Eventually, everyone's tears had run dry, but no sound came out of their mouths. A silent agreement hung on the atmosphere, keeping them in focus and getting lost in their own thoughts.

The only sound that could be heard was the sizzling of grease over fire.

Becoming worried about the others, I decided to cook something. I ventured inside the storage and found some meat, vegetables and juice jars, and brought them to the kitchen.

Karah, the short girl, with about 1,50m, with short, black hair looked at me. She has hazel eyes with greens strands - beautiful. She looked at what I was doing, got up and walked towards me. When she reached my side, she gave me a little punch in the arm, and took the frying pan behind me, smiling slightly, while putting it over the fire. I was happy with that, and still not saying anything, I sliced the meat in beef, and gave it to her, along with the fat needed so it didn't burn.

As the pleasant smell of fried meat got up in the air, Markus, the blond haired boy, around 2cm shorter than me, and with a build bulkier than mine, joined the kitchen.

He sat on the long table that stood between the kitchen and the "living room" and started playing with his dogtag again. He had taken the badge off the chain, and was throwing it up and catching, like it was a coin, making a pleasant, chiming noise each time his thumb hit the metal.

Scarlet was also already up, and looking through the balcony at the forest all this time, but as soon as she saw the gathering, she joined us.

The pleasant smell only got better, as the vegetables were added to the frying pan. Rice was cooking on the right, and I used the juice and some spices to make gravy for the meat, in the back. Seeing me cooking skillfully, everyone raised their brows while looking at me, almost asking "What? You know how to cook? But you're a boy!"

I shook my head, dejected, smiled to them and said:

"I used to cook together with my mother, back in Earth, so I kinda learned my way through the kitchen"

The solemn atmosphere came back, because I mantioned my mother.

"Sorry" each of them said, in a low voice. I, then, answered:

"It's alright. As long as I'm alive, she is too" and I made an effort to give them my best smile.

It was heartwarming to see they cared.

I finished making the food, and distributed to everyone, giving them plates. And man, it was so good seeing their satisfied faces.

Sun had begun to set outside, and the sky looked like molten lava, it was truly a beautiful sight. So beautiful that after eating, everyone gathered at the balcony. After a few minutes, I begun speaking:

"Guys, as you all know, we are in Exitium. This might be the most beautiful thing we've ever seen, but it doesn't change the fact that we are in extreme danger." I got their attention, so I continued. "Before saying anything else, I need to ask you all something. I was chosen as leader of this team, wich is shown in my dogtag" 

Then I bring up my golden medal up my palm and show them

"Do any of you object that decision?"

Karah punched me in the shoulder again, Scarlet was looking angrily at me and Markus shook his head.

"Why are you all angry? Did I do anything?" I was beginning to get nervous, because of their reactions.

"Yes you did." Scarlet said "You asked a stupid question. You spent all day taking care of us, worried to your wit's end. You made us food. You tried to lift our moods. Damn us if we reject someone who cares about us like you do"

Calming down, I sighed and said:

"You guys scared the shit out of me, dammit. I was getting all worried you'd gotten angry with me outta nowhere"

Then everyone laughed, before I continued

"Well, with that issue solved, I want to propose that we train on fighting everyday, sparring and stuff. And besides that, you all still need to get the bomb in each of your tanks..." I say sighing. They all got scared for a moment, and realizing my mistake, I corrected myself:

"Not literally a bomb, just a very irritating message from a sadistic doctor... Anyway, it's starting to get dark, and I don't think I wanna know what lurks around at this hour."

"Well then, I think we should all go to sleep" Markus added.

"Agreed, we got a long day tomorrow" I answered.

Then, I said out loud:

"Initiate lockdown protocol"

This was one of the commands I learned for the seed. There was a list of commands on the wall beside my bed.

After saying that, mechanical noises were made again, and the balcony opening was closed by three consecutive metal blinds, leaving only thin stripes, that let us see a bit of the outside, and kept a constant breeze inside the room.

To ensure the lockdown, I put on a glove I caught in the arsenal earlier, and punched the blind with all my strength. It didn't even budge - good.

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Giving everyone the "ok", we all went to sleep.

The beds were lined up from right to left in the following order: Me, Karah, Scarlet and then Markus.

It didn't take long before everyone fell into a dreamless sleep, mentally exhausted.

Four hours was the time I had to rest, before my ears caught the noise of ruffling leaves outside, it seemed like something very heavy was approaching the seed - so I hastily got up and equipped my gloves, glad that I went to sleep fully clothed.

I didn't explain before, but the gloves I got had a kinetic gerenator, when I activated the "Shock mode", it generated electricity with the movement of my arms and punches, and discharged on whatever it hits. Inside the box where I found it, there was an explanation, mentioning that it also made an electrostatic field around me, impeding the shock of hitting back, as if I was inside a Faraday Cage.

Everyone woke up along with me, but I told them to keep quiet and wait, while I did the recon of the outside.

I said "initiate visual recon"

And a hologram appeared in front of me, displaying the surroundings of the seed.

Nothing appeared wrong, but I felt the presence of something - it was unsettling.

I activated my glove's shock mode, and said "Lockdown: exception for Nathan Eden"

While walking towards the blind.

When I reached it, it suddenly opened up, letting me through, and closed when I reached outside.

The doctor wasn't lying when she said our eyes were enhanced. I could almost see as clearly as day, even in the moonless night before me.

Crouching and moving slowly and noiselessly in the grass, I paid attention to my surroundings, trying to find the threat.

Feeling strange, I stopped. Something was wrong. Everything was too silent, the tall grass around me had stopped making noises. And when this happened, I heard the breathing of a huge animal. If not for that, I wouldn't have reacted fast enough to avoid the enormous paw that swung at me from my right. I jumped to the side, rolling on the ground - and looking at my arm - there were three big cuts, where blood was flowing out. Dammit, it has claws.

I finally caught the sight of my enemy. It was a huge, black wolf, standing 2,5m high, ten meters away from me.

I started shaking my right arm slowly, to generate electricity, and my glove started glowing blue, as an arc of energy formed in front of it, breaking the dielectric resistance of the air.

The adrenaline in my system made my heart rate spike, and suddenly fist fighting skills dominated my mind. All of this happened in the short span of 5 seconds, as I had a stare contest with the wolf.

The wolf then bared its teeth, tensed the muscles on his hind legs, and leaped at me with unearthly speed. But my senses were focused to the max, I had seen his muscles tense, I expected him to jump - and I had the confidence from the fighting skills I'd been shown.

As the wolf was about to catch me between his jaws, I used a boxing sidestepping technique, and threw a lightning fast jab at the side of its head. The speed and strength of the punch were so ridiculous that my gloves spread tentacles of light that turned the grass all around to cinders, before touching the wolf, and instantly killing it, frying his brain.

I looked at the wolf on the floor, and fell on my knees, after confirming it was dead. All the strength in my body faded along with the adrenaline. How did I do this? I never thought I could fight. Still on the ground, I let my back rest on the body of the dead wolf. But some other sound spread out in front of me, which made my heart race again.

Preparing for another fight, I lay in silence and wait for the attacker... But it never came.

What appeared before me was a baby wolf, a white, blue-eyed, half-meter-high, pup.

It approached me slowly, looked at the body of the black wolf behind me, then looked at me.

It stared me in the eyes for a few moments, started getting closer, and reaching my feet, it bowed its head.

Remembering a bit about Earth wolves, they always accepted the strongest of the pack as their Alpha, the one whose order they must abide. And seeing this, I realized it recognized me as its Alpha.

Lifting its head again, it got even closer, and it sat down beside my hip, under my bleeding arm, and licked my bloodied hand. I smirked a bit, always having loved animals, and petted it on the neck.

Not seeing the blood mark on its neck, I accidentally touched an injury, which made me receive a bite, and another bleeding hole in my hand.

"Sorry, little pup, I'll be careful next time"

Then I got up, and headed towards the seed again, bloodied all over, and accompanied by a baby wolf.