Char stood in front of his men. Not a single one budged, standing firm waiting for his address. The look on Chars face was definitely not something to take lightly. He was scowing, displeased in both what he had heard and the result of their attempts. He turned to face Faust, who was no longer bearing his usual grin that made him look creepy.

"I take it you are upset with us Mr. Director?" Faust was obviously displeased in the outcome as well, but he feared what sort of backlash his approach would bring. Yes, Char had given the order not fire unless fired upon, but that wouldn't have worked. Faust had taken his own initiative, hoping the shock value would be enough to make them surrender. Instead, he had fueled their escape and angered his commander as well.

"Is it true what I heard? You executed a child in front of them?"

"Yes sir. That is correct."

"Why?" Faust lingered on the question. He could answer honestly that he didn't put any value in the refugees lifes, but he knew that would bring even more backlash. Knowing that Char wasn't there to witness it with his eyes, he played that to his advantage.

"Sir, they were already threatening to use the hostages against us. I knew that if we showed that we had no concern for them they would abandon the idea." It was a farfetched lie, but Faust knew that Char might bite on it. It made logical sense in his mundane sense of justice. Sacrifice one to save the others.

"So you're telling me, that the Alphas, who were actively protecting the refugees, suddenly turned and used them as shields? I'm sorry Faust, but you can't expect me to believe that."

"But si-"

"You're hereby relieved of command and will be facing suspension. You will return to the Helix tower and continue assisting the staff there. I will handle this ordeal on my own from here on out." Faust felt his temper flare. Who was he to reprimand him? Sure, he may be the director, but Helix would have been nothing if Faust hadn't of contributed to the research.

"Char, don't you think that's a little harsh? I am, after all, the one that began the search for the girl. I'm even the one that heads the project we need her for."

"You have a point Faust. You are the one that heads that project. We can't have you putting your life in jeopardy out here can we?" Faust stung with regret. He shouldn't have said anything in the first place about the project. This did present him with a counter argument however.

"But sir, if I'm to stay in the safety of the tower then what about you? You are our director and chairman after all."

Char considered Faust's statement. If he was to argue that Faust needed to stay for safety, he couldn't side on a different front for himself. It was reckless of him to lead the assault as he had in his Wolf, but he didn't expect their transport to be as heavily armed as it was.

"Fine. You have a point Faust. I'll bring out one our operatives then. Why don't we call in Kirsch?"

"Sir, you don't mean Kirsch Vossel do you? You're just as likely to be in danger being around him as much as you are fighting directly."

Kirsch was one of the first humans to undergo experimentation for the Alpha program. Unfortunately, it wasn't perfected at the time, and Kirsch suffered a horrible accident. The excess iron that was put into his body for the process became defective, being pushed out of his body. What was left was a man in constant pain, his cutaneous layer of skin covered in metal shrapnel. Despite his defect, his body had been strenghtened by the process, and he continued to work with Helix. He soon became one of their most feared captains.

"Yes, I mean that one. Despite his brutish appearance, we happen to get along quite well. He was one of the first people to accept my vision for the future after all."

Faust had no choice. He was going to have to return a failure. That didn't mean he couldn't assist from there either. A thought suddenly crossed his mind as well. If the director is absent from the tower, then maybe there were some things he could poke his nose into to further his research. He nodded to Char, and began walking back to their base.

"Oh, one more question Director."

"What is it Faust?"

"That transport. Did it look familiar to you at all perhaps?" Char thought about the transport he had engaged in combat with. The weapons were far too advanced to have been crafted by a simple group of rouges. It required complex thinking and engineering. Only one person with talents to those extremes came to mind.

"It was Sukomotos wasn't it?" Fausts grin returned to his face once more. So Char hadn't forgotten about her. That was good for them, because it meant they knew where to look to next. Even if it would be a hard fought fight.

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Marcus and the others toured through the barracks. There was nothing particularly special about them. It was a standard living house for soldiers, divided into sections with stacked beds. On the side of the barracks was the W.R.A. armory. Inside, various weapons and ammunition could be found, in addition to a shooting range if one felt their aim was getting rusty.

As they walked through the facility, they felt the soldiers taking glances at them. They seemed just as suspicious of Generation as they had been at first. It was only natural though, as these soldiers were never accustomed to what a normal life was. Instead, they had been raised to fight, looking to return the favor to their creators.

As Lyria brought them down one of the halls, she pointed to two divisions on each side of the hallway. "These will be your rooms. Inside, you'll find W.R.A. fatigues as well as hygiene supplies and a bed for each of you."

Marcus glanced inside of the rooms. There were two stacked beds in each room with a singular bed having been placed for accomadation. Each member looked over their new homes with a bit of reservation. While the Underground hadn't been exactly what you would call spatious, these rooms were smaller. They were only barracks though.

"If the clothes don't fit, please bring it to my attention. And yes Briggs and Germaine, we have sizes that will fit you. You two have the room on the right with Akatsuya. The three on the left will be Marcus, Amanda and Maple whenever she is released from the hospital." Marcus had tried to keep Maple out of his mind for the time being. He knew she wouldn't take Alyssas passing so easily, and dreaded going over it with her.

"Now, while the rest of you make yourselves at home, I'd like to speak with Marcus." What did Lyria want this time? The rest of Generation nodded and made their way into the room . On the right, Akatsuya claimed the top bunk while Germaine and Briggs fought over who would get the bottom bunk versus the single bed. Amanda proceeded into the other room and pointed to the singular bed. Marcus gave her a nod, affirming that he was fine with that arrangement.

Lyria grabbed Marcus arm and drug him back outside and pointed back at the hospital. "About Alyssa, we have arrangements if you would like to go that route. I know it probably isn't the preferable idea of a resting place, but we can bury her here if you wish." Marcus had yet to give it much thought, but he knew there was no way to bring her back. She was gone.

"Yeah, I think that would be best. I'd like to talk to Maple first. It was the cause of her eruption in the first place." It was better that Alyssa was buried here than in the middle of nowhere anyways. At least they would be able to come back and visit her once they finished the task that lay before them.

"Yeah, that would probably be best. I know I didn't really get to meet her, but she seemed like a nice young lady. I'm sorry for your guys loss." It was odd. Marcus had noticed it before in the operations center, but Lyria seemed to have dropped her sassy attitude towards the members. It was a reminder that everyone was who they were at first glance. He thought of how they had treated her as enemy when she first appeared but now she was their greatest ally.

"Thanks. If you don't mind, I'd like to go back to the hospital and check on Maple again. I'm assuming by the tone of the dome above us that it's nigthttime?"

"Yes, glad you noticed. The dome changes shades of intensity as the day passes. It doesn't only protect us, but it helps decorate this city as well. Enough about that though. I'll take you back to the hospital." The two jumped into Lyrias SUV, driving off towards the hospital.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

After a short drive, Lyria pulled around the front of the hospital, parking her suv in a reserved space near the front. The two hopped out but Lyria stopped short of the entrance, "Um, do you want me to accompany you to see her or would you prefer that I hang back?" Marcus was glad that Lyria respected their boundaries and relationships, but he didn't mind if she was there. They would have been more losses if she hadn't come through for them.

"Sure, you can come along. It might help Maple to sit down and talk with someone else besides me anyways." Lyria gave a nod and the two proceeded into the hospital.

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Maple turned from the window as she heard her door open. She was now standing and had been gazing out at the cityscape when the sound of the turning handle broke her daze. From behind the door, Marcus poked his head in. He had a pleasently surprised look on his face, most likely at seeing Maple walking so quickly. It had only been half a day since she had awakened.

Maple gently raised her hand in a casual wave when she noticed somebody else step through the door. Lyria poked her head out from behind Marcus and gave Maple an enthusiastic wave. Maple gave a gentle smile back but turned her attention back to her father. They did have things to discuss after all.

"Dad, about Alyssa. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Marcus didn't know how to answer the question. He could see the redness around Maples eyes, signs that she had been crying recently. Her face was sunk in, almost corpse like. Alyssas death was defintely taking a toll on her.

"Um, I'll be honest Maple. I didn't know how to tell you. You ended up losing control last time, and I didn't want you to hurt yourself futher." Marcus wasn't sure if she had remembered everything that happened, but something had definitely changed in what time he had been gone. He was glad to see her body beginning to heal, but he was doubtful that her mind had.

"The nurse told me about Alyssa. It's ok though. I'm going to make sure they pay. Every last one." Marcus felt his stomach drop. The way she had stated that, along with the sinister grin on her face told him that Maple was far from recovering. In fact, it seemed she had let her mind dip into an abyss that might be impossible to climb from. He couldn't tell her that they wouldn't avenge Alyssa, but turning everything into a bloodbath wouldn't solve their issues.

Marcus felt Lyria slip past his shoulder, cautiously approaching Maple. She extended a hand, resting it on Maples shoulder. "Hey, I know how you feel. We're going to right everything wrong they've caused in this world, but simply killing them all won't make it go away. I'm sorry about your friend, but letting that hatred drive you is just going to get you killed too."

Maple slowly turned her head to meet Lyrias eyes. "What the hell do you know? You worked for them, had a nice home, had a nice city. We've never had nothing thanks to them. I couldn't have a mother, I couldn't have siblings. The closest thing I had was Alyssa and they took that too. Why shouldn't I let it drive me? The more I let it burn the stronger my powers are. I can use that to burn their world to the ground."

Lyria felt a sense of dread come over her. She had figured the events that transpired would change Maple, but she never thought it would push her to this extent. It was almost as she was the walking incarnation of hate and tragedy altogether, waiting to lash its fangs out at the world at any time. Lyria steeled herself and reapproached, "Maple, you may think that because I worked for Helix that I never saw their crimes against the world. Those crimes are what drove me to leave though and make a stand against them. You're not the only one that's suffered, nor will you be the last if we don't do something. However, we have to get the people on our side and realize that we can make a change. If we go through your approach, they'll just fear Alphas even more than they do now."

Lyria hoped her rationing would break through to Maple, but it seemed to only go through one ear and out the other. She contined to have that deep, dark look in her eyes. Lyria gently pulled her hand back, and looked to Marcus for help. He walked over, wrapping his arms around his daughter, "Maple, I know we've lived an unfair life. Killing them isn't going to change it though. We need to bring them down not just with violence, but justice as well. If you go about killing them without showing why, we're showing that we're nothing but murderers, villains who seek to enforce their ways through bloodshed. We would be just like Helix. Just think, if we stop them and fix everything, nobody else in the world will have to go through what we have. They'll get to keep their mothers, have siblings, have families, live in nice homes. Don't you want to bring about that change?"

Her fathers words echoed in her mind. Could they bring about that change? Would it really be possible to combat that fear that people had of Alphas and truly make a change? She cast the thoughts from her mind. She had already lost too much. She wasn't willing to bet something of that scale on the idea of justice. If it was so reliable then why had it fell in the first place?

"I'm sorry Dad, but I don't think your way works. I think mine would be better." The words haunted Marcus. Maple had never really defied his way of going about things, and this was not a great time to make that change. He had always let her have freedom in her views of the world, but he knew she was going down a path she would never be able to return from. He felt desperation kick in.

"Maple, please listen. You're still under too much stress right now. Why don't you go lay back down and get some rest?" He hoped that maybe if she got some more rest and recovered more, her mind would return to her in a clearer way. With what had happened, it probably felt like everything was shrouded in fog to her, peeking out from a frosted window.

"Yeah, I probably do need to rest. Sorry for startling you Dad. I guess I just haven't fully woken up yet." Coming from a normal person, Marcus would have shrugged it off, but the sinister smile was still on her face. He didn't know what to do. Surely no parent had to go through this, but there was nothing he could do but leave her be for the time being and see if she began to improve as time passed. He motioned to Lyria to step out with him, and the two left, Maple staring in a daze at the ceiling.

Outside, Marcus shut the door and turned to Lyria. Before he could say a word she spoke first, "Marcus, I'm sorry. I swear, I told the staff to not let her know about Alyssa until you felt she was ready." Marcus wanted to yell at her, to say it didn't matter how sorry she was. He knew, however, that it wouldn't have changed anything. Maple was going to take it hard regardless of who told her and when. He just didn't expect her to crack.

"Don't worry about it. Hopefully it will fade as time passes. I remember when she found out the truth about her mother she went through a similar spell. I shouldn't be too surprised with how rough her life has always been. Most of the stuff I saw as a soldier she saw as a child. I only wish there was some way to change it."

Marcus folded his hands over his face. Not wanting to show his weakness, he covered his tears with his palms. He tried to remember the last time he cried. Helen. At least, when he knew that it had been too long for her to escape, he had shed tears. He suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him, a face bury in his stomach. A muffled voice came from beneath him, "Um, this is out of character for me, but we don't really need the heroic Marcus Wright to be crying do we? I mean, it would probably hurt morale if they saw this. I've only known you and your team for a short time. Most of it was a nervous standoff and shouting orders at you guys to shoot, but... I really am glad your team is here. We've held out for so long but we've never been able to launch our own offensive. If you can do what you did in Marlow, I'm positive we can inspire others to take up arms and join us. With that strong of a force, we can change the world to be better for everyone. That way, nobody will have to live like you and Maple, nobody will have to lose anyone."

Marcus didn't know how to respond. He felt his breath at a standstill, his demeanor faltering further. He was never one to need support from others, Helen being the only one that had ever went out of her way to nurture his emotions. He felt alienated from the idea that a stranger could share the same passion that he had to bring justice back into the world for not just the people, but the Alphas as well. Yet, tightly wrapped around him at the moment, was one such person that had that same passion.

He felt her grip loosen as she stepped back and heard her rummaging through her pockets. Within seconds he felt something soft being shoved into the crease between his hands and face. It was a handkerchief. "There you go big guy. Why don't you take some time to get yourself together? We're gonna have alot of work to do." Marcus grasped the handkerchief and wiped his eyes. He nodded to Lyria, and she gave back a warm smile. She walked past him and down the hall, calling out as she went, "Just come find me in the operations center in the morning. We'll go from there."

Maple closed her door back shut. During their discussion, she had creaked it slightly ajar and peered from within. She wasn't surprised at how her father had handled her reaction. He had always been one for the idea of chivalry and that justice should reign supreme for the equality of all. She had decided that wasn't the case for her.

She looked at the armwraps, the bandages clinging to her skin like leeches. She slowly began to unravel them, careful to loop them under the IV that was ran into her. Piece by piece, she felt the air run to her arms, snaking their way across the flesh. The skin on her arms and hands had grown a shade darker from the burns, giving it a similar appearance to the texture of bark. It creased and folded it way to her fingers. 

She looked at the IV that ran ino her arm. She ran her fingers around the tube, pressing down to find its depth. The pain in her arms no longer hurt the same way as before. While they still stung, it felt like her body was eager for her power to reawaken. She grasped the plastic tube, and began yanking it out. Inch by inch, the IV slithered its way out, coating itself in blood as it regressed. Maple gave it a quick tug as it hung up, and it tore loose from her arm, dangling across the floor, fluid still flowing from it.

Maple looked at the hole that was left in her arm. Blood flowed freely from the wound, tracing its way down her forearm and hand, dripping like a leaky faucet from her fingers. Yet, the hole in her arm didn't hurt. Instead, she felt a warmth go up the length of her arm. It felt as if her body was speaking to her. She held her hand over the hole and pressed down firmly. Her hand suddenly flickered into a warm glow, flames dimly sprouting up. Instead of pain, she only felt warmth. Her skin remained intact, feeling a tingling sensation pass over the spot under her hand.

Maple pulled her hand from the wound and gazed it. It had completely closed up. Her skin on her arms suddenly began to peel back, a gentle flame cloaking her appendages. She braced for the pain to follow, but just like with the hole, a tingling sensation ran up the length of her arms. She watched in amazement as the skin flaked away, dropping like ashes. Underneath, a smooth skin coat shined in greeting. It looked like the skin had been freshly grown anew. Maple extened her distorted smile. Finally, something had changed for the better...