Jack slowly began coming to, as his eyes flickered just a bit. "...nh..." he uttered, as he slowly opened his eyes. Him waking up woke up Arsenic, and she mumbled a little bit. Then she winced, feeling the pain in her body again.

Blinking, Jack slowly glanced towards her. "...g'mornin', Arsenic..." he uttered with a light yawn.

"…good…morning…" Arsenic muttered.

"...sleep well...?" Jack uttered.

"…for the most part…" Arsenic replied, rubbing her eyes with a yawn.

"...same..." Jack yawned in return, as he slowly sat up. "...mh... rain's stopped..."

"…yeah…" Arsenic responded.

In the distance, they heard some laughter, which made her open her eyes. "…what was that?"

Jack blinked. "...sounds like... laughter." he uttered, as he glanced in the direction of where it came from.

"…is there a camp nearby or something…?" Arsenic muttered warily.

"...I'll... go and check it out." Jack uttered, as he slowly rose to his feet.

"…be careful…" Arsenic whispered to him.

"Right." Jack nodded, as he began slowly walking towards where the laughter came from.

Arsenic just sat back against the tree, and looked down at the ground. She thought about what happened last night between them, and wondered about it. She was really vulnerable last night, and Jack just made everything better…but looking at it now, she still felt a little foolish.

Not that she lied to Jack about how she felt…she really did like him a lot, and last night was…very special for her… but she didn't have very much control over herself. Then she closed her eyes and hummed, figuring that the loneliness that caught up to her after all these years was what made her act that way…

Jack's thoughts, however, were simply on what lied ahead; in case someone they didn't know were close-by, or possibly the enemy. He had to be cautious about it, as he snuck closer towards the laughter.

"Seriously though; why didn't anyone tell me King was gonna be a dad?" exclaimed a voice that Jack heard.

Jack's eyes shot wide open, as he perked up a bit.

"Ah- you don't have to announce it like that!" another voice sputtered: this one being male.

"Well... things happen, you know." a female voice mused with a small chuckle. "We've been busy, so... well..."

"And besides, it's not like there came a time where we could mention it," spoke another male voice.

"Still... this is pretty big news." a different male voice mused. "So, do you know if it's a boy or girl yet?"

"Oh! Oh! He got a letter from her saying that!" the first voice squealed. "Go on King; tell them!"

"Ah- right, right, okay!" the first male voice uttered. "Uh... Tasha told me that she took ultrasound earlier, and... it's a boy."

"A boy?" a younger, female voice uttered. "Wow..."

Jack's eyes widened considerably. The voices... he recognized them. And the news... "...it's really a boy?" At this point, he stepped out, and much to his surprise, there were not only Charon's gang, but King's gang as well.

They all noticed him with surprise. Then they all smiled.

"Yeah, it is! Isn't it cool?" Ani laughed.

"Well, it's nice to see you're awake, Jack," Milo said.

"...it's... really nice to see you all, too!" Jack uttered. "When did you all meet?"

"Just now," Sage chuckled. "We found you and Arsenic sleeping, so we decided not to disturb you for the moment."

"Speaking of; where is she?" Oblivion asked.

"Over here…"

Everyone saw Arsenic limp over beside Jack, putting her hat back on. Jack glanced at Arsenic in concern. "Are you sure you should be walking, Arsenic?" he inquired.

"…don't really know, but don't really give it that much thought…" Arsenic hummed.

"Well, don't hurt yourself any more, okay?" Diablo muttered. "Sage told us what happened with your town…"

"…did she now…?" Arsenic hummed again curiously.

"Mhm." Sage nodded, as she prodded a finger against her own head. "Mind reader."

"…I see…so Husk copied you for those powers…" Arsenic muttered.

"...right. He copied a lot of other powers... but thankfully not yours." Sage remarked.

"...well, you two don't need to stay over there. C'mon, have a seat!" Fargus called to them.

Glancing at Arsenic with a small smile, Jack nodded. "...alright; let's take a seat."

Arsenic nodded at that, and followed Jack to sit near the large group. "…haven't met these guys before…" Arsenic muttered, looking at King's group.

"Well, I guess we can introduce them." Jack said with a smile. "There's King, Hunter, Sage, Queen, Ripper, Miser, Cal, Natal, Crystal, Dax, and... uh..." He stopped when he glanced at the others. "...huh..."

"...let me." Fargus chuckled at that. "My name's Fargus, and that's Toki and Nage."

"...oooh." Jack nodded.

"…I see," Arsenic replied. "…and you already know who I am…so there's the introductions for ya…"

"Right." Nage nodded, as she folded her arms behind her head. "So, how're you liking the group so far?" she asked out of curiosity.

Arsenic simply looked around at everybody.

"…there's a lot of people here…"

"...well, yeah; that's kind of a given." Nage noted. "Is it uncomfortable?"

"…can't tell yet…" Arsenic murmured. "…though I can tell you guys I've been alone almost all my life, so it's definitely something new…"

"...well, you've got good people to keep you company with." Sage mused with a light chuckle. "You needn't worry, Arsenic."

"…I'll take your word for it then…" Arsenic said.

Sage couldn't help but chuckle. After all, she had seen what Arsenic and Jack felt for each other, but she chose not to tell the others about it, just to keep the two from getting too embarrassed... besides, it would be funnier to see the others realize it for themselves.

"…but you two really are alright, right?" Vanessa asked. She knew Arsenic was tough, and Jack didn't seem to have a scratch on him, but she wanted to make sure.

Jack gave her a small nod. "We're both fine, mom." he said with a smile. "...well... Arsenic's still hurt, but aside from that..."

Vanessa nodded, and looked at Arsenic. "…I'm sorry to hear about your town."

Arsenic looked at the ground, not really wanting to be reminded of that. "…you don't have to apologize for it," she mumbled. "…it just gives me even more reason to join you guys…you know…"

"...we're glad that you're here, at least." Kiri shot in.

"…so…why exactly did you join us in the first place?" Cal asked curiously, folding his arms.

"…I ran into Jack when Husk and this cat attacked me…" Arsenic muttered. "…managed to save the two of us, and I noticed he had gotten a phobia from them…so…I guess I decided to help him try and get over his phobia. Since I had been targeted by them, I actually really didn't have much choice to leave…"

"...I see..." Natal hummed, as she adjusted her glasses a touch.

"…but now it seems like Jack doesn't have that phobia anymore," Vanessa said, smiling at Jack, "Right?"

Jack smiled at her, "Right."

"Well then I'm gonna try something to see if it's true!" Ani exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "C'mere Jack!" And she grabbed him in a hug.

"Ah- hey!" Laughing, Jack proceeded to immediately hug her right back. "Not so sudden!"

Ani laughed too. "It's true!"

"He really is cured!" Kiri uttered.

Vanessa smiled at that. She really was relieved to see Jack was cured from his phobia, and she looked at Arsenic, who wasn't looking at anything but the ground. Sage glanced in her direction as well, while Jack began finally conversing properly with his friends for the first time since the incident.

Though they were friendly to her, unlike the many who called her names and spat in her direction, Arsenic still didn't quite feel like she fit in.

Sage hummed at that. It seemed curious, for a loner like her not to feel like she belonged... "...say, Arsenic." she eventually inquired. "What interests do you have?"

"…not enough to make me an interesting person…" Arsenic murmured.

"Oh, don't say that; I'm sure there's something that makes you interesting." Sage chuckled. "Don't be shy, now."

Arsenic looked back up at her, and then looked down at the ground again. "…well…I like the stars in the sky…but I think that's just about it…"

"Well, that's interesting in its own right." Sage mused. "What about the stars do you like, then?"

"…well…some of the stars can tell stories…or help you know where you are…and the different constellations all have stories of their own…" Arsenic mumbled.

"...which are your favorites, then?" Sage hummed. "The stories of the constellations, I mean."

"…there's this one…of Corona Borealis…" Arsenic muttered, "…or Ariadne's Crown."

"Oh, really?" Sage hummed. "Care to tell?"

"…in Greek Mythology…" Arsenic started, "…Minos, the second king of Crete, had a great labyrinth built to confine a ferocious Minotaur. The maze was so complex and confusing that even the designer, Daedalis, was almost unable to find his way back to the entrance."

"Each year, King Minos exacted, as part of his tribute from Athens, twelve of the most handsome or beautiful young people to be placed in the labyrinth as food for the monster. In the third group to be selected was Theseus, King of Athens. Minos' daughter, Ariadne, fell in love with Theseus and offered to help him if he would take her away with him when he escaped. He agreed, and she gave him a ball of magical thread to unwind while he was in the labyrinth so that when he killed the Minotaur he could follow the thread and find his way out again. Theseus attacked and killed the terrible monster and then followed the magical thread and was able to find his way out of the labyrinth. Theseus sailed away from

Crete taking Ariadne with him and went to the island of Naxos where he deserted Ariadne and sailed to his home."

"Ariadne had nowhere to go and was extremely sad when Bacchus, the god of wine and parties, came to her aid. Bacchus had fallen in love with the beautiful Ariadne and treated her with great tenderness. He had a crown made for her with one each of the seven most beautiful jewels to be found mounted in it. Some stories say that there were seven diamonds. When Ariadne died, Zeus placed her crown in the sky and changed the jewels to seven stars, which can still be seen today as the constellation Corona Borealis, Ariadne's Crown," Arsenic finished.

Sage chuckled, as she glanced past Arsenic...

...to see Jack, who had overheard Arsenic telling that story, "...wow..." he uttered.

Arsenic looked back at Jack.

"That's actually a pretty cool story," Striker said.

"Mhm." Jack nodded. "Do you have another one? I'd like to hear more of those stories..."

"…you guys know the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, right?" Arsenic hummed.

"Yeah," Ani answered.

"...According to more Greek Mythology, they were supposed to be bears," Arsenic continued.

"Really?" Jack uttered in fascinated awe.

"...I think I read a bit about it at the Professor's..." Kiri hummed. "...they're also known as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, right? I just recalled that Ursa means bear..."

"Yeah," Arsenic answered. "Zeus had many human girlfriends, but his favorite was the beautiful nymph Callisto. His secret visits to earth to meet with her only added to Hera's jealousy and determination to get revenge against these women."

"One day, when Zeus was walking through the forest with Callisto, he saw his wife Hera coming. Unable to hide Callisto in time, he turned her into a large brown bear. When Hera arrived, she saw only Zeus walking by himself through the forest. She looked around, searching for someone with Zeus, but saw only an old brown bear. She still did not trust Zeus and insisted that he return to Mount Olympus. Zeus did not want to go because he wanted to change his girlfriend Callisto back into her human form before leaving, but Hera insisted, so Zeus went with Hera, leaving Callisto as a large brown bear."

"Unknown to Zeus, Arcas, Callisto's son who was a great hunter, was out in the woods hunting that day. As chance would have it, he saw this great big brown bear. He put an arrow to his bow, took careful aim, and shot that great bear through the heart. Right before his startled eyes, Arcas watched the bear as it died, changing back into the form of his mother Callisto with an arrow through her heart. Arcas wept loudly for his mother and what he had done to her. When he realized that it was Zeus that had changed her into the bear, he grew even angrier. Zeus, fearing that Hera might hear the cries, went down to earth to try to appease Arcas."

"In order to hide what he had done, Zeus changed Callisto back into a bear and placed her form, as a constellation, into the northern sky as the Big Dipper. He then changed Arcas into the small bear which would be the Little Dipper. As Arcas was being placed into the sky, he turned to look at his mother Callisto. That is why the Little Dipper is curved toward the Big Dipper, so that Arcas can watch over his mother Callisto for all eternity."

"...wow..." Kiri hummed.

"You really like the stories behind the constellations, don't you?" Toki mused.

"…I didn't have anything else better to do other than train myself to use my powers…" Arsenic said with a shrug.

"Well, they're really good stories." Jack noted with a smile.

"Seriously," Nage nodded. "They'd work great as bedtime stories."

"…well…I only know one more…and that's the one on my sign, Scorpio…" Arsenic murmured.

"Oooh, do tell!" Jack said with a growing smile.

"…it was a famous scorpion, commanded by the Greek goddess of the hunt, Artimus, to sting Orion, the mighty hunter, and it caused him to die," Arsenic said. "…that was the punishment Orion received because he killed so many animals for no reason, except to try and impress Artimus. Scorpio was placed in the sky on the opposite end of Orion so there wouldn't be any more conflict, but it was also to remind that it's okay to kill animals to feed yourself and survive, but it was never okay to kill for the sport."

"Oooh..." Jack hummed in awe.

"Like I said, it sounds very interesting." Sage chuckled.

Arsenic didn't say anything. She just looked back down at the ground. Jack blinked. "...is something the matter?" he inquired.

"…but that's exactly what those Corrupted are doing right now…" Arsenic muttered, clenching her hands. "…killing for sport…as well as making that army of theirs…"

Jack fell silent, as he glanced aside.

"...trust me... they're not getting away with it." King suddenly hummed, as he folded his arms.

Arsenic looked up at King for that.

"...just take it from me... we've dealt with this sort of crap before." King grunted. "And even when things really seemed hopeless... we still managed to pull through. And we're gonna do the same now..."

"…so that's the advice you give, hm…?" Arsenic muttered.

"Well, this is the same guy that runs a whole warrior nation," Hunter said.

"Yep; straight to the point, as always," Sage mused.

"...I can't tell if you're being sincere or taking a jab at me." King noted dryly.

"It's probably best that way." Sage chuckled with a light shrug.

"…their numbers kept spreading, though," Arsenic muttered. "…and only two or three can really stop these kind of forces…even if you guys do find the girl, what then?"

King blinked. "...well... when we find her, we take her back to Safe Haven, I'd reckon. We have to resolve that whole thing about the blockade, and from there we'd form a strategy to take out the Corrupted... right?"

"…but what if that dark entity inside of her doesn't want to cooperate?" Arsenic hummed.

King opened his mouth to answer, but he closed it when he found himself unable to answer it right away.

"...we'll have to deal with that when we find her." Natal shot in. "Right now, all we really know about her is that she has it in for Metal. Falling back on the worst-case scenario won't really do us any good."

"But keeping an open mind about it helps you think realistically about this," Arsenic answered. "I'm not being a pessimist. I'm just considering the things that could happen here."

"Right." Natal nodded. "I understand that; I'm not a trained spy for nothing. But... well, in this kind of situation, looking at things in a positive light does help to keep spirits high." she reasoned.

"…guess I am kinda killing the mood, aren't I?" Arsenic asked.

"...well... kinda..." Natal noted. "...but hey, it's understandable; you look at things one way, and we look at it a different way. We can all handle that, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose…" Arsenic mused.

Then she gave a pained grunt, holding her chest again. Again…? Really…?

Miser blinked at that. "...what's wrong, Arsenic?"

"…I'm just not the healthiest person around…" she muttered in response.

Cal did a quick scan with his eyes, coming up with something with widened eyes. "…Arsenic…you do realize that you have a lot of problems with your respiratory system; especially your heart…right?"

Arsenic looked away from him.

"...really?" Ripper uttered. "Sounds... really bad, kekeke..."

"…well, I haven't had a heart attack yet…" Arsenic mumbled.

"No…but with things the way they are, you could have one in your early 30s," Cal muttered.

Hearing him say that, Jack looked at Arsenic with widened eyes.

"...maybe it would be best if you went to the hospital?" Queen noted. "How long have you carried these health problems with you, anyway?"

"…all my life…" Arsenic muttered.

"…yeah, you should see a hospital about that," Cal muttered. "…get a transplant for a new heart."

"…don't have the kind of money for that," Arsenic shrugged.

"...well, doing nothing would be even worse," Fargus noted with a hum.

Jack couldn't help but glance from Arsenic to the others with a growing look of concern.

"…but I don't really have a choice in the matter…" Arsenic muttered.

"...have you at least visited a hospital to let someone else know about your condition, then?" Natal inquired.

"…the doctor from my town…" Arsenic muttered. "…but as far as I'm concerned, he's not there anymore."

"...so no one else, then?" Natal sighed. "Look, we could swing by a hospital really quickly; it'd be better in the long run, right?"

"…it would…but that would just keep you guys from your search for that girl…" Arsenic mumbled.

"...but... your health could-" Miser shot in, but she was suddenly interrupted.

"Could we... not talk about that stuff?" Jack uttered, as he clutched to his chest whilst glancing aside. "...it's uncomfortable..."

Everyone glanced at him.

"…sorry…" Cal answered.

Jack didn't respond, as he simply glanced back at Arsenic. Arsenic's eyes were closed in thought. Knowing that Jack was nervous about her health actually made her a tad nervous too…this was surprising. Observing their thoughts, Sage let out a silent hum; especially since Jack's thoughts were conflicting between keeping on looking for Joy and actually getting Arsenic some proper aid.

Arsenic eventually looked back at Jack. "…don't worry so much Jack…I'll still be okay for now…"

Jack nodded slightly. "...okay... just don't overdo it..."

Everyone stared at the two of them for that, and Arsenic eventually noticed it. "…what?" she asked aloud.

"…nothing," Hunter answered.

"...okay..." Jack blinked, as he rubbed his neck a tad.

"…I think that we should start heading out now," Toki threw in, changing the subject.

"...right; we've probably rested up enough for now." King hummed.

"We'll be traveling in a bigger group, so it looks like I'm getting more passengers..." Charon mused with a low hum. "...oh, well; those who'll climb aboard, do so."

"...right." Nodding, Jack stood up, and walked over to Arsenic. "...up you go..." And with that, he picked her up again. "You alright?"

"…um…yeah…" Arsenic answered, not at all expecting Jack to pick her up. In fact, she actually blushed a little at that. Jack smiled a touch, walking over to Charon to climb on his back; making sure to keep a steady grip on Arsenic while he settled down on the dragon's back.

Vanessa watched that to some amazement…and even eventually chuckled to herself while she, too, climbed onto Charon's back.

Kiri didn't seem to get it, as she glanced at Diablo. "...what do you think, big brother?" she inquired quietly as she walked towards Charon. "About Jack and Arsenic?"

"…I think they seem like good friends," Diablo answered, and then he helped her climb onto Charon.

A sight not a lot of GUN soldiers would expect to see would be the Admiral rushing out of the HQ, and storming through the woods with a narrowed expression. Finally, a breakthrough... and if she wants Condit, then...

It took him little time to actually reach Jill's malt shop, as he quickly hurried up the stairs, and knocked firmly on the apartment door. The door opened, and a surprised Jill greeted the Admiral. "Oh, Admiral!"

"I wish I could talk, but someone else wants to talk to you." the Admiral spoke, as he quickly handed Jill his phone. "She's expecting you, so don't keep her waiting..."

Jill looked at the phone strangely, and took it. "Hello?" she spoke into the phone.

"...it's been a while, Condit."

Jill recognized that voice; "Commander."

"I trust that Adam has told you about the Sergeant... sadly, I must inform you that there's still no change in his condition. He's stable, but he remains comatose."

"…right…my condolences…" Jill hoped that the Sergeant had been better, partly so that she wouldn't be in the house anymore, but she didn't want to show it.

"Appreciated. Now... there's a reason why I called especially for you, and I'm sure you're wondering about that..."

"Yes," Jill replied. "Go ahead."

"Alright... I already know about the ringleaders of the Corrupted forces; Patricia Novagod and Barrage "Bulk" Waters, two of the more dangerous criminals we've apprehended in recent years. Right now, though... well... can you tell me anything more about their current forces, Condit?"

Jill looked down at the ground for this one; considering she faced Patricia two nights ago. "…they've been going around various towns, corrupting townsfolk for their forces…and they've even taken a few well-trained warriors to be their…generals…"

"...aaah... that explains the reports regarding the towns being engulfed..."

"…Patricia and Bulk have even gone as far as Corrupting a couple of former soldiers from Safe Haven," Jill muttered, thinking of Ivory when she said this.

"...oh, dear... can you give me any names, Condit? Maybe some intel on what these Corrupted soldiers are capable of?"

"…one is named Ivory…" Jill muttered. "…I don't know her full name, but she is a capable warrior in strength and weapons, particularly a spear."

"I see... anyone else?"

"…a treasure hunter named Cyrene Margarita Xirgu," Jill answered.

"...her, huh? I've heard of her; supposedly was a partner in crime of Patricia's back in the day..."

"…yeah…though it seems like she was dragged into it unwillingly like the others…" Jill muttered. "…another one I've been told about was a rival bounty hunter of Lock the Sniper; a woman named Mercy."

"...oh, not her... we've had to deal with her a few times. She's not an easy woman to handle..."

Jill pinched her brows. "…yeah, her too…" and then she frowned sadly. "…and…one of my friends had been Corrupted too…"

"...oh... I'm sorry..."

"…I appreciate it…" Jill responded. "…and…actually, they've been able to purify him, but the Corruption inside of him was so strong, it was able to form by itself…"

"...seems like they must have been quite thorough with Corrupting him, if that's the case... I'd dread to see something similar happen again."

"…same here…" Jill said. "…and Commander? This friend of mine…he's the nephew of Johnny Leoniel."

Silence.

"...that kind of connection, huh..."

Jill nodded. "Yes…so…he's very dangerous, this copy of his roaming around with them…last I remember being told, he was able to copy abilities."

"Copy abilities... I don't suppose he ran into King's group, then?"

Jill bit her lip. "…well…"

"I was being rhetorical. King's group would be a magnet for someone who can copy abilities, so if you knew about it, then he obviously must have encountered them."

"…right…" Jill answered. "…I was told that he had copied King's and Sage's power that they knew of…"

"...distressing..."

"…that's all the forces I know about so far…" Jill replied.

"...well, you've been a good help; this intel will make things easier for us. Oh, by the way... how many ways are you aware of that can keep those Corrupted at bay, Condit?"

Jill looked down. "…that I'm capable of, quite a few ways Commander…but I'm not sure what others without my powers can do against them…though I've heard that your experimental weapons have made some impact."

"Glad to hear that they've been acknowledged. Honestly, it was a gamble that succeeded... however, the next time you talk with your informant, I'd like you to toss a suggestion to mind... something about using certain powers with certain gems, hm?"

"…I see," she answered. "…I'll make the suggestion then."

"Excellent. Hang in there, Condit; we'll contact you when the Sergeant recovers. Trust me; he will." With that, she hung up.

Jill then handed the phone back to the Admiral.

"...straight to the point, that woman." the Admiral mused with a smile, as he pocketed the cellphone.

"Yeah," Jill said with a nod. "…I just hope they can get through this, with their growing forces…"

"...you have faith in them, right, Condit?" the Admiral hummed.

"…I do…" Jill nodded again. "…but I don't trust the Corrupted forces…they play as dirty as they possibly can…"

"...true..." the Admiral nodded.

Jill looked down at the ground then.

"...is something the matter?" the Admiral hummed.

"…just nervous about how things are going," Jill answered.

The Admiral nodded with a light hum. "...right..."

Jill nodded back. "Anyway, thank you for that."

The Admiral nodded. "Well, then, until later." he said, as he turned to leave, when someone else brushed against him.

"Good morning, Jill." The one coming in past him was Sonia, and gave Jill a nod.

"Oh, hi Sonia," Jill greeted her.

The Admiral gave them a nod, before he walked down the stairs to leave the two of them on their own.

"...you're hanging in there, right?" Sonia hummed, as she closed the door behind her.

Jill nodded. "Yeah, for the most part…"

"...any news on how the other groups are doing?" Sonia hummed.

"…they're following a steady trail on her…" Jill replied, and then she looked away from Sonia. "…she's…heading for Cowpoke's."

"...Cowpoke's...?" Sonia hummed.

Jill nodded silently.

"...your thoughts on that?" Sonia hummed, as she took a seat.

"…well…I have no idea how he'd be able to handle all that," Jill said. "…I mean…I haven't really…talked to him after he left…"

"...none of us have..." Sonia hummed.

"…so…he has no idea everything that's happened here all these years…" Jill muttered.

"...yeah..." Sonia nodded with a light sigh. "...I can't imagine how he'd react to all this..."

Jill fell silent again. "...you can't either, huh?" Sonia assumed.

"…no…and…to be honest…I'm nervous about it…"

"...how so?" Sonia hummed, as she looked at Jill in concern. "Wanna talk about it?"

"…Sonia…what if…he was waiting for me…this whole time…?" Jill uttered.

"...oh..." Sonia hummed, as she glanced downwards. "...I've... never really thought of that..."

Jill fell silent again. Sonia looked back at her.

"…I…feel really guilty," Jill eventually said.

"...really?" Sonia hummed.

"…yeah…" Jill muttered. "…I didn't bother calling him or anything…I actually even forgot about him."

"...well... things got really hectic around here, though..." Sonia noted.

"…yeah, I know, but…there was still plenty of time in the years before…" Jill muttered, looking back at Sonia.

"...well..." Sonia hummed, as she rubbed her own neck. "...don't you think Cowpoke would have tried getting in touch again?"

"….yeah, that's true…" Jill murmured. "…but then…why didn't he?"

"...good question..." Sonia hummed.

Jill looked out the window. "…and things are getting tense."

"Yeah..." Sonia nodded, as she glanced outside. "...things may be quieting a bit down here... but it feels more like the calm before the storm..."

"…yeah…and I don't like that at all…" Jill muttered.

Sonia sighed. "...at least the others seem to keep their spirits high..."

"…yeah, that's true," Jill replied. "…and at least things here on Safe Haven aren't that bad right now…" She looked at Sonia again. "…how is the rebellion?"

"...they've actually been kinda quiet lately." Sonia noted. "They've been preparing some things..."

Jill tilted her head at that. "…really?"

"Yup." Sonia nodded. "Very top secret; they haven't really told me much about it..."

"…huh…" Jill murmured. "…okay then."

Stumbling into the headquarters, Husk held his head with a light groan. "...strong... unexpected..." he murmured.

Patricia walked by then, and spotted Husk. She was about to ask how it went, but taking a glance at him, she could assume what happened. "…didn't get her, huh?" she muttered.

Husk shook his head. "...the host... was with her... proved too powerful..." he murmured.

"…what? Really?" Patricia actually raised her eyebrows at that.

"...he overcame his fear... and repelled me... before I could even copy... her power..." Husk murmured.

"…hm…" Patricia frowned at that.

Having said that, Husk turned to look at Patricia, "...what about you...? Have you found... a way to keep... him away from Cyrene...?"

"Yeah, actually," Patricia said. "I had some trouble with Pierce…so I managed to get Bulk after him to try and get him this time."

"...will that be enough...?" Husk hummed, as he glanced away with a hum. "...Cyrene..." he sighed.

Patricia grunted at that. "…don't make such a big deal out of it…she's fine…" Then she folded her arms. "Mercy's informed me that they're getting closer and closer to where Joy currently is…"

"...then... you can deal with her soon...?" Husk hummed, as he glanced back at Patricia.

"I would assume so," Patricia hummed. "Then again, there's no telling if that brat got stronger…"

"That's not the only thing you have to worry about. Two of the groups searching for her actually met up with each other earlier this morning."

A dark void appeared, and in walked Cyrene.

Husk glanced at Cyrene. "...King's group... and the host's group..."

Cyrene nodded at that.

"…hm…so basically…there's a chance that all three groups will get there at the same time…" Patricia muttered. "…wonderful…so we have all of them to deal with now…" she added with heavy sarcasm.

"...is there any... problems, though...?" Husk hummed, as he tilted his head. "...only Joy... and Metal Sonic... can stop us..."

"…well, let's think about this for a minute…" Patricia muttered. "…they've got that nuclear rat that still has somewhat of a chance against us, they've got those Leoniel's that still pack a punch, though I'm still sure that the mother's arms are still broken…that giant dragon doesn't look too good to me, then there's my nephew with that beast inside of him and a variety of them still have somewhat decent powers. Even if only two of them really have the chance to stop us, they still outweigh us just a little by numbers…"

"...then... we could overwhelm them..." Husk hummed.

"We could…" Patricia spoke. "…but even then, it makes things harder than it needs to be, having the groups there. I think we really should've tried locking the kid up in the base in the first place."

Cyrene gave Patricia a dry look. "Then the kid would've just broken out and made a huge mess of everything…"

Patricia glared at her.

"...she has a point..." Husk noted.

"...Well then, what do you two suggest?" Patricia asked.

"...perhaps..." Husk hummed, as he looked at Patricia. "...if we know... where Joy is... then why not... strike against her... before the groups... can reach her...?"

"...Yeah," Patricia murmured rubbing her chin. "...Maybe when Bulk gets back from looking for Pierce, he and I might go after her...in fact, I should have you two and Mercy try and keep the groups occupied."

"...sounds... like a plan..." Husk hummed, as he folded his arms. "...until he gets back... what then...?"

"I don't know," Patricia said, "but you two have time to kill." and with that, she walked away.

Humming, Husk glanced back at Cyrene. Cyrene looked back at Husk. "…what's going on?"

"...what... do you mean...?" Husk hummed.

"…there's something going on between you and Patricia…" Cyrene murmured.

Husk simply hummed, as he approached Cyrene. "...does it... worry you...?" he inquired.

"…not really…it just makes me wonder…" Cyrene responded. "…I mean…Patricia's been purposely keeping me away from the base for some reason…"

Husk hummed, but he didn't say anything.

"…I'm just wondering what's going on…" Cyrene murmured, looking at Husk.

"...what... do you think of... Bulk...?" Husk hummed, as he tilted his head. "...honestly..."

Cyrene looked a little puzzled at that, but then she looked away thoughtfully. Husk looked at her with the same kind of look.

"…deep down…I'm not sure why, but…" Cyrene eventually looked back at him. "…I…don't like him. I…I really don't."

Husk nodded. "...neither do I... nor does Patricia..."

Cyrene looked at him for a long time. "…are you…trying to keep me away from Bulk?"

Husk looked back at her just as long, before nodding to confirm her suspicions. Cyrene blinked at that. "…really?"

"...yes..." Husk nodded. "...I... don't like... how he treats you..."

Cyrene looked at Husk in more surprise, and then looked down at the ground. Husk approached her; standing directly in front of her as he looked down at her. "...is there... something wrong...?" he inquired.

"…no, nothing's wrong," Cyrene answered, looking back up at him. "I'm just…amazed."

"...really...?" Husk hummed, as he kept looking down at her.

"…yeah…" Cyrene answered.

Husk moved a hand to place it on Cyrene's cheek. "...how... are you amazed...?"

"…I didn't think…you'd do that for me…" Cyrene whispered.

"...I would do... anything for you..." Husk whispered back, as he slowly leaned closer to Cyrene.

"…you would…?" Cyrene whispered again, leaning closer to him as well.

"...yes..." Husk nodded; mere inches away from Cyrene now. Cyrene breathed a little bit, being so close to Husk.

"...please..." Husk whispered; breathing with her. "...tell me... what you want me... to do..."

Cyrene went up to his ear and whispered, "…I want you to take me to the darkness…and touch me…"

"...yes..." With a small nod, Husk opened up a portal to the dark void, which he pulled Cyrene ever so gently into.

Just the build-up chapter before a major one :)