Wazzup, peepsles!? It's Angel here! Wait a second, Angel updating on time? Get to the Apocalypse shelters, because that never happens! On another note, I've decided that review responses will only be in response to direct questions. Sorry, guys. I already have a hard enough time with life. I might say something about your comment in the author's notes, but if you want an assured response, leave a direct question. Anyhow, let's get to it! And no more words of wisdom, since no one seemed to care or notice that they were different last chapter. Now, questions (unless you're reading this from Quotev and I've answered yours directly)!

Emde13: No, you may not flip tables yet, especially since I'm updating today for you.

And now, onto the story!

Shadin POV

By about five minutes later, Seto had simply curled up into a ball and refused to talk. He stopped shaking, but he was silent, his eyes squeezed closed. Occasionally, he would mutter something indecipherable. I couldn't really do anything for him, and that made me feel worse than I can describe.

Now, don't go thinking that I forgot about Mitch. Because I didn't. He had gone flying about twenty feet away. After assuring myself that Seto wasn't in any immediate danger, I moved to where Mitch lay. He was sprawled on the ground, unmoving. I brushed his hair out of his face and held my hand just below his nostrils. He was breathing, but only faintly. A large bump was already forming on the back of his head. Ouch. That couldn't be comfy. I peeled back his eyelids just a bit. Shit. His pupils were dilated. That couldn't be good.

I've done this before. The thought sent chills down my spine. This is almost the exact same thing I did when I first found Mitch. I really hoped he wouldn't lose his memory this time. My heart was hoping, but at the same time, my gut was sinking.

I pushed back tears. I couldn't stand to see him like this again.

I was shaken from my thoughts by the sound of Angel arriving with the others. I stood up, walking over to meet them. "Seto's really shaken up, and he doesn't seem to hear me. Angel, do you think you could talk to him?" She nodded.

"I'll see what I can do." She walked over to where Seto was curled up.

I turned to Jerome, Zek, and Nelly. "Mitch is in bad shape, too. I think he might have a concussion, and he's unconscious. I don't remember all my first aid, but I'm pretty sure that's not a good sign."

Jerome's eyes widened as he shook his head. "No, it's not." He rushed over to where Mitch lay and knelt beside his friend, cradling his head in his great furry hands.

Nelly put a hand to her temple and frowned, her eyes closed. She nodded once. She opened her eyes after a second. "AJ wants us back at base ASAP. We've already got too much to deal with. I'm sorry. I know that you want to go after your friends, but–"

"No," I stated. "I've already made my decision. I'm going after them."

Nelly sighed. "Shadin, I know you're not really familiar with our–"

"I don't care about your protocols, or whatever!" I snapped. "Lexia isn't just my friend. She's my sister. Even more, my twin. I already left her behind once, and I'm not doing it again."

After a brief moment of looking surprised, Jon put his hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off, a hurt expression on my face. "You too, Jon? You're telling me you don't want to go look for them?" Nelly scooted away slowly, giving us some space.

He paused for a minute, weighing his words. Huh. He never used to do that. "Shadin," he began. "I know that this is really hard for you. It is for me too. I want to go look for them, too."

"Then why don't–?"

He held up his hand. "This is really stressful on both of us. It's hard to think in times like this. But just look around. Your brother is in no condition to do anything, and neither is Mitch. They need help. We're not giving up on Lexia or Sky. I promise. We will find them. We just need to rest a bit, get ready so that we can actually do them good. You're not leaving them behind. You're regrouping so that you can save them. Let us help you, so that you don't go and throw your life away on some stupid decision."

"But it's my decision to make," I protested.

"But that decision affects more people than just you! Don't you think Mitch would care if you got killed because you tried to do this without being ready?" His eyes softened. "Don't you think I would?"

Both ways would hurt me more than I can say in words. I felt like a huge scar on my heart just got ripped wide open again. By this time, tears were streaming down my face. My voice got so quiet that I could barely hear myself. "Jon, do you have any idea what I've been through in the past six years? I made a huge mistake, and I paid for it every day. Don't make me do it again. Please. If anything happened to them, it would tear me apart from the inside. Please don't make me make this decision." Either way, I would probably fall apart. My eyes pleaded with him, though I'm not sure which side I was pleading for.

Jon wiped my tears away and pulled me into a hug. "Then you don't have to. I'll make it for you, and that way, if anything happens, it's on my shoulders, not yours," he whispered to me. I nodded. "We go back to the base. Okay?" I straightened up, wiped my face, and nodded.

I don't remember too much from what happened next. I think Angel finally got Seto to stand up and walk, even if he still wouldn't say anything coherent. Jerome was carrying Mitch.

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but we ended up in front of a hillside with a large opening in it. If possible, Seto got even paler when we arrived. "No," he whispered. Angel leaned over to say something quietly to him, but he didn't relax much.

There were two people, a guy and a girl, standing outside, waiting for us. The guy was vaguely familiar. I think he was a celebrity of some sort before the whole Herobrine thing happened. His eyes widened as he saw Mitch and Seto. "Hey. You guys don't look too good. You need some help?"

Zek nodded. "I think Mitch needs medical attention badly."

The man nodded. "Nelly, can you please take Mitch and Jerome to the infirmary?"

Nelly nodded and motioned for Jerome to come with her. I moved to follow, but Jon's hand on my arm stopped me. "Wait," he mouthed.

Angel piped up. "I don't think Seto's in any condition to be questioned right now, even if that is procedure."

The man took another look at Seto and the way his eyes looked wide and unfocused, and he nodded. "Take him down to my quarters and make him comfortable."

Angel and Seto went into the opening, leaving me, Zek, and the two strangers.

Finally, the man turned to address me. "Hi. I'm Jordan, also known as Captainsparklez. And you are?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"Shadin," I murmured as I shook his hand. He had a firm handshake and a warm smile. I was glad that he wasn't one of those people with a handshake like a wet fish.

The girl studied me for a minute before extending her hand. "I'm AJ." When I took her hand, instead of shaking it, she pulled me into a hug. She grinned when she released me. "Sorry, you just looked in dire need of a hug."

Jordan glared at her playfully. "AJ, I swear, you like scaring the new recruits."

She shrugged. "It's true. Trolling people is fun! I hope I didn't scare you too much, Shadin."

"I'm okay," I said. "To tell the truth, I did need a hug."

"See, Jordan? I know these things!" She gave him a smug grin. He rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. AJ went on. "It's standard procedure for everyone who we accept to go through a short series of questions, so if you'll follow me, we can get that over with."

I looked at Jon. He gave me a small nod, and I followed AJ into the depths of the tunnel.

Daybreak POV

Spying got really boring some days. I never got very close to anyone for long because if I did, I ran the risk of being caught. That wouldn't end well for anyone.

Today, I was on the rotation of guards that stand inside Herobrine's throne room. I always got a bit nervous in this job, since I can never tell if Herobrine is looking at me through those white eyes of his. In all my experience here, he is the single person better at hiding his thoughts than me. If you think you know what he's thinking, that's because he wants you to. He gives me the shivers.

Today was a pretty normal day so far. A few of his captains had reported to him. They wanted fewer zombies in their units, or a reward for some person they captured. Nothing new there. Something did feel off, though. There was a tension in the air.

An attendant whispered something in Herobrine's ear. The demon-king nodded slowly. His fist was clenched and he appeared to be brooding deeply. That was the Herobrine equivalent of throwing something across the room.

Into the room walked a tall man in an officer's uniform. I recognized him as one of Herobrine's generals. Alverbachie, I think his name was. Or at least that's what everyone called him. Some strange rumors have flown around the barracks about him, and I had a feeling I was about to have a few more to pass around by tonight.

That is, if I was still around. Even though Herobrine is a master at hiding his emotions, he was prone to exploding in anger, occasionally vaporizing a guard or two. I gulped.

Alverbachie had his head down, and he looked scared.

"Your Majesty?"

Herobrine's fist unclenched and he slowly met Alverbachie's eyes. Or at least, I think he did. "Yes, Dmitri?"

Alverbachie quavered under Herobrine's cold gaze. "I– I have news."

"Of course you do." Herobrine's voice was quiet, yet commanding.

Alverbachie grew pale. "We captured the girl." His voice was surprisingly firm.

Herobrine's lips tugged into a slight smile. "And where did you find her?"

"Your Silent Swords found her, Your Grace. An extreme hills biome, from their reports. They have her under guard in the desert."

"I want to make sure you have the right girl. What did she look like?" He wore a smug grin now. That didn't bode well. If he were actually happy, he wouldn't have shown it. He was toying with Alverbachie.

Apparently Alverbachie noticed this as well. His eyes widened more and any confidence he had evaporated. "Sir? She had one blue eye and one split between red and silver. Her hair was dyed black, and she had a long string of tattoos running down her arm. That is the girl, right? Shadin Mortis?"

Herobrine stood, chuckling quietly. Shit. "Oh, Dmitri. You sad little fool. Even so, you do have your uses. You have given me a very important piece of information. No, that was not the girl. It was her twin sister, Lexia. But she is equally important to us. Where did you say she was?"

Alverbachie saluted. As if that would save him from Herobrine. "The desert, sir. Under the guard of Jorge and his squad."

Herobrine's fists clenched. Alverbachie clutched at his throat as if he was choking. "You mean the squad that was killed earlier today?"

Herobrine's calm tone of voice shattered. Now he was shouting at the top of his lungs, making the whole room shake. "You imbecile! You let her escape! You knew she was on the top of my priority list, yet you left her. You left her! And now, because of you and your arrogance, both the Mortis twins are at large! They will destroy all that we have built!" With every word, Alverbachie rose another inch into the air. Herobrine's voice lowered once again, this time simmering with contempt and rage. "You are a sorry excuse for a son." Wait, what? "Now that you have let this problem get out of hand, you will be the one to fix it. And if not, well. . . You know what happens."

That was news to me. From all that I'd seen, Herobrine had no living relatives.

Alverbachie was flung against the back wall of the throne room. My eyes widened as he got up, saluted, and left the room. That impact should have snapped his neck. Especially at that angle. Wow, maybe he was Herobrine's son after all.

Herobrine was still simmering with anger as he turned to me and the other guards who lined the walls. "Get out. Now."

We weren't stupid. We got the hell out of there before you could say "craft."

While the other guards went to let our commanding officers know that Herobrine wasn't to be disturbed, I slipped off to the barracks. It had been weeks since I had sent a message to the rebels, and this was something I was certain they would want to hear about.

My cat, Sunset, meowed in greeting as I walked in. I stroked her head as I started a letter to AJ and the rebels. When I was done, I pulled out a stolen fish from my pocket and gave it to Sunset. She purred as she ate it, then I gave her the letter. This was how I got messages to them. I have no clue why, but Sunset could always find the rebels, even when they had changed locations. I let her out a window, then I moved to leave the barracks.

I opened the door, only to come face-to-face with my commanding officer.

And that's it for today! New POV, more cliffhangers, and things like that! And yes, ZZefyre, now that you say it, it does scarily resemble the Mortal Instruments series. 0.0

Anyhow, see you peepsles later!