An arm was hooked under her knees, another arm was along her back and her head was against something hard and soft. There was a click of a lock and soft footsteps before Issy was placed on something oh so soft. Fingers threaded lightly through her hair and something soft and warm pressed against her forehead, making her sigh as she let sleep take her.

Issy awoke slowly, slightly unsure of where she is. She blinks heavily as she lifts her head out from her cocoon of covers. She relaxes when she spots her quote above her bed and rolls over to check the time. 17:22. She slept in later than she normally does and then it hits her. How the hell did she get into her apartment when the last thing she remembers is closing her eyes in the lift as it rose to the ninth level with Eric. 'Of course.' She thinks to herself. Eric. That must be why she doesn't still have her boots on. She yawns as she pulls her arm out of her cocoon and pats the side table for her phone, grasping it and withdrawing her arm when she finally finds it. Issy unlocks it and types out a thank you to Eric. His response is immediate.

You're welcome, I couldn't wake you anyway.

Issy huffs out a small laugh at this. 'Couldn't or didn't want to.' She thinks curiously to herself but she daren't ask him, just in case his answer is exactly what she wants it to be. Her phone vibrates in her hand as another message came through.

I'm guessing you just woke up?

She smiles as she types back. Yeah, don't think I'll be getting up though, I'm still yawning.

Lazy bitch.

Issy laughs louder. Problem with that?

I haven't decided yet… Get some rest Issy, three more shifts to go before you're able to sleep in, in the actual morning.

Yes sir!

;)

Issy smirks at her screen before locking it and putting it back on the table before she burrows back into her cocoon, doing as her Leader says and falls back to sleep.

xXx

Another week passed and thankfully, there wasn't any more Morning shifts for the next five weeks. Tonight was her second day of Night shift and Issy found herself enjoying them. Like Eric said, she got her lie in, in the fucking morning. And she got to see the sun set and the stars appear no matter what Sector they were in. It inspired her. Often she'd take pictures or try to remember them the best she could before drawing them once she got home. She had asked Captain if she could bring her sketch pad along so she could draw them during their break. He had said no but she understood his reasons.

There was something. . .different about this patrol. Everything was silent. Which should be normal. . . But it was too silent. They were patrolling Sector 5 of the Factionless that's close Erudite and normally there's a few factionless crowded around some ruined buildings but there's nothing. Hairs stand up on the back of her neck as Red glances back at her with his eyes narrowed at the buildings around them.

"I don't like this Red." Issy whispers.

"Neither do I."

Issy looks to her left and BD nods his nods his head in response.

Suddenly, BD halted the truck to a stop as grenades come out of nowhere. Rubble, gravel and dirt scrape across Issy's face as she staggers back. She rubs her eyes as Factionless with guns appear in front of them, shooting at the squad. They take cover behind the back of the truck. Bullets bounce off of the truck, firing in different directions. Issy looks around at her squad and all of them are panicking. Then she notices the blood flowing out of Captain's leg as he lays on the ground.

Geek rocked back and forth, mumbling to himself. "This isn't our job! This is what Eric and his squad handle! We shouldn't be doing this!"

The others are in different levels of shock and Issy tries to get them to focus. Issy starts to panic when she can't get any of their attention. So she snaps. Issy turns on Red with a ferocious snarl on her face as she pulls her hand gun out of her holster and points it to Red's forehead, clicking the bullet into the barrel. Everything freezes between them as words slip out of her mouth without her permission.

"GOD DAMMIT! I'VE ALREADY LOST ONE FAMILY MEMBER! I AM NOT PREPARED TO LOSE ANYMORE SO GET OFF OF YOUR FUCKING ARSES AND FOCUS!" Realization flitters across their faces as most of them stand up, all but Captain and Geek. Issy follows her instincts as she barks orders. "Red and Cutie Pie get those two into the truck. Rainbow radio in our situation to the Control Room. Tell them who's down, who's injured and where we are. Billy, lets shoot these bastards back." Billy and Issy cover their backs as Red and Cutie Pie laid Captain on the floor of the truck next to her bike and guided an unresponsive Geek into a seat towards the cab. They fall next to Issy and Billy, firing back as Rainbow shouts that Four orders them to pull back. Immediately Rainbow came forward with a handful of grenades. They threw grenades back, covering them as Issy joined Bulldozer in the cab and everyone else piled into the back.

It was on their way back to the Compound when Issy finally understood why Bulldozer was called as such as he drove through anything that came into his path, breaking it immediately. Issy could her Rainbow in the back summarize the squad's injuries to whoever was on the other side, probably Four. Captain had passed out from a bullet wounds in his leg, Geek was in shell shock and couldn't be snapped from it, and the others had cuts and bruises from the explosions.

When they pulled into the garage, it was full with activity. Nurses and doctors stood ready with their supplies and a stretcher ready. Max, Harrison and Eric were waiting also, as were many other squaddies who waited to see what was happening. BD turned the engine off and the nurses jumped into action, carrying Captain to the infirmary while two attached themselves to Geek and three others flittered between the squad. The Leaders checked in with those that could talk.

As BD got out of the truck, Issy just sat there in a daze, the memory of it all repeating nonstop. The door opened and Issy slowly turned to look at Red as he stood there with worry on his face.

"C'mon Issy." He offered his hand and she took it with her own shaking one. "That's it." He pulled her out of the truck and she stumbled on her feet. Somewhere she could hear someone calling her name but all she could focus on was how weak her legs felt. A hand fell on her arm and her head shot up to see Harrison staring down at her in concern.

"I've been calling you for ten minutes. Come on, we need reports of what happened on the patrol."

Harrison guides her to a large room where the rest of her squad is, and the Leaders. Oddly she's reminded of the room she and her friends sat in while waiting to go through their sims. Issy stands with her legs shaking as Max clears his throat.

"Harrison and myself are going to interview each of your privately on your own view of what happened today. Afterwards you have all been put on leave until Clark recovers. Eric will stay in here if you have any questions. Red, if you'll follow us please?" Red follows the two Leaders into a small room to the side. Its silent like it was in the first few days of the fear sims. After a while he came back out, motioning Billy in before leaving the garage.

No one speaks and Issy stares at her feet as her limbs shake. She tries not to let her thoughts wander to what could have happened. No one spoke. Eyes were unfocused as they stared at the floor and Issy could practically see the events that happened not hours beforehand repeating in their heads. When Billy comes back Rainbow goes in. Someone shuffles and sighs. Her knees had locked up from being stood up for too long when Rainbow came out, tapping Hec to go in before also leaving.

When BD is still in the room Eric makes his way over to her and stands by her side.

"Why don't you sit down Issy?" He whispers and she shakes her head.

"I'd rather not." She pauses for a moment. "Can I –" Issy trails off as her voice breaks and Eric's arm snakes around her waist. Sighing, Issy leans against his side and his hand laces with hers. "Is that what you have to do? With your squad?" She questions softly.

"Yes, but its not always like that." She watches as Hec comes out, telling BD to go in before he too leaves.

"Will you have to go out after this, to check around?"

Eric sighs in her hair as he leans his head against the top of hers. "Yes. After each report is gathered, the case will be handed over to me and we'll moved out immediately."

Issy squeezes his hand as tightly as she can. "Don't hurt yourself."

Eric merely squeezes back as BD comes out, nodding to Issy and leaves. With shaky legs, she walks into the room with Eric close behind her. She stands in front of the table Max and Harrison are sat behind it with sheets of paper in front of them.

"You can sit down Issy."

She shakes her head again. "I don't think I'd be able to get back up again if I did so."

"Issy," Max sighs and his professional mask drops enough that Issy can see the worry in his eyes. "Its been a long day. Sit down."

Slowly she nods her head as she slumps into the chair Eric pulled out for her. She groaned as soon as she sat down, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. It was a moment before Issy reopened her eyes and leaned her head forward again. Eric had sat himself to the side of both herself and the other leaders so he could watch their expressions without turning. She watched them through hooded lids watch her.

"What happened Issy?" Max finally asked, glancing from the files to her. "Your co-workers' descriptions are all different when it comes to describing the attack but when it comes to you its all the same."

"With some questionable methods." Harrison added slowly. When Eric shot him a confused look, Harrison handed him his notes and Eric began to flip through them slowly.

Issy sighed, knowing exactly what he was hinting at. She ran a trembling hand through her hair. "It was the only way I could snap him into focus. It was the only way I could get any of them to focus."

Max shot Harrison a warning look before his eyes soften as they looked back at Issy. "Start from the beginning."

Issy nodded and looked down to the table top. "It was just like a normal patrol. We had done this route before so Hec and I knew what to except. We stopped at the start of the sector and everyone got out of the back of the truck and got into their positions as I rolled my bike into the back and to the side, like always. Captain got out of the cab and gave us our orders." Issy frowned, her gaze not straying from the table as she spoke. "It wasn't until the halfway point, where we'd usually took a break, that it just felt off. There wasn't any factionless. At all. Last time we did that patrol if there wasn't any factionless on the streets then there was always factionless looking at us from the widows." Issy looked up and stared Max in the eye. "I voiced my thoughts to Red quietly and he agreed and told me to keep my guard up. I looked over to BD, who had overheard what I had said, and he nodded. It wasn't long before grenades were thrown our way and Captain was shot. Everything just seemed to slow down and everyone started to panic." Issy glanced back down then as tears welled in her eyes. "It felt like my fear landscape all over again, the one where I lose my family to unknown reasons and I just froze." She sniffed. The squad had become another extension of her family through and through. She sniffed again and looked back up, her gaze flicked between the three as a solitary tear ran down her face and she choked out a laugh. "Instincts kicked in as I refused to see them die. I couldn't get anyone to focus, they just couldn't stop panicking and I did the only thing that popped into my mind. I placed my gun against Red's forehead but he didn't realise what was happening until I clicked the bullet into the chamber." She ignores how Eric's head snaps in her direction. "He focused then, as did everyone else. Hec and Red carried Captain into the truck and then guided Geek in there too." She continued to describe what happened to the best of her abilities. Max doted everything down as she talked, as did Harrison and Eric until she stopped.

Max looks up at her tiredly. "Is there anything else? Anything else that might be note worthy?"

Issy stretched as she thought back and frowned. "It seemed all too personal. Out of all of us there Captain was the only on to get seriously injured. Like they were only aiming at him, not the rest of us."

Eric frowned as Max and Harrison exchanged a look. "Thank you Issy and thank you for being able to take charge in a time of need." She nodded, her head lulling to the side a bit. "While Clark heals you and the rest of the squad are on leave. It shouldn't take him more than a week to heal." She nods her head again, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table as she rubs her eyes. "You're dismissed Issy." She sighs, stretching again before she gets up slowly. Her legs shake to the point where Issy grabs onto the chair to steady herself before walking slowly to the door.

"Issy?" Eric calls out and she turns back with a hand on the door. Eric hesitates for a moment. "Have you been sleeping?"

Issy's lips twitch into a small smirk. "That's polite way of saying I look like shit Eric," She pauses as Max laughs quietly and Eric stares at her with a no-bullshit look. "But yes, I have been sleeping."

"Is my definition of sleeping different to yours?"

"Do you actually need an answer for that?"

His eyes soften as he watches her, his chin lifting slightly is a clear way of saying the conversation is over. So with a small smile directed to the Leaders, Issy leaves the room, heading slowly back to her flat.

xXx

A day later and Issy gets a message from her little buzzy-alarm thing that's attached to her keys. The location says the infirmary and Issy guesses Captain is ready to receive visitors now. She goes through the slow motions of getting dressed. Since the night before Issy hasn't really moved other than to go to the bathroom or the kitchen. Not even when there was knocking at her door. And because of that, she hasn't seen any of her family, none of them. Slipping on her boots and sliding her phone in her pocket, Issy leaves the flat and heads to the infirmary.

She thanks her lucky stars when she doesn't meet anyone on the way. Except for Red but Red doesn't really count. He's been through the same shit she did yesterday. He's fine with walking in silence.

Once they get to the infirmary they are directed to Captain's room and everyone else in their squad is already there. Geek sits in the chair next to his bed. Hector, Rainbow and Billy sit on a bench against the wall. Issy and Red go to sit on the other bench opposite them. It's a while before anyone speaks.

"Quick thinking in the field and thank you for kicking their arses into gear." Captain wheezes slightly as her thanks her. He nods his head before he turns his head to Issy. "Well done Beta."

Issy nods her head slowly but then she processes his words and looks up at him in confusion. "Beta?"

Geek exchanges a look with Captain. "Yeah. Isn't it the term for a wolf warrior in a pack? The second command or something? And it fits with you wolf pack that runs across your bike."

"I –"

Rainbow grins, nodding her head in agreement and the rest of the squad join her. "I like Beta."