Hey everybody, so sorry for the long wait.
As always, thank you everyone who has come along and stuck it out this long with me. I can't promise when the next update will be, fingers cross it won't be too long though.
Flexing his fingers, for what seemed the tenth time in the last thirty minutes since being told they were arriving, Ray scratched into his pant legs as he took in a steady but heavy breath. Golden eyes fixated on his target, every hair on his body standing on end, yet there hadn't been even a dull roar of thunder outside for the past two hours.
Tala had glanced at him, mouth open to speak but had closed it seeing as how Ray hadn't even noticed anything but Bryan sitting across from them. If he could, he'd save him from Ray's wrath but currently had his hands still full of baby and was still torn on the inside about everything Bryan had disclosed to them hours ago.
Since then, the helicopter had gone silent, most if not all eyes had soon closed at some point and heads passed out on the shoulder to their left. Everyone was tired, scared, at the same time being just as restless as they were tired while starving and needing to heed the call of mother nature.
As the helicopter jarred slightly, the large metal beast coming down in a soft spin, the whirring of the blades overhead began to slow and die out to a dull buzz until silence befell everything.
Those that had still been asleep as they landed woke up, stretching their stiff legs and backs while rubbing their numb asses while they stood.
For the first time since Bryan had disclosed what he had been doing, what he had become, Ray's eyes shifted from him to Lee's who gave a simple but firm nod across from him near the back door once they had stood with the others.
Making sure his hold on Kain was firm, Tala rose from his seat beside Ray and shifted the now awake babe in his arms and made a pass to hand him over that Ray ignored as he swept past him along with the others following closely behind Lee.
Tala let out a breath, having no choice but to follow as he rearranged Kain to his hip and brought up the rear.
The silence that had plagued them all inside the helicopter followed them outside into the slight muggy air and morning mist, the sun only just beginning to come over the peaks of the mountains and trees the encaged Ray's village.
Having to land in a field off the main paths and roadways, they congregated around one another as beaten up green and tan military trucks rolled up through the grassy field towards them.
Lee was the first to move out of the crowd, breaking off and going to where the drivers of the trucks were and began listing off commands left and right that were more barked out than spoken. The drivers each responding to him in their own barks, yet their tones weren't as harsh or held any kind of commanding undertone like his did.
With a quick wave for the others to come join him, they all filed and piled into the seats while the drivers and crew from the helicopter brought over their luggage and pushed everything into the bed of the trucks around Bryan and Spencer who couldn't be fit into a seat.
Pulling away from the field, the trucks took off at a slow and steady pace along the uneven ground and grass and dirt. The trucks jarring slightly as they bumped along till they made it to the main dirt path, not making the ride any smoother as the drivers pushed on the gas pedal and the trucks took off while kicking up dirt and pebbles out from under the tires.
"Kit, can you take him now?" Tala asked in a whisper as Kain began to whimper, either from the harsh rocking of the vehicle they were in, or because Tala had tightened his hold so he wouldn't drop him outside the opened space of where a door should have been. The ground whizzing past them in blending colors of green and rocky dirt, the wind whipping at their hair and stinging their eyes some.
Ray hadn't seemed to have heard him, despite sitting right next to him and with his heightened hearing. Though since they had climbed into the back of the truck, he'd been in a conversation with Lee who sat in the passenger seat who was talking back to him in quick and another barking tone in their native tongue. Whatever they had been discussing was going right over Tala's own head and through his own heightened hearing, curiosity killing him along with the strain of Kain in his arms.
After a few more hard bumps in the road, the trucks began to slow as they climbed a small hill where the village came into view in the distance. The trees having grown thicker around them, the mountains seemingly having gotten taller as they approached.
Taking a right from the main path they had traveled along, they came up to a round-about that was situated in the center of the village, larger buildings and smaller homes situated around it with more narrow and winding dirt paths spreading in different directions.
Pulling up to the largest building sitting on the edge of the dirt path, the trucks came to a jerking halt and the engines were cut off.
"Just wait here." Mariah whispered to Tyson, Hilary, and Max as she clambered out from the passenger seat of the second truck, the driver following after her to meet up with Lee and Ray in front of the trucks.
[We haven't had time to inform anyone, but we should have what we need for everyone to get settled somewhere.] Lee spoke in a hushed whisper to the other two huddled beside him.
[We can figure it out. I have room for at least Tyson, Hilary, and Makoto.] Mariah supplied just as quietly.
Lee gave a nod before his eyes turned to Ray, [If you give me a minute?]
Ray only nodded back, pulling his arms over his chest as it heaved with another heavy breath and his pupils quivered while his upper lip slowly curled back.
Lee gave him a knowing look, though didn't say a word as he took Mariah gently by the upper arm and tugged her along towards the building they had parked in front of. The two disappearing inside, leaving the others waiting in the trucks bewildered and confused as they shot each other questioning looks.
Passing Kain to Spencer behind him in the bed of the truck, Tala slipped out of the backseats and stepped up to where Ray continued to stand and appeared to be frozen with his attention on the wooden doors Mariah and Lee had slipped through.
Enough was enough, the whole ordeal was too much right now and he was getting sick of the cold shoulder like he wasn't there; like he wasn't just, if not more, affected by Bryan's betrayal.
With a soft tap on his shoulder, Ray whirled around. Gold clashing with icy-blue, his pupils dilating instantly as he stared at Tala's more hardened face that demanded an answer without him even uttering a word to him.
"They're just making sure everything is set up." He answered Tala's unspoken question, almost sheepishly as his shoulders fell forward at Tala's cold stare.
"Isn't Lee the Head Elder now?" Tala questioned, a red brow being quirked up.
"He is, but things still need to be run through a council." Ray explained as he rubbed at his arm, "It won't take long." He added, either to get Tala to back down or lessen his worries.
He knew what he had been doing, ignoring him, and he knew that he was also lying through his teeth at the moment. Though he couldn't very well tell him about what he was fixing to do, he'd deal with the fallout when they got there.
Tala gave him a skeptical look before a heavy sigh passed his lips, "Okay." Was all he got out in a slight mutter, pulling back his twin bangs from his face and into the rest of his red disheveled hair.
Ray shifted where he stood, by now he figured the lies and deceit would have stopped, but this was for the better; for all of them until he knew what to do with the rat amongst them.
He knew it'd hurt, especially Tala, and dwindle their ranks but he couldn't stand the sight of Bryan right now any more than he had been able to before.
With his mouth opening to speak again, with what he wasn't even sure, the doors Mariah and Lee had left through burst open and close to twenty men came marching out and down the steps towards the trucks.
An array of dark hair and yellow to gold colored eyes surrounding the truck Bryan was sitting in the bed of with a relaxed expression on his face. He had a feeling this was going to happen, just not so soon.
Holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture, he stood himself up and jumped out the bed of the truck on the dirt road, keeping his hands held up that were quickly grabbed and jerked behind his back.
Tala watched with his mouth falling open, Tyson and Max clambering to get up from their seats only to be stopped when the guards closed in around the sides of the truck to keep them there with guns at their sides and hands at the ready to draw if need be.
"Ray! What's going on?!" Tala demanded as he spun back around, taking in Ray's slit pupils again and bared fangs.
"Everyone just stay where you are." Lee barked as his men chained Bryan's arms behind his back and dragged him to where Lee stood on the last step.
His yellow eyes met Ray's and gave a firm nod, propelling Ray's feet to move him as he stomped up to where Bryan was with Tala hot on his heels yelling at him to let Bryan go. Every word he shouted passing through one ear and out the other.
When their eyes clashed, Ray's pupils only got thinner as he crowded into Bryan's space as close as he could with his chest heaving and his claws piercing the palms of his hands at his sides.
At the moment he couldn't even tell what Bryan's facial expression was, if he was even sorry for what he'd gone and done behind their backs or if he was rather pleased with all the attention being given to him or not.
Either way, it made Ray's blood boil and his arms shake with the pent up anger. With a loud crack that shook the ground, lightning flashed across the clear blue sky, making the others flinch and duck for cover while Hilary and Spencer pulled the children in their arms tighter to shield them.
The second the loud echoes died away, Ray's fist lifted and found its target that he had been itching to get at since everything had went down and the veil of lies had been lifted. The others watching all jumping where they sat, Tala gasping loudly as he grabbed at Ray's arm to stop him from striking again.
Bryan's head jerked back with the sound of bones crushing, blood spurting out quickly as the guards holding him shifted as his weight was thrown back. When his head came back down, his own chest heaving to breathe through his mouth, it was turned slightly in a small smirk as his blood trickled down onto his upper lip and into his mouth.
"I'll figure out what to do with you later. For now I want you out of my sight!" Ray hissed as a growl tore through his heaving chest, not moving from where he stood and having the guards pull and tug Bryan around him and up the stairs past the others only to disappear through the doors Lee and Mariah had come from earlier.
Lee stood with his arms over his chest, taking in the others still sat in the trucks before back to Ray who had jerked his arm out from Tala's shaking hold.
"When you're ready." Was all Lee said as he turned on his heel, heading back into the building while Mariah broke away and went to the others at the trucks.
Ray moved to step with him, his shoulder getting caught and was brought back in a slight jerk as Tala jumped in front of him quickly to block his path. His icy blue eyes looking wet even with his face going hard again.
"What is going on?!" He stressed out angrily and confused.
Ray let out a small sigh, pulling his bangs back from his face before letting his throbbing hand flop down to his side.
"Mariah will take you to our house, I won't be gone long."
"That doesn't answer me!" Tala yelled, gearing up for more when Ray put a hand to his pale cheek.
"Just keep an eye on Kain for me, I won't be gone long." He repeated in a calmer tone, letting his thumb brush Tala's cheek before stepping around him and walking up the stairs without looking back.
Tala blinked at the back of Ray's head, his tears rolling down his face as he was more lost and confused than he had ever been.
To him it felt they were falling apart, had been falling apart long before Kai was even taken from them, but with the truth being set free he had held out some kind of hope that things would have slowly mended back together. Now, he wasn't even sure if they could, he hardly recognized the man he loved right now and he didn't completely understand why.
Three Years Ago, January 5th.
Ray's foot tapped the snow covered concrete beneath his feet, his leg nervously twitching as he watched as cars upon cars pulled up and collect whoever was waiting on the side of the road with their luggage by their feet before moving along once they had been picked up.
He'd only just arrived in Russia a mere forty minutes ago, his nerves working overtime as he played out the last month in his head. All the times he and Kai had been able to meet up for either lunch or dinner once his business deals had been squared away. The older male having left Japan two weeks ago, leaving Ray behind to figure out just what the hell he was doing with his life and before he could stop it he had a ticket and his bags were packed to move.
The BBA headquarters were still being developed in Moscow but were ready enough that he could go after his last trials through the Fusion process.
Those last few runs through the tubes had been the worst, but he was slowly coming out of the effects of it all. He was gaining an appetite again, his senses weren't riding in overdrive as much as they had been before, yet he was left to wear his dark sunglasses for just a bit longer.
As his foot continued its nervous dance, the snow it had been pelting down into having melted and near enough turned into slosh under him, his eyes shifted to the side of the road as red-orange hair passed by him as a sleek black car rolled up alongside the sidewalk.
His heart began to beat fast, even more so when Brooklyn turned over his shoulder, his teal eyes hidden behind his own pair of sunglasses yet his fair lips were upturned in, what Ray hoped, was a reassuring smile just before he slipped into the passenger seat and was off with the rest of the afternoon traffic.
Even with the Fusion process having been completed, Brooklyn had come to train him and be beside him once the BBA got its footing. They'd be working beside each other now more closely, and in a way it had been a weight off Ray's shoulders to have someone he knew there with him through it all.
Max was being positioned to come over as well once things back in Japan slowed down and the rest of the teams went through the Fusion process. Lee was staying back in Japan while Mariah and the other White Tigers were being shipped over for their turn through the tanks in a months' time.
So far everything on their end had been going smoothly, they were taking the right steps forward in protecting the world from the threat Brooklyn had seen, yet at the same time Ray felt as though he was taking five major steps back.
It probably wasn't the smartest thing to ever do; throwing himself into a relationship with not just Kai but Kai's lover as well while he was preparing to become a human weapon- had become a human weapon- but now it was too late and even more so when a white car pulled up on the side of the road where he was sitting and the window was rolled down to reveal red hair and icy blue eyes.
Ray's heart kicked up even harder, having felt frozen to the cold bench before but not he felt like he really couldn't move.
He hadn't been expecting Tala to be the one picking him up but there he was, with an almost wolfish grin on his lips that Ray remembered from the last time he had seen him some months ago when he allowed himself to be pulled into their web.
"Sometime today Kit, or you'll freeze out there." Tala called in a melodious tone, his wolfish grin stretching across his face.
Ray could only nod back stiffly, he was frozen to the bone already as it were despite his heavy thick coat and gloves.
Taking up his bag from the ground he had left it when he sat down, the snow crunched under his shoes as he made his way up to the car and tossed his bag in the back before slipping into the passenger seat beside Tala and let out a content sigh as the warmth from the heater wrapped around his chilled body.
"What, no hello kiss?" Tala chuckled, having already put the car into drive to follow the rest of the line of cars that had gathered whoever they were there for and took off away from the terminal.
Ray's cheeks warmed, though it wasn't from the heat coming from the air vents as he shifted in his seat.
This was a bad idea, what the hell had he been thinking?! He should have smacked himself long before this whole thing got out of hand the way it had gone, though that was far too late now.
Tala chuckled at the silence, keeping his eyes forward as he guided the car through the ever growing traffic around them once they hit the highway.
"So, bad news." Tala finally voiced as he lowered the volume to hos radio down, "It's just you and me for a few days, Kai's got this business deal he has to complete."
"Oh." Ray voiced back quietly, unable to stop himself from shifting in his seat again.
That explained why Tala was picking him up at least, but how exactly were they supposed to behave around each other once they got to Kai's house when the one they both were in this for wasn't there?
"So, it's your choice for dinner. Can take you out, show you around, or stay in and get cozy by the fire." Tala near enough purred out in a seductive tone.
Ray near enough choked on his spit as his skin pricked slightly, "Um, whatever you want." He squeaked out some, feeling his throat go slightly dry all of the sudden.
What else was he supposed to say to that? Clearly Tala knew he was really only there for Kai, was he even sure if he and Tala could even have anything without Kai around?
The bigger question he kept asking himself and had been plaguing him since the start; did he even want to?
Present
The moment he could smell Ray coming up the small path to the front doors, Tala was up off the armchair he had slumped into after putting Kain down for a nap, throwing himself at the front door just before Ray had the chance to open it and the moment they came face to face, Tala's eyes narrowed hard as his arms went around his chest and barricaded the doorway from letting Ray step inside.
They both could see the other exhausted, having been awake for almost 24 hours with little to no sleep. The stress that had piled and pulled down on their shoulders weighing them down, surprised they hadn't just collapsed yet from everything but desperately wanted to.
"Care to explain, now?!" Tala went off just as Ray's mouth went to open, only for it to close quickly.
"If you let me in." Ray answered in a tired sigh, running a hand through his bangs to pull them from his face.
Tala eyed him up and down, the dark circles under his eyes more prominent than Ray's on his pale skin, as he weighed up his options. Though figured he couldn't very well keep Ray outside all day, not when he needed to put his feet up and rest for not only his sake but the babies.
He moved to the side, letting Ray pass by him and shut the door after him before following him back into the living room to the right of the doorway. Watching Ray do what he had done once he could; just throw all his weight down onto the armchair to rest.
"I'm sorry, but it needed to be done." Ray finally spoke, though didn't look at Tala or in his direction as he stood to the side of the armchair beside him.
"If he's Fused then that gives us more numbers, even if it's just one more person." Tala argued, his tone dying down to not wake Kain down the hall.
"I get that, I do, but right now I want him there." Ray bit out as his hand flopped on the armrest from keeping the side of his head propped up, lulling it back along the chair's cushion to finally look at Tala beside him.
"He's the only one that can override this chip!" Tala huffed out as he pointed to the side of his head, "And he can't very well do that if he's locked up, now can he?!"
"I'm not keeping him there forever!" Ray snapped back to where both their voices were loud, "Why are you defending him?!" He demanded as the palm of his hand slapped the padded armrest.
"After what he's done, not just behind your back but everyone else's! I can't trust him and neither should you right now!"
Tala shifted where he stood, his arms constricting around himself as he stared down at Ray, his already frazzled mind trying to run through every scenario and comeback but quickly failed. He was too tired to fight with Ray, too tired to even stand like he had been, and still too heart broken about Bryan's betrayal to plead for him.
"Where did they take him then?" He settled on saying, his shoulders falling some as the fight in him died away.
"You're not going there." Ray answered as his eyes narrowed as if he was almost daring Tala to bite back.
Tala let out a hard sigh, rubbing at his face and shook his head. "Fine, whatever." He rolled his eyes and turned on his heel to go to bed, beyond done with everything around him.
He hadn't even had the chance to properly look around the house, that Mariah had said belonged to Ray, that was also fully furnished and stocked as if someone had still been living in it. All that he cared for was the bed that was calling his name and hoping that he didn't sleep ten years, even if that's what his body and mind was begging him to do.
Doing what Tala had done, now that he was left alone in the living room, Ray rubbed his temples with a tired sigh while leaning further back into the armchair. His entire body sore, his feet and ankles swollen to the point he wasn't sure if he could even get his shoes off them right now. On top of all that he was starving, but the thought of food made his stomach churn, yet he needed something not just for him but for the baby growing in his belly.
With a hard shove he was back on his feet, going across the hall to the small kitchen that was nothing in comparison to the one back at Kai's house but still brought on the familiar comforts of home.
Within the hour he had something made up for the three of them, the smells of the food cooking filling the house and bringing Tala back out from hiding away in the bedroom despite not having slept at all.
His stomach was too empty, head too full, and heart torn in two to do anything more than lay there and toss and turn several times as he stared at the walls and at one point the pillow case as he'd gone to burying his face in it.
"Can we stop this now?" He asked still as tiredly as before as he stood behind Ray's shoulder as the other went to plating their food.
Ray regarded him over his shoulder quietly, giving a small nod though didn't say anything back to him for the moment while going back to what he was doing.
Tala shifted around the small space to the fridge, hoping there was something cold to drink and his eyes grew as they took in the bottles of what he assumed was beer nestled along the shelves.
"Jesus, Kit." He chuckled, plucking one out of the twenty or so bottles from the rows that didn't have a label on any of them.
"Have at it, not like I can put them to use right now." Ray chuckled back with a small shake of his head, setting down the spoon he had used to dish out their dinner and plucked their full plates up off the counter to take them to the table.
As if he was hit over the head, Tala gave Ray a more proper look up and down with worried eyes. "How're you feeling?"
"Fine, just swollen feet and ankles again. Threw up after I started cooking, but it's passed now." He waved off Tala's concern as he laid out their plates, "I'll go get Kain, sit down and eat." He ordered and walked away before Tala could stop him.
Tala did as he was told, making himself comfortable on one of the wooden chairs around the table in front of a plate as he twisted off the metal cap from the bottle dark bottle and took a quick sip of it where it burned his throat and left him coughing slightly till the burn slowly settled.
"What is this?!" He sputtered as Ray came back with Kain on his hip, the babe looking wide awake and well rested.
Ray smirked a little as he settled Kain into his highchair at the table between them, "Snake wine. Kevin's family makes it around here. Just go easy on it."
Tala made a face as he looked at the bottle before looking down the neck of it, "Is there an actual snake in here?"
"In the main bottles, yeah, when I got those they just poured some into empty bottles for me though." Ray explained as he sat himself down beside Kain, cutting up the noodles on his own plate and passing them off to his son to eat.
Tala made a face as he set the bottle down and moved it away from himself and his plate, the taste of the drink lingering on his tongue.
"We'll need to go to the market for some things, like vegetables and milk and bread. Can do that tomorrow though." Ray voiced just to keep the silence at bay, feeding more cut up noodles to Kain as he had yet to take a bite of food for himself.
"We've already contacted the others in America and Japan, they'll be arriving within the coming weeks. They're not moving all at once, for safety reasons, but we might have some others living with us until we know where to place everyone." He continued, Tala sitting back and eating quietly while he listened and taking note that Ray still hadn't eaten a single thing off his own plate yet.
"Okay…"
"There's going to be a council meeting tomorrow night, you'll be on your own with Kain for a few hours." Ray continued over him, not even realizing Tala was watching him so intently now as he went on autopilot.
"Do you ever stop?" Tala asked in a gentle voice, unable to take it anymore as Ray scooped up more food and once again missed his own mouth as he focused on feeding Kain instead.
Ray blinked at him a little, hand hovering with the fork held between his fingers as he gave Tala a questioning look.
Tala sighed with a small shake of his head, "You need to eat too, Kit."
"I will."
"Then eat." Tala said as he pointed at Ray's plate with his own fork between his fingers, his eyes going hard in case Ray wanted to put up a fight about it.
Ray let out his own sigh, stabbing his food almost childishly and popped the noodles in his mouth all the while holding Tala's challenging eyes with his own.
Tala smiled back at him equally as childish as Ray was being, "That's better."
Ray rolled his eyes, getting some more though this time the fork went into Kain's mouth again. Tala bit his tongue, it wasn't really worth another argument over and this time something so small as eating.
A small light bulb went over his head, quickly cutting up his own noodles and stabbing them with his fork and brought his up in time with Ray's to Kain's mouth.
The babe looked curiously between the two of them and the offering being given to him on both sides, Ray's eyes gone slightly wide at Tala though quickly narrowed some while Tala's lips curled into his wolfish grin.
Kain didn't care, taking a bite from Tala's fork first before turning to Ray's and biting down on that next with his cheeks still stuffed.
"Eat." Tala huffed at Ray again, making his point more clear as he offered more of his food to Kain once he'd gotten what had been in his mouth down.
"You're insufferable sometimes." Ray sighed, this time actually getting to his plate fully while Tala fed Kain between them.
"Took you this long to notice?" Tala chirped back, "Been with me three years, thought you'd have caught on by now."
Ray snorted back in response, "Pretty sure I caught on the first week of being with the two of you."
"Really? Kind of hard to do when you kept yourself holed in your room unless Kai was home." Tala snorted back, though his words cut a little he didn't mean them to be taken that way.
Luckily, Ray didn't take any offense to them as a small smile stretched along his own face. "Not like that ever stopped you from coming into my room anyways to bother me."
Tala smiled back at him, "Are you really going to complain right now?"
"Kind of. I was tired from training all the time, was trying to sleep and here you come waltzing in to wake me up so we could do something."
"I was trying to get you warmed up to me." Tala defended with a laugh coming out of his chest, "And it worked, didn't it?"
Ray's smile never faltered as he nodded back, "A little too well." He admitted with his own small laugh.
"What can I say, I'm pretty damn irresistible."
Ray shook his head as he laughed harder, "What can I say, you're also a pain in my ass." He quipped back playfully.
"You're welcome." Tala winked at him, his smile now stretched from ear to ear along his face.
"I wasn't really meaning like that." Ray huffed a laugh.
"Oh, I know. Even still though. You're welcome."
"Won't be thanking you when I have to give birth." Ray shot back quickly, watching Tala's smile falter slightly.
"Being here, how is that going to happen this time? I mean, I can see this place is a bit more modern than what you and Kai have told me before, but do they have a way to help you?" Tala asked as his eyes went up and down Ray's person, even if he didn't have a good view of his stomach.
"Of course, happens all the time around here. I'll be fine, and we still have close to seven months till they're here anyways." Ray quickly explained, not liking the way Tala's concern kicked in and wanted to keep the lighter atmosphere about them for as long as he could.
"Oh… Right. Of course." Tala chuckled nervously some, "Was just making sure."
"It'll be fine, when the time comes." Ray comforted, "Until then, we have to put our focus on other things."
With that Tala's mood dropped down, his focus going to his plate as he twisted some noodles around the end of his fork mindlessly.
"What're the plans, exactly?"
Ray let out a small breath, sitting back more into his chair as he glanced over at Kain beside him who looked back. Ray smiled at him though it fell quickly.
"I'm not sure yet, that's what the meeting is for tomorrow night." He explained as he turned his attention back on Tala.
"Then shouldn't I be there?" Tala asked as their eyes met.
"It's not really my call, not here." Ray answered in a solemn tone.
Yes, Tala had every right to be there but it was up to Lee now on who was allowed in and out of the meeting hall. The moment they all stepped off that helicopter he was the one taking a step back. Lee was the Head Elder while he was nothing more than just the Director of the BBA, at least what was left of it, and now Lee called the shots instead of him.
"But, you're still Director. Aren't you?" Tala pressed, "And this kind of concerns your baby daddy."
Ray nodded some, "I am, but that's also why Lee is taking the helm aside from being Head Elder. Because it does concern Kai and he fears my judgement will sway based on that. Which is also why he may not let you come tomorrow."
"Do you have an idea of what he plans then?"
Ray shook his head, "We didn't discuss much, before I came home, just set up the time and who was all going to be there."
"So, in a way we're fucked if they decide to do nothing."
Ray shrugged his shoulders, "It's possible. Doesn't mean I won't put up a fight though. But now Lee is the final decision maker here. If he says we do nothing, then we do nothing. If he says we wait the eight years, then we wait." He answered in a sigh.
Tala only nodded back, the smile he once wore now completely gone as he sat there and took in Ray's words and the heaviness of the situation now. He didn't want to wait those eight years, but if they weren't being given a choice then there wasn't much they could do. The only real option he saw was having Bryan override the chip and go with their plan of trying to unlock all of Wolborg's powers in him, add to their numbers and if need be go off and do it themselves with or without the others.
"How long are they keeping Bryan on lockdown then?"
"Until I say he can be a free man again. That's one thing Lee has given to me to decide on." Ray answered as his muscles tensed, not wanting to go back onto the topic of the rat amongst them. Though part of him knew Tala would bring him up again, and again, and again until Bryan was set free.
He understood why, deep down not liking it anymore than Tala did at the moment, but felt it was better given all they knew. He didn't trust Bryan, didn't think he ever would, and despite his pleas for them all to believe him that he was on their side, Ray didn't want to chance it.
Bryan, right now, was as dangerous as Anette was and he wasn't going to risk anyone else.
"If you want to see him, I'll take you to him tomorrow before the meeting." He offered.
"Okay…" Tala nodded back, not sure if that was exactly what he wanted right now but held onto the offer given to him just in case it was something he wanted.
"Should get some sleep. I'm going to give him a bath and put him back down." Ray said as the silence began to creep back over them, not giving Tala time to respond as he was already up out of his chair and collecting Kain out of the highchair.
Tala didn't say anything as he watched Ray leave with Kain on his hip, soon enough hearing the shower kick on down the hall but still didn't move an inch from his spot at the table while his mind began to run around in circles again at the entire mess they'd all been thrown into and trying to find a way out of it before the eight years were up and heaven only knew what was happening to Kai right now while they waited and came up with a plan.
