 'end someone's pain', and some of those include termination." While he spoke, he searched for anything that would make a good enough tourniquet, occasionally returning his eye contact to the woman. "I will not ask you to calm down, seeing a friend in this state is quite emotionally taxing for many people, I understand that. I simply ask that you save your ire for after we have stopped the threat on Jenive's life."

Ezekiel barely seems to register Russell's presence, before turning his cold, orange eyes toward him, and smiling a little. "I can reconfigure her flesh." He states bluntly, as he allows his hand to shape itself into a grey sphere. The veins and nerves can be seen rearranging and shaping within it, in only moments. It seemed to be a demonstration of his abilities."Disable her pain receptors in a manner that is repairable, cut off the damaged capillaries and seal the main artery. It would cause her great pain for a few moments, then she would feel nothing in her leg. Still alive, still able to control it... Simply, no pain. I can fix much more than that in your inferior forms, but... Not here. Not now."

Jenive bites her lip hard enough for it to start bleeding. Voices swirled around her that she barely understood before she opens her eyes. Wiping sweat and tears out of her eyes she sees Kiku, and gives a small, reassuring, shaky smile. The smile ends as one of the medics applies a bandage and ties it tight enough to slow the blood flowing out of her leg. Slamming her fist on the ground, she then looks at Ezekiel wide eyed, and pulls out her pistol, aiming it at his head. "Can't... Trust... You..."

Ezekiel's smile doesn't waver, nor does he flinch, as he looks from Russell down to Kiku. "I am known as Ezekiel, for I witnessed the face of God, and now feel no fear." Jenive's hand shakes, as she finds it difficult to keep her aim straight through all the pain. Ezekiel speaks softly. "Let go of your fear. There is nothing to hide, Child." Jenive's grip on her pistol tightens to the point that the weapon discharges. In surprise she drops it, having not intended to actually fire.

Ezekiel looks at his left shoulder, and watches the bullet fall out of his flesh a few seconds later. "I..." Jenive's voice simply ceases, as Ezekiel looks back at Shlan. "It is ultimately your decision. The Graveyard will not return for a few minutes. I will be faster than your medics."

Bob watched the little exchange play out with a disgruntled frown. He didn't care one way or another if they let the mutant do whatever he wanted to do, but that.. thing, the blob shit that Ezekiel had called the Graveyard, worried the hell out of him. "Whatever the hell you folks fix on doin', let's get it done quick. Let him do it or get her up on the tank and do the bandages and shit on the move. Last thing we need to be doin' is stickin' around to fuck with that Graveyard bullshit. I wanna live and I ain't against leavin' slow folks behind to make it happen."

Upon Tristan reaching Aleksa's tank, he felt his heart stop as he saw Jenive being flung through the air alongside Russell. Hurriedly, he had checked up on Jenive's condition and...it was very bad. He saw little more than a bloody stump where one of her legs used to be, which sickened him. At first he had tuned out the conversation from the shock of seeing the wound, but then the conversation turned towards whether to let the target, named Ezekiel, should use mutant powers to heal Jenive up. He mulled it over a bit then said "Bob's right, we need to get moving. I...do not feel right leaving her like this, but she is in the hands of the professionals now." Then he turned to Kiku and said "I understand how you feel, I hate doing this as well. But here's the thing, our target here just killed some of our men, he is clearly of hostile disposition, and we just do not know enough about these mutants to know they will not do some future harm if he tries to 'heal' her." Tristan sighed and said "Besides, you heard Jenive, she does not want the healing."

With that said, he started headed towards his tank and said "For my part I will hop in the Aegis and see what I can do. If the medics need more time and the blob reforms, I shall do what I can to stop them." As he prepared to leave, he still had a lingering worry...why did Ezekiel want to heal her, a clear hostile. Still, time was of the essence, so he did not bother to ask.

Aleksa tried not to let her exasperation show on her face as the two argued. Instead she focused on Jenive and the young man. The woman was not doing well. The medics were trying their best, but if they didn't hurry to a proper medical facility all of this petty squabbling would be for nothing. The young man named himself and rambled through a lot of anatomical knowledge that sounded correct. Aleksa didn't doubt he was a mutant, but that knowledge didn't dissuade her from his possible help.

When Jenive's gun went off, Aleksa let out a noise of panic. "Ezekiel!" The panic quickly subsided as he seemed fine and—unharmed. Everyone had opinions. Jenive seemed against it, but at the same time she was delirious. If they waited any longer, they'd lose her to shock or a coma.

It was no surprise she agreed with Bob. How young were they recruiting nowadays? Did they not know that bickering and dick-measuring contests would get them nowhere? Tristian seemed to appear from haze of battle, stating his opinion before returning to his own tank. Right, they really needed to move out.

"This is not about any of you," Aleksa said, raising her voice. It was still even tempered and far from yelling. "This is about Jenive and her life. The percentage of her living drops every moment we stay out here and not move towards a medical facility. If Ezekiel and his gifts can bump that percentage up, I'm willing to take it. The powers that are gifted to these children are not evil, and if Ezekiel wishes to impart his gifts on Jenive, then let him. This is not a morality battle but a one of survival." She slid a hand along her neck. "If there is fallout from that decision, I would rather have that than the loss of a strong commander."

Russell lets a sigh out as he shakes his head. "You misunderstand my intentions, however, I will explain myself farther later. For now, I have to agree with the Old Guard soldier and Aleksa. We can debate the morals later, right now we have to get out of range of the monstrosity." The man stands up slowly, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. "Someone help me get Jenive onto the tank. I could do it myself, but I don't want to risk breakage when placing her on the hull." He turns his attention to the mutant. "If you would, Ezekiel, please get on with her. No matter what decision we come to, we still need you to come with us. Nothing personal."

The man walks over to where Jenive is laying, and kneels next to her, placing careful arms under her upper back and thighs, looking at the medics to make sure he's allowed to move her.

Kiku listened silently to the words of Ezekiel, and then to the three other members who spoke up after him. She made a beeline for Jenive, her damaged arm hanging limply as she took the Coalition leader's hand. "C'mon, Jenive. He's offering help; a chance to have a leg! You can trust him; he's not one of the scary ones, right? He just wants to help." She said, smiling at the barely-lucid woman to try and sooth her. She then hooked her arm underneath the woman's shoulder, ready to move her towards the tank; where Ezekiel could help her, and they could get back to the bunker.

After a moment though, she turned to face the one who'd angered her. She saw that she had something in her hand; small and dangerous looking. She let her injured arm hang at her side; hovering a few millimetres from her holstered knife. "You. You've been all quiet for a while. What's that in your hand? What's on Ezekiel's back?" She said, nonplussed by the Coalition's superior numbers. She had no reason to fear the Coalition; right? They were the good guys too, right?

"This is a detonator," Shlan said, holding up the device, "and the thing on his back is a directional charge. Now everyone get on the fucking tank. Medics too. If you're all gonna talk this out, you can do it on the move."

Shlan shifted a bit further down the tank, both to make more room for others and to widen the distance between her and Ezekiel. "Though I'm not sure what you're hoping to discuss, seeing as the commanding officer - who is the one with the damn missing leg in the first place - and the person holding the detonator are saying 'no'."

That said, Shlan sent a glare in Kiku's direction. "And you, kid? You'd better start watching what you say before people think you're one of them."

Ezekiel looks back at Shlan, and for a few moments, he seems to simply evaluate her. With a cold, almost dead-looking glare, he slowly stands up. Walking away from Jenive, he climbs onto the tank. "I will do as you ask, lost child. Even if you should fear your birthright."

Jenive grabs Kiku's collar and pulls her in close. In her eyes was a significant amount of pain, as to be expected, but also... Fear. An animalistic sort of fear that Kiku almost didn't understand, until she could hear it in Jenive's voice. "Don't... I am... Not... You... I don't want someone... To violate my body... When given the chance... They would happily rip it apart with their bare hands..." She winces, another tear streaking down her face as the medics finish stopping the blood loss in her stump of a leg. One of the medics looks to Kiku. "We're good to go! Get her on the tank, or get out of our way!"

Bob rolled his eyes at the arguments, though the folks who noted that it was Jenive's choice got little positive marks in his mental book. When the woman in question made it damn clear that she wanted no part of any mutant healing, he figured that would shut everyone up well enough that nothing more needed to be said. He made his way to the tank and climbed up to stake out a spot next to Ezekiel. Glancing over at the prisoner, he lowered his voice hoping nobody else would be near enough to hear him. "What's the big picture, huh? What are you and your mutant pals lookin' to accomplish?"

Ezekiel doesn't look at Bob, he merely stares out the grey, dead ruins surrounding them. Bob would then hear Ezekiel's voice, though his lips did not move--it was within his own mind. A single word. "Evolve."

Bob narrowed his eyes at the mutant, then slowly nodded and followed his lead by looking out at the ruins. There wasn't anything worth saying in response. Bob was not a greatly educated man, but he'd heard folks say that mutants were an evolution of humans, the next step forward. What would come from mutants looking to evolve even more? That was a troubling thought for sure, but also a fascinating one. He mulled it over as he waited for everyone else to get their shit together, wondering just what the hell came next for people who shrugged off bullets like they were nothing.

Kiku was silenced by the verbal barrage of not one, but two members of The Coalition turning against her very DNA. When the medics asked her to move aside, she did; gently letting go of what little weight she held under Jenive. She stood to the side for a moment; shaky hands balling into a fist for half a second. The wet precursor of tears edged at the corners of her eyes, but she wiped them away with her palm, smiling at the medic and towards Jenive. "L…ook after her doc." She said, through teeth grit together like a vice in order to hide the sound of the momentary break of her voice.

Her thoughts focused on darker things: On Bosho, and her Mother. On Maria, and on the shooting range. Anything that would sharpen her thoughts long enough to purge the weakness of her emotions. With the adrenaline dying down, she suddenly felt the sharp pain in her shoulder return like an inferno, and she hissed loud enough to be overheard by others. "Motherfucker, that hurts." She said, unzipping the combat suit and shrugging off the light suit, revealing the two bullet holes in her shoulders, still oozing blood. She gently touched the wound with one finger's dab, wincing from the pain.

With Jenive stabilized, one of the medics turns back and notices her suffering. He taps his helmet to confirm his orders quietly, then a few moments later, walks over with his medical kit. "I can give you pain killers and a nanobot injection to start mending the wound over a few hours. Nothing more. Please present your wrist."

She pauses for a moment, a little uneasy in the face of the medics, but she slowly raises her wrist up to the man; presenting it with the trepidation you'd expect in a wounded coyote.

The medic pulls out a needle filled with a grey looking liquid. Then, with all the good graces of a jack-booted thug, grabs her wrist with one hand and shoves the needle into her primary artery with the other. Two seconds later, he pulls it out. While there is no pain, Kiku could feel an odd, cool sensation run into her blood, then dissipate seconds later. "Do not commit to any weightlifting or other heavy duty lifting activities for the next few hours. Avoid sugary foods or other high energy products that could cause an overstimulation for the nanobots. If you find yourself vomiting or pissing blood, go see a Coalition Laboratory... Nanobots have not always behaved well with those who have active mutagens. Do you understand, or do I need to repeat these instructions?"

Kiku clenched her fist once her wrist was released, but didn't much say anything as she sort of just…absorbed the cold sensation. When he asked if she understood, she nodded. "Yeah, uh…thanks doc." She said, ignoring the fact she had very little idea about half of what she'd said. She basically just said yes because she knew the man thought she was dumb.

The medic turns away and starts addressing the wounds of others, in that same, cold, monotonous fashion.

With her arm attended to, Kiku made her way onto the tank. When she walked past Shlan, she paused for a second, before turning to face her. "Look, we're not gunna trust each other because we both said some stupid shit. Sad thing is, we're working together, and you're holding a prisoner's life on your hand. Could you like…hand over that detonator to someone else? Someone we can both trust. The Tank Lady, or Bob. They both agreed with you and stayed all calm and stuff, right?" She said, before sitting down in a seat closer to Bob and Ezekiel than anyone else.

Bob blinked and looked back toward the others, taking a moment to recall what had been said before his name came up. "Well, might be a good idea havin' someone who ain't on edge be the one with their finger on the trigger. I can do the job, and I ain't the type to steal so I'll make sure to hand it over once we get home." He directed a friendly smile to Shlan, putting all his charm into it. He wasn't too pleased with the idea of that hothead being the one holding the valuable target's life at stake, so for once in his life he hoped for his damned mutation to have an effect, even though as he understood it the thing was always active and hoping for results wouldn't do anything special.

For a moment, Shlan looked ready to hand it over, hand lifting towards Bob, before her grip tightened and she pulled it back."I think I'll keep it. Coalition prisoner, and when it comes to these... things, I'd rather be twitchy than relaxed." Shlan shuddered, remembering the way the others had shrugged off bullets, how even now the giant blob was reforming despite a direct air strike. Then, muttering, "Don't recall any of you backing me up anyway, so not sure where the kid's getting that idea."

Russell gave a sharp nod to the medics. Before he slowly and gently lifted Jenive up. The servos in the joints of his armour whirred softly with the effort, and once he was sure he had her secured, he looked down to the woman in his arms as he rose to his feet, offering a soft nod to her. "I understand. We will abide by your wishes, sir." He steps closer to the tank, carefully placing Jenive on the hull as far away from the edge as his reach allows. Once Russell is sure she's stable, he pulls himself up alongside her, hanging one of his legs off the edge, acting as a brace. He offers his hand to the medics to help them up onto the tank. Once everyone is on, he turns his gaze to Shlan. "I agree with the Old Guard soldier. We shouldn't risk an accidental detonation. If you want the trigger to remain in Coalition hands, then I suggest handing it to me. While I don't particularly enjoy the thought of using plastic explosive to keep the target in check, it is rather effective."

"I know what I'm doing," Shlan said through gritted teeth,"and I'm keeping. The. Detonator."

While Aleksa didn't understand Jenive's actions, she respected them. Prejudice against mutants was nothing new, but honestly—in the situation it didn't seem rational. Then again, people do love to stand by their ideals until death. She just hoped it wouldn't cost them their commander. Jenive was a strong and talented woman, and Bunker Chicago needed more like herself. Aleksa would be grieved if they lost her. "Understandable," Aleksa nodded. "Her decision is her own."

When Kiku told Shlan to hand the detonator to her, Tank Lady, or Bob, Aleksa shook her head and slid into her tank. "I'll have enough to worry about," she said through the opening. It was apparent, though, she was quickly looked over. Right. Well. Aleksa wasn't here to make people love her but to complete the mission and help save lives.

She closed the hatch behind her, and went to her controls. She withdrew all her drones and powered them down. They needed to move and fast. Unfortunately, they'd lost time arguing. She hit a few buttons on her console and slipped a hand around the control lever."This is Aleksa, we're leaving this area. We're down a man, and they need immediate medical attention," she said into her comm. She didn't mention having the target. The people that needed to know—knew. There was no need in relaying that information again. Her next sentences were directed at those atop her tank. "We're moving. Hold on, it will not be smooth and some debris may fly up. So keep low and still. We'll get you to safety, Jenive. Promise." With that the tank began moving away from the giant monster and this entire scene towards Bunker Chicago.

As one of the Coalition soldiers hand Jenive her pistol back, she looks over at Kiku and frowns. "I didn't mean it that way..." She mutters under her breath. "We'll talk later, okay?" She states, as she seems to be coming back to her senses. Her eyes then fall on Shlan, and she motions for her to come closer. "Hand me the detonator. This is an order from your commanding officer." She motions to a pair of soldiers, who were walking beside the moving tank, and motions toward Shlan. "Russell, job well done. Do a head count, tell me if Carter is missing. I can't see him from here."

Ezekiel glances over his shoulder toward Kiku, and speaks within her mind. Yet, for his first sentence, he echos Jenive's words. "Remember... "I am not you." They will never trust you, not completely. Especially since you see me as more than an existential threat, child. If the time presents itself, come see me, and I will tell you the truth of what you are... And why they all fear you behind their false smiles."

"Fucking- fine. Blood loss and shock make you the most qualified, yeah." Still, Shlan handed over the detonator, flipping up the cover to show Jenive. "Third one down; first two are the roof."

Russell gives a sharp nod to Jenive before turning to look at the nearby gathering forces. He tries looking for the face of the man that sat opposite of him on the APC, but he didn't notice anything. "We've got about a quarter to maybe a half of our forces remaining, sir. The last I heard of the sniper was him calling for the airstrike, but other than that he isn't present." He keeps looking around before he offers a glance over his shoulder. "And sir?" He asks, somewhat hesitantly. "Thank you. I owe you my life, sir."

 

[Persephone]

Florence Morgenstern and Evelyn Tenebris - As the Dust Settles​

In the aftermath of the destruction caused by the sinners' airstrike, Florence couldn't help but stare in awe at Lillian, an unknown warmth spreading through her veins. The other woman had protected her from harm, and Florence felt closer to her than before, although she couldn't exactly explain why. She would have plenty of opportunities to return the favor in the future, but now, it was time for them to leave. However, as Eve began to walk off towards the ruined northern apartments, having made it clear that they would leave Box behind, Florence spoke up. "I don't mean to question you, Mother, but I think we ought to take her with us." Florence pauses to gesture at the unconscious form of Box before continuing. "She recognized me underneath my disguise, and could report back to her masters. If she does that, the sinners will know that I oppose them, and that endangers us all. If we take her with us, perhaps she will learn that we care for her more than the sinners ever will. I think Lillian shares my sentiments, although she isn't saying it outright." Surely, Florence would be able to convince Mother to change her mind about leaving Box behind. If she was didn't, it was entirely possible that Box would reveal her identity to the sinners of Bunker Chicago, and Florence couldn't let that happen.

As Box gets up and scrambles away from them, Eve merely smiles underneath her helmet. Her gaze then falls toward Florence, as she motions Florence closer. "Do not worry yourself, my child. Identities are for those constrained by the material. Soon, you will not be." She motions for Florence to follow her deeper into the dust cloud, toward the north. One last test of faith.

Underneath her mask, Florence frowned. Box had gotten away, now fully aware of her identity and affiliations, no doubt intending to inform her masters of those facts. She'd have to do something about that once they got back to the bunker, but for now it was time to escape. Sheathing Brimstone, she wordlessly follows Evelyn into the dust cloud, away from the carnage and towards home. They were her family now, and she would die to protect them.

 

[Brovo]

"The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation."
--Bertrand Russell.​

A High Price​

Though he sat quietly, Devin knew what was coming. He had just crossed a line issuing the order to steal away The Coalition's victory right from their grasps. Whether or not Carolyn succeeded on her end, he was now a target for their wrath. Music plays in the background on an old record player. A smile reaches his weary, old looking face. "I'll see you in my dreams..."

He hears a pair of gunshots behind himself, followed up by his two guards at the door falling down. He stands up and pulls a sidearm out of his desk, aiming it toward the door as the door is broken down. Opposite of himself stood a man, decked out in the gear of one of The Coalition's elites, aiming a pistol at him. There is a little silence between them, before the assassin sighs and speaks, with a slavic accent. "Never took you for a cultured man." Devin shakes his head as he recognized the voice. "My wife loved it, Adrik. I couldn't stand it for the longest time..."

"What changed?"
"Losing her. Not that I would expect a tool of the State like you to understand."
"You might be surprised."
"I doubt it... I know why you are here. So, how is this going down? Cover-up? Conspiracy? Do I just... Vanish into thin air?"
"Oh, you know I wouldn't be fool enough to tell you my plans."
"Had to try."
"..."
"Will you at least spare my daughter?"
"I have no reason to kill your daughter, at this moment. Killing you? Certainly. Whatever pariah you may become has finally paled in comparison to the damage you are doing in your position. We can control your daughter."
"I think you underestimate her."
"Says the dead man who chose not to flee when he had the chance."
"Could've fled. Had the time. Chose not to."
"Why?"
"This is my home. I built this place with my own two hands. Made this desk too. The floor you're standing on... I am an old man with nowhere else to go."
"Sentimentalism is a weakness."
"Maybe. Sentimentalism has a gun pointed at your head."
"Pragmatism has one pointed at yours."
"Mind if I finish listening to the song before we shoot each other?"
"I'll grant you that much. Won't be long now."

Another minute of the song plays, before the record skips. Three gunshots ring out. A few minutes pass before Marie Black rushes onto the scene with a pair of Old Guard soldiers behind her. They find Devin's body, laying across his desk. Two bullets had raced through his skull, and left him dead with a smile on his bloody face.

The record player skips and plays the song again. Life goes on as usual on the street.

 

[Grothnor]

A Knife's Edge
A Collab featuring @Brovo as Carolyn, Morai, Wisdom and Devin, @Seba as Cathryn, and Grothnor as Ozymandias
​

A slight breeze blows down the street between Carolyn and Morai as they point their weapons at each other. "Who are you people?" Carolyn demands, as Morai remains momentarily silent.

Ozzy still clutched the knife, vaguely surprised that he still had it through the building collapse. He struggled to get up, wincing from his light side wound, but by the time he was on his feet, he noticed Morai aiming towards the door. Turning around slowly, he saw three figures aiming at them. He showed his hands, each holding the knife and his pistol, and calmly stated, "We are not your enemy."


Ryn raised her pistol towards the offending voice, twisting her lips into a scowl. She didn't dare speak on what she was ignorant of, but she didn't like what she was feeling.

"How am I supposed to know that?" Carolyn replies, bluntly.

A silence breeze blows on through, bringing with it the smell of the air outside of the hell they stood in. Morai, slowly, lowers his shotgun, though motions for everyone else to keep their weapons trained on the enemy. Wisdom comes on the communications. "What are you doing?... Morai, you--" Morai taps the communicator off in his helmet. As he does, Wisdom sighs. He then motions for Ozymandias to hand him the knife. Wisdom goes on the communicator again, as Yankee reports to Wisdom what was happening. "Don't hand him the knife. Tell him to obey his orders, and obey yours: Shoot Carolyn Antoinette and then get out of there."

"The enemy of my enemy may not be my friend, but they need not be my enemy." Ozzy said aloud to Carolyn but left his comms open. He skillfully spun the blade around his fingers so he held the blade and offered it to Morai. "There is wisdom in these words," he said, subtly emphasizing 'wisdom' to make his point clear. "We both have many foes. Neither of us need more."

Well... fuck. Cathryn didn't lower her weapon as her commander was threatened, only moving her finger closer to the trigger. She had already killed today and was aching to be useful. Her building had come crashing down because she had been brash. The Old Guard would not come crashing down because she had failed to act.

"On your order, Ms. Carolyn. They oughtn't talk to you like this."

"I have a proposition." Morai states simply as he holds up the knife, showing the orange blood on it. "We have a similar enemy. Powerful as can be." He tosses the knife to Carolyn's feet. As she kneels down to pick it up and look it over, Morai continues. "I've encountered these creatures before. I know some of their weaknesses. We could help each other."

Carolyn's examining look turns from the knife to Morai. She still has her pistol trained on his head. "Why attack us then, if you feel as though you can work with us?"

Morai bows his head respectfully as he replies, allowing her a clean shot. Perhaps it was a gesture of faith. "I was following orders from an organization that is used to being attacked on sight. You were working with a faction that has done everything it can to try and wipe us out in secret--even attacking our civilians when they've had the opportunity. We had no idea how to judge you."

There is a moment of silence between them before Carolyn slowly lowers her pistol. "Who are you?"

Morai, in turn, breaks the seal on his helmet and pulls it off carefully. Underneath the sweat, Carolyn would recognize who it was instantly. "Morai?" She asks with confusion, as he motions for everyone else to lower their weapons. He glances back at the rest of his group and uses sign language to tell them to keep their identities secret, as he replies to Carolyn. "Yes. I am part of a faction known as Red Star. We have no intention of harming or ruling over your colony. We can work together to accomplish our goals. If you acquire Ezekiel, I will personally deliver everything we already know of these animals... Including the tactical options we have about how to defeat them."

Carolyn pauses to consider this, then grabs her radio and speaks into it. "Carolyn to Devin... Dad, order the back up squads in. We're doing our last case scenario." A few moments of silence follow before Devin replies, with an uncertain tone of voice. "Are you sure? This will come at a high price." Carolyn shakes her head and replies again, this time a little more stubbornly. "Do it! You and I both know we can't trust them. This may be our only chance." It seemed they were speaking vaguely intentionally, as though trying to confuse anyone else listening in. Devin replies, solemnly. "It will be done. Squad Three will come to pick you up in sixty seconds, then rendezvous with reinforcements. The other Squad Leaders have been given the appropriate instructions."

As Carolyn completes these orders, Morai puts his helmet back on. She keeps a rather severe, if somewhat relieved expression. "You may come with us, if you wish." Morai shakes his head. "We should keep our relationship a secret from your Coalition friends, lest they decide that they can no longer tolerate you." He then glances over toward Catheryn. "Can you trust this one?" Carolyn raises an eyebrow. "Can you trust your own?" She replies as as a deflection. He shrugs and motions for the rest of his squad to follow him. Wisdom remained stunned into silence as Morai started moving toward the collapsed northern building, where their extraction zone laid.

Carolyn, on the other hand, glances back to Catheryn with uncertainty. Though she manages a small smile, her eyes speak of worry. "I can trust you, can't I?"

Ozzy had relaxed and lowered his gun now that Morai had pulled his stunt. He had expected a more tenuous deal to be struck, but Morai's actions were far more ambitious than he expected. However, with Morai's final question, Ozzy's grip on his pistol tightened imperceptibly. He hoped Catheryn had sense enough to follow orders, or at least lie. His eyes fell on the last loose end in the room, preparing himself in case she lacked sense, or nerve.

She heard the tension de-escalating and lowered her gun as other weapons were also lowered. Carolyn's doubt was well placed, but it slightly wounded Cathryn all the same. She didn't holster her pistol, but she did hold it at her side and moved her finger away from the trigger.

"I expend my ammo for your protection, Carolyn. I have no reason to expend my words to undo what my actions have done." The words felt odd in the air. She didn't sound as if she was from this area. She was not one of them. Cathryn would have to try and blend in better if she didn't want to continue to owe her life to the lab.

Carolyn nods and smiles a little, though she maintains her otherwise austere, commanding air. As the sound of an approaching tank reaches their ears, Morai ushers his squad away, vanishing into the slowly settling dust cloud with ease.

"You know, I wasn't sure if I could trust you. You came from The Coalition, after all--I pegged you for a spy, someone who would shoot me in the back when I wasn't looking." Carolyn turns and rests a hand on Catheryn's shoulder. "Now, I am glad that I did trust you. Thanks for proving me wrong."

Ozzy followed Morai silently, anxious as to how their fragile alliance would turn out, but invigorated to see that their guns were pointed at the true threat. He had made a step in the right direction. One step closer to the end of the abominable Children and their threat to all mankind.

 

[Brovo]

Where Do You Stand? Part 1​

A few minutes passed as The Coalition moved out of the mission zone and into the abandoned suburban area. Around them are abandoned houses, mostly decayed. As they turn onto a two lane street out of the city, they find themselves facing a single tank and a half a dozen infantry. Standing atop it was Carolyn. A few feet behind them, a second tank roars its way through a garage and pins them in, preventing them from turning back. The Coalition's remaining forces were surrounded by The Old Guard, though The Coalition had a couple more infantrymen. The odds were only slightly in favour of The Old Guard, if they actually engaged in conflict.

Standing among The Coalition forces or sitting upon Aleksa's or Tristan's tank, were Box, Kiku, and Bob. All known members of The Old Guard. Gabriel was on foot, as his helicopter was unable to make it all the way back to Bunker Chicago.

As Jenive leans herself against the turret of Aleksa's tank to stand up, Carolyn's lips momentarily quiver at the sight. Nonetheless, her tone remains clear, as she yells out across to them. "By order of General Devin Antoinette, you will hand over the prisoner to us. I could bore you with pretense, but I think you understand why we cannot trust someone as secretive as you to tell us the results of whatever... Terribly inhumane experiments you have in mind for him."

The clouds above them all rumble with thunder, as rain starts to fall down onto them. Coalition and Old Guard soldiers remain tense, their fingers on the triggers of their weapons, but not yet pointing their weapons at each other. Jenive replies, though her voice was showing signs of her physical weakness. "The Coalition does not recognize the authority or validity of your order. There is no need for this. We've lost enough lives today, don't add to it for this, Carolyn."

Carolyn looks across at The Coalition's forces, and yells out to them. "Kiku, Bob, Box, come over here. Regardless of how this goes down, we should stand together." She then glances toward Catheryn, and momentarily manages a soft smile. "All of us." She then looks back out over The Coalition soldiers. "All of us! We've lived together for years! We grew up together, the first generation of men and women free from the horrors of a nomadic life! We cared about each other, we didn't need bigots in black suits to tell us how to live our lives! Some of us in labs, some of us as farmers, some of us as city rats with nothing to gain but what our own two hands could get us! Think about what we could accomplish if we trusted each other as neighbours, if we stood together, and took the prisoner with us! It's our community on the line, our homes, our families! Any of you are free to come with us. Just take off your helmets and stand together with us again--you don't need to hide your faces around neighbours."

"That's how it's going to be, huh?" Jenive mutters under her voice. "Two can play that game." She looks over at Kiku and smiles a little, weakly. Her face was pale, and yet her eyes held the familiar optimism Kiku would have once seen in a kitchen that felt so very far away now. "Stay with us." She reaches out her hand to Kiku. "Please."

It seemed to be a battle not of firearms, but ideology. Between the popular mechanic and the collectivist pariah. She didn't like those odds, but, she was determined to take them nonetheless. To at least try.

Jenive starts shouting back her own words. "What were you really before The Coalition came? You speak of labs, of camaraderie. I admire that, Carolyn, I do... But, really, who built the laboratories? We did. Who built the food lines? We did. Who cares for the downtrodden, the mutants, the homeless? We do. You speak big words about building a life, but when you have no tools to work with, what are you supposed to do? Pray? All prayer brings are street preachers licensed by nobody to spread words of hate and intolerance. We stand together because we believe not just in ourselves, not just in our community, but in the grand scheme of things. We believe in the other colonies, we protect trade caravans, and farmers bringing their food in. We head out and destroy every raider convoy we can find, even if it costs some of us our lives doing so." She reaches into her pocket with her other hand, and thumbs over her wedding band. "You speak big words of camaraderie, Carolyn... But without us, you would still be plagued by the very raiders that have effectively been all but wiped out. All of that was possible because we keep our secrets when we need to do so. All you propose is anarchy. Raiders are anarchy, too, and I propose the cure: Order. The Coalition. Stand down." She looks at Catheryn and motions her over. "Come on back with us, I'm sure the scientists at the lab miss you very much. They helped raise you, didn't they? Why stand against them now?"

It seemed the decision between solidarity and pragmatism was left in the hands of those surrounding them...

As Box sat outside of Tristan's tank, a hand on her side while the other was balled into a fist in yet another attempt to deflect the pain of her fractured ribs, her head snapped towards Bob. Her eyes flickered between him and Carolyn. Carolyn whom she had swore to protect. No, she would never side with the Coalition. Sliding off as delicately as possible from the tank, Box made her way towards the Old Guard force, and stood a few feet before them, her fist hitting her chest where her heart would be. "My loyalties will never change. You have me at your side, sir." Box turned around to face the others, her eyes lingering on Bob mostly. "Dogs of war with love for successful labrats... " She whispered while trying to avoid looking at the newest member of the Old Guard, Catheryn.

Kiku was surprised by the suddenness of the Old Guard's trap. She had genuinely not expected the rapid change of tone, as sombre failure shifted into something else. It was equal part the rekindled sense of fight or flight, and the sudden tension of fear that came with the chance of being made a hostage. Listening to both of the faces of the organisations was painful. If someone had asked her ten minutes ago which side she'd be forced to pick; she wouldn't have been able to give an honest answer. Now though? It's amazing how quickly things can change in five minutes.

"I know where I stand," She said, loudly enough that both could hear. She looked at Jenive; staring her in the eye as she offered a weak smile. "And today, I learned where the most of the Coalition really stands." She says, looking past the injured leader and towards Shlan. Her smile growing dark, she spat on the ground in front of her. "I won't ever work with bigots who need to strap bombs onto someone's back before so much as asking their name." She said, glaring hatefully at the woman. She then looked towards Jenive, her face turning from angry to just plain sad. "I guess I'm just not you."

With that, Kiku walked past those on The Coalition's forces, and towards the Old Guard. She bit her bottom lip; repressing the flow of tears with only the thinnest veneer of self-control. Unmolested, she'd stand next to Carolyn; her Carbine drawn once more despite the pain of her arm, and in her gut.

Russell rose to his feet when Jenive stood on one leg, standong at her side, offering an arm for support. He looks around at the people gathered, and simply shakes his head. " While I would love to berate the Old Guard in the name of loyalty for their blatant meritocratic tendencies and crumbling leadership, Bunker Chicago would be the lesser if they were to die off. My loyalties do not change on this day, nor will they ever, but the Bunker needs the Old Guard just as much as it needs the Coalition."

The speeches held by both leaders were now the center point of their inner conflict, right after dealing with monsters and fanatics. Gabriel regarded this… ideological war… with little satisfaction of the moment they chose. Worse yet, they were surrounded by members of the Old guard; those who had just fought with just moments ago. There were demands, ones which was already starting to brew up conflict, which was, to Gabriel, highly unnecessary right now.

People made decisions, Gabriel was considering his own… Right now, all of this sounded ludicrous. They had barely been able to come out of this alive, with many injured, many deaths, lost equipment, fear, agony… Now, they were given a choice of 'sides'?

"Vous êtes-tu rendus fou ou quelque chose? (Have you all become crazy or something?)" Gabriel began, then removing his helmet and putting away his sidearm. "You want to speak ideals and reasoning, you want to negotiate the prisoner? Fucking wait, leave that political shit for once we return to the Bunker. You all might be fighting for power over the bunker or pressing you morals on others, some of us, if not most of us, just want to return home after this fucking tragedy and rejoin our families, maybe even work on moving from there. We're still out here, out from the safety of the Bunker's defenses, our numbers are down, and most of us are exhausted and or injured.''

Gabriel shook his head, staying beside Aleska's tank. ''If you cared for the people so fucking much, you'd bring them to safety instead of having them involved in your stupid political and ideological shit…'' The pilot was becoming more than frustrated.

''Incroyable… Après un combat près de la mort… Il nous impose un choix et gaspille nos secondes que l'on peut utiliser pour être en sécurité. (Unbelivable… After a combat near death… They impose a choice on us and waste our seconds we could us to be safe.)'' He whispered to himself, still not believing the shit happening.

"Are you serious?" Shlan shouted, moving up to the front of the tank to stand beside Jenive. "How are people supposed to trust you as neighbours when you're willing to ambush your own allies? What, is the body count not big enough for you yet? Or are you just scared that you won't be the big dog on the block anymore?"

Bob watched the outbursts from people all around him and was pleasantly surprised to see Box and Kiku choosing the Old Guard. He pushed himself up to stand and pulled on the strap his rifle hung from, tugging it so the gun was hanging from his back rather than being in a ready to grab and fire position. Tensions were already high, so the gesture would hopefully be enough to keep them from boiling over. Rather than heading over to Carolyn immediately, Bob remained on Aleksa's tank and spoke to each of the Coalition loyalists who had spoken so far.

"Ambushes ain't very neighborly, sure, but see how Carolyn is standin' out there in the open and bein' peaceful about it, not stabbin' y'all in the back from the shadows? Think the higher ups of the Coalition would give anyone the same courtesy?" Bob directed a bemused smile to Shlan, then looked over to Gabriel. "And what if this shit were to turn violent, huh? You want that to happen in the streets? This is carin' about the people you dunce, keepin' the argument between just us with guns and not hurtin' nobody else if some dumbass decides to pull a trigger." Bob took a couple steps toward Jenive, but directed his focus to Russell first. "You might be right about us needin' each other, but the thing is we ain't happy with bein' kept in the dark about things that affect our lives. As I recall we joined up with the Coalition to work together, help each other get stronger, not to let the Coalition come and take over our goddamn lives and treat us like dumb kids who ain't ready to hear the truth of the world. That kinda thing chafes, y'know?"

Finally Bob looked to Jenive, stopping just outside of arm's reach of her, and held out his hand. "Hand over the detonator. Nobody else needs to die today, and this is how you can make sure of it. See, y'all are out-gunned and out-maneuvered, and you ain't stupid. All the talk about ideals, all the philosophy, we ain't gonna see eye to eye on that any time soon I think. What matters is makin' sure we get Ezekiel in hand and get whatever information we can from him, and that's only gonna happen if you send him home with us. A little explosive stuck to his back has him in check, so I figure he wouldn't do too well with tanks firing at each other." Bob gave her a friendly grin, taking the bite out of the threat and adding a little intentional charm to whatever effect his mutation pheromones might've had. "And I'll tell you what, I wouldn't wanna be a hypocrite about keepin' people in the dark on sensitive info. I'll personally hand deliver a report on what we learn from Ezekiel to your hands, and you can pass it on to your bosses for them to do whatever it is they wanna do with it. Just hand over the detonator and order your folks to stand down and this can end up nice and peaceful and happy for everyone."

"It's easy to make accusations about what others might do if the situation was different, isn't it? Can't defend yourself from shit that never happened." Shlan spat off the side of the tank, giving Bob a dirty glare. "But this shit is happening, you turning on us as soon as you saw the chance, and expecting us to trust you when you won't even do the same for us."

Aleksa gritted her teeth. The hell was this!?! She thought they were in this together, that like would protect like. Apparently, they were far more different than she thought. She flicked a few switches up, allowing her to be heard over the rumble of the engine. She'd never really used the speakers. They'd been much more important when the tank was a part of a caravan.

"This doesn't feel like a negotiation or diplomacy. No. If you'd wanted that, you would have ridden with us to the Bunker. You would have kept a close eye on us, yes, but you would have allowed us to get the wounded and nearly dead to a hospital. Instead, you corner us. That does not speak of teamwork. We're different heads of the same beast, and yet you're chewing our neck off despite the damage it does to our body—that it does to our Bunker."

She sighed. What was the name of the older gentleman speaking? The younger woman had mentioned it earlier. Bob? Bob. "Do you really think they'll give all the information to a grunt in their order, Bob? I like that you're sincere about it, but considering this ambush I only have to assume they have more secrets to keep. Transparency seems to be lacking from quite a few people's vocabulary."

Oddly enough she felt a pang for Ezekial. Poor young man, more a thing in this than an actual person in this arrangement. It was sad. "I stand with you and the Coalition, Jenive, and I'll follow your orders." Honestly, she didn't want it to come to shooting people. If Jenive stood down, Aleksa would stand down—if not… well her artillery was still on.

Once the Old Guard soldier finishes, Russell gives Bob a bemused look for a very brief moment, though it had probably gone unnoticed due to his helm. He slightly shakes his head, looking over to him after he speaks with Jenive. "You talk about co-operation, and working together, which is highly hypocritical in this situation. This right here? This isn't co-operation. This is extortion. We have lost the most in the mission, and you expect us to hand over the target just because you have us surrounded?" He shakes his head as he turns to look at Carolyn. "Do you really think that you can preach about being "good neighbors" when you turn on your allies to bring back the glory and the spoils of war? How typical coming from the faction of meritocratic nostalgia hounds. Always going on about the 'good old days', but you fail to realize that these aren't those days. You have deteriorated by a massive amount from the days where there were many families that led the Old Guard. I'm a sick and dying man, and your people would see the downtrodden like me be crushed underfoot while they bicker and fight over who has the largest workshop. You disgust me."

Tristan's sense of relief had vanished as smoke upon realizing what the situation was. He felt a cold chill in the air, was it the moisture trickling down the gaps in his tank, or merely the crushing weight of realization. Here he was, in what he considered...perhaps not the worst case scenario, that would mean the Coalition force would've been taken out by this moment. No, this was a case of The Old Guard and The Coalition at each others throats, ready to cleave their knives in to each other at the first sign of weakness.

Tristan's hope for a mutual alliance was already up in smoke.

He considered calling out for a compromise, some way to keep the peace between these near-warring factions. However, when he opened his mouth to speak, his words were too skittish to even leave his lips. Even he knew such a resolution was impossible at this stage.

All the scientist could hope to do now was figure out his place in the grand scheme of things. Each side had it's own way of doing things, and Tristan had his own history to consider. He had been in the military under the Old Guard for two years to finish off the raiders. Yet he knew that without the Coalition's help, that would never have been possible. He had seen that with his own two eyes as a teenager. No matter what he chose, he would have to betray somebody. One the one hand, he would have to betray the wounded Jenive and the objective he and his comrades had striven for, not to mention possibly any other Bunker in the area. On the other hand, he would have to betray Carolyn, his old war buddies, and, in essence, his past, in the hope for a better future. Hopeless, his head dropped.

He had to make a decision, and soon.

He put his voice to his speaker system, and said slowly "I am sorry Carolyn, but I am not coming over there. We can make this bunker a better place for all of us, but not if we're spending time betraying each other. Instead of helping us all come together, you've instead decided to ambush us in the middle of nowhere, while our commanding officer is bleeding to death mind you, demanding we hand over what we've worked to acquire. I'm staying with the Coalition."

With that, he turned his speakers off, and sighed. He tried to make his speech convincing, but part of him wondered if he made the right choice. Even then, he was not sure that he would be able to pull the trigger on his former allies if things got messy. He would have to wait and see.

Oh this was uncomfortable. This was the most uncomfortable she had been n a very long time. Cathryn shimmied around in her spot while looking straight down at her boots. Yes the doctors had raised her and helped her, but the Old Guard had kept her safe and made her feel welcome. She could take a little discomfort now and then to have friends instead of... monitors.

Figuring that she wasn't good enough with words to follow what had been said by others Cathryn simply shuffled behind Carolyn and continued to look down at her boots.
​

Where Do You Stand? Part 2​

Jenive and Carolyn continue to stare at each other across the few feet of open space between them, while each person took their turn declaring their side. Their affiliation. Jenive is stunned into silence, the paleness in her face from the lack of blood yet failing to disguise the hurt quiver in her lower lip as Kiku spat her words back at her. Hateful words. Words of spite. With Kiku halfway across, Jenive's eyes fall to the cold concrete between them. "I'm sorry..." She whispers this, as she slowly slips down onto her one remaining knee, leaning against the tank turret to keep herself up. "I'm sorry..." She repeats.

Quietly, she looks over at Bob. Her smile, weak, and vulnerable... And possessing an unsettling sincerity. She holds up the detonater, and hovers her thumb over the trigger. "You have your orders, I have mine." Before she can go through with it however, her helmet's radio squawks to life. Seeing no others receiving the signal, she hesitates. She takes the radio out of her helmet, along with an ear piece, and receives the signal—listening to it privately. A few seconds pass. It was clear to Bob she was receiving orders. It was also clear to him that whatever the orders were, they disturbed her on a profound level.

Jenive takes the ear piece out and throws it out onto the ground. She motions for Carolyn to come closer. "I can't walk. Come here and take the detonater, Carolyn, the prisoner is yours... I... Can't take this from you. Not after... No. Just... Come get him." Carolyn, cautiously, hops off of the tank she was riding and walks quickly over to Aleksa's tank. Jenive hands her the detonater, the rain started coming down heavier as Carolyn nods and climbs up onto Aleksa's tank. She kneels beside Jenive and rests a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you." Jenive doesn't look at Carolyn, merely staring down at the wet metal of the tank. She looked lost, her eyes unfocused. "Don't... Just... Go, and... I... I'm so sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." Tears well up in Jenive's eyes. "I wish your father could have forgiven me... I wish..." Jenive fades off as she slumps against the tank. Carolyn checks for a pulse, and sighs in relief. She taps her radio so she can speak to Aleksa inside her tank. "We'll escort you back as quickly as we can. No more fighting between us." She then turns off her radio, and looks at Bob. "Then, I'll have a chat with my father. If Jenive is willing to risk this much just for forgiveness, maybe we were wrong about her. Maybe there's still a chance for this alliance of ours to pan out."

With that said, she slips off of Aleksa's tank and motions for The Old Guard's forces to move out, on the double. With any luck, a life could yet be saved in her mind. A smile was on her face, a little hope remained after all.
​

Loneliness​

It took but a couple hours moving at a rapid pace to get back to Bunker Chicago. There, it continued to rain. Soaked in rain, Carolyn runs into Bunker Chicago with Jenive in her arms, bringing her to The Coalition's forces as quickly as possible before finally attending to the pressing political political matters of The Old Guard. The same moment she delivered Ezekiel to the custody of Marie Black, she learns about her father's assassination. Those standing near her could see nothing but a blank, emotionless veil where a person used to be. Carolyn walks away, to be alone. Not a sound is heard as she stands alone in her father's office, staring at a blood stained letter on his desk.

The Bunker, normally tense, is left more morose than usual. Though The Old Guard attempted to suppress the news of Devin's death, it nonetheless spread out around the entire bunker. The death of one of the original founding members—someone who had personally seen to many of the families who lived there—was not easy news to live with. It was the final straw. The regular deaths, experienced every time people left to defend the convoys of the colony, combined with this, led to a string of suicides. One after another, for a total of twenty three in under four hours.

Ryan Dufont declares a bunker-wide state of emergency, and attempts to control the situation through an increased number of soldiers on the streets, and increased rations for those without food. The rash of suicides, as quickly as they came, finally stop. At least, the ones publicly known about, anyway. A one day curfew is put into effect on non-combatant women and children, with those missing homes being granted shelter within the bunker itself on its uppermost surface level.

Late that evening, with the curfew in effect, Carolyn walks the empty streets to a local bar...
​

Strange Times​

The bar was largely empty. Only a few patrons had dared to travel the soldier-choked streets to reach this place. They were already silent as Carolyn entered. There, she sees Jenive sitting alone at the bar, with a crutch resting against the bar due to her missing leg. She sits beside Jenive, looking up at the barkeep and motioning for a bottle of liquor for the two of them. Jenive continues to stare, in an empty manner, at the dead wood underneath her arms.

"Jenive."

"Carolyn."

The two continue to stare at the wooden counter underneath their arms as the barkeep pours them both a glass of hard liquor, then leaves the bottle with them. Carolyn glares at Jenive, and quietly reaches into her pocket. Jenive closes her eyes and exhales calmly.

"Make it a quick death. That's all I ask."

What meets Jenive's ears is the sound of unfurling paper. Opening her eyes a little, she looks over to see Carolyn pushing a blood stained letter between them. "Read it." Carolyn whispers, as she grabs the bottle and drinks from it directly instead of her glass. Jenive takes a deep breath, and silently reads it.

"My Daughter,

I do not know how much time I have left to write this. With every letter I print upon this page, my assassin takes another step closer to me. I guaranteed my death by authorizing that last order. I know it... I'm not sure you do, but, one way or another, you will learn of it. Your mother would be so proud of you now, you're so strong. So young. Even after your best friend betrayed you, you remained so stalwart... I remember what it was like to have that strength. I must admit, in my old age, I have grown cynical, hard, and unkind. My entire life has been consumed with this solitary purpose of building a utopia in the middle of hell, and at points, I forgot how to be a good father to you.

I did all of this for you. You, and Jenive, and all the other children I helped one way or another to raise in this place, no matter what they may think of me now. My hands are irrevocably stained... I think it's time you knew the truth. You, and Jenive both—assuming she survives. That convoy, that everyone blames Jenive for, where her husband died... It was Marie's fault. One of her scouting parties was ambushed and killed out in the wasteland, and Bosho's Raiders got access to the radio codes that way. I used Jenive as a scapegoat to blame The Coalition, so that we could slow them down, and buy ourselves enough time to allow U-ARM inside the colony. That way, U-ARM and The Coalition could force each other into a stalemate that we could turn into a long term solution.

Yes, you read that correctly. I was the one who engineered this entire mess you are now inheriting. Well, everything except for this new mutant crisis... Either way, I had not meant for things to get nearly this bad. I had meant to use each of these factions to slow each other down while Bunker Chicago became a meritocratic bastion of free thought and enterprise... To be a place where anyone could go without fear. Yet...

An old, cynical man, allowed politics to consume him. Now his daughter has to live with the sins of her father.

Marie is one of the only voices of reason left. Listen to her. She's crude, but honest to a fault... Far more than I ever was, and should have been.

You are Bunker Chicago's last chance at choosing its own destiny. Don't repeat my mistakes. Use this... Mutant. Go to whatever lengths are necessary so that you can use it as a bonding agent. Stop all this bloodshed, stop all this war. Save this bunker, Carolyn. Save it from my cynicism, save it from The Coalition, save it from U-ARM. Make it a place where anyone can belong again, like it once was.

I'm putting all this on your shoulders because I believe in you. Because I love you. Because your mother loved you, even in her final moments. Don't you ever doubt that.

Sincerely, your Father."

Jenive stares at the letter, her eyes a little less empty, but filled with another emotion altogether. Carolyn grabs the letter, folds it, and puts it back in her pocket. "Nobody can ever know the truth, Jenive... But for the friends we once were, for all the times we grew up together, I felt you should know the words of a dead man who once loved you like one of his own." She quietly steps off her bar stool, and looks back over her shoulder. She speaks, one more time. "In spite of what you've done, because of what The Coalition undoubtedly did to my Father, nobody in The Old Guard's most veteran ranks will ever trust you, or any other high ranking member of The Coalition, ever again. I will try to fulfil my Father's last request, but I don't think this place will ever be home for you again, no matter what you do... Goodbye, Jenive."

A few minutes after Carolyn leaves the bar, Jenive stares at the half-empty bottle of liquor before herself. She grabs it, stares at her reflection in the bottle, and then smashes it against the bar repeatedly, grinding her hand against the shards with each subsequent strike as she screams at the top of her lungs in a mixture of fury and a deep, unrelenting, savage pain. Another few minutes pass, and what few men dared to be out on the streets would watch as Adrik quietly helped the sobbing, drunken mess of a human being back to the bunker.

Soon after, Coalition soldiers were matched one for one by The Old Guard's soldiers in the machine shop district. It seemed there would be no more trust, and no more forgiveness.​