One Week Later (04/11/39); Asher Darma's and Yul Bannock's Terrific Shop Of Weapons
Three knocks are heard at the door. "Oh Yul! We have the knocking!" Asher exclaims as he jumps out of his chair. Yul slowly walks towards the door.
"It's probably just The Freedom Reach again. Look, mon, we can't keep giving them free stuff. We need supplies too." Yul sighs as he approaches the door.
"Nonsense! We must always help the friends!" Asher shakes his head before Yul opens the door and is immediately forced against the wall as three assault rifles are pointed at him. "Hey! Get those weapons away from the face of my friend!" Asher yells before three more men run into the room and tackle Asher, holding the guns against him as well.
"So, this is where they got weapons for the war against The Sight." Draven Powell mutters as he enters, accompanied by several guards. "Take what you want, men! It's fucking Christmas!" Draven smirks as his men begin to rush through the shop.
"Who are you?" Asher asks from the ground.
"And why are you holding us hostage?" Yul adds, annoyed at the guns in his face.
"Does The Freedom Reach sound familiar?" Draven glares before Asher's and Yul's faces become tense. "We are getting ready to wipe them off the map."
"You will not hurt them, bad man! Yul, let us take them to the fight!" Asher yells from the ground, squirming slightly.
"Mon, I don't think we really can..." Yul sighs.
"Not with that attitude!" Asher exclaims as Draven's men return with duffle bags full of weapons and ammunition.
True Haven
CJ Hawk wakes up in his bed and, when he sees the window open, he groans. This is the fifth time Erin Frost has ran away. He leaves his home with his minivan's keys, ready to go for a drive and find Erin.
"Where you heading?" Gov asks from behind CJ as he gets in his minivan.
"Erin ran away." CJ sighs.
"Again?" Gov raises an eyebrow. "Let me grab Anna and we can get going."
"You and Widow don't have to come. I can handle this myself." CJ shakes his head, determined.
"Like last time? Didn't she trap you upside down, tell you that you are too predictable, and run away?" Gov looks at CJ with an unamused expression.
"I'm not a strategist, I'm just a soldier." CJ defends himself. "Plus, I still caught her after I finally managed to cut myself down."
"Still, Anna and I are coming with you." Gov sighs before walking off to find Widow.
Elsewhere
Jason Sabre is lying in his bed, thinking about how this little war began. "Fuck. Mar really knew how to destroy all our hard work. This is absolutely fucking crazy." Jason thinks to himself.
"Am I interrupting?" Silas asks from the doorway.
"FUCK!" Jason falls out of his bed from shock. "Dude, ever heard of knocking?" Jason groans.
"Not a priority. Let's go." Silas turns away as Jason stands up.
"Where are we going?" Jason questions as he catches up to Silas.
"We are going to spar." Silas mutters as they exit the house.
"I'm gonna kick your ass for breaking into my house." Jason scoffs.
Several Miles Away
CJ Hawk is driving while Gov Myers and Widow Jones look for Erin out the windows. "Maybe you should give up on her." Widow suggests.
"Anna, you know that isn't in Cedric's nature." Gov looks at Widow through the rear view mirror.
"I know, but she has been more trouble then she's worth." Widow sighs. Suddenly, one of the tires gets shot. CJ stops the car and gets out, getting immediately greeted by Erin Frost, who is aiming her rusty dual pistols at him.
"Erin! Why are you aiming guns at me? I thought we were pals!" CJ asks, raising his hands.
"I keep telling you to stop following me. Do I have to kill you, Cedric? Because I really don't want to." Erin grits her teeth.
"Enough." Widow growls as her and Gov come out from around the van, aiming their pistols at Erin. "Lower your guns."
Erin reluctantly puts her pistols away and lets out a sigh, "I'm going back to True Haven, aren't I..?" Erin looks down.
"Well, we can't get back now, unless you want to walk?" CJ shakes his head, not noticing Widow looking up at the hills.
"Toby..." Widow mutters, getting Gov's attention. Gov looks over and is shocked.
"The Defiant." Gov nudges CJ and points at The Defiant, standing at the top of the hills with Echo at the front as always.
Back at True Haven
Silas Frost and Jason Sabre are sparing. Sabre has more cuts and bruises, while Silas is breathing heavier. "I have a theory about this Moral Compass." Silas informs as he throws a right hook.
"Shoot." Sabre replies while blocking the hook and knees Silas in the stomach. Silas groans in pain before grabbing the knee and pushing Sabre to the ground. Sabre quickly gets up.
"You mentioned a strange figure from The Serendipity Cirque. This Ruin." Silas states as Sabre throws a thrust kick, only for Silas to grab it and sling Sabre to the ground yet again. Sabre is once again quick to get up.
"Yeah? What about him?" Sabre asks as he pretends to knee Silas, only to punch him square across the face. Silas quickly turns and does a smooth front somersault to put some distance between them.
"Maybe he could've done it. You said that he cut two men's throats, correct?" Silas responds as the two circle each other. Sabre tries to tackle Silas, who doesn't budge. Silas tries to pick Sabre up by the waist, only for Sabre to roll through and elbow Silas in the face.
"You think Ruin may be our serial killer?" Sabre questions as he puts some distance between him and Silas.
"I do. It doesn't cover the missing eyes, but you may have not seen those from how far away you were." Silas lowers his fists, as does Sabre.
"Alright. After we deal with Hellfire, we will deal with Ruin." Sabre nods in agreement.
The Defiant Camp
CJ Hawk, Erin Frost, Toby 'Gov' Myers, and Anna 'Widow' Jones are led into the camp by The Defiant. Echo sits down and motions to a log opposite of him, where the four sit.
"Nice to see you again, Toby and Anna. It has been, what, a year?" Echo smiles softly.
"About, Echo. Toby and I were actually worried about The Defiant. We haven't seen you since the attack on Sight Haven." Anna responds.
"We have been a bit busy with a war going on elsewhere." Echo lets out a sigh. "These two groups have been fighting one another and we've been trying to help negotiate an alliance between the groups."
"What are these two groups' names? Maybe we can tell the Leaders about them and they can help." Toby responds sincerely.
"Anarchy and La Rebelion. One side wants to cause chaos and, well, anarchy. The other is selling drugs, which is causing some of Anarchy's members to overdose." Echo rubs his temples. "It is absolutely maddening."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Echo." Anna shakes her head, feeling sorry for The Defiant Leader.
"It's quite alright." Echo smiles again, "What brings you four out here?"
"Well, Mr. Echo, our friend here," CJ points towards Erin, who is nervously looking around, "keeps running away. We went to try and find her, but she shot one of our tires, so we can't drive back to True Haven."
"Erin, I'm sure that no matter what you may think, True Haven is significantly safer than out here." Echo states. "Between that war going on, this Colorless group I've heard of, and whispers speaking of a sinister man watching everything that happens, True Haven is truly a safe place."
"That's your opinion." Erin rolls her eyes.
"Erin, I've seen a man get eaten by cannibals who didn't care who saw them. I've seen a man murder an entire family in cold blood. I've seen a woman kill her own child just because food was running short." Echo informs as chills go down the spine of the four.
"Seriously? That's messed up, man." CJ shakes his head, shocked and disgusted.
"It is. We try to hold a funeral for any victims of these awful crimes." Echo nods solemnly. "Erin, these people care about you. Especially this- excuse me what's your name?" Echo looks at CJ.
"Cedric Hawkins, but people call me CJ Hawk." CJ informs calmly.
"I'm not calling you that." Echo shakes his head. "Cedric seems to care about your safety. If it helps, we've watched The Freedom Reach for years, more than a decade, in fact."
"Why should I, though? I mean, I've only been there for a week and I'm already a part of a war." Erin crosses her arms.
"Sometimes, you have to fight to defend your values. The Hellfire Safe Zone is driven by emotion, especially anger and pride. It was only a matter of time before this war broke out. Erin, give The Freedom Reach a chance. You won't regret it." Echo smiles softly.
"...fine." Erin lets out a defeated sigh. "But if I feel used whatsoever," Erin glares at CJ, like she is warning him, "I will kill you first, bird."
"I'm not a bird, I'm just a soldier." CJ shakes his head, trying to defend himself.
"Now, you said Erin shot one of your tires?" Echo asks before calling Free over. Echo whispers something to Free, who nods and walks away.
After a moment, Free and two other Deviants return with an almost brand new tire.
"My people will help you put this on." Echo smiles before offering his hand to CJ. "If you are ever in need, follow the sun and head true east. There, you will find our main camp."
"Thank you, Echo." CJ shakes his hand and nods.
That Night
Silas Frost is sitting on the steps of his worn down house, writing in his notebook, before Arieana Aryn approaches.
"Hey Silas, can I talk to you about something?" Arie asks.
"Absolutely, Arie." Silas nods and scoots over so Arie can sit beside him.
"This has been bothering me for a week. What do you have against love?" Arie questions, getting a confused look from Silas.
"What do you mean?" Silas responds, confused.
"You said that love was a mistake of humanity." Arie reminds.
"That doesn't sound like me. Love is actually an advantage of humanity. You find the perfect partner based on how they act, which can lead to a beautiful blend in the offspring." Silas informs.
"But, you said-" Arie starts out.
"Arie, I think you need sleep. I think this war is stressing you out." Silas shakes his head and stands up, walking up the porch.
"But-"
"No buts. Get some rest. We need to start planning soon." Silas mutters before entering his home.