Ivan was sitting down on his bed, looking out the window. It was dark and quiet outside, save for a few Militiamen patrolling the streets.

”I see. Since they only released one of the fugitives, so hope they won’t release another.”

He decided to check on Jacklyn next, who was fast asleep, snoring like a kitten. With that before him, he’d grow tense with the sight.

The red colored chopper landed on the Helicopter pad below. Three men stood in front of it, waiting for the doors to open. When it did, one of them stepped forward as the visitors exited. “Good to meet you. Mister and Missus Wesley.”

Alice was able to recognize that voice in an instant. When she shook his hand, she asked, “Were you a spy during the Danville incident?”

He smiled. “Hmm, I didn’t know you’d recognize me after that.”

“Uh, you know each other?” intervened Thomas.

“MmHmm, this is Derek. He was a subordinate of mine while I was in Danville.”

“And now that we got introductions out of the way, Derek, what’s the sitch?” Olivia interrupted, walking in between the two.

“Pointless reference aside, it seems we ran into some trouble.”

Olivia pouted.

“Trouble?” Alice questioned.

“Trouble.”

“And what would that be?”

His tone of voice went low. “It seems our enemy used a cheat sheet.”

Her expression was now of worry. “What do you mean?”

“During the shootout two days ago, the Legion was here.” His eyes narrowed. “Worst yet, they allied with the Police.”

Their eyes widened. Alice uttered, “You… You don’t mean…”

“Yes they are.” Olivia confirmed. “Any details?”

“Walk with me and I’ll give you the details.” Derek said, motioning for them to walk with him.

“Can’t you just tell us n-Ow!” She began rubbing her rump, turning to look at a smiling Alice. “Is there something wrong with…”

Smack!

She began grabbing her head to ease the pain. “You’ll make a great parent, Grrr!”

Staring at them awkwardly, he felt relieved that the scuffle was over. “Anyway…, I managed to acquire some more Intel when I was spying on the City-council and…”

“Hello there visitors!”

They jumped at the voices.

“Uh… Mister Mayor, good to see you again.” Derek greeted. “What are you doing here?”

“We just came by to make sure things were going smoothly.”

Alice noticed the well-armed guards that stood beside him, their eyes covered by their glowing goggles.

“Make sure you don’t do anything fishy, got it?” the mayor continued.

“Yes sir. We promise.”

“Good, see you at City-Hall. I’ve arranged a meeting with you all there, so don’t be late.”

“Got it.”

The mayor then winked, along with making finger guns before walking away. His bodyguards were following along. But none of them weren’t aware of their rile-showing eyes though.

Derek leaned back to them, whispering, “Not a single word.”

They complied, and the two would go on to head straight towards the bottom where a small van was waiting for them.

“Take us to Motel Tranquility.” Derek said to the driver, displaying his ID alongside his companions.

He complied. The base was nearly empty as they drove by.

“They look sad.” Alice said, looking at the few soldiers that patrolled the streets.

“Well whaddaya think? After a crazed gunman goes killing their friends and loved ones, what else would you expect?” the driver noted.

“Nothing at all.”

“So why point it out then?”

Alice sighed. “I thought it was worth addressing.”

The driver was quiet, driving them towards the battered exit. After being cleared from inspection, they were now passing through the wheat fields. At that point, the burden was too difficult for Alice to keep carrying. Imagining those civilians hack away at the stalks for hours upon hours upon hours….

She looked at Thomas, and immediately noticed that he was shaking. His hand was clenching onto his lap, and his trance made it easy for her to hold onto.

“Uh…” He immediately lost all tension at the touch. “Thanks, sweetie.”

She gently placed her head on his shoulder. “Don’t mention it.”

Olivia just sat there and watched. She’d tighten the grip on her longsword when she looked away.

“We’ve uncovered that there was a second person behind the escape.” the Detective exposited via the recorder. “If you remember the city ordinances of each base? Each of them have one law in common: No guns allowed for the workers. So, it’s likely that the armed culprit was someone from the outside.”

Derek displayed to them the photos he uncovered. One of which was Ivan, sitting calmly as he looked out into the rain.

“The target is an arms dealer, most likely to supply some aspiring terrorists ‘round here.” the detective continued before Derek stopped the recording.

“Definitely not buying it?”

They shook their heads vigorously.

“Thought so.” He crossed his arms. “Hmm, something’s not right with this damn base. We, along with our enemy knows who that guy is.”

“So why didn’t you confront them about it?” asked Alice.

“And risk getting shot at by the authorities?”

Alice breathed in defeat. “Makes sense."

“So it’s official, we’re in a deadlock.” Olivia stated. “So the question is how this happened.”

He scrolled down to another recording. “Look, I already did part of the deal. Your Equestrian friend doesn’t have to worry about the FBI grabbing him by the tail. However, I’m not letting a criminal control us for a short hunt. So, I propose that we deny your request to grant us a loan to improve the living conditions of our citizens. We will however, support you in the capture and execution of the now escapee of the Den with the abidance of handing half of what we uncover from his body to BLU industries… deal?”

He dragged the marker back to the moment he said, “I’m not letting a criminal control us for a short hunt. So, I propose that we deny your request to grant us a loan to improve the live conditions of our citizens.”

He paused it.

“Bribery then?” Olivia suggested.

“But the mayor denied it.”

It was Alice’s turn. “Maybe he was appointed by them?”

“Bingo.”

Knock, Knock, Knock!

“Shoot.” Olivia muttered, sliding out the longsword from its sheath. “Grab your guns, we’re going to go for a ride or something.”

Alice and Thomas hid under the beds as they wielded out their pistols. The two men armed their pistols ducking underneath the window. Meanwhile, Derek pressed himself against the door before grabbing onto the knob. He pulled the door open, revealing the barrel of a rifle sticking out. For seconds on end it swayed from left to right.

“Show yourselves, Mister and Missus Wesley!” the soldier shouted.

“Hello Mister Walters.”

The barrel pulled away, making a snapping noise.

Derek walked away from the door and allowed them in. In front of them now were three men in light green vests, armed with some high-tech gadgetry on their rifles.

“Now what the hell are you doing here?” Derek asked.

Walters walked up to where the TV was at, picking up a small little candlestick. There, he separated the two, revealing an earpiece in between them.

The four froze in astonishment.

“You both really need to inspect where you’ll be carrying out these conversations.”

They felt flustered at this. Walters would ignore it to say, “I’m here to support your little investigation… Mostly because we have a new lead.”

Ivan couldn’t sleep. He was tossing and turning since he laid in bed. Finally, he sat up and got out. He walked over to the conveniently placed water cooler next to the door. It made him giggle just watching it. “Heh, they take that element crap a bit too far, don’t they?”

He dispensed some cool water into a plastic cup. At the same time, he took a look at Jacklyn’s uniform, which was scattered over the floor.

“Shoot.” Ivan flinched back, feeling the cold water rushing over his hand. He let the rest of the water splash to the floor. Then he heard Jacklyn’s bed rustle, making him stand still. The rustling kept going… "Shoot!”

But then it slowed down.

“Nngh… Oooh.” Jacklyn cooed, shifting position in bed. “Hmm~.”

Hearing her snore gave him the okay to sigh, “Phew.”

Quickly, he drank all the water before tossing it in the nearby garbage can. He looked at the uniform once again. That, combined with briefly glancing at the sleeping Jacklyn felt cringe worthy, for many reasons. He shook his head a bit before lying back down on his bed.

“Damn Jackie.” he’d mutter.

“One of my mercs was reported missing one night prior to the incident.”

They each retained their surprise at the new info.

“And?” Derek asked.

“That’s it.”

Alice asked. “So what does that have to do with the incident?”

“You just said the answer, lady.”

“Uh…”

“Anyway, Derek, do you have any photos of the second culprit?”

“No sir,” he took out the other photos. “None of them display him or her.”

“Any surveillance footage of him or her?” Walters asked. “There’s gotta be some. Especially in an area like that.”

He took his phone out again, pressing play on one of the recording files. “We would have surveillance footage for you. But it seems the second culprit took it out before his or her face could’ve been revealed.”

He then stopped the recording, handing him a photo of the broken computers used to monitor the area. “And I didn’t need to infiltrate the building for that photo. The detective was the one who showed me the monitors himself.”

“Shoot.”

“What was his or her name anyway?” asked Olivia.

“Glad you asked.” Walters slipped out a photo of his own, placing it in between them. “Her name is Jacklyn Taylor. She joined Nova two years ago. Then she disappeared, and thus we’re here.”

Olivia pondered this for a bit. Then, after snapping her fingers, asking, “Sir, what‘s the standard armament issued to your men and women?”

“Uh, the Xm-8?”

“And what cartridge do those rifles use?”

“A Five point Fifty-Six by Forty-Five Millimeter.”

“Derek, did the ones found at the crime scene match that description?”

He took out another photo, putting the cartridges on full display. “I guess it does.”

“But then how does this confirm that she’s the one responsible?” Derek added.

“I doesn’t...”

They were about to give their own ghastly reactions to this, before Olivia stopped them dead in their tracks. “Completely.”

“Then why bring that up to begin with?” Walters, now annoyed, asked.

“Since it’s just a coincidence.” she crossed her legs; “Other rifles at the time of that one used it also. That’s why we need to take drastic measures in order to find out.”

“What are you…” Walters immediately figured it out. “No, we’re not doing that! We’re up against the freaking US Army! They run everything in this damn safe zone, including the Police force!”

She placed Jacklyn’s photo in front of him. “So you’re saying that she’s not the one?”

Walters was quiet, but had reason to speak again. “We’re solving this case with all the resources we have. We violate the treaty, then it’s all over for the both of us.”

“BLU is already playing dirty this time. They know who’s who, so they’re not going to hand it to us on a silver platter.”

Alice looked at Jacklyn’s smiling face. With a hint of vindictiveness, she asked. “Also, what will you do with her once she’s captured?”

Walters couldn’t speak, tapping his feet sporadically amidst the silence.

“Hmm, because I believe she can be an extremely viable asset.”

Nothing.

“Mister Walters, do you even know how they operate?”

He shook his head.

“Then tell me, when they confirmed he was quote on quote, dead, who went to his quote on quote funeral?”

He thought of it for a moment. “Jacklyn Taylor… She told me she was going to take a day off to attend it.”

She smiled.

The theory was making his feet thump with more velocity, before finally stopping. “But that doesn’t confirm that she’s the one responsible for getting him out of this damn place.”

“Which is why I completely agree with Olivia on the matter.”

“What?” the others said in an outcry.

“If you absolutely want to be sure Mister Walters, then I suggest we come up with the best strategy to acquire it.”

Walters rested his head over his hand. “Ugh, Miss Wesley, why do you want to even do this?”

“Because…, there’s something I want to find out for myself.”

“And what would that be?”

Marianne kept flipping from one side to another. “Grrr, damn it.”

She sat up, resting her head over her knees. She held that position for a while, unable to do anything. Anything but look out into the evening sky, where only the stars were glowing. Beneath those stars, she could see him, lying flat on his belly, sniper rifle in hoof. With a reluctant moan, she got up, put on her clothes, and headed over there.

Big Mac battled to keep his eyes open, and it seemed as if he was losing already. His hooves kept shaking, unable to hold onto the rifle for that long.

“Want a drink?”

“Huh?”

He heard a clasp next him, where he then found a can of cola sitting there. He faced up, seeing Marianne holding a can of her own.

He looked down to inspect the can. “Pepsi with... Cappuccino?"

“Interested? It's from the Soviets. Don't know why the west doesn't have them though.” Marianne said, opening her own can before drinking it. But when she was done, she saw that Big Mac hadn't drank his. Instead, he only gave it a heartless stare.

“Oh come on, the soviets aren't gonna poison you or anything. So give it a try.” She took another sip from her can.

“Ugh... Okay.” Without holding back, he opened it, and drank one full gulp of it. Placing it back on the concrete, he gave a brief review. “It’s… It’s all right.”

She smiled. “That’s good to hear.”

Then she sat down herself, letting her arms support her as she leaned back. "Still can't believe that the..."

“So why are you here?” he asked, looking back into his scope.

“Ugh, I couldn’t sleep.” Marianne groaned.

“So why are you drinkin’ soda then?”

“Thought you needed some company, so I voluntarily gave myself a dosage of caffeine to fulfill that.”

“Oh…" he said indifferently. "Thanks, I guess.”

“No Problemo, buddy.”

There were silent a bit, but it soon ceased.

“Man, this hunt is tough, isn’t it?”

Big Mac grimaced at the mention. “Eeyup.”

“But, do you wish things weren’t like this before?”

“Eeyup.”

“I do too.” She took out a little dim flashlight, reaching into one of her pockets to take out a photo.

Big Mac, seeing this, leaned over to check it out. “Is that…?”

“Yep, Jackie, Ivan, and I.” she said with a consoling smile. “Back in the old days.”

Jacklyn held onto Ivan’s arm with a cheery smile, while Ivan and Marianne looked towards the camera with the modest of smiles. It made Big Mac feel, sad. “It must’ve been great back then.”

“N’ah. Chicago was a huge crap hole back then also. But we held on, or at least, that’s what I want to believe. I didn’t know things would get this bad after…, you know.”

Big Mac faced the sky also, reluctant to say it, but he did. “Ivan told me… he told me that it was far worse than what I did.”

“Really?”

"Yeah, he told me that he killed people back there." he explained.

  Marianne frowned. "Oh, he told you then."

“Eeyup, did Ivan ever tell you of the pocket knife he carried?”

“Actually no. Not that I remember of.” Marianne said.

Big Mac felt baffled at this, but shook it away speedily. “Well, he said that he used to carry one around. Because… of what was happening in Chicago.”

“Like what?”

“Something about kids being kidnapped by various people.”

“Oh, that. Heard about those incidents, but since the cops had everyone by their ass, it seemed unlikely.”

He sighed. “But…, Ivan said the sisterhood kidnapped one of his friends.”

“Oh…, that.”

“Said that he-”

“Big Mac.”

He looked back at her, realizing that she was now leaning forward. Her head hanging low, as a visible frown could be seen through the night.

“I sometimes wish this’d never happen…, But what am I to do, right?” Marianne giggled. “There’s more to it than that.”

Big Mac was silent, choosing to take another sip of his soda.

“Do you often wish the stuff that happened to you, never happened?”

“Eeyup…” he admitted. “I wish my parents never died. That way I’d never touch that bottle of wine.”

“But what about Fluttershy? You never would’ve-”

“I‘d probably meet her some other way. Destiny doesn’t lie.”

With a smile, she exclaimed. “I’d beg to differ.”

Big Mac didn’t say anything for a moment, looking back into his scope. “Can we… Can we not talk about this anymore, for our own sakes?”

She took another sip. “Alright then, didn’t want to talk about it to begin with?”

“Then why’d ya ask?”

She looked out into the plains. “I said I didn't want to, that doesn't mean I didn't need to.”

“Oh…, Well, you just did."

“Yep.”

The two of them took another sip of their sodas. “But Marianne?”

“Mmm?”

“One more thing…, uh…, do you ever wonder how you’d make things right?”

After a little pause, she’d answer, “Sometimes.”

The streets were absolutely empty, only streetlights were on. Which left the buildings to be nearly pitch black.

“Thomas?”

He turned away from the outside, facing Alice. “Yeah?”

“You were very quiet at the hotel room, what’s wrong?”

He looked back at the streets before sighing. ‘Um, nothing’s wrong. It’s all right, sweetie.”

She pouted. “Just tell me.”

She could feel him tense up, before breathing out eased it. “You seemed to have got it, so I said nothing. That’s all.”

“And is that a bad thing?” she persisted.

He smiled. “Nope, it was okay.”

“Thomas, we can’t work this out if you’re going to be like that.”

“I’m fine, sweet-”

“No. You’re not.”

“We’re here.” said Derek, while the vehicle slowly halted.

“C’mon, we don’t want to cause a stir, don’t we?” he said before opening the door.

She immediately dropped it. “Alright then, let’s go.”

He smiled, before walking away.

“Alice.” asked Olivia.

She turned around. “What is it?”

“One minute you’re nearly pissing yourself, the next you’re acting like George S. Patton. What’s up?”

Alice took a deep breath. “It just happens, nothing I can do.”

“Then you better know what you’re doing. Got it? You can’t just lead with a bipolar attitude, you know.”

“So does that mean that I’m…”

“Why not?” Olivia shrugged. “It’s better for a six year old to be the subordinate, rather than the leader. It doesn’t seem right image wise.”

“Um, okay then. Your first order of business is… uh, follow me.” Then she left the car, and caught up to him.

Following her, Olivia only rolled her eyes. “Ay ay commander.”

In a few seconds’ tops, the group would meet in the middle of the stairway. Where the mayor was waiting.

“Mister and Missus Wesley, glad to see you guys!” called the Mayor.

“Hello there Mister Mayor, fancy you seeing-”

Thomas felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. “Aaargh~!”

“Thomas!” Alice would scream, watching him collapse onto the ground. A pool of blood forming from underneath him.

The two guards turned took their pistols out and turned around. That’s when more bullets began coming in.

“Get inside, now!” the mayor screamed, and the others did as instructed.

Thwap!

One of the guards collapsed immediately after being struck with a bullet to the face.

Blam! Blam! Blam!

Thwap!

The second guard suffered the same fate. At that time, the others were able to make it inside as a squad of infantrymen started storming out with rifles in hand.

“Please help, he’s hurt!” Alice screamed before one of the soldiers was quick to take him in.

“We’ll do our best!” the soldier ensured her before the exchange happened.

“Good Luck, sweetie.” Thomas uttered through the pain.  “Go… get ‘em.”

Those words made her world stand still for a bit.

“Whoa, Ma’am!”

And then her world was moving again. She grabbed onto him in the nick of time before handing him to the soldier.

“C’mon Missus Wesley, we’ll be discussing the issue at hand in my office.” the Mayor ordered, but no response. “Missus Wesley?”

“Yeah?” she stammered, turning to look at him. “Oh, right, let’s get to it.”

And eventually, they’d reach his office. After getting themselves comfortable, the Mayor would begin.

“So the red team is here to investigate the Ivan Bentley case, right?”

They were left in shock, but nonetheless answered yes to the question with a nod. Derek however, would go on to state, “We’re just as concerned as you are on what he’s capable of.”

“Understood. It seems that we’re in the same playing field.” He lifted his hand and made a snapping noise. In no time, the doors opened, where three soldiers would enter with guns at their hips. This left all of them in absolute disbelief.

“Uh…” Alice recomposed herself, shouting, “Hey, what is the meaning of this?”

“We already know what he’s capable of, but the real issue at hand is what he’ll do with that kind of power.”

Then he smiled. “However, this isn’t up for RED to find out. Which is why you’ll be… Well you know.”

The three soldiers marched in, followed by three more behind them, and another behind them. Ignoring the mayor’s flummoxed reaction they lined up in a semi-circle, creating a barrier across the large office.

“Uh, men, I only asked for…”

With that, Alice too lifted a hand, Snap!

Red smoke burst from the soldiers. Once it flew off, men in brown tuxes appeared. Their revolvers quickly pointed at the mayor.

Though distraught, it wasn’t going to dissuade him from going with plan B.

Twwch!

The com link on his desk exploded into pieces.

“Shoot.” the Mayor muttered.

“Now, with that out of the way,” Alice started. “If you don’t want to die for blatantly violating the Treaty’s terms, then do the obvious.”

He pouted. “I’ve known Trevor for a long while. He and his group of fighters struck fear into my heart.” the mayor looked at a picture frame beside him. Which depicted a soldier standing proudly over a rock alongside two others. “But it’s in the past now, and now I’m here running Fort Xavier, all thanks to him.”

“With those beans spilled,” Alice said, “This means you are under arrest by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation for violating the terms of agreement granted by the Treaty of Two thousand-Nine.”

She stood up to point her pistol at him.

“What… what the hell do you mean? I didn’t say that he was the reason for me in office, not to mention saying only one thing so far!” After a brief laugh he rebutted. “You’ll be the ones going to the slammer for such slanderous accusations!”

Another set of thumping boots were heard. In time, US soldiers were now at the front door.

“You people are foolish for such a plan.” he stated confidently, before it would be lost once the soldiers joined the spies in their standoff.

“Uh…”

“I don’t think that’s the case sir, sir.” said the squad’s leader.

“But… Why would you…”

“It seems that our PA systems were hacked, along with our surveillance and defense systems.” he explained. “We apprehended the spies, but it turns out they led us to you.”

“And how long have…”

“Since the moment you were about to execute them.”

He held onto his grudging mood until he finally sighed in defeat.

“You have the right to remain silent, anything you say-”

“I say will be used against me, yadayadayada, I get it Sarge.” He groaned again, standing up from his seat. “You people are just too stubborn.”

“And I guess it paid off.” Alice said with Triumph in her heart.

They were all silent.

“So I order you, drop your guns.” he shouted. “You seriously believe that I’m some puppet man for BLU?”

After a brief pause, the Sargent spoke. “Yes, we do. For now, you’re guilty until proven innocent and vice versa, or whichever you associate yourself with. Weaver, Reyes, take him away.”

Two of the soldiers immediately walked over to him and cuffed him.

“Grrr.” he grumbled. “I repeat, you people are downright stubborn.”

“And I repeat, it paid off.” Alice and the others watched as he was hauled out of his office. With a wide grin on his face, she reached to her com link. “Good job, boys.”

“Heh, the dead ringers did half of the work, ma’am. But thanks anyway.”

“Alright then, whatever you say. But you’re welcome no matter what. Alice out.”

Static!

“Clever work there missus Wesley.” commended the Sargent.

“Uh, thanks.” she said, blushing.

“Now then, we want to know what’s been going on.”

Her smile became an awkward one thanks to the seriousness in the Sargent’s tone. “Uh… Okay. We’ll be at the police wing.”

“Alright then.” then the Sargent left.

Her smile instantly vanished to give out a sigh. “And I’ll make sure of that.”

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Who is it?”

“They’re associates of Missus Wesley, sir.” the visitor called. “They request to speak with her at once.”

“Alright, let ‘em in.”

The door would open, and after a brief scan of the wrists via a special rectangular device, Mister Walters and his guards would enter.

“Alice, I…”

“Missus Wesley.” Walters said. “We have something to…”

Slap!

Everyone in the room was aghast at what she did. Grabbing a hold of his cheek, he spat, “Hey, what the hell was…”

“You nearly killed my husband, that’s why!”

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb, asshole! You think you’re going to outright cover that up? The jig is-”

With a push of the button, the barrel of his rifle turned to the left. The camera was now right in front of her. With that, he pressed ‘play’.

Rat-at-at!

The uniformed man collapsed upon receiving bullets to the face.

“God damn it, now of all times!” Walters shouted angrily. “Hopefully they’ve managed to get inside!”

Rat-at-at!

“Get down!”

A barrage of bullets bashed against the concrete like woodpeckers banging their beaks. At that moment, he pressed ‘pause’.

“Believe me now?”

  And that stance quickly loosened. ‘Ugh…, looks like we were an open target. The mayor probably lured us out to make sure we get disposed of.”

“And how does that make sense?”

They turned around, where the Mayor was seated, his cuffed hands tied around the chair.

“Why the hell would I get caught in the crossfire just to kill you guys?”

“So…”

“Exactly!”

“Even if you were do the ‘right thing’ Mister Mayor,” Olivia said; “You failed to acknowledge that doing what you were about to do and covering it up is a violation of the Treaty.”

“And how would you know?” he asked. “You’re just a guinea pig in Redmond’s cage.”

“It may not look like it, but I lived long enough to know what’s going on.”

The Mayor hissed.

“Both the Allies and the Empire agreed to the Treaty for a reason, you violating it wasn’t the right move there.” Olivia said. “It doesn’t matter if you were funded by a criminal or not. You calling for our immediate execution was proof to show who you’re loyal to.”

There was an awkward silence. Then Alice would break it. “Uh… Olivia, what did you find?”

She said nothing, choosing to show the answer instead.

“First off, I’m surprised that you’ve been hiding here all along… And I’m also surprised that you decided to go after him… It was hopeless to begin with, you know.”

The second culprit, Jacklyn, would say. “Why Marianne?”

“Huh?”

“We were friends since the first day we met…, why would you do this?”

“Pfft, look who’s…” Olivia rewound the footage.

“We were friends since the first day we met.” Then pressed pause.

“Just as you hoped Alice, just as you hoped.” Olivia commended.

“Indeed.” she beamed. Then she looked at Walters. “So, are you inclined to our offer?”

The proof was right in front of him, no doubt it was her. He immediately calmed down and sighed. “It’s a deal.”

Ivan sat up on his bed. He felt like checking on Jacklyn again. Still fast asleep, clenching onto her blanket like a baby. He couldn’t help but watch a bit, even though the thought of it was making him mope again. He looked back out at the window, where the moon, combined with the night sky, was beaming down on them. He could still hear her snore, that typical snore she always had. Hearing this, made him smile a bit. But, thoughts in his mind wanted him to do otherwise.

It was overbearing to say the least.

Thomas was asleep, unable to wake up anytime soon. With that, Alice gently got ahold of his hand. Gripping it tightly. “So with me in charge, what then?”

“Where do you want to take it then?”

“That’s why I’m asking you.”

She crossed her arms. “Well you’re not getting anything from me.”

Alice  sighed. “Olivia, I’m scared.”

Olivia quickly loosened her tension. “Well, that came out of nowhere.”

“We’re just doing this all over again.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“Huh?”

“Look at you, we’ve already got the information we need to hunt that man down, don’t we?”

She nodded.

“Plus, you seem to have your rubbish together… kind of. So that’s another benefit.” Olivia mentioned.

She nodded again, tears visible in her eyes.

“Now quit crying there, nothing’s going to get better if you do.”

“Yeah.” she said, wiping away her tears. “You’re right.”

“But.., I guess it does make sense for the two of you to worry though.” Olivia admitted, clenching onto her longsword again. “That ‘Ivan’ person looks like someone you shouldn’t mess with… at all.”

“Well, there’s more to it than that you know.” Alice then laughed gently.

“I guess there is… I guess there is.”

Another wave of silence passed, nothing but the heart monitor could be heard.

"Did I... Did I do a good job?" Alice asked timidly.

With a raised brow and a laugh, Olivia answered, "Obviously." Next Chapter: Chapter 8 Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 15 Minutes