So I had been quiet about this so far, but I feel like I can finally say what I've been wanting to.

It sucks to hear about Roman Reigns and his renewed battle with cancer. I will forever remain a fan of The Shield together or not, as they were the ones that got me back into wrestling all those years ago after I had grown bored, and never did I suspect they'd later on become my biggest inspiration for writing. As a third of that faction he'll forever have a special place in my heart. I admit I had poured every tear in my heart and now I wish him the best of luck in his battle. To see him admit to the world and walk off off that stage with head held high takes a kind of courage some wish they only had a fraction of.

Thank you Roman and get well soon! Believe that! #fuckcancer

Thank you for everyone whose stuck by me this far in this series. I'm so happy I've been able to make it now to the fourth episode of this epic saga and I have no plans of stopping soon. Chronicles of the Shield has truly become my baby and a dream come true and I have all of you amazing people to thank for it. More and more do I try and unfold the epic world of Elysium while keeping you all entertained. For those just getting into the series, I welcome you if things don't make sense be sure to go back and check out the first three episodes Origins, Chimera, and Cerberus.

Here we are with the fouth installment, and starting from Dean's PoV...

Enjoy :D

From Hope Comes Light

We had to take the long way back to Astros to get ready for the next mission. We got ready as soon as we could to head out to meet Orton in the Orion outskirts. Although the communication was silent with the Brigadier General thus far, the only thing we had was the various pictures being sent to Roman's phone of the gorge and the Leviathan encampment. He was allowing us to devise a plan as we made our way over there. To be honest I didn't think we were gonna make it in time.

I had to make an order in short time to get us ready for the raid. The canyon we were headed for was getting the beginnings of the mid winter snow. We changed from our all black tactical uniforms to long puffy arctic camouflage coats to accommodate for the weather. Seth's was hard to get as we needed more of the experimental fibers and Kevlar as he could still render himself intangible without having to freeze. Mine also had to be customized to free my arms to not get in the way of my bow. I chose to wear a thermal protective sleeve on my left arm. The coats and new pants were designed to be both bulletproof, while still keeping us hidden and protected from the conditions. This would he our first raid in such weather, but we were trained for this.

After spending just a little time in the Radiance Providence it felt almost surreal to come back the Alliance's advanced technology. The people felt the same, as well as the government style (just they were ruled by the church), I felt the only difference was just how far behind they were in advancements. I noticed that the houses in Wyndmere were ran on basic electricity, but everything else just felt so flat. It was strange to say the least especially after growing up always having Gale's tech at my disposal at anytime. It proved that Seth and I truly did grow up in opposite worlds. However I felt like it was our uniqueness that kept our bond strong.

That'd made me ponder however. Roman got to see where both Seth and I grew up. Would we ever see the island of where he originated from? Up til now it seemed the only thing we knew about The Big Dog's origin was that he came from an island and a big family. When we started training together he had said that all traces of our previous life had to be erased. Thinking about it now it wasn't hard for Seth and I to do so, since we really didn't have the prestigious or colorful background we wanted to remember. It was amazing just how different he was from us, and yet it still felt like he was in the same boat all the same. His mentor was just as connected to the same incidents leading to the project.

It was terrifying just how much everything sat in place centered around us. We needed to save the Prime Minister, she had the final piece of the puzzle. Once we get our hands on the Eye of Taladen, nothing else should matter as long as we kept it away from Heyman and his muscle man. Instinctively I placed my hand on the cold steel that was now my right arm. I sighed deeply, it would always be a reminder of just how weak we truly were and a deep scar that'd remain in my nightmares forever.

I shook my head as we were finally at the summit of our hike up the cliff face.

Orton was a seasoned veteran in the Special Ops division. I thought we were armed to the teeth, but either the older soldier was that good that he needed so little or he'd used up most of his supplies before we had gotten here. We had only received the first picture from him nearly a week ago, and that's not to say he might have been here even longer.

The Brigadier General was an elite sniper, and personally trained me in some of the basics. His outpost had only his prized rifle on it's kickstand facing outward and pointed towards the gorge. The end was painted a flat black with absolutely no shine and had a ghillie mantle with an arctic camouflage pattern to cover it up. The only other thing seen was a still full container of high caliber sniper ammo and small backpack with its containments lightly spread around the the tiny area. It was amazing to see just what a true sniper outpost looked like, I was truly impressed. He walked around with a lot less than we did, and we were a team of agents...he was just one man. It went show how much experience he had over us. Could I be like Orton one day?

He pulled a pair of binoculars to hand to Roman to survey the area for himself, eventually handing the device to Seth to see the same. I too looked around letting my enhanced eyesight take in what was around us. The area as a whole was bowl shape with only one way in and out from the east side. To the north was a whole jagged red cliff angled in various directions with a few peaks harboring snow. The rest of the area looked the same with just shorter cliffs and of course at the bottom of the bowl was the Leviathan camp, which looked to have fresh snow sitting on top. I looked above us to see puffy gray clouds broken up with a little light from the sun peaking through. The air was still cold and thin up here, but it was looking like we weren't gonna have to fight the weather. That was a good sign.

Orton pointed to the small dirt path to the east, it was just wide enough for a single vehicle. "That'll be our escape route." He started. "When we have secured the Prime Minister we meet there. Dean," he looked at me to give his orders. "you are to treat any wounds she might have and escort her to the entrance. Use any means to keep her safe, you have the best equipment for the job." The sniper patted my metal arm and grinned. He truly had a lot of confidence in us to pull such an operation. "Our number one priority is keep her and each other safe, I'll be providing cover fire from here."

"However the first part of this raid begins with Seth." Orton turned to our youngest still keeping his confident grin. "Just before day break, you'll have to take out their patrols. He reached down to his backpack and pulled out what looked to be another katana and held it out to Seth. It looked exactly the same as when we investigated Ursa Minor. "Taking those out will allow Roman and Dean to get in easier. As much as I know you don't want to Seth, this is how it's has to be done. It's kill or be killed." I watched as our younger brother took the blade from Orton securing it to his back. Seth was fully aware what his place was for the mission to succeed. I knew he didn't want to kill, and that was because his past was so bloodstained he felt that he no longer had to. But seeing as what was at stake, Seth knew what needed to be done.

Lastly he turned to Roman, his old friend. "I know what you're capable of. Make Colonel Styles proud." Orton placed his hands on the shoulders of the raven haired man. "What you have with these two is beautiful and beyond words. In a few months your team will have been together for a year. You guys truly have become the heart of the Alliance. Do what you were trained to do Roman Reigns…"

"Hit em' hard and don't hold back," The two said in unison and sounding like they were trying to imitate AJ's accent. I knew fully what they meant though. Roman was always and insisted to be the first to engage the enemy. I wasn't sure if it was because it was what he was trained to do or if it was because of his sense of duty being our oldest brother. Nonetheless Roman was the infantry specialist of our team, and always made sure that all eyes were on him while the rest of us hit them where it hurts. If there was anyone of us that was truly at home behind enemy lines, it was Colonel Reigns.

For now we'd wait through the night and get a short rest before beginning one of the biggest missions of our lives. While under the blanket of stars we lied on the cold ground that felt oddly comfy knowing that my brothers were by my side. I couldn't stop thinking about what had transpired in Wyndmere. I watched our little brother grow up in an instant. Seth was truly a new man.

"What do we do about him?" I asked pointing to the still unconscious megalomaniac Seth called a father. I observed his being as our little brother faded in and out of the living world. They oddly looked the same asleep. Both men had an eerie innocence about them when they slept. The Count looked exactly like Seth just a little bit older, but while asleep he looked just like another old man. The thought scared me that the deadliest assassins in all of Paragon looked the most innocent. They say your strongest personality shows when you're asleep.

Claudio sighed at my question. He probably never thought he'd see the day when the house he served ever since he was a child would see it's fall. But I without saying anything the bald butler knew this was for the best. However what would happen to Wyndmere? Perhaps only Claudio knew the answer to that. "He stole from the people, and now has dues to pay." The butler sighed again only a little more melancholy. "Seth's bravery is boundless, and I guess he's got you and Mister Reigns for that. You see The Count made us live in fear of him, just as his father did before him. He used to beat Seth within an inch of his life just for looking at him the wrong way. He wanted to make sure he had control over us, he even made us fight each other. But the young master...he was always special."

It was interesting to hear what Claudio had to say about our younger brother. Nothing but praise for Seth and venom for the master he served. Felt strange listening about the life of Seth Rollins from another view. His look changed slowly when speaking about the younger assassin. "His compassion?" The butler nodded his head slowly. I hated to admit that our younger brother was even more compassionate than I was, and I was trained to care for others.

"Honestly, I had no idea. I was worried that Seth would have ended up like The Count and follow in his footsteps. But every time his father would beat him, there was always this look of defiance. He'd tell us to fight to the death and the young master would refuse every time. He truly understood the calling of Tyler Black. It was his compassion, his ability to feel guilt, that separated him from his father. It made me think, what did he see in the journal that was different from how his father saw it." Claudio turned from looking at the ground and stared down Seth's sleeping body and cracked a small smile. It was the same smile I gave Seth and Roman after I got my new arm. He felt free, like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders and he had our younger brother to thank for that. "I can't believe I had turned a blind eye to The Count's crimes up till now. Seth completed his mission, he's broken Wyndmere from a vicious cycle."

Our attentions were suddenly grabbed by a groaning in the corner. The Count was beginning to stir awake. I quickly launched myself from Seth's side grabbing Ceadeus and nailed him in the temple again making sure he stayed sleeping. He'd yet to be restrained and the last thing we needed was him getting away. Seth was still too weak to be able to finish his mission, but that didn't stop me from making sure The Count of Wyndmere got what he deserves. On queue Roman had returned to the room with rope in hand and wrapped it around the older assassin securely.

"Hey Claudio," I started grabbing the butler's attention. "I know it might not mean much, but I'm sorry for what you had to go through. I can't imagine what you had to be feeling all these years." Although my words really didn't have much an impact, just hearing about someone else who went through hard time such as myself isn't easy for anyone. Claudio, wasn't physically hurting over the years, he was still hurting on the inside. Memories of a time that'd forever haunt him, just like myself, Seth, and even Roman. It just seemed like anyone who ever had to deal with or being in the presence of the Eye of Taladen just had to go through hell.

"You'd ever think about leaving here? Like, going to The Alliance? It's not anything special, but it's a different scenery than here. I know what it feels like to be trapped." I slowly returned to Seth's side to administer some more salve on his closing wounds and rewrapping them. I threw the blood soaked bandages in a corner to be dealt with later. "You see, I come from a city called Atlas, where there's only two types of people...the rich and scared, and the poor and savage. It also lives in a vicious cycle. The poor are so angry and violent that it makes the rich and intelligent that can help people stay away, but because they stay away they can't help those who need it."

"What about you Mister Ambrose? What side of the fence do you stand on? You imposing posture and want to jump to violence so quickly says one thing about you...but the way you cared and for quickly you were able to treat his wounds says that you're beyond intelligent especially in medicinal studies." The butler was very observant, just like Seth. It went down to show that they did indeed have the same kind of training. Roman too was just as observant...suddenly I felt left out. My powers of observation was different from theirs. Where I was good at reading and analyzing body parts and pinpoint injuries in mere seconds, I couldn't quite read body language like they could. I wonder if that came with time, I was the only one not raised to be the embodiment of stealth.

And speaking of…

Seth began to stir once more groaning and rubbing his eyes like a small child. The actions made me chuckle just a little. The younger Mereian shifted ever so slightly until he was finally sitting up in bed with his back against the headboard. His hands clasped in front of him like he normally does when he's confused or has no idea what to say. It was like he was afraid to tell everyone how he was feeling. Sometimes I didn't understand the quirkiness of Seth's personality, but hearing it from Claudio explained a lot. He was taught to never show how he was feeling even in distress. It was that same quirk however, that almost got him killed. The thought angered me to I lifted my hand...and struck our younger brother across the face. The slapping sound echoed in the small room catching Roman's attention.

"Dean! What the-"

"I deserve it Ro…" he said quickly cutting off our older brother for whatever lecture he had lined up.

"Good! Well I hoped you finally pulled your head out of your ass!" I shouted at Seth. I was so mad, that I felt slapping him was the only way I could get my point across. I hate the feeling helpless and not being able to help our little brother gave me that feeling. "Seeing you...just...seeing you…" All my words were dying in my throat. I was caught between crying and shouting more. I did the only thing I really could think of. I threw my arms around Seth's neck and buried my face in the crook. I just wanted to hold him close and assure myself that my little brother was safe.

"Dean…" started the younger Mereian.

"Shut up, Seth. Just shut up…" I pulled in the brunet closer that I barely noticed Roman making his way over and wrapping his strong arms around both myself and Seth. Our bond still strong despite the hardships that the world kept trying to throw at us. I wanted more moments like these, with the only family I had left.

We probably sat there for what felt like hours before Claudio cleared his throat catching our attentions. "Not to interrupt," he said giving us a moment to break away from one another. "Seeing as there a strong chance that Master of the household will no longer be in power after today, I'll leave the decision to you Seth. What will happen to this noble line?"

The youngest didn't respond right away and instead shifted out of bed to slip his boots and shirt, that still had crusted blood, back on. Next he returned his holster and harness back to their rightful places on his person and lastly places his batons back on his hips. Seth suddenly looked the same once more back to being The Architect of the Shield. The difference was like night and day and it showed that Tyler Black and Seth Rollins were two different people. I could only hope now that this was a chapter in his life closed for good. "The line ends here, Claudio. Find as much fuel as you can and line the house up as much as you can. Then take whatever you need and meet us outside. Once this place is burnt down, you're free to do whatever. This is for the best."

The last thing I remember about Wyndmere was Seth proudly holding the torch and tossing it on what was once the front door to his childhood home. All his memories of a dreaded life, burnt to ash and he stood there with a grin feeling free…and more importantly…

Redeemed.

According to Orton's information we still had a couple hours before the guard patrol would change shifts, and in mere minutes would the sun begin to show the beginnings of dawn on the horizon. This was it, we went over the plan one more time before finally beginning the operation. The Brigadier General moved his small outpost towards the east side of the bowl to gain more coverage and keep the exit point clear. Seth would start on the west side moving east to take out every patrol and Roman and I would start south moving towards the center with eventually the Big Dog moving north to plant explosives and blow their supplies sky high.

"Remember, this area is labeled as Zero, so no matter what happens here...no one is ever going to know." spoke Orton on the comms one last time. I shuddered at the mundane word again. I hated acknowledging it as it still brought up horrifying memories that left my brothers and I distraught. But I couldn't hate them entirely, it gave us motivation to finally understand who it was we were and what we were meant to do.

As Roman and I made our way down the cliffside, Seth had already sprung into action. Once he was in position he shifted to his intangible state and instantly took out the furthest two in the back with what looked like his a baton to the temple to one and the other baton to the back of the neck. Once they were fully out he switched back to his visible state raising his arm with two fingers in the air signaling it was time for Roman and I to fully get in position.

The Big Dog secured all the claps of the backpack he had in front of his chest. He needed to keep it close as it did hold at least four or five explosives. I felt like Roman was the one to be able protect the package the best as well as he was really the only one that could. We started on our south side and began our move. We had to move a bit slower but I looked over to see three more guards taken out by Seth. I hid behind some supply crates to get a good sniping position from the ground. I pulled Ceadeus off my back switching it into its bow form. Lining up the shot I was able to take out the guard in Roman's path allowing him to slip through as he took out the next one blocking mine. Together we moved forward towards the Prime Minister limousine using the same pattern of attack.

Just as the sky's hues began to change color to a more pinkish color, that was when we knew our cover was up, but the first part of the mission was success and we all were able to rendezvous in the center where the limo was. With no one around us we each shattered a window of the vehicle to see that it was empty. This proved to be a problem as now we had to see where they had taken her to. With dawn finally here it was going to make it harder to move silently. Roman and I turned our attentions to Seth who had that thinking look on his face.

The Architect was about to devise a quick plan as he had become known for doing in the middle of a mission. Where Roman, our leader, was good at making plans to start the mission and making sure we had an exit point, he just wasn't quick thinking enough to come up with a back up if things went awry. That's where Seth did come in however, he was fast on his feet and knew how to adjust to a mission if things didn't quite go as planned. It was just another one the quirks that made us a great team. Where one lacked one of the others were certainly there to pick up the slack. As for myself, I was able to come up with some good plans, but mostly exit strategies to make sure everyone came out mostly unscathed.

Seth finally lifted his head from his chin and quietly snapped his fingers signaling the lightbulb went off in his head. "Orton, we need to work fast." he said over the comms to get the sniper involved in his plan. "We can't work quietly anymore as the next patrol should be making its way to their posts now. Once they find all the dead guards, they're gonna know we're here. Roman is to distract as many insurgents to their ammo supply once he's got the explosives in place. Once those blow, it should hopefully take out many as many as we can so as long as Roman gets away cleanly. That should allow Dean to seek out the Prime Minister in haste with little to deal with. Lastly, Orton will continue provide any cover fire as necessary, while still keeping the exit clear."

I inspected the limousine front to back to see what was supposed to be our exit vehicle. "Hey Sethie…" I got an eyeroll from our youngest as he hated his nickname. I had to double take on what I was looking like, but I knew I had seen and done something the same or similar in Atlas. The hood of the vehicle had been torn clean off and many parts from the engine were missing. Clever of Leviathan to strip it as so it couldn't get away. The three of us inspected the inside as well to see if there was anything of importance to The Alliance as to why they'd strip it, but luckily there was nothing but a cleaned out mini-bar. I looked to our younger brother, "You're gonna need to find us another ride…that'll fit five of us."

"Worry about me last Dean, I got away from Pegasus didn't I? This will be a piece of cake for me. Trust me, I'll meet you guys back in Cassiopeia. You guys are gonna have to show me that cafe you guys keep going back to." Innerly I chuckled, it had been almost three months since we had last seen the girls. Up until now, since we had left for Atlas we hadn't been back. The girls-no our sisters, might have been worried sick about us. We had been so focused on recovery not once did we stop to visit them. I'd hope that they weren't worrying too hard for us, but I still remember Charlotte's reaction when we came back from Ursa Minor. I couldn't forget Roman's cousin either, the last time we saw him was when we had left to go rescue the Prime Minister.

I shook my head, I needed to refocus. If Orton said he could get away on his own merit we were just gonna have to trust him. After all he was the most experienced out of all of us, and Roman seemed to have no arguments with this plan. The sniper was trained on being able to work by himself as we were trained to be a team and a unit. Staying hidden and getting away was his speciality.

I looked up to hear that the Brigadier General fired his first shot. I watched a body headed towards the east side drop down. There was no doubt that Orton's shot rung through the canyon, and suddenly there were many more soldier beginning to move in haste. The time for subtlety was over and it was time to move even quicker.

Thanks to Seth's efforts there were a lot less patrols to deal with making it easier to move around. The younger would still remain unseen and only taking out the ones necessary to get to his destination. Roman on the other hand moved in quite the opposite fashion. He didn't hesitate to let himself be seen and took out insurgents one after another, with backup from Orton's rifle.

Roman's athleticism was indescribable. When he said he used to play sports in school it showed. He was a larger guy you wouldn't think capable of being so agile and seeing how fast he could actually move left me in awe. He was ducking, weaving, and jumping over whatever was in his path in one clean motion one after the other. Colonel Reigns was just something else, and I could tell he wasn't using the project, his movements were his own merit. This was our older brother holding nothing back. He was truly deserving all the praise he received.

Once all eyes were on Roman, it was time to make my move. I carefully tried to shift through all the noise in hopes for a different voice, I couldn't pick up anything in the middle of the madness. I did however, spot another section looking pretty cut off from the rest of the camp. A tent looking similar to what Heyman used in Ursa Minor. It was smaller and looked to be one of those kinds of tents that could be set up quickly. Upon further inspection I noticed the guards blocking the tent were more steadfast and a lot bigger. Even though there was a huge commotion, they remained unmoving. Nothing was ever easy was it?

Gripping Ceadeus it was time to make my own move. I charged straight for the first guard in my way, leaping off the stack of crates. As I was coming down at the same time grabbed the insurgent by the shoulders and twisted his body to the ground. It brought an oddly sinister feeling when I heard something pop in his left knee. For now I was done treating wounds...it was time to make them. All this pent up aggression suddenly had some targets to take it out on. Seth and Roman weren't holding back, so why should I?

I sneered as the soldier tried to get up only to fall back down clutching his knee. Placing the end of my staff under his chin forcing him to look up at me just as Seth did to his father. I could have nearly drowned in the look of fear he gave me. I preferred my enemies fear my presence, it was only my brothers, allies, and patients I needed to smile at me. I felt a rush from the death glare I was receiving, it was one of those moments where my cruel side reared it's ugly head. Swiftly swinging my staff over my shoulder, I aimed to knock him out cold with a strike to the back of his head. I chuckled seeing his body twitch face first into the floor. With this one out of my way it was time to make haste for the next insurgent in my way.

I watched as one made a mad dash for me only to catch one of Orton's high caliber bullets stopping him dead in his tracks. I thought Seth was cold, but all Orton did was just fire the next shot as life moved on.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two more insurgents come at me with blades clutched tight. To avoid their attacks I had to quickly spin backwards just to avoid getting grazed. Both men carried wide swords that thinned out at the end and curved to cut through with little resistance. What did Seth call those again? Scimitars? I mentally shrugged as the second tried to get the jump on me, but didn't get the memo that my hearing is incomparable. He quickly caught the bottom end of Ceadeus in the jaw. The first tried yet again to strike me over head but quickly shifting my staff around I was able to grip both ends and held it horizontally above my head successfully blocking the attack. We fought back against each other when finally I was able to shove his armament upwards forcefully. The second tried to get me down the spine but a quick kick backwards keeled him over and swung Ceadeus to catch the first's sword on the downswing causing him to nearly decapitate his ally.

I kicked my staff up catching both their attentions as it came down I caught and slammed both ends on top of their heads. With one last swing of Ceadeus I was able to slam one end into the waist of the first and the second took a full hit to his lower back. It was time to move on, I was close to the tent. "The explosives are in place." spoke Roman.

"I've secured the escape route." followed Seth, it seemed like the rest of the mission fell on me. As I approached the tent more shots fired from Orton's rifle and even Seth's guns rang through the air, echoing in the entire canyon.

The two standing guard at the tent were a lot bigger than the insurgents that I had been fighting off thus far. I continued to run until I was face to face with both of them. Looking around we were so far away from being able to receive backup from anyone. Roman had to keep the insurgents at the north end and Seth had to keep the vehicle he secured for us safe with Orton keeping the escape clear. I cracked my neck and grinned feeling extremely confident. If I could survive Lesnar, this should be no trouble. Time seemed to move in slow motion as one raised a gun, I instantly raised my right arm as the bullet that was fired ricocheted off its steel plating.

The one holding the gun, looked a bit surprised that my reaction time was so quick. While the second cracked his knuckles. "Dean, status?" asked Roman.

I had been wanting tougher opponents since this raid had started, and realized I wasn't going to be left disappointed a wide grin spread on my face. I reached up to the comm on my ear speaking clearly into the mic that hung down and clung to my cheek. "Give me a minute, Ro."

I looked at my two opponents up and down. Both men were equal to Roman in size, maybe even bigger. Both had pale skin and pale green eyes like most residents of Leviathan and had fleece lined hats. They were wearing baggy cargo pants like us, and white combat boots to match, lastly they had white overcoats with their nation's symbol sewn into the upper left of the torso. The symbol itself was a long serpent with massive fangs and large scales to match it's body, lastly the tail was shaped like a fish fin. It was supposed to be the ancient protector of Paragon. It was a shame they were gonna meet the end of my fury, and the fury of the twin snakes.

The two waited for me to make the first move, which was kinda like me to do so, so I didn't want to disappoint. The first one had a bushy dark beard, that couldn't cushion the blow, hard I had hit him. Both were caught completely off guard for how fast, unexpected, and painful the strike was. I lifted the back end of Ceadeus to strike the other in the neck only for it to be caught. He was much faster than I had expected, wondering if it was his lack of beard. Innerly shrugging, I was pushed to the ground by the beardless one via Ceadeus. He seemed to be smart enough to know I wasn't going to relinquish my hold on my weapon.

Being on my back however wasn't going to stop me. Snapping my weapon around in a sweeping motion caused me to catch the beardless one tripping him and used to the momentum to dig Ceadeus into the ground and managed to get a knee strike, one that Seth would be proud of, into the first one while rising from the ground. (Man if it wasn't for their beards I wouldn't be able to tell these two apart.) I spun my staff up and over my shoulder to catch the bearded one in the gut, then swiftly shifted my hands upwards to swing my weapon like a bat to nail the beardless one in the temple. He went down rather fast.

While admiring my work I didn't noticed the one with the beard had risen and pointed his gun at me. I spun around quickly flicking the wrist of my steel arm holding an arrowhead to his throat. Looking over my shoulder at him with a smirk I reveled in that look of fear again as his gun quickly fell down into the snow beneath us. He himself looked like he had just seen a demon and took off running away from me. I adjusted my coat, being the one who was victorious this day.

I made my way into the tent to see that it was pretty much empty with the exceptions of the support beams and stack of a few bowls in the corner. But there she was brushing the dust and snow off herself and clung to the blanket that she had wrapped around herself. The Prime Minister didn't look rattled at all, in fact she smiled at me showing just how grateful she was. It was a shock to say the least, it had been almost two months since her kidnapping, and we had taken our sweet ass time to get here. I thought she'd be a little more pissed...but she looked so calm. It seemed almost inhuman.

I held my hand out to her not really knowing what to say. How do you speak to someone in her position especially since she wasn't terrified at all. "I'm uhh-"

She didn't hesitate to cut me off, while taking off the brown wig she wore revealing a long turess of shimmering lemon blonde hair. "You're Second Lieutenant Dean Ambrose of The Shield, a well known high-class soldier in the Investigations and Special Ops division despite your short reputation. You're well known in fourteen different medical practices and but have actually performed only 5 according to Alliance records. You are also loud, brash, and often resort to violence too quickly...you are also the one credited with the capture and interrogation of the rogue agent Mizanan. I know exactly who you are." I could only blink as she threw the entire description of who I was in my face. It was no wonder she had a very prosperous military career. Also I didn't know I had records of five different practices of medicine. Crap she was good.

The Prime Minister giggled at my reaction wiping the tear from her brown eyes. I had to admit she was beyond beautiful and even more so in person, leaving me in awe. She instead held her hand out to me. "I am the newly elected Prime Minster, Renee Young." I slowly reached over with my left arm, didn't want to leave a bad impression with my right, and shook her hand gently whilst still staring at her blankly. The blonde let out a short laugh again and she switched hands to shake my good hand. "Are you going to escort me out of here Mister Ambrose?" Still feeling like a silent idiot, I just nodded.

I poked my head out of the tent to look around. Most of the insurgents had moved towards the entrance with more of Orton's shots ringing in the bowl. I motioned for her to stay close and follow me as we made our way towards Seth and the entrance. "I've secured the package. We're headed over."

Renee and I quickly made our way over towards the east entrance, along the way she picked up a handgun from a dead insurgent and helped clear our path. She was able to pinpoint vital areas on people without a moment's hesitation and took any that was in our way with a single shot. Not even Roman was that good, this woman was on another level. I felt so insignificant being next to her.

"Come on!" shouted Seth who had spotted us from a distance firing off two more shots from his guns to peel off more soldiers who were getting up. However, from the corner of my eye I had spotted the same burly guard from before now carrying what looked to be a large launcher type weapon. My eyes grew wide as I heard the sounds of Roman's explosives go off in the distance, but that wasn't what had me scared. I saw Roman approach Seth unknowingly what was about to happen.

I screamed as the guard pulled the trigger on the weapon hurling an large explosive rocket towards my brothers. I felt my body move on it's own without thinking, ready to stand in the way and take the shot for my brothers. I wasn't gonna lose them here, not now, not ever. Even Renee tried to reach for me but even she wasn't fast enough. I needed to protect my brothers, to save them at all costs even if it was my life. Seth and Roman needed to be safe, and in that moment I felt like I was the only one who could protect them. In the last moments one Orton's bullets pierced the skull of the burly guard.

But that didn't matter.

Nothing else mattered right now.

Suddenly, I saw a bright blue glow in front of me...

The start of new episode with more emotional roller coasters to come. Stick around and watch as The Shield take the fight to their enemies. Until next time :D

~CrisisExceed