Episode 5: Encounter

Outside of their base of operations, Diesel bent down amidst the sunlight, with a large pot in hand. He placed it gently and protected it against the current in the air with his back. Several flowers swayed back and forth, daisies. As white as the feathers of a seagull, and in contrast to the strong, yellow center. Diesel held one small glass of water in another hand and slowly slipped it into the soil. As the water poured into and out of the tunnels within the dirt, he watched the soil take on a darker shade of brown. The flowers themselves seemed to come alive for an instant, and the green was like it had been born anew. He gently kept it to the side of the entrance, where enough sun could bathe the flowers, yet be protected from the wind.

Back inside, Diesel reached for another pot and watered it in the main room. Wash watched the giant, so gently provide sustenance to the plant. Diesel quickly took note of the stare on him, yet didn't mind it so. It was not as if the prisoner would had a better option to occupy his time with. As Diesel finished the watering, he inspected every leaf meticulously. Wash looked at the handiwork and was amazed at the level of dedication Diesel showed. "So you are into gardening?"

"Perhaps," answered Diesel as he set the pot aside and stood up at the behest of the boiling water. Wash watched the creation to the side, and the smells that invaded his nostrils with a heavenly sensation. He noticed the familiar smell of cocoa, mixed with milk. It wasn't all sweet, neither all sour. Coffee, he thought. As Diesel tasted the final product, he approved with a gentle nod. "Do you want some, Agent Washington?"

"Sure?" the ex-freelancer sat a little bewildered at the offer. I thought I was supposed to be the prisoner. He saw the fresh brew approach his mouth. With a small blow, he cooled it to an acceptable level and felt the instant taste hit his sensations all over. Diesel placed the cup beside his and looked at the man expectedly. Quickly, Wash caught on and said, "Um...this is probably the best coffee I have had...of all time."

"I'm glad to hear that," Diesel stood up to monitor the temperature of his brew. "This is a new blend I tried for the first time. It seems the bean ratio worked out perfectly."

"Plants may be a 'perhaps' for you," Wash motioned to the coffee with a smirk, and said, "But coffee definitely is a thing for you, isn't it?"

"Yes," Diesel admitted as he took another sip. He rested a plate of toast beside the cup and washed the buttery breakfast down with a chug. "After all, everyone needs a hobby."

Wash raised an eyebrow at the candor oozing off this man. A much different presence than what he experienced in their first meeting. "You are not like the rest here, are you?"

"That's a dangerous assumption to make, Agent Washington. Assumptions are a dangerous thing indeed, when misused."

"Really, why would you even stick around with these people?"

"You are very curious today, some energy came back to you?"

"I guess I just needed to talk with someone," Wash spouted before he quickly averted his gaze down to the ground. The noises of the environment quickly drowned out anything else in his mind as they seeped in stronger by the second. Diesel simply smirked as he rubbed his small stub clean of the bread crumbs. The last of the coffee did wonders for his awareness, as his eyes opened wide, and ready to fully tackle the day. He walked out to where the daisies rested and checked on their condition. Ever so gently, just like he had always been with Phase since his assignment to her in Starlight. Ever so attentively, just as he had been to ensure her life had been maintained. Ever so mindfully, for the heaviness he felt in his chest from his times in Starlight, and the things he helped to do there always caught him in a loop. It was a loop that went up and down, on a hill of mood. He picked up the pot and walked back inside. Enough sunlight for you, for now.

East stared up at the ceiling tiles above her, as the cleaning alcohol smell of the halls reminded her of a past she desperately ached to forget, among many other things. She took the helmet to her right, and fastened it on her head, while in bed. The bareness of her skin was a disdain she preferred to lessen as much as possible. The armour that had protected her all this time was her one, and true companion in the grips of combat. Yet it seems that even her helmet could do little to shield her from Agent Carolina's kick. I passed out, huh, she thought, and slowly sat up with the crack of her shoulders. Oops, that can't be good. With a few grunts, she slid herself to the side of the bed, and to her surprise, the hospital wing was empty. Normally this place has at least one or two nurses. She stood up to trudge her way towards the one, and only other, patient in the area, One. She gently leaned in close, and called out her name. As the call went unanswered, she observed her colleague's relaxed breathing. I guess she got you good as well. East slowly turned around to note the dim lighting, the moody feel of the beds as they left the limelight, and out into the darkness, at every corner of the room.

East slowly walked towards the door, and with every step, she stretched her muscles more, and more. Eventually, she felt herself back at full strength. Out in the hallway, she was quickly greeted by the man she wanted to see last, alone. In his orange armour, he stood tall and surprised. West looked back to the hospital wing, where the other patient was still out like a sleeping beauty. "How are you feeling, Danyell?"

"I told you not to call me that," East quickly bit her lips however, before words she would have regretted left her mouth. "Please refer to me as East, sir."

"...how are you feeling, East?"

"Just fine, sir," she crossed her arms and stood with a slight sway to one side. You worry about me after all that you allowed to happen? She nearly felt a bitter taste pool in her mouth. What a sick joke. He silently nodded, as a blanket of silence covered the two. But it was only a few mere minutes, before he spoke once again. "Just take it easy for a while."

"Yes, sir," she began to walk, and quickly stopped at his next words, 'I'm sorry.'

As he wanted to repeat them again, yet in a quieter voice, he was stopped short by her. She shot him a glare and in an elevated voice, and said, "Don't, apologizing won't change anything that has already happened. You can't fix that mistake. Don't expect forgiveness for that!"

Before he could speak anything in his defense, he quickly found her back side face him, and off into the distance. Heavy breaths followed close. Her chest ballooned up like a ball of air, ready to burst. She slowed her bustle into a slower pace, as she caught herself against the wall. Her muscles still ached, and punished her so for such exertment. She sighed in frustration as her whole body sank deeper into the wall for support. She slowly slid into the next room, where to her surprise, was Raymond.

"Hi," he waved over. "You okay?"

She weakly waved back and sat in a chair next to him. "I will be now."

"Huh, should I be flattered?" He wondered out loud. "Wait, you weren't flirting with me there or anything, were you?"

As a moment passed, he quickly tensed and bowed his head. "Oh god, I made that awkward now, didn't I?"

"Chill," she moaned as she rested her head against the desk. Her brain, that pulsated heavily, so much so as if it was breaking through the membrane walls, and squeezing against her skull. "I'm going to get a headache if you keep on going on like that."

"Oh, sorry."

"Yeah, anyways," she looked at the new member and gave a thumb up. "I heard that you managed to get something from the site of the crime. Gotta say, pretty impressive."

"A ten second clip isn't all that impressive though."

"Eehhh, from what I heard, those guys were pretty thorough in covering up their tracks. So the fact that you got something out of the systems still is a feat in and of itself."

"Thanks," he felt his cheeks redden at the praise, as he himself did come to realize the difficulty of the task. "How are you doing?"

"Still in one piece."

"Yeah, I heard you got quite a beating from Agent Carolina," he scratched the side of his helmet as he forced himself to speak louder. "You know what, I think it's really cool how you challenged her. Even if you lost, I think that's still admirable."

"You are gonna make me cry," she smirked, yet a smile that widened within the next few seconds, as her eyes glistened with content. "You know, it was One's stupid competitiveness that got us into the mess to begin with. Not that it was a bad thing, since I clearly still have much to learn."

"Humility in defeat," Raymond sang, as he lowered down to East's level, and rested his head on the desk as well. "That's awesome."

"How about you, are you feeling like you are a part of the crew yet?"

"Still working on that I would say," Raymond looked at the computer in front of him, and breathed deeply. "I'm not much of a fighter, so I don't know what I can do to contribute other than hack and be the squad geek."

"Being a geek is cool."

"Really?"

"Totally."

"I didn't expect that from you, East. I thought you would be more indifferent to those types."

"Oh come on," she playfully poked him on his shoulder pad, and said, "They are really creative, and its awesome how they are into things people wouldn't bat an eye towards normally. They are kind of different, not weird different, but the good different."

Raymond slowly arose as he felt himself elevate by her words. "Do you by any chance think of yourself as one too?"

"Nope," East flatly replied. "Although I have done some geeky things on rare occasions before."

"Like what?"

"Hmm, I played a table-top RPG once. It was more of Axel's idea as a team building exercise. Spoilers, it ended in a total fail as One pretty much marched our characters off towards their own death."

"Cool, you guys still do it?" Raymond's voice immediately perked up. So much so, that she swore that she saw him pull out a set of playing dice. But he quickly caught himself in the act. "Hehe, sorry. I just get super excited about this stuff."

"It's a good side to see of the rookie."

Raymond didn't know how to reply, as he simply sat still. She took the opportunity to gently bump him on the chest, and said, "You have some cute reactions."

"Wait, so you were flirting with me before?" he pondered as his eyes swirled round and round, and his whole world seem to turn into a spiral. "I'm so confused..."

"Well, let's just say that there are women who love geeky guys, and leave it at that."

"Wha- But that doesn't answer the question," he watched her walk off, and left him only further deeper into that spiral. "Agh, what just happened?!"

Under the gaze of the sun, on unpaved roads, a loud engine of the warthog roared like the war machine it was. In the driver's seat, sat a very focused Phase, who was very mindful to not hit too many rocks along the way, for her passenger seemed quite deeply lost in his own mind. Zero felt himself float in his ocean of thoughts, an ocean that was preoccupied by both him and Black Lotus.

"Go to these coordinates, access this temple, and you shall find the peace you seek," said the mysterious keeper of the temples. "But know that you will need a second key to do so. A feature unique to few temples."

"Where do I find this second key?"

Black Lotus displayed a map and recorded the coordinate data into Zero's suit's on-board computer. Back in the car, he sighed with doubt for the information pointed them straight out into the middle of the ocean. However, his thoughts were the last thing he would find himself enamored by soon enough, he heard a loud clink and saw a dent on the side of the Warthog. Another one appeared as sparks flew opposite to the car. He understood the meaning. Phase quickly turned the wheel to head towards some cover behind old decrepit buildings. Zero studied the second impact point and smirked with a familiar thrill. "At least this one can hit the car. Someone semi-competent turned up."

"You can praise the enemy later," Phase spouted as she avoided a broken piece of metal rod, rising from the ground. "What do we do?"

"Take evasive maneuvers," Zero motioned towards the medium sized city, close to their right and said, "Our pit stop is in there anyways, we can try and confront them at our destination."

"Wait, isn't that-"

"Yes," Zero quickly motioned for her to turn the wheel. "You can tell me about it all that you like when we get there. Right now, we have our mission."

She turned the car immediately to the right, he felt great force push him deep into his seat. That was a dangerously sharp turn, almost as if she did it out of spite, he mused with a smirk. As they came to a stop within the abandoned city, the building to their right flashed back to its glory days in their eyes. Back and forth from reality to the past, they saw the red alarms coat the hallways, as the loud, rhythmic and annoying sounds entered their ears. Yet, the next moment, all was quiet.

"There is the door, I see it, let's get out of here!" many voices shouted in Phase's head. "They can't keep us here now. We won't be their guinea pigs anymore!"

"Make sure you are recording," Zero reminded her as he walked to the lobby desk, where he saw nature reclaim its land. All over the building, through the cracks, nature seemed to remind them of its dominance. Phase stopped to pick up a few testing instruments, one of which was most prominently a needle. The small girl in the chair, tied down and helpless as her only family gave her up to the torture. "No, please, I don't want the needles anymore. Please, help me dad! Don't let them do this to me, please!"

If only the girl back then knew of the willing arrangement made in secret, thought Phase as she threw the needle back down. She walked into the holding areas, where she spent most of her time in, from the rare occasions she was allowed to go for short walks. Diesel, it was that man who was always with her. Trust was sparse at first, but it was clear that while he was their employee, he was also her only real ally in the holding cell. Indifferent to her at first, he grew a compassionate side to him for her. Sometimes she wondered if that was a mistake on his part, for he became involved in something bigger than what he probably wanted to initially achieve. He was her only friend, before meeting Zero. He cared for her, more so than her own father did to her initial surprise. He fought for her, comforted her, and held her in the safety of his big arms. Some days, he still did. Heh, that big teddy bear, she gently wrapped herself all around and slowly bent down in towards her own warmth. You made this place a little less of a hell for me. I'm glad that we are still together though. You are one of the few bright things in my world, Diesel.

Zero trudged to the larger areas of the base, and took note of a pile of black bags in one room. Curiosity gripped him, and his thirst outweighed his better judgement. "Are you there, Jullian?"

"Yes."

"What's the matter?" asked Zero as he cautiously stepped into the room. "You don't sound too well, kiddo."

"Hm, that so?"

"What's going on, Jullian?"

"It's my mom," their young partner in crime spoke with a barely audible voice. "That medication you had initially suggested is not working. She grew an immediate immunity to it, and now I have had to put her on the stronger stuff."

"That shouldn't be possible. No person can develop an immunity that fast."

"No normal person could," Jullian barked back. "But you should know best considering how both of you came back from the same place."

Came back..in my case, not really, thought Zero as he bent down to shine a light on the black bags. "You know that there is no other medication I know for her symptoms. If this one doesn't work, I don't know how else you could suppress her symptoms."

"That's not all. Zero, she...I..."

"What is it? Talk to me, kiddo."

"The doctor says she is developing mild symptoms of dementia."

Zero stopped his study of the bags, as Jullian's words took him by slight surprise. While he did expect side effects to the experiments people experienced here, he didn't think they would be this severe. "I'm sorry to hear about this. And I'm sorry that I can't do anything more than just try to give my words of comfort."

"You know, when you were making those people talk before, forcing a confession out of them, I was against it."

"Yeah, you had made that very clear."

"But, after seeing the extent of the damage they did to my mother, and probably to other people – make them pay, Zero. Please don't stop until they are all brought down to the ground."

"We will," Zero replied in absolution, as he clenched his hands into fists, and nodded his head. "We know that our time is now. Let us do whatever we can to collect the information, and let the public have the final say."

"Right," Jullian answered back as he studied the live feed from Zero's helmet. "So, what are those bags for?"

Zero studied a set of details, written on a note, and stuck with a strong adhesive. It contained – date of death, name and subject id – the information he could easily use to identify them, and so could have the morgue keepers. As he looked at the dates, his heart slowly sank lower into his body. He felt a sharp sting in his chest, for the realization came like a deep papercut. "These are people that were gunned down in our escape."

"Jesus, all those bags have people in them?"

"Yes."

"That's fucked up," Jullian counted out the ones he saw in the feed. "There is at least fifty there."

"Over that easily," Zero looked to the left wall, where another large pile of body bags created a small wall like structure. He looked about for any additional pieces of information, to tie their story together to the image he had in mind. But it seems, that in the decommissioning phase, the A.O.D was extremely careful. Anything other than these bodies, that may have come back to bite them in the future is all gone. No more incriminating hard evidence. But their fatal mistake in not disposing of the bodies properly will cost them. He stopped his search as his ears vibrated with the sound of footsteps out about.

In the hallway, a shadow moved, closed in on Zero's location. The figure was that of an armoured man, he tethered his rifle to his back, as if folded in on itself into one long rectangle, and took hold of the trusty pistol by his leg. In the other hand, he excavated a knife from its sheath on his chest. Zero quickly hid himself in the darkness of a crevice, a safe reprieve to get the drop on others from. As the assassin walked into the room with the body bags, Zero observed the firm, well built man. It was clear that this one took care of himself with respect to his profession. As good of a shot you are, will you hold up against my strength in hand-to-hand? Pondered Zero, for he waited like a predator snake in the shadows, waiting for the mouse to get close.

The assassin studied every body bag closely, nothing amiss. He then moved to the corners of the room, and no surprises jumped him. But as he began to scour the shadows around the room, his pistol held high in front of him, he found himself almost taken aback as Zero leaped out from the shadows. He took a hold of the pistol in one hand, while quickly twisted the assassin's arm, and swung it down on the man's knee. The assassin's scream echoed as the nerves stung at the contact of the metal. The noises were not gone unnoticed by Phase, who quickly made her way in its general direction. Zero detached the magazine, and broke off the top of the pistol clean, rendering it to be nothing more than a useless, blunt, metal object. With the pressure from his right sole, he dug the knife deeper into his adversary's knee and asked, "The A.O.D sent you?"

"Gahh, I ain't tellin' you nothin'!"

"No?" asked Zero as he slowly took the knife out, and instantly drove it back into the knee. The man felt his kneecap move, the muscles bulge with pain, ready to explode his knee open. He held Zero's arms firmly as his song continued to paint the halls in a very strong shade of pain. Phase ran through the door, but felt her concerns alleviate at seeing the dominant figure. Zero easily fought off the assassin's strength and dug the knife even deeper. "Is this secrecy really worth the pain you are experiencing right now?"

"Fuck you, I never give up me clients!"

"This is a waste of time," Phase quickly moved in for the kill, but was promptly stopped by Zero, who gently pulled her to the side. He bent down by the man and began to search his body with little resistance to hold him back. Zero held up a small, rectangular device, with the branding 'A.O.D' atop it. "A recovery beacon - how nice of them to provide you with 's your lucky day assassin, we are not here to kill you or anything of that sort. Instead, sit tight and wait for help."

"What?" Phase walked back in between the two men, her knife held closely to her side. Zero quickly gave a disapproving glance, and said to the assassin, "Quit this line of business. You will make more mistakes, and each of those mistakes will lead to something eventually that cannot be undone. Go home to any loved ones you may have, while you still have them."

He stood up and Phase quickly followed his lead out the door. "You are too kind, Zero."

"Is that so?"

"Yes," she elaborated. "If it had been me, he wouldn't be seeing the light ever again."

"And I suppose that, it makes you very cruel."

"Heh, I suppose so," Phase giggled as the two boarded their warthogs. Over the comms, Jullian sat ready. "You guys get away yet?"

"We are in the clear," said Phase as she drove away. Zero watched the transfer of data from an earlier upload Phase managed to do from some of the remaining technology on premises. Julian was fast on the decryption and cracking, and transferred some interesting results back, at least intriguing to those that would understand. Zero's mouth slowly fell open at the numbers he read on the report, the rate of successes and failures. "Add this to the evidence pile."

"Already done."

"Good job," Zero sighed as he leaned to look back at the damage to the car's surface from the bullets previously. "And Jullian, we both want the same thing. But regardless of our feelings towards the the topic, we need to act with a cool head. I hope you will keep that in mind."

"Yeah, don't worry about it," said the young man as his voice lowered to its deepest pitch by the end he reached the end of his sentence. "Sorry to have dropped that emotional bomb on you earlier."

"Don't worry about it, kiddo. Let's just focus on doing what we can for our mission, and maybe we might be able to laugh about it at the end."

In the A.O.D base, Carolina and Axel shared a lounge, as the empty room was all theirs. The seasoned warrior brushed aside her orange hair, and the sour taste of beer glistened off her lips under the dim lights. Axel was partial to the stronger drinks, such as straight vodka. He took a quick shot and quickly leaned back, for he felt the liquid tumble down hard, like a pile of bricks. His mind went numb, temporarily, for he felt his weight lift beyond his body. Carolina took another sip, and watched her drinking partner experience what she could only think to be, pleasure. "The base is looking empty nowadays. Something shake up the A.O.D anymore than they already are?"

"The news didn't make it to you?" Axel raised an eyebrow as he chuckled in a soft whisper, "What is the communications department even doing?"

"I take it that this is important news I should know about."

"Yeah," he reached for a tumbler glass. It was half-filled with whiskey, his second choice of drink. "It is pretty important regardless of your employment status with the A.O.D. It seems that the C-Suite tier has seen a shake up. The future of A.O.D is in a bit of a panicked tide right now."

"Shake up of the C-Suite...this have anything to do with that attack for the Alien artifact?"

"Yes, in fact its directly related to that."

"Some days I wish my instincts were wrong," Carolina sighed, and licked the beer mustache that formed around her upper lip. "This shake up, what happened?"

"No C-Suite remains, all taken care of by the assailants."

"What about you guys, what are you planning to do?"

"Stay," Axel motioned towards himself, before looking out the lounge area. "Although, I can't speak for the others. But I'm pretty sure they will stay as well."

"Hunting those responsible down becomes an even greater priority then," Carolina firmly stated as she wrapped her hands around the cool glass. Her warm body temperature slowly cooled to the feel of the glass. "Any leads out of that video clip?"

"Not really," Axel answered, as he rubbed the top of his head rather vigorously. "This is fucking annoying. They covered their tracks too well. It's not even a cat and mouse game anymore, it more like we play by their rules."

"They will have to slip up at some point," Carolina quickly rested a hand on Axel's shoulder, a reaffirmation of their dedication to the mission. He slowly calmed and thanked her for the needed words. "But it seems that you are free to go if you would like, Carolina. With the C-Suite gone, finances are up in the air for sub-contractors like you. The stand-ins are trying to figure out the numbers, and understand the budgets, but cuts are being made. Better to leave at your own pace, rather than to concede to their will."

"I can't, at least not until Washington is found," Carolina paused a moment, as if to carefully consider her words, make sure her grip on herself had not left her yet. "I'm somewhat tempted to stick around even after that to make sure that they don't get away with what they did."

"Well," Axel quickly held up his whiskey glass, and with a wide smile he proposed a toast. "Here is hoping to finding Agent Washington, and that you will stick around after that. I know that I would be happy to have the help."

On the road, Phase and Zero felt the wind resistance, the sea breeze that hit them endlessly. It was the gift that kept on giving, by the ocean side. A couple of hours on the road, left their bodies a little stiff, yet they were so close to their destination, that no one dared to suggest a break. Phase gently stretched her neck, flexible as ever, and impressive to hear the cracks every time. Zero too tried it, yet found nothing more than a silent comfort from his muscles. Phase took a soft right turn, at a three way intersection, and continued by the sea side. "It would have been nice for the three of us to come out here like this."

"I was thinking four."

"Hmm, if only she were with us," Phase recollected of her memories, and quickly guided her attention back to the road. She took a right onto the beach sand. As the car came to a halt, Zero and Phase jumped off to see the wheels leave a deep, temporary mark onto the sand. The two walked towards the ocean, where Zero studied his HUD and noticed the actual coordinates. Looks like it's a dud. What do we do now about the second sword?

Zero looked to his left, where he heard the splashing of water. Against her foot, she drove it high up in the air, and watched the droplets with a constant stare. As the droplets touched the water, and released their energy into a circular flow, Phase kicked up yet another few droplets. Zero took a very thin stone, almost disc like, and threw it atop the surface. He watched the stone skip its way along, before finally losing energy and drowning. Phase quickly followed suit and found herself in competition with him. He played around with the stone in hand and said, "Bet you I could make it bounce more times than you."

"Ho-ho," Phase laughed at the thought of the challenge. "And I bet that I can mop the floor with you in this one. I skipped stones a lot as a kid you know. I'm pretty good."

"Then put those words into action," Zero skipped one, and took another. "The loser has to treat the winner to some ice-cream."

"Ice-cream, really?" Phase sighed as she slowly nodded in agreement. "Just know that I like the expensive kinds."

She quickly threw her stone and watch it skip eight times. "Try and beat that."

He threw his, and skipped it did. It went skipping until it was too small for her to even see, or keep count of anymore. Easily, fifteen skips. He left not only himself content with his performance, but also a flabbergasted Phase. Her shoulders that dropped from her sides were enough to tell him of the impact. "I will have the chocolate chip kind, please."

"Fine, you win this round," she crossed her arms with her visor away from him. While hidden, he could tell that underneath, her cheeks were probably puffed up into a pout, and her eyebrows scrunched in on themselves. She looked around to the desolate beach and said, "Next time we come across any markets, I will get you your ice-cream."

"That would be nice," he gently bumped the back of her head with his fingers. "Anyways, looks like the second sword is a no-go here."

"Well, there is a way to obtain a second sword. I'm sure that it's crossed your mind already as well."

"Lavernius Tucker."

"Yeah," Phase pointed to her side and said, "He has had one for years, and that temple guardian thing, Black Lotus, never mentioned any rules against using a sword from another world, did it?"

"No," Zero bit his lower lip as he felt his heart beat increase. He reached for his chest, and tried to calm his heating heart. "But he doesn't have anything to do with this. We should avoid trying to victimize him."

"What other choice do we have, unless you know of another place we can get one from?"

"...no, I don't."

"Then we know what we need to do."

"Hmm...," Zero felt his hands clench at the image in his head. The aqua soldier, on the ground by his feet, and they simply look over the soldier. Zero gritted his teeth and let out a few grunts. "Fine, I will leave the planning to you."

"It's not a good option, but we will have a second sword," Phase empathized. "Give me a day, and I will come up with a plan."

Outside the A.O.D base, the skies darkened, and the cover of night enfolded their side of the planet. In the medical wing, One shifted in her bed, and slowly she arose with a few grumbles. She heard a familiar voice to her left, "Welcome back, sleepyhead."

"Axel," she held her head in one palm, and squeezed the side of the bed with another. "My head feels like its about to explode. How long was I out?"

"About a whole day," he smirked at the chart by her bed, publicly accessible for all in the data pad. "Agent Carolina sure did a number on you. So, what was that about being a badass?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I dropped the ball," One cringed at her own words, and quickly cleared her throat. "I will do better next time."

"Next time, you will work as a team," Axel firmly stated, for he felt a little tired of her repeated routines. "This was just a training exercise, but imagine if this was real. The outcome could have been worse than you just being knocked out."

Quietly, she listened. She could not exactly find herself talking back after her evident failure. It only made sense in what he said. Axel, almost quietly, finished off by saying, "I don't want to lose you. There has been enough loss as it is thanks to the great war from before, and my time in the military."

"Like my parents?" One muttered, hitting Axel hard with the realization. He rubbed the back of his head and in a silent curse, he bit down on his lips. "Sorry, I didn't mean to remind you."

"I know," One replied as she slowly cuddled up to the pillow from behind her. "I guess I'm slow on the uptake of moving on, aren't I?"

"No, everyone has their own pace they move at to get over things. You are no exception," Axel answered, as he gently rubbed her shoulder. "I'm here for you. You will never have to deal with this alone."

"Thanks," One gently took his hand in hers and squeezed it with the assurance that a part of her world was still here. "I bet East is pretty pissed."

"Hmm, she seemed pretty level headed about her defeat."

"I suppose she normally is the more sensible one between the two of us," One mused with a sluggish grin. Axel promptly agreed, "Yes, that she is. West raised her right to the extent he could."

"I should go talk with her, apologize for making an ass out of myself and screwing up our chance at winning."

"Yes, that would be nice," Axel looked out the medical ward and said, "I think it would be good for the two of you to have a moment together as well."

"A moment you say, you make it sound so sweet," One felt her heart flutter, but at the same time, her mind be somewhat happy at the thought. She got off the bed and walked for the door. "I guess I will go do that right now. Thanks, Axel."

"Anytime."

Raymond walked towards the training room, where he saw the in use sign, lit brightly, in a moderate shade of green. In the room, East was surrounded by the bodies of many droids, and many more that fell around her. From afar, he watched until she became aware and noticeably self-conscious, for her once stern, wall like stature lowered like soft clay. He waved in her direction with a nervous, yet friendly motion all the same. "Hi, keeping busy I see."

"Training helps me think sometimes," she admitted as she reached for her water bottle. She removed her helmet to reveal her bright blonde hair, and her grey eyes that focused on the bottle in her hands, as they tried to pry it open. The sweat that glistened off her skin only left a stronger impression on him. He quickly looked away from the inviting excitement his heart felt in its race. I just gotta do it, just ask her. You will never know if you don't try to find out man. Just gotta do it. As she wiped her sweat clean, she threw the towel over her shoulder and placed her helmet firmly back on. "So, what's up?"

"Um, about before..."

"Oh, that..."

A silence followed quickly, one that left them both speechless, and at a loss for words. Why is it that when you have something to talk about the most, the words never properly come to you? Raymond pondered as he looked down to his feet. "Say-"

"Yeah?"

"It's not like you have to but, um," he bit his lower lip and felt the gravity beneath his feet only weigh him heavier. "Did you want to go for a drink or something, just you and me?"

"Are you asking me out?"

"Wow, you are direct," Raymond grinned as he nodded his head. "I guess I'm."

"That came out of left field," she sheepishly giggled as she reached for her wrist. Almost like a glass figure, fragile yet deadly, she stood still in a ponder. Raymond felt his feet command for his escape. But he forced himself to stay, for if he ran away now, he would do himself a colossal disservice. East rested a finger up to her chin and thought with a long hum to fill the void of the silence in the background. "Let's do it!"

She said yes? She said yes! He almost jumped for joy, but held his composure in place. "Great, how does this Friday, after five o' clock in the evening sound?"

"See you then," she leaned closer and gently whispered, "It was pretty cool how you were more aggressive than you usually are. It's attractive to see that side to you."

Attractive, he thought with his heart begin to pound at his chest. Wait, why am I so happy about this? I should focus on seeing just how I really feel about her on this date. That's the whole point of the date, I need to figure out where I stand in all this. He thought as he quickly turned and dashed out. "See you on Friday!"

Raymond quickly froze when he finished turning the corner. There, One leaned against the wall with her head low, and a stare so intense that she could burn a hole into the metal flooring. He shifted to his side and nervously waved her way. "Hi One, feeling better?"

"A lot after hearing that little routine of yours," she mused. "Gotta say, it was ballsy of the rookie, who recently transferred in to put on the moves against a teammate."

"You listened to the whole thing?" Raymond's voice went silent as his face flared with a dark shade of red. He swore he felt his head heat up to the point he bore witness to some steam escape his ears. "You are not going to let me forget about this, are you?"

"Nope," she laughed and pointed in his direction. "It was cute to see the rookie make the effort. But all laughing aside, I hope it works out for you two."

"Really? Thanks, me too."

"Now, if you will excuse me," she motioned her way past him and walked into the training room. In there, she saw the pinkette, busy with the drones once again. She has picked up a few new moves, thought One. Inspiration after her defeat from Agent Carolina perhaps?

East noticed the extra person in the room, quicker than last time. I sure am popular today, she thought as she stopped a moment and the droids around her all went stale, almost in a limp state. "I see that you are in a condition to be walking about now, One."

"Yeah, rest can do wonders," she mused and noted the score board. "Nice, I think you are breaking your previous records now, aren't you?"

"Yes. It seems like through defeat at the hands of Agent Carolina, I found some form of a victory."

"I need to get back to training as well," One gently cracked her knuckles and swung her arms wide. "Can't let you outdo me after all."

"You know, we lost because of the competitive nature of yours," East commented in a dry tone. "I didn't want to be so direct about it, but its important that you realize that, and recognize that about yourself."

"Hm, you really know where to stab a girl in the heart," One grinned, sheepishly so, as she held up a hand against her chest. "Axel said the same things, more or less. You guys love hitting the bullseye. But you are right, it was my impulse for competition that led to the outcome we have now."

"As long as you improve, we're cool," East held up a spare water bottle for her fellow Shatter squad member. One gratefully took it as she felt her throat slightly parched. A grateful drink later, she stretched her arms and legs and asked, "Mind if I join in? Maybe we can take on these drones together."

"Good idea," East agreed with one look back to the numbers awaiting her. "The more the better, let's get this sorted."

"By the way, I know we don't really do this often, but do you want to hang out together after this?"

Surprised, East found herself a little taken back. The words simply became a blank slate in her mind, but quickly she composed herself once more. "Did you have anything specific in mind?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I was thinking maybe we could go watch a TV show together, or just have some girls talk."

"Girls talk," East smirked with her lips stretching from one corner of her lips, to the other. That's cute, oh well, it doesn't hurt. "Sure, I would love too."

A/N: Another long chapter. Most of these I plan to make them long in order to cover more content than what the official season did. You may have noticed, that this is quite different from the actual episode itself. No car chase here, or Zero beating down West. I'm taking more of a slower approach here now with a greater focus on the build up to their encounter, while trying to expand on the characters, and not just Zero and his crew, but Shatter Squad as well.

Hopefully you are all enjoying the development to the characters so far. If you are, name some of the favourite things that you have taken away from the story so far about the plot and characters in the review section!

I appreciate your feedback, and please, never hesitate to drop any as feedback will help me improve.

Catch you all in the next chapter!

~ Monty