Driving for once was weird, Gladio thought. Of course, he was capable of it, it had just never been his thing in any of the groups he'd been with before. Lestallum usually had designated drivers for all of its vehicles, and even when Ignis hadn't been with their group, Noct had taken over. Gladio had always just been… down the list.

But now he was driving, and not even by discussion. He guessed that Aranea was also used to not being the driver of her groups, because she'd just automatically climbed into the passenger seat and left the wheel to him. He wasn't even sure if she realized she'd done it. It wouldn't surprise him if she hadn't, though. It was clear she had a lot on her mind.

Six, that kid managed to cause so much trouble, no matter how much he tried not to.

"Quit mopin', keep hopin'."

Aranea blinked, visibly snapping out of her daze to look to him. "What?"

Gladio shrugged. "That's the advice you gave the rest of us a long time ago."

Aranea sighed. "Yeah… Guess I did."

"Not so confident in it anymore?" Gladio wished he could give her his full attention, but running off the road was actually one of the better things that might happen if he took his eyes from it.

"You might remember that I also told you to handle what was at hand. My kid is what's at hand. Not much else to do on this lousy car ride than think on it." She poked the glass. "Not exactly a nice view to get lost in."

Gladio huffed out a chuckle. "Your kid… You and Iggy did all but legally adopt him, huh?" He tried to ignore the pang in his chest at that. He'd been so busy that drowning out his feelings had been pretty easy, but Ignis' loss really still hadn't settled with him yet.

Aranea didn't say anything.

Huh. Okay, maybe he got what was going on here.

"This is more about Ignis than Evan, isn't it?" Yeah, that made a lot more sense. "I've never seen you sulk when there was still a chance of saving someone–"

"Amicitia, I swear if you keep it up you're going to get a fist in the face, driver or not."

That was a yes, then.

Gladio arched a brow, waiting. Aranea wasn't Noct, or Prompto, or Ignis. All three of them buried their feelings until someone dug them back out. Though it had taken Gladio a while to figure that out with how vocal Prompto was about other things. If someone tried to do that with Aranea, though… They'd probably end up skewered. She'd talk if she wanted to talk.

"I'm pragmatic," she said flatly, leading her head back. "I knew there was a chance he wouldn't make it. A big chance, considering him. But I thought it would be via some… stupidly selfless act like saving a buss of orphans from daemons or something. I never thought…"

"That he'd slip up?" That Gladio understood. He understood that way too well. Ignis was human, but Ignis was also Ignis. It was hard to believe that something like that had made him meet his end.

"That he'd lose hope," Aranea said quietly. "He just… didn't seem like the type. Dino's death, though… Of all the things, that was what broke him somehow."

Gladio wished he could agree or disagree with that. He wished he had something to add. But he didn't. He hadn't been in Lestallum enough to see the real damage. He'd just been there enough to notice that Ignis was in a really bad mood at one point.

"Hey, we're all having a tough time here! So why don't you stop acting like an ass and try actually acting like yourself again?"

Gladio swallowed. He knew Ignis wouldn't have held those words against him, but he wished to the Six those hadn't been the last words he'd spoken to him.

"Last time I saw him we were fighting," Gladio muttered.

Aranea gave a dry smile. "Not surprising. He'd gotten really cold and snappish. Everyone else had been tiptoeing around it."

"Not really one of my strengths."

She snorted. "Yeah, that I know. I think we'd all been expecting him to eventually chill out. Snap out of it. Feel bad. Apologize to all of us with that wrinkled brow of concern."

A smile tugged at Gladio's lips. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Aranea shook her head. "We weren't right, though. We should have noticed he wasn't getting there."

"No one could have known he'd slip up," Gladio said tiredly.

"Maybe we could have." Aranea rubbed her forehead. "And that maybe is what's kicking my ass."

"What happened to handling what's at hand?" Gladio reminded.

She huffed. "That's the problem – Ignis was the one good at handling Evan. Kids really aren't my thing–"

"Shit!" Gladio slammed the breaks, barely swearing in time to avoid the giant that was spawning in the middle of the road.

"Right, good talk – let's do it again sometime after we kick this thing's ass." Aranea pushed open her door, jumping out as she summoned her lance. The car wasn't even close to a stop yet.

Gladio rolled his eyes. Maybe he'd just let her take this one. She was clearly in the mood to murder something, and Loqi was still out of range.


"Can't believe I lost my bloody phone…" Callux muttered, digging around in crevices by his seat in the car.

"You're certain you had it with you when we departed?" Loqi inquired, trying to be casual about the whole matter since the phone was currently shoved into his pocket. At least he didn't have to cover it ringing anymore. He hadn't gotten a look, but it had been long enough that he assumed the lack of ringing was due to the battery finally dying.

"I thought I did…" Callux sighed raggedly, taking his hat off to run a hand through his hair before he replaced it. "Maybe it's in my room…"

Loqi shivered, crossing his arms as snow flurries continued to pelt his face. The truck wasn't providing much of a shield from the wind currently. He'd gotten fairly used to living in a cold and damp environment since that's what Crestholm was most of the time, but pure snow was another matter entirely. He was fortunate Callux had spare coats in the truck for survivors he happened across.

Callux sighed again, louder. "Well, Lady A may be pissed at me for not answerin' and probably worryin' everyone, but it won't do us no good to keep delayin'. Sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back."

"Indeed," said Loqi. Excellent. Callux had given up faster than he'd anticipated and didn't appear suspicious at all.

Callux gestured at Evan, who was still huddling in the back. "Well, come on."

Evan climbed out quickly, shivering but grinning as he turned in a full circle and looked around as Callux slammed the door behind him.

"What the 'ell survivors gonna be doin' out 'ere, anyway?" Callux frowned, clicking on a light that was attached to his coat. "It's just bloody snow…"

That it was. But this was the point on the map.

"Evan?" Loqi prodded. "Do you recall the way?" It was a long shot, but the boy's memory was supposedly amazing. Time to see if that held up.

Evan turned in another full circle, gaze calculative before he stopped, facing a specific direction. "…This way."

"You're sure?" Loqi pressed.

The boy nodded.

"…Wait, why is 'e leading?"

…Perhaps he should have told Callux more on the way here, but he hadn't wanted to risk him catching onto the fact that this mission wasn't exactly a standard and approved operation. How much did Callux know about the boy anyway? Loqi had assumed a fair amount given his connection with Highwind, but perhaps she'd kept him in the dark since he wasn't part of the city's inner circle of leadership.

"…Are we 'eading to the base where 'e was found?"

Ah. Well, there was Loqi's answer. Time for a bit more truth. Purposefully misleading Callux this close to the goal would only worsen things.

"Yes."

Callux gave him a look as Evan started walking and they began to follow. "What kinda survivors we talkin' about 'ere?"

"I imagine you don't actually need me to answer that." Loqi avoided looking him in the eyes, instead focusing on Evan's back.

"…Uh-huh. And Cor authorized this mission for you, ay? Sent you on it less than a day after you got 'ere?"

Loqi smirked. "Did you or did you not owe me?"

Callux snorted. "You're a sneaky bastard, you know that?"

Loqi chuckled. "It's not the first time I've been called such."

Callux shook his head. "Marshal's not gonna be 'appy about this. Been 'ard keepin' this one under the public's radar."

"Forget the high and mighty Marshal," Loqi snapped, some of his past rivalry bleeding through again. "You've always served your own interests. Do you believe those like Evan and Prompto deserve to die without ever taking their first breath?"

Callux was silent for a moment. "…Well. We're already 'ere now. Wouldn't be right to leave them when we're this close."

If that reasoning was enough to make Callux go through with this, then so be it.


It appeared word of Evan's memory had not been exaggerated. He took them directly to the hidden base with no issue, not that it would have taken that long to find anyway since they'd been so close, and it was so large. Even with the dark and snow, the former presence of the Empire was definitely noticeable.

And all it took for them to get in was a brief scan of the code on Evan's wrist.

Good thing he'd agreed to come along. Loqi doubted his clearance codes would have worked even if he remembered them, and blowing the place open surely would have alerted some daemons.

Of course, Loqi didn't expect the place to be daemon free even with the sealed doors. Time could be rough, especially in a place like this. There were probably half a dozen cracked walls that they didn't know about.

"Stay alert." Loqi shrugged his bow off over his shoulder and notched an arrow. If was even darker in here than outside since the snow wasn't there to reflect any of their artificial lights back at them. Loqi gestured for Evan to get behind him. "Which way?"

Evan pointed before drawing a knife from his belt and flipping it to a backhanded hold. Callux likewise had drawn his sidearm.

The three of them advanced together, their breaths and footsteps steady and surprisingly audible in the otherwise completely silent base.

It really didn't take them that long to find the right room, but it seemed like half an eternity with the silence and dark driving up tension levels. Loqi fully expected a daemon to explode into the area any moment now.

But none did.

Instead, they were greeted with the equally if not more unsettling sight of what they'd come for.

…Besithia truly was a psychopath. Somehow, seeing first-hand what he'd done was so much worse than merely hearing about it. Evan looked enough like a vulnerable child, but he had nothing on his… brother in the tube before them.

Brother. Singular. There was just one still living, it appeared. The others… well, the broken glass and bones didn't speak of an exact occurrence, but they told enough. Most likely, some daemons had been romping around inside the base and broken and cracked some tanks accidentally. The cracked ones appeared to have leaked all their fluid, leaving the occupants dead while still hooked up to the machines inside. They weren't even decayed all the way.

The broken tanks, though… Loqi very much doubted that they'd passed so peacefully. Given the spread of the bones, some daemons had decided to take advantage of the fact that they'd stumbled upon a free lunch.

Evan's sudden retching in the previously totally silent room made Loqi jump slightly.

Instantly, Callux was kneeling down at the boy's side, patting his back gently. "'Ey, it's okay. It's all right, mate. I know it's not pretty but look! We can still save that one, ay?"

Not exactly the fighting force Loqi had been hoping for, but a saved soul was a saved soul. Even if his whole idea didn't work out, this trip had been worth it for that. Although… this might not be all there was to gain, either.

The others had said that the Chancellor's presence had forced them into a hasty retreat. They might have missed some resources around this place.

"Callux," Loqi said softly, for Evan's benefit as much as avoiding daemon attention. "Can you handle freeing the other… Argentum while I take a look around?"

Callux nodded. "Yeah, go for it, mate."

"I'll meet you back here soon. Don't go far," Loqi tossed over his shoulder.

And so he set out, finally able to move at his own quickened pace. He wouldn't call Callux or Evan liabilities, but there was something to be said for traveling alone when it came to stealth. He only had his own two feet to worry about.

And his search bore fruit. Literally – he'd found some canned in a small office pantry.

And some honest-to-Six, high quality Tenebrae chocolate in a desk. Loqi smirked to himself, organizing his findings so he could get the others to help him carry it back after he rejoined them and told them of his discovery.

At least Besithia had been useful in his madness, and him having a sweet tooth was nice too.

Loqi froze suddenly, his hand still clutching a box of chocolate as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Archer sense or just human sense, he could feel eyes on him.

Loqi breathed slowly, itching to reach for the arrow he'd put away when he'd realized he needed the use of his hands, but he knew not to make any sudden movements yet.

He knew there had to be daemons around here.

There. The slightest noise on the floor behind him.

He made a quick judge of the distance.

Far enough.

He propelled himself forward, jumping over Besithia's desk and rolling to buy himself even more distance before he pulled his bow over his head and spun around, notching an arrow as he did so. The desk wouldn't provide him with much cover, but it could stall the daemon–

Loqi nearly released the arrow out of shock alone.

He was not facing a daemon.

…It appeared not all of the other Argentums whose tanks were cracked had fallen prey to the daemons.

That said… Loqi wasn't at all certain that the Argentum before him now still classified as human at all.