A/N: Thanks to ChasexJinjaForever, Darpsonic6, and monsuno power for the reviews. Finally down to the last few chapters (and I say chapters because I had to split them up into two because of the length)

Enjoy!


Voices all over. Shouting, far away.

Blinding white everywhere. Shadowy figures in the distance, coming close and disappearing constantly.

"Ch... Chase... Can you...?"

"Doctor over... There's... I have a..."

"... Chase... hold..."

It hurt. Everything hurt.

What was happening. Why did he feel this way. Everything was blank. Couldn't recall anything. Those voices were familiar, but no names could be placed to them.

There was no direction. There was no up or down. There was only pain.

Why couldn't someone help?

There were five figures in the distance. Familiar, but unrecognizable. They were fading away into the light as everything grew dark. Four of them were reaching out, too far to take a hold. The last was giant, the only one making noise. Roaring.

It too was getting further away...

"Oh poor Suno."

Who was that?

There was someone else here.

... Where was here again?

"You can't escape this. Jeredy is clever, but not clever enough. He can't fix this. And he can't fix you."

Everything was fading further into nothing. There was no choice but to sink. And drown.

HLP

A little over a week had passed by quickly as everyone recovered from the mission in the mountains. Jon sighed, sitting back in his seat as he finished off one of the last reports dealing with the incident. He eyed the file containing the extensive list of damages done to both the temple and people involved. He was glad to say that they were successful in stopping the Hand of Destiny's plan, though he wasn't sure if he could call it a victory.

The enemy took the most damage, with two of the Hand of Destiny, the bookman, and almost all of their monsuno becoming casualties. For some reason the purple monsuno reacted violently when the energy dissipated, even collapsing. The ones they were able to spare were now being held in the quarantine section of the ship to await Jeredy's diagnosis. Of course he was busy looking after the two who were apprehended that were in need of medical attention.

Jon scooped some of the files together, trying to tidy up his desk.

Of course it wasn't just the Hand of Destiny that was involved. There were others that were seen during the battle, including Eklipse members and Dr. Tallis. He could only assume that everyone had left when things got bad. The Desert Wolves were the only ones still around after the energy had calmed, but they were quick to vanish when the cloud hoppers appeared, though Jack wasn't with them.

Two more from the Hand of Destiny were also missing, and it was hard to tell if they had gotten away or if they had perished somewhere else. They had barely recovered the two other bodies as it was, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities.

Jon sighed again, leaning back and covering his eyes as he recalled the last few moments that he could remember from that time.

In the middle of the commotion, he was half conscious trying to give orders out to the reinforcements to help everyone and contain the monsuno. He was lucky that Alpha was there to help, especially given how most of his team was down. After the light disappeared, the monsuno were easy to subdue. It was everyone else that needed to be looked after.

Nobody had come back unharmed. The soldiers' injuries varied from minor to life threatening, including the members of both Strike Squads. Most of them had been given the all clear after a few days in the medical bay, but Tango had only been given permission to leave earlier this morning. And even then, some of them were recommended to stay and rest for another week in the recovery wing.

As far as Team Core Tech went, they all came out considerably better then the rest of everyone. Chase was the only one in serious condition, who quickly under went surgery as soon as he got onto one of the ships. Lucky for him Jeredy was there, and the teen was currently in the recovery wing. In the mean time, Jon had been filing papers nonstop, wanting everyone to recover without the worry of official work.

After all, they had another matter to consider at the moment.

Given how they were now short of a commanding officer, Jon needed to fill the position as quickly as he could, lest the world council takes charge and finds someone who would be less trusting. It wasn't that Jon was untrusting of the council's judgement, it would just take a while for the appointed officer to be considered in his inner circle. Still, Jon was hesitant on replacing Trey.

How could he? He could barely even comprehend the fact that the other man was gone. This was a common occurrence for soldiers, but it didn't make it any easier. Jon desperately wanted to ask Jeredy for his advice on the matter of replacement. But the scientist hadn't so much as left for sleep, barely leaving for food.

Jon cracked his neck. Deciding that now wasn't the time to sit around and mull things over, he stood up to leave his office. He was just planning on walking down the hall for the sake of air, but eventually Jon decided that it would be good to see how Jeredy was fairing. It didn't take him long to get down to the medical bay.

He heard familiar voices in one of the rooms, seeing three teens inside. Bravo and Kilo were both in beds, mostly having severe gashes and stab wounds (though Bravo apparently came down with pneumonia in the blizzard). X-Ray was sitting in one of the nearby chairs with a tablet in his hands that was beeping away. Jon could tell it was some sort of game, but was questioning why he was wearing a suit rather then his typical S.T.O.R.M. uniform. They all saluted at the sight of him.

"Commandant!"

He chuckled lightly, waving his hand to hint to them to stop when he walked in, "At ease everyone. No need for that."

They all loosened up immediately, but still seemed intimidated by Jon's presence. The first one to speak up was Kilo.

"What are you doing down here sir? Shouldn't you be helping with the preparations?" he asked.

"What preparations?"

"For the uh..." X-Ray started, then shifted in his seat, "The service. For the soldiers and... Commander Trey."

Jon blinked a few times. Oh. That's right. He really did lose track of time to forget about the service (which was probably why X-Ray was wearing the suit).

"I'll take care of that soon... Do any of you know where the rest of your squad is at?" Jon asked out of curiosity. The group exchanged looks.

"Well. Tango just left. She hasn't had the opportunity to leave at all and wanted some fresh air," X-Ray said, then grew quiet. There was a knowing look on all their faces, especially Bravo.

"Alpha is... Wandering," Kilo said, not bothering to look up, "Can't really tell where he's at."

"I see," Jon said. He'd have to find the teen later. No doubt he was still feeling guilty about the mission. He shook his head, "Thank you. I'll see you all in a little bit."

The three saluted, and Jon headed out into the hallway. He turned to go towards the critical bay. There was one wing that was reserved just for apprehended suspects. No one else should be down there, besides Jeredy.

A few metal doors and codes later, Jon was standing there in the middle of the hallway with two rooms on opposite sides. He took a few steps, looking through the left viewing window to see Jeredy writing on a clipboard next to a dark skinned teen with bushy hair. He didn't notice the other walk in, focusing on the unconscious teen. Jon looked to the right into the opposite room, letting out a small gasp when he saw someone else sitting next to the bed inside.

Hesitantly, Jon gave one more glance towards Jeredy, who was still writing, and walked into the other room.

The steady rhythm of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room. Jon was a little surprised to see a guard standing by, but given the two other occupants, maybe it wasn't surprising at all.

The soldier noticed, giving a small salute. Jon watched the blond woman sitting in the chair for a second before motioning for the soldier to stand down. They didn't question it, simply walking out and standing outside. Jon closed the door, leaving him and the other two inside.

He turned back around, eyes landing on the small form lying in the bed.

A body now frail and weak was lying there, chest slowly rising and falling as bandages ran along his arms, legs, and torso. Charlemagne sat there to the left, head bowed looking down at her cuffed hands attached to the bedrail.

Jon gave her a sympathetic look, slowly stepping further inside. He knew that months ago, the woman would've thrown the nearest chair at him for simply staring. But with the defeated way she looked, he could hardly even believe that she was once someone as fearsome as a commandant of S.T.O.R.M..

He stood there at the foot of the bed, eyes now landing on the raven-haired boy. Looking closer, he could start to see some of the resemblance. More so to Charlemagne's late husband. In his search for Caligari, he had forgotten to check the casualty records for anyone who may have been related to her. The only records he bothered to look at with were those who were alive, and even that was a dead end with a sister who wanted nothing else to do with S.T.O.R.M. after a fight with Charlemagne.

He let out a sigh. What a mess...

"Why are you here Jon," she said lowly, not bothering to look up. He jumped at her voice. Despite it holding no authority, it still set him on edge.

"... I came to check on how you're doing," he said stiffly, "You may not want it, but you have my... Sympathies, for what has transpired."

She started to chuckle bitterly.

"Oh. Thank you so much!" she scoffed, "That's exactly what I need right now. Sympathy. It'll make everything better..."

Jon frowned. He scratched the back of his neck, not liking how small this room started to become.

"... Commander Trey's funeral is today," Jon said, "Although it wouldn't be allowed, you may be able to attend it under supervision-"

"Oh ho ho ho... Would you want that Jon?" she asked, "Are you sure the world council will let you get away with that twice? I did escape the last time I was allowed to go with you."

Jon was silent. She still wasn't looking at him. Maybe she couldn't. He turned to the unconscious boy, seeing his wrists shackled down to the bed.

"... No. I don't think you will," Jon reasoned, "It's clear that you'll be here for an even longer stay then last time. Guaranteed. But the least you can do is pay respects to Trey and his family. His sister and nephew are going to be there. I'm sure they could hear a few good things about what he-"

"All he ever did was screw things up!" Charlemagne interrupted, "He got in my way more then helped. He couldn't take on Jeredy's brat, and he certainly couldn't get me Jeredy Suno! And he betrayed me when I needed him most-"

She choked on her words, hunching lower. Jon couldn't see her face from the angle, but he could definitely see her frame trembling.

"... That man was nothing but a worm," she hissed almost silently, "Now he can go rot in the ground like one."

He let out a sigh, wishing that she would show a little more tact. Jon turned away, opening the door slowly. He cast one last glance over his shoulder. She was still shaking when he left, but it was hard to tell if it was from anger or sorrow or regret. But he could definitely hear her faint sobs as he shut the door.

He stood outside the room, seeing the soldier ready to go back inside. He motioned for them to wait a moment, if only to give Charlemagne some semi-privacy. His attention was drawn up when Jeredy walked out of the other room.

The doctor let out an exhaustive sigh, clearly worn out from working days on end.

"Jeredy," Jon said, going up to the man, "How is your work going?"

Jeredy ran a hand through his hair with a sigh before replying, "Good. It's going good... For now I'm just monitoring Dax's friend. It was lucky I got there when I did, otherwise I don't think he would've pulled through... At this rate he should make a full recovery in a few weeks."

Jeredy gazed through the window to the room Charlemagne was in. His expression was serious, but also somber.

"How about him? Is there any progress?" Jon asked. He was legitimately concerned, if only because he knew that Charlemagne would fight anyone who so much as tried to move her. Bringing her here was the only way to get her to stop screaming in the holding cells.

"Unfortunately no," Jeredy said, gaze falling, "Physically his body is in a state of shock, severe burns all over and especially serious on his arms. There's also the problem with his hands. There were monsuno infused fragments of rock in them. Embedded by the look of it."

Jeredy's eyes trained on the figure, the dark circles from lack of sleep evident in the fluorescent light.

"... The wounds are not healing, and the problem is that I haven't seen anything like his physical makeup to know what to do. He's human, but also something else..."

The scientist let out another sigh as he rubbed his eyes.

"All I can do now is try and keep him somewhat stable. It hasn't been easy, and I'm not sure if I can keep it up..."

Charlemagne's hands slowly rose up onto the bed to curl around his bandaged, bloody palm.

"Will he at least be able to wake up?" Jon asked, eyes lingering on the motionless body through the glass window.

"I can't say for certain," Jeredy said honestly, "From the sheer amount of monsuno essence in his body, I was surprised he even survived. I guess only time will tell."

Jon nodded, closing his eyes. He wasn't even sure how he was going to bring this up to the council. Clearly the boy would need to be help accountable, or at least questioned on where the other members of the Hand of Destiny could be. But the question was if the World Council would deem that necessary...

"Well. There was one good thing that came out of this," Jeredy said, then held out a vial. Jon saw a small amount of blue liquid inside, slightly glowing.

"... What is it?" Jon asked, taking the vial.

"It's a cure," Jeredy said, "A true cure. After analyzing his blood, I found the strand that helped keep them human. It took a while, but I manage to isolate it. Unfortunately, it won't work on Charlemagne's son because of his DNA being a little more complex, but it should work on you."

Jon stared down at the vial, heart starting to race. The doctor clapped a hand on the Commandant's shoulder.

"If you really want to be turned back to normal, then just take it," he said, "I know I said before that having a Toxic mode would be useful. But now that you're in charge of S.T.O.R.M., well. Maybe it's better that we put that chapter behind us."

Jon took the vial in his hand. The Toxic Mode was one of the barriers that was keeping him from spinning out. He couldn't exactly be helpful in the field without monsuno. And with the scare that he gave everyone during the last mission, leaving them all without anyone to guide them was something that he couldn't afford.

Though that did give him a sudden idea for the next in command.

Jon pocketed the vial, intending on taking it after the service. He turned to Jeredy, "What about you doctor? How are you doing?"

The doctor ran a hand through his hair, unsure of what to say. Eventually he stared up at the ceiling.

"Those strange visions I kept seeing have stopped," he said, "But I'm sure it's because Driftblade is gone... I couldn't figure out why I was seeing them at first. I knew they were memories, but..."

Jeredy looked ahead into the room, "But now I'm sure that it was Driftblade reacting to that boy's DNA when he touched the core the night they snuck onto the cloud carrier. Charlemagne did mix her's in with the monsuno when it was still being developed after all."

Jon raised a brow. A report on Driftblade's creation was never found. How did Jeredy know that? He watched as the other's eyes trailed over to Charlemagne, who still hadn't moved at all.

"Although I'll have to admit," Jeredy said, scratching the back of his neck, "I was a little surprised to learn about Charlemagne's son. Who knew a woman as ruthless as her would have a child?"

Jon shifted uncomfortably for a moment.

"... Let's take a walk," he said, walking down the hall and away from the viewing window. Jeredy cast one more glance in the room before following.

"To be honest. It wasn't something she wanted people to know about," Jon said. When he turned and saw the look on Jeredy's face, he let out a sigh.

"Charlemagne... She..." he shook his head, trying to find the right words, "A while back, before she was given the title of Commandant Marshall, Charlemagne wasn't always as cold as she was."

He remembered the report filled out by Trey.

"But then, after a monsuno attack on her home city, something... Changed her. Suddenly, there was this hatred towards them." Jon shook his head as he spoke, "Something happened that day. But to find out what it was now is... Strange."

The two of them stopped for a moment next to one of the large windows, displaying the skies. It was bright out, despite the gray clouds littering all around the ship that threatened to pour down at them.

"It kind of makes you wonder. How much all of this started because of them," Jeredy said, crossing his arms, referring to the Hand of Destiny and all that they had done.

The experiments. The abductions, including of Sophia. Even in recent months when they were coming after him and Chase. They were all gone, and yet the Hand of Destiny was still influencing their lives.

Jeredy shook his head, "Regardless. As a scientist, I need to find a way to help everyone's lives, even Charlemagne. And as a parent, I need to do everything to make sure she doesn't have the same worries that I did with Chase during the aftermath..."

Jon watched him for a moment, and they both looked out the window silently. Finally, Jon let out a sigh.

"... You're a good man. Jeredy."

HLP

Lux hummed as he walked down the hallway. He had just gotten done seeing Rose off with his team and wanted to get a look around the ship before they left. The brown-haired girl was still feeling regret by what happened, but there were some things between her and the rest of S.T.O.R.M. that hadn't been resolved. Lux was sure that she wouldn't have been able to stand being here for another day from the horror stories that she told. Instead, she was ready to go back to one of the Core Tech labs.

"I hope we get to see her again," Lux sighed. At the moment, he was trying to find the first Strike Squad to say a quick farewell. The others thought he was crazy to want that, given the situation. But he didn't want to leave on bad or awkward terms. When he turned the corner, he knew he was going to get that wish.

"Alpha?" He said, walking towards the teen. Alpha froze, quickly turning to him.

"Lux? Wh-what are you doing here?" Alpha stuttered. He was standing there, looking out through one of the larger viewing windows that showed the open skies. Right now it only showed gray clouds, but even that was impressive by the enormous window.

"Just checking the view before me and my squad head out," the orange-haired teen shrugged, trying to play it casual, "We're leaving in an hour or so to go back to the base in the south where we're stationed. Duty calls and all."

"You're not staying for the... Service?" Alpha questioned hesitantly, leaning forward against the banister.

"N-No. We have work to get back to," Lux said, scratching the back of his neck, "We-uh. I mean, I was the only one who knew who Commander Trey was. But even then I only knew him because of my mom."

"Your mom?" Alpha said with a raised brow. Lux's cheeks reddened at what his voice hinted at.

"I-I mean because of business!" he said quickly, "They always had meetings about your squad and expectations- and that just made her push us further in our training-"

"Woah woah woah! Hold it!" Alpha said, staring at the other teen, "Your mom is your commanding officer?!"

He shrugged his shoulders, looking back to Alpha, "Y-yeah. She is. Kinda scary to be honest."

He chuckled awkwardly before growing silent. It stretched between them, suddenly making it tense. Lux looked out the window while Alpha stood there stiff and unsure.

Admittedly Lux had been thinking about her during the battle. When they found out what happened to Trey, she was the first one he thought of. He immediately started to panic at the thought of what it would mean if they failed. S.T.O.R.M. would get involved even more. Then she might've...

He shook his head, scolding himself for being caught off guard by his own emotions like that.

And despite the rest of them panicking, Alpha was there to give them courage.

"I'm... Really glad I got to meet you," Lux said, cheeks going red as he grinned. When Alpha didn't say anything, he continued, "When I first came to S.T.O.R.M., it was crazy to think I could even be part of something like monsuno. But all the stories about you and your squad was so inspirational! I'm... Well. Thanks."

He scratched his cheek, feeling bashful as he shuffled his feet. He was so caught in his thoughts, that he failed to see Alpha's clenched fists shaking.

"... We only got four."

Lux turned back around, lips still quirked, "eh?"

"We only got four of them," Alpha muttered, head bowing somewhat as he leaned forward even more, "We took down three, but only one of them got brought in for questioning. And it's not like he can say much stuck in the critical bay..."

"And those other two are still out there. They have to be. That guy with the crystal eye. And the woman that beat me in Axistown..."

His grip tightened on the bar. Lux watched, seeing him tremble from rage. He looked down, unsure of what to say.

"Alpha?"

They both slowly turned around. It was Commandant Marshall Jon Ace.

"Sir," Alpha said, Lux saluting behind him. Jon didn't seem to mind, casually walking up to the teen.

"I'm glad I caught up to you," he said, "There was something I wanted to discuss with you if you wouldn't mind."

The red-haired teen stiffened, but gave a nod.

"... Hey, Senior."

Alpha turned to the orange-haired teen, who was looking at him with a serious look. Before he could respond, Lux held out his hand.

"I mean it. Thanks."

Alpha stared, caught off guard. He bowed his head somewhat, taking Lux's hand. His grip was light, as if he were hardly putting any effort into it. That didn't keep the younger teen from taking hold with all his might.

When he let go, the two trailed down the hallway, leaving Lux alone.

He let out a sigh, looking back out the window before bringing out Spritelight's core. It shone brightly, casting blur and yellow into the gray hall.

"... I guess it's time we go as well."

HLP

He was glad to be able to sit in the garden without the worry of others interfering. Not just the occasional curious S.T.O.R.M. officer, but also strange visions and lost souls that had been bothering him. Beyal inhaled slowly, letting his breath out with ease.

But with no other visions coming up, the monk was left without anything to really ponder. Eventually, he plopped backwards into the grass, feeling it prickle his arms. He never got his cloak replaced, but it was considerably warm enough inside for him to not notice. The pool of water nearby shifted with the ship, sloshing waves against the rocks every so often.

He was worried. With Chase still recovering and everyone generally being anxious, it was hard to relax. But there wasn't much to do otherwise. Jeredy had done all that he could during the surgery, and they would only know if there was any serious damage after Chase made a full recovery.

Beyal tried to get a vision for what the future may hold, but nothing really came. All that kept coming up was an old memory that he thought was a dream at first. And the only reason he knew it was a memory was because Master Ey was in it. Back when Beyal was younger.

Footsteps were approaching from behind, but he could already tell who it was. He turned, giving a welcoming smile.

"Hello Mrs. Suno," he said as the brown-haired woman came up beside him, "Were you wanting to tend to your garden?"

She nodded to him, "Yes. If only because I needed to get out of the flat... You wouldn't have happened to see Jeredy have you? I haven't seen him for days, and I'm getting worried. Every time I go down to the hospital wing, he's always hiding in the restricted area..."

Sophia let out a sigh, sitting down next to the monk. He shook his head as he sat back up, "I'm afraid not. I don't think I've seen him around at all."

He was being somewhat truthful. While he hadn't seen the doctor around, he wasn't exactly making it a priority to see anyone. It just didn't feel right to be around others right now...

"I suppose he needs time," she said, "That mission really was something that changed everyone. Though I'm at least glad that everyone will be able to see Trey off today. It'll put their hearts to some ease."

Beyal nodded, although he knew that wasn't what was bothering the doctor. He had to do surgery on Chase for almost an entire day, and even then Chase had been sleeping non stop for the past week and a half. They all kept visiting him, but it didn't seem like he would be waking up anytime soon.

"I just hope Jeredy can pull himself away from his work long enough to go," Sophia continued, looking out to the pool. Beyal looked up through the glass ceiling. Downpour was threatening, though it would be nice to listen to through the glass. It wouldn't help with the service though.

"... Will you be alright Mrs. Suno? Did you know Trey?" he asked, watching the clouds overhead.

"Probably more then you did."

He gasped, quickly turning to the familiar voice. He saw Mrs. Suno, her lips moving as she said something about how she didn't know the Commander very well. But the words fell deaf to his ears at the sight of the other in the room.

Standing there on the far side of the garden was a familiar tall woman with white hair. She smirked, staring him straight in the eye as she walked out the door into the hall.

He stood up, watching as she disappeared behind the corner.

"... Is something the matter?" Sophia asked, standing up as well. She turned to the hall curiously, then looked back to the monk with a raised brow.

"Um... It's nothing," he muttered, then shook his head. He had to have imagined it. S.T.O.R.M. never confirmed who was killed in the battle, but he was positive that Duo couldn't possibly be around anymore. There was a part of him that just knew.

But this wasn't the first time this happened.

"Well... Then, there's something I'd like to ask you," Sophia said, drawing his attention, "It's about Chase-"

Beyal bit his lip, still watching the hallway.

"Actually. Would you excuse me for a moment," he said, and ran past her. He wasn't sure what he was pursuing, but every flash of white made him run faster. It wasn't possible, and yet, he knew it was her.

Eventually, he wound back up at his room. He looked around to see if anything was out of place. A few empty cores and the scrolls of the Five Tribes on the desk, along with a few other random relics on the floor that S.T.O.R.M. gave back to him. Apparently the scrolls were in the temple, found amongst some of the other items that were brought by Eklipse, though S.T.O.R.M. was kind enough to give them to him instead of send them back to the library.

Beyal went to his bed stand, still seeing a few letters that were written to him from Bekka. He was a little disappointed that she didn't come back to S.T.O.R.M. with him. But she was resolute in trying to rebuild the temple, and he couldn't fault her for that. If anything, he wanted to go with her...

But as it was, he needed to stay here. It's what his purpose was-

"Beyal!"

He turned around, seeing Sophia standing there in the doorway. She had a look of concern on her face, obviously disturbed by his reaction.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Suno," he said, "I was just... Bothered by something."

He looked back down at the letters from Bekka. Sophia took a few steps inside.

"Well... In that case, I might be asking too much from you," she sighed. He turned back around, seeing her staring at the floor.

"... As much as I want to say he'll be alright. I fear for Chase," she said, "I cannot see his future anymore. And I have a feeling that his path is going somewhere that I cannot follow."

She shook her head, looking up to him. Her eyes were glistening, bright teal in the darkened room.

"Please... Look after him for me," she said, then started walking out the door. She held onto the doorframe, pausing briefly, "After today, everything will be different..."

She walked out, leaving the monk alone. He stared at the floor, pondering her words. She acted like Chase was going to leave. He hadn't even woken up yet, so why would she-

"Looks like you found yourself a nice new little family without the useless ties of our people to hold you back."

Beyal jumped, quickly turning around to see the tall white-haired woman leaning in the doorway. She had to slump rather low just to fit, but it was still alarming. His hand flew to a core.

"That's adorable," she hummed, looking around the room, "After all, it's not like monsuno knowledge is really necessary anymore. Not with that greedy bookman gone, along with your master, the last source of our knowledge."

Beyal stood up a little, hand easing away from his cores. He blinked a few times, wondering if he was dreaming or in a vision. He rubbed his eyes for good measure, still seeing Duo stand there gazing down at her hand. He realized that her hands weren't crystal anymore.

"So what will you do little monk boy?" she asked, still not looking at him, "Going to go to your friends? Turn your back on everything and live your life to the fullest? Might as well now that the temple is gone."

He stared for a moment, not sure what to make of her presence.

"Are you going to follow your destiny and her words? I doubt it. You seemed to have given up on the idea of becoming Ey's successor," she sighed, leaning further back as her shirt slipped open somewhat. He saw a large gouge in the middle of her chest that made his stomach turn.

He stood there, still watching the woman on the other side of the room. Eventually, her green eyes flickered up at him briefly before falling again, a slight smirk on her lips, "What's with that look?"

"Are you... Really here or just in my head?" he asked curiously. She continued to lean against the wall, now twisting one of the locks of her white hair between her fingers.

"... I'm real for you. And that's all that matters."

He stood there, eyes not leaving the spot where he saw the white haired woman vanish in a blink of an eye.

"See you on the other side, monk boy."

HLP

"Sir, if this is about the mission. I know my mistakes," Alpha said. He and the commandant were walking down the hall, though it was obvious that Jon was trying to be more casual about it as the teen had to keep his strides small to stay behind him.

"It is about the mission, but it has nothing to do with your mistakes," Jon said, coming to a stop as he looked out the window. Alpha was ahead by a few steps, hesitantly walking up next to the man.

"Alpha," Jon said, "What is the mission of S.T.O.R.M.?"

Alpha raised a brow, caught off guard by the question. He cleared his throat.

"To apprehend monsuno and preserve peace. We protect the public by working in the shadows. never compromising the knowledge of monsuno and monsuno related activity," he said, almost robotically. It was something that he had to memorize countless times for Charlemagne when preparing to become the Strike Squad leader.

"True. But that's not quite right anymore," Jon corrected, "We also have to help the connection between monsuno and humans in order for peace to truly be achieved. It's why we have Jeredy working here... And why I tried to use Toxic Mode."

Jon ran a hand over his face with a sigh.

"Obviously that was the wrong way to go at it. Monsuno need a different kind of communication and bond. Something that you clearly have a better understanding of."

He stood closer to the window, watching the light rain starting to hit.

"Even Trey saw it. He knew that adults would never be able to achieve the bonds that you and the others have between monsuno. It was the reason that he started the other Strike Squad," Jon said, "And. Why I am sure that you will be able to continue what he started."

"... Commandant?"

Jon turned to the other, holding his closed fist out. Alpha held his own out. Jon dropped a small object in his palm. The teen's eyes widened at the sight of Trey's lieutenant pin.

"I was wanting to promote you to Commander, if only so you can start the process of filling the position. But easing you into it would be better. Especially if you were still wanting to be with your squad-"

"Why are you even giving me this?" Alpha muttered, head bowing as his grip tightened around the pin, "So much happened because of me- Lux was the one who saved Chase! All I did was put everyone in danger- I got Trey killed!"

Tears were swelling in his eyes, blurring his vision.

"I don't deserve something like this-I'm just-I can't-"

"Alpha."

The man took his shoulders, now kneeling down somewhat so they were eye to eye.

"No one is blaming you for what happened," he said, "You called for backup, and that's all you could've done. You made sure to assess the situation and made decisions accordingly. You did exactly what needed to be done. You stayed behind to help rather then play the hero because it was for the good of everyone else. And that's the exact type of thinking that makes a great leader."

Jon stood back up, looking out the window.

"And I know that you can do it. You were right there next to me during the chaos, still managing everyone when I couldn't. So don't sell yourself short," he said with a gentle grin.

Alpha stood there, looking back down at the pin. His stomach was doing cartwheels at the thought of being able to make a change in S.T.O.R.M.. Personally, he wanted to back down, but at the same time...

"I... This is."

"Give it some thought. I don't expect an answer right away," Jon said, looking back outside, "Things are going to be changing, and I'll need someone like you to be here to help."

Alpha gripped the small pin, quickly blinking the remaining tears from his eyes. He gave a salute, and made his way down the hall.

He continued to stare down at the pin as he walked. Despite his inner qualms, he was in awe that the commandant actually said that. The commandant! Alpha couldn't wait to tell the rest of them-

He came to a halt immediately.

That's right. His team. What was going to happen now? He wasn't about to leave them on their own, especially after that whole battle they just endured. But he knew that they would want him to take the opportunity. Hell. Bravo and X-Ray had always been the ones urging him to ask for more missions, knowing that it would look good on his record.

Alpha shook his head. No. This was something that would affect them all. They had been through so much over the past year, and he wasn't about to make such a crucial decision without at least hearing what the others had to say. Knowing that they would all be in the same place, he decided to go straight down the hall to the medical bay.

As he was walking down the hall, he noticed three people gathered at the end, two of which seemed to be in a heated argument. When he came closer, Alpha instantly recognized one as Jinja.

She stopped at the sight of him, gaining the attention of the other two.

"Jinja-uh. Aren't you going to the service yet?" he asked, now staring fully at the other two as things started clicking together in his head.

Jinja sighed, then stood up a bit straighter.

"I would, but I have to explain some things," she said, "But first. Alpha. Meet my parents."


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