Home...

It was a concept unfamiliar to Jared since he'd fled his colony years earlier. Over the years he stayed in temporary shelters, the one beneath the Statue of Liberty having been the longest he'd lived in one place after becoming an explorer. Now, as he and Scarlet flew toward their small settlement in the mountains, he considered the word home.

He’d told everyone it was likely a staging area and a temporary home, but he felt like it was home. It could've been the people, the place, or a sense of belonging. He didn't know for certain, but it felt wonderful to say.

They'd flown for several hours and were almost at the new settlement. Jared couldn't wait for everyone to see Scarlet's new form, and he really wanted to see Vanessa. The lingering kiss she'd planted on his lips felt like a distant memory. Absentmindedly, he reached up to touch his lips, remembering the tingling feeling and warmth that spread throughout his body after. It was the first time he'd experienced something like that and he had trouble reconciling his feelings for her.

On the one hand, he found her immensely attractive, but Jared wondered if it was just a physical attraction, or something deeper. If it was deeper, he needed time to explore those feelings. She was the first woman he'd spent any length of time with beside his mother. Sure, he'd had crushes and petty love interests growing up, but it was nothing like what he currently felt for Vanessa, and even Scarlet.

What is Scarlet? Friend? Family? Sibling?

Jared's thoughts dwelled on the question as he explored their bond and what he felt for her. The overwhelming sense of belonging pervaded his thoughts and cemented his feelings. There was something greater than himself to strive for. He had a purpose with Scarlet. He had a responsibility to protect her and he loved her as his family. Jared knew he'd immediately lay down his life for her with absolutely no hesitation.

A saying his dad used to tell him came to mind. Occasionally, there'd be a disagreement in the colony growing up, and his dad as a leader, almost always broke up the disgruntled party members. Every time he did, he'd say, "Love is doing whatever is needed, not wanted, no matter what the cost to self."

Often, Jared asked his dad why he said it, and every time he received the same answer. "Love is not a superficial, fleeting emotion. It's not something that makes butterflies in your stomach. It's your willingness to take care of, cherish, and do everything in your power to provide for the one you love."

As Jared reflected on his father's words, he could see the wisdom in them. However, he also knew there was more to it. With Scarlet, he loved her in that same way where we he would do anything for her. He'd make the ultimate sacrifice, but it was more than just a need that drove him to that conclusion. Every fiber of his being wanted to protect her, love her, cherish her, and protect her from any possible harm.

What he felt for Vanessa wasn't nearly as strong. While he'd do what he could to protect her, he didn't know if he'd reached the level where he would do absolutely anything for her. If he was honest with himself, he wouldn't lay down his life for her at the moment. His mission and vow to Scarlet overrode any feelings and attachment he had for anyone, or anything else. Perhaps that would change over time, but it wasn't there yet.

One thing Jared couldn't quite put his finger on was the way he felt around Vanessa. She made him feel...light. Almost as though he could walk on clouds. He experienced those "butterflies" his dad said weren't true love.

What is it then? Why do I feel this way? Is there a difference between love and being "in" love? Was it even love, or just the anticipation I could love her? That she could return the feelings for me?

These thoughts occupied his mind for the rest of their flight home. The word "home" sounded more right the more times he used it. No matter where they went, as long as Scarlet and the people he'd surrounded himself with were there, he'd call it home. He should've been thinking about their next steps, but also felt it necessary to examine his feelings and emotional state after the crazy that was the last two months. So much happened, and he'd never stopped to think about himself. Sure, he'd examined himself after he gained awareness of the nanites, but he hadn't spent the time digging into the emotions he kept on the back shelf.

Now he'd addressed them, Jared had a sense of self-confidence and knew no matter what came of his relationship with Vanessa, he had Scarlet. The bond they shared transcended any fleeting emotions, and while they'd never become romantically entangled, he didn't care. Nor did he need that. She filled a gaping hole in his life that opened when his parents died. She repaired and filled his heart and if he never found another human being to share that kind of relationship; he was okay with it.

Some part of him hoped and longed for a relationship with another human. Surprising himself, he found he had more love to share. If someone asked him two years ago, he would've vehemently opposed them. Despondent and filled with despair he'd felt incapable of love, but he was wrong on so many levels. If he ever reached that abject state again, he didn't think he'd be able to handle it. It was the lowliest feeling in the world. In contrast to the euphoria he felt around Scarlet and Vanessa, it made him shudder to think about what he went through.

Jared, we are almost there.

Scarlet's thoughts intruded on Jared's self-reflection, and he opened his eyes to look at the mountainside. Sure enough, he could see the faint outline of the cliff peaks above their home. From the direction they flew, it was impossible to see into the valley and the people inside, which is part of the reason they'd chosen the dwelling. Concealed from casual passerby's, it made the perfect place for them to recover, grow, and prepare for war.

"Thank you, Scarlet! Please announce our presence to everyone below before we swoop in. I don't want stray bullets coming our way in fear."

A few moments later, Scarlet unleashed a wave of mental energy as she informed everyone of their return. The pressure on his mind didn't pain him any longer. It appeared as though the last day allowed him enough time to recover from the onslaught of mental pressure endured in the tunnels beneath the earth. Jared hoped the pain of those experiences increased his abilities and fortitude to endure more, but he wouldn't know until he pushed himself to the limit once again.

Their presence announced, Scarlet headed for one clearing a short distance from the cliff. While they descended, Jared could see almost everyone running toward them. He smiled as he watched Vanessa, Elle, and Kitty lead the way. Even now, his stomach fluttered, and he felt a flush creep up his neck. He hopped off Scarlet's back and walked in their direction.

Before he'd gone a few paces, he paused and turned back to Scarlet. "I'll gather everyone for the evening meal and tell them of our adventures. Please keep tabs on your brother's progress and let me know when they near. I want to be there to greet them."

It should take them several days to reach us. I talked with Malsour as we left and he said they would take their time getting here. They want to remain hidden and use the time to gain their strength along the way.

"Thanks Scarlet. Oh, let's keep any thoughts and images to ourselves." Jared smirked. "I want to see the look on everyone's face when they see them for the first time. No doubt they'll look stupefied like I did."

Scarlet snorted and agreed with Jared.

He turned to head for the group advancing on them, but barely made it through the turn when a fragile body leaped at him, making him stumble a few paces back as he scrambled to grab the attacking creature. Only, it wasn't a creature at all; it was Vanessa, and she clung to his neck tightly. A huge smile split Jared's face, and he returned the fierce hug before he grabbed her slender waist and gently set her down.

"It's good to see you too!" Jared said and meant every word.

He knew there was more than just a friendship budding between them. Not as strong as with Scarlet, but there was potential for them to get to know each other better. Now he'd returned, he owed it to them both to explore those feelings to see where they led.

"We didn't know if you would come back," Vanessa said, her words significantly improved in the short time since he'd left.

"I promised you we'd return, didn't I?"

"Yes, but it took so long and I got scared something happened." Vanessa's eye's brimmed with tears and her lower lip trembled. Jared felt his heart soar. He wrapped her in a hug once more and whispered into her ear.

"I'll always come back Vanessa, I promise."

A single tear tracked down her face. Jared brushed it away with his thumb, tilted her head up to his and planted a tender kiss on her lips, returning the favor she'd granted him weeks earlier. Her cheeks flushed a light pink, creating a contrast against her pale skin that Jared found endearing. She really was beautiful, mutations aside.

Once Vanessa gained control over her nanites, she planned to revert her body back to human form. He couldn't wait to see the result. She was already beautiful. He didn't think his attraction extended to her current exotic look, but his emotions were all over the place lately.

It was then that the rest of the group caught up to them, everyone clamoring to speak and ask questions. Jared held up his hand and addressed everyone.

"Hello," Jared said, but everyone kept speaking. He raised his voice and tried again. "Hello!" Everyone quieted enough for him to continue speaking.

"I'll answer all your questions, but not here. Let's gather everyone for dinner tonight and I'll tell you of our adventures...and Scarlet's family."

"You found them?" someone from the back asked.

"We did, and they'll be here in the next couple days. Let's get cleaned up and meet for dinner. As you can see from my appearance, our adventure was not without danger and difficulty."

Jared got them to break up and agree to hold any further questions until dinner. While he and the majority of the people walked back to their homes in the cliff wall, a few remained behind to look at Scarlet. She stood behind them, imposing and resplendent. The changes she'd experienced beneath the earth made her personify royalty. Looking at her now, she looked every bit as intimidating and regal as her mother. In Jared's opinion, Scarlet was even more beautiful and deadly than her mother.

A few minutes later, Vanessa on his arm, they walked into the third level room provisioned for Jared, Vanessa, Elle, and Kitty. The room looked much the same, but he could see decorations, including furs hanging in all the windows, covering the beds, and even a few folded next to the furniture. It looked like the hunters stayed busy.

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Walking to his room, Jared pulled out the only spare change of clothes he had and laid it on the bed. The whole while, Vanessa remained attached to him. Elle and Kitty left for the dining hall. It was just the two of them here, and Jared felt slightly uncomfortable, unsure how to put action to his feelings. He wasn't ready for anything beyond what he'd already shared with Vanessa, but here they were... alone in his bedroom.

"Ahem...," Jared cleared his throat. "I need to get undressed and cleaned up." Vanessa let go of his arm and smiled coyly.

"Do I have to go?" she said, with a mischievous smile.

Jared's cheeks turned red, and he stammered incoherently.

Vanessa held up a hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm teasing..." The way she said it sent shivers down his spine. Even though she hinted at something more, Vanessa turned and walked from the room.

As soon as she'd left the room, Jared collapsed in a heap on the bed. He'd never felt so conflicted in all his life. His body screamed at him to rush over to Vanessa and embrace her, giving in to his desire. That portion of him nearly won out as he lay there panting from the rush of emotions he'd just experienced. Though, with each breath he took, the emotions receded and his willpower became his own again. He cared for Vanessa deeply, but he didn't know if he cared for her in the same way his father cared for his mother.

Is she the one?

The question echoed in his mind, but with the torrent of emotions swirling through him, it was a question he couldn't rightfully answer at the moment. He felt his physical desires for Vanessa, but his heart felt conflicted. He didn't want to give in to the physical urges until he was certain his heart and mind agreed. If he chose a partner, lover, and wife he wanted to choose one for life. She'd be the only woman in his life he shared physical intimacy with and he wanted to be 100% certain she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. These feelings needed careful consideration, but at the moment there was a village full of people waiting on him.

He took a full fifteen minutes of meditation to calm himself. If Vanessa returned to the room, he wasn't sure he'd be able to resist. As it was, he still felt the two sides warring for dominance, but the overwhelming urges and desires seemed distant now. He had enough control to push them to the back of his mind for another day.

Fully calm, Jared dressed himself in his last pair of clothes and joined everyone in the dining hall. A quick headcount revealed that everyone was present and the food ready. Before the meal, he told Scarlet she could go hunt while they ate.

Eating his fill and waiting for everyone else to finish, Jared gathered his thoughts before telling them of the adventures they'd had. So much happened in the short time away, there was much to tell. He also wanted to find out what they'd done during his absence.

"Scarlet and I have a lot to tell and show you. I'll do what I can to describe the events of the past few weeks, but if you'd like to see with your own eyes, you must speak with Scarlet. She's out hunting but will show you the events leading up to our return."

His thoughts organized, Jared shared everything with them. The thought crossed his mind that sharing the actions of the other explorer group and that of the city was too much for them to handle. These people were much stronger than he gave them credit for and after a short battle his reluctance vanished. The truth would hurt, and likely scare a few, but it was something they'd need to come to grips with. They all shared the same mission, and every scrap of information provided valuable insight.

"I'll be brutally honest with all of you. When I thought of what to share, I almost withheld some of what we witnessed. However, I realized that was wrong and all of you deserve to know the truth." Jared looked around the room to see people nodding their head in agreement and looking at him with respect. It was the right choice.

"The first place Scarlet and I visited was New York City. We needed to go back to where her mother entered so she could backtrack to the tunnel underground. It's possible we could've found the tunnel without visiting, but it would've taken the same time. We used the return to the city as an excuse to see if there were any changes in our absence, and to see if the Daggers returned." Confused glances passed between a large majority of those present and he realized he'd not gone into a lot of detail with any of them about the group that held him captive.

"It looks like I need to backtrack even further...The Daggers are a group of mercenaries, a fraternity of sorts. They are roughly the same size as our group here, but they've been scavenging weapons, injectors, and ammunition so they can fight against the oppression inflicted by the cities. The biggest difference with them compared to us, is they don't value human lives like we do. I haven't told all of you this, but they tried to rob from me, and at one point captured myself and Scarlet. Had I not killed most of their group, they threatened to kill Scarlet and take me back to their camp for interrogation."

Jared heard gasps from all around the table. Anger and dismay warred on many faces. A few pounded the table, expressing their outrage.

Jared held up his hand for quiet before continuing. "Our capture was partly my fault. I put way too much faith and trust in humanity and it came back to bite me in the butt. I've learned from those mistakes. That is why it took extreme circumstances before I told all of you about the virus. I still haven't been honest with you." That earned him a few quizzical looks and a note of concern entered their voices as some called out questions.

"Everyone! Let's hold the questions until after I finish speaking please. If I have to pause every time I reveal something else, we will be here the entire night," Jared said, earning him a few sullen looks. "I wasn't entirely truthful for good reason, but I plan to remedy that now. When Scarlet helped you recover from Razael's influence, she wasn't just curing you. She also examined your loyalty and motivations." Jared held up a hand to forestall the outbursts he saw on several people's lips.

"Dragons do this instinctively, whether you asked for it. In your case, I asked Scarlet to ensure everyone's motives. I also asked her to gauge your mental stability to see if you could handle the truths we shared. Should I have asked your permission first? Perhaps, but the state all of you were in just after Razael made me realize most of you would've denied my request. Because of the experiences we had at the hands of the Daggers, I couldn't risk it. We almost died once at the hand of humans. We also didn't know if Razael held sway in your minds still. I get it'll take time for me to garner some of your trust again after violating your privacy, but I felt it necessary and would do it again if presented the same scenario."

Vanessa laid a hand over his and said, "I understand." She looked over the rest of the table and met everyone's eyes. "We understand." She turned back to Jared with a smile and bade him continue.

Holding her proffered hand, Jared squeezed it for reassurance and dove in to the rest of his story. After telling them about how the Daggers died from the drop ship and then again when they arrived at the city, earned him many exaltations of horror and distress. It'd taken a few minutes to regain the room and proceed with the rest of the events. Everyone stared with rapt attention, listening to the retelling of their trek through the underbelly of the earth. Jared did his best to recount everything that occurred after they entered the tunnel.

His side of the story seemed drab compared to Scarlet's, at least until he got to his fight with the horde of lizards. While narrating the events that transpired, Jared closed his eyes and spoke of his actions. He relived the battle, putting as much detail into it as possible. When the story ended, phantom pangs in his ribs and arm made him shudder. The pain almost debilitated him. It hardened him and made him realize that he was now a force to inspire those around him. Perhaps his evolution wouldn't give the cities pause just yet, but he would get there soon.

After his story finished, Jared dove right into Scarlet's adventure. On their journey out of the tunnel, and in the air on their way home, Scarlet spent the time showing Jared her mad descent. The creatures that Scarlet encountered were incredible. No one knew they existed, and several people wondered aloud if they existed before the nanites mutated people, or if they'd always been there.

Jared suspected that they'd always been there. As it was, the beasts contained little in the way of nanites. Those they had, were likely a result of consuming other creatures that'd been to the surface.

A voice from the back chimed in. "Can we bond these creatures?"

"I...," Jared started. "You know, I don't know. They're made of molten lava and they live hundreds to thousands of miles beneath the earth. How would you get them to the surface, let alone stab them with an injector? The idea has merit, but it seems impossible given our current resources and abilities. Perhaps once the other dragons recover their strength sufficiently, we can discuss the possibility of them capturing some of them."

"What happened when Scarlet found her family?" asked Elle with wide eyes. She leaned forward on her elbows, captivated.

Smiling at her, Jared resumed the retelling. "After Scarlet made it past the giant rock monster, she sped up her descent until the heat sapped her strength. She was much too young to make the journey, and only her increased strength from the nanites allowed her to make it that far. It wasn't something we knew beforehand, but it almost meant Scarlet didn't make it back. She reached out to her brothers before collapsing in weakness. Thankfully, she'd made it close enough that her eldest brother, Malsour, heard her pleas for help. They found her and helped recover her strength. The trip back was much easier for her. They arrived just in time to prevent me from becoming lizard fodder. While I took out much of the lizards and two of the giant ones, I got hurt and was completely out of the fight."

Vanessa tightened her grip on his hand and whispered in his ear. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Scarlet and her brothers destroyed the rest of them and protected me until I healed enough to head for the surface. I had time to talk with her family and while many of them will bond with some of you, not all of them will do so right away, if they ever do. Humans treated dragons poorly as all of you witnessed in Scarlet's vision. Her brothers lived through that tyranny. Although thousands of years since, they still harbor resentment for the human race. Especially after we showed them Razael and what happened to him. I know this may frighten some of you, but they've given their word to hear everyone out and aid us in our cause to bring dragons back to the world. So, even if they don't bond, they'll fight be our side."

They will arrive in three days' time. Scarlet's voice echoed in their minds.

Looking toward the door, Scarlet's head rested on the platform in front of the room.

I spoke with them, and they are making steady, but careful progress. They already hid from at least one drop ship, and a couple explorers. They are doing their best to avoid detection.

"Thank you, Scarlet. Please let me know changes with their progress. While we wait for them, I want to spend time with everyone here and take down preferences for bonding. If any of you do not want to bond with a dragon given your experiences, I'd like to know. Also, if there are any other creatures you've found and want to bond, please let me know. As soon as we can, we'll find everyone companions and grow. We'll also want to do some scavenging in your old colony. There's still a lot of stuff in the military complex we might salvage, and every bit will help."

If you want to experience what we saw, including one of the floating cities from a distance, please come here and I'll show you.

Jared looked to Scarlet and watched her make room on the platform for everyone to crowd around her head. One by one, everyone filed out to place a hand on her. She recounted the events quickly and by the end there were many shocked faces staring at them both. Vanessa reacted strongly to the scene of Jared broken and bleeding after his battle. She ran to him and threw her arms around him, forcing him to grab hold or they'd fall over.

"You- you almost died," Vanessa sobbed into his shoulder.

"I--" Jared almost said he was fine, but thought better. "I came close to dying, yes. Ever since I told all of you the truth, you've known there will be times when our lives will be on the line. Some of us may not survive the coming war. Those of us that do will have scars that may never fade. We all chose this path, we forced no one into it, and we all have obligations to see it through to the end. That includes putting ourselves in harm's way, facing near impossible odds, and emerging from these tribulations triumphant. I believe in our cause. More importantly, I believe in everyone here. Together we are strong enough to achieve victory."

Vanessa dried her eyes on his shirt and composed herself. She put on a strong facade for her people, but Jared saw through to her fragile state. The years she'd spent holding their group together taxed her greatly. Jared knew those years were catching up to her, and at any moment she'd fold under the strain. Somehow, Jared needed to help her heal, and make sure she could be the leader these people needed. Over the next few days, Jared planned to spend time with her to talk through her issues. He didn't quite understand her fragility. She, of all the others, should have the strongest outlook on life after reuniting with her sister. Perhaps it was too much, too fast. No matter the cause, he'd use the next few days to find out.

Everyone needed to recover from their ordeal and operate on all cylinders for the next phase of their plans. In contrast to the sober mood of the crowd as they dispersed, Jared felt only excitement.

It's time to build our army!