A/N 1: As in the previous chapters – ideas for fic and character development, questions, plotbunnies, suggestions, flames, character pictures, corrections, additions, comments, and everything in between can be mailed to hack_heaven@usa.net

Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy

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Seventh Interlude: Silence

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It was silent.

Somehow, it amazed him. At some level he had expected a sign - a tidal wave, a meteor, something to warn people of the change that was to come.

But there was nothing.

Only silence and row upon row of wooden boxes, all sealed and arranged with an almost military precision and compulsive sense of order. Numbers - blue, green, red - all painted with the same precise movements, giving it an almost machine-like quality. Manuals and papers taped to the sides, all filled with complicated, technical terms that somehow all spelled death.

Time was running out - no one actually *said* it, but it was hard to miss. The steady increase in the number of boxes, the extra guards in the warehouse, the whole tenseness of the situation...yes, time was definitely running out.

Whether it was for himself or the muties, he wasn't sure. Both, maybe. Or neither. After all, they *had* failed to get rid of them all last time. Destruction, chaos...he hadn't been a part of it, but he knew what had taken place. He'd been a victim then, trapped in a city at war with itself. He'd watched humans fight mutants, had watched the elements themselves unleashed among bullets and explosions. He'd watched it all and made a promise to himself:

He would not be a victim again. He would not be defenseless.

Daniel sighed and leaned against the wall. Playing guard in the warehouse was an assignment he hated - it gave him too much time to think, too much time alone with his own demons. His partner - tonight a young man, barely more than a boy - wasn't of much help either. Daniel knew his type - young, idealistic fools who believed themselves invincible. Couldn't have been along for more than a few months, half a year at the most.

"When do you think it'll happen?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow and looked at the boy. The words had been slightly impatient, eager even, like a child who desperately wanted to go out and play soldiers with his friends.

God, he hated rookies.

"I don't know."

Daniel's reply was curt, indifferent, and a clear sign that he did not want to talk. The boy - calling him a man would be an insult to males around the world, Daniel decided - leaned against one of the boxes, absently playing with the rifle that hung from his shoulder.

"Don't do that!" Daniel snapped automatically. "Is the safety even on?"

The boy immediately stopped toying with the rifle, and had the decency to look away, ashamed of his actions.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Don't apologize. You're a soldier - your job is to obey orders, and take your punishment when you don't. Never apologize, Daniel thought, but merely nodded.

The boy looked around the warehouse, at the boxes and the other guards that were standing around the area. His face clearly showed that he was impressed at the sheer amount of firepower in the room, and if only to himself, Daniel had to admit that he was impressed, too. He didn't doubt for a second that it had taken countless hours of painstaking preparation to come this far.

"What about the other humans?" the boy finally asked concerned. "Once the muties realize what's going on, they'll want to get even."

Don't show emotions, kid. It's a weakness, don't you see? Daniel wanted to ask, but already knew the answer. The boy was still too young to have learned the painful lessons that Daniel had. Maybe later, when it was all over, the boy would have grown up, and they could talk, like one soldier to another.

Or maybe they'd both be dead. Who knew?

"It's war, and war requires sacrifices," Daniel replied coldly. "They might hate us now, but one day they will praise us for what we have done."

The younger man lit up a bit.

A wannabe hero. Go figure, Daniel thought, a bit disgusted. In it for the glory and the chance to fight, not ideologies. I'll bet you don't even have a reason hate muties, boy. You just want someone to kill, don't you?

But he didn't say that. Despite of whatever flaws the boy might have, he was still a human, and he was against muties. That had to mean something, didn't it?

"Praise us? Do you really think so?" the boy asked, and Daniel saw a brief flash of hopefulness on the young face.

It's a girl, isn't it? Daniel asked silently as the piece slowly fell into place. It's a girl you're trying to impress.

And that motivation he could understand - he might not like it, but he could understand. He'd been young himself once, after all.

"Yeah," he finally replied. "I think they will."

If the muties don't kill every last one of us, his more cynical side added with a touch of cruelty.

Shut up.

You're growing soft, Daniel. Before you know it, you'll be playing big brother to this kid. Oh, brave soldier, his mind taunted, but Daniel ignored it.

The boy nodded and looked at the boxes with a thoughtful look on his face. Daniel just sighed and returned to his brooding.

And the warehouse fell silent once more.

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Coming up: In the dark of the night, emotions run rampant and bring several friends just a bit closer to each other...