Dilandau paced back and forth back at the base. There was a knock at the door, and the impatient commander picked up one of the four empty wine bottles. Even the swilling red liquid couldn't numb his pain. He flipped the bottle over and over, end over tip with one hand as he stood still.
"Come in," He snapped.
Chesta softly stepped in, bowing deeply.
"What?" Dilandau screeched. The anger was practically consuming him. He felt like acid was swirling inside him, eating him up.
"S-sir. We cannot t-track the White Dragon, S-sir. No news of her." He stammered.
"You think I don't know that already? God dammit! Leave me alone! I know I can't track the dragon until we get new sightings! Speaking of sightings, get out of mine! Now!" Dilandau bellowed, and hurled the wine bottle straight at Chesta. Chesta shut the door just as the bottle smashed into pieces.
He was sleepless with some sick emotion, twisting like a vile beast in the core of his stomach. What had those barbarians done to her? That filthy Fanelian… He thought over and over how he would kill that pilot. Slice off the boy's wings, run him through with the sword. Perhaps he'd rip out his heart so fast that Vaughn's body wouldn't realize it was dead, and make him watch it beat its last few times before he died. Dilandau then thought of slicing,tearing those angelic wings from the boy king's back. His thoughts got progressively bloodthirstier as his mind deteriorated to blind rage.
Dilandau sat in his tall commander's chair, hands gripping the armrests and he promptly hated the boy some more. He then began to hate the fact he'd never told Gabrielle how he felt... Hated the fact he had so many chances but had never been able to put them into words. He knew it now. This horrific and terrifying and yet seductively, tantalizingly wondrous feeling plagued him. It seemed it was biting at his brain and yet stroking his cheek at the same time. He wanted so much to abandon it, to forget these feelings and wake up into his numb self again. And yet…
Her absence sickened and enraged him. It brought fear from the depths of his gut to the surface of his mind for her. She was more than just a soldier lost in the field, she was Gabrielle.The fact that her presence was gone hurt him. He couldn't just go down to her quarters and see her there, drawing, perhaps singing. He worried about where she was, and what they were going to do to her. They'd kill her, wouldn't they? Or torture her? He stubbornly wanted her here, safe. Dilandau felt so hideous, more alone and dead to everyone than ever before. He could almost hear her laughing, or singing, or talking with a cheerful tone. He could just about feel her there with him, her soft touch and her wavy hair. He opened his eyes, and she was standing there. Alas, but with a blink and closer inspection, the image was but air.
Vaughn had long ago left the room, and Gabbi had just about fallen sleep. The girl was sitting cross-legged with her head leaning against the wall. Laying at that stage where she was not dreaming, but could see images flitting about on the backs of her eyelids, she startled as she was poked. Flustered, she looked about in all directions, whipping her head about. The girl found her vision obscured suddenly by a blurry pink and brown mass.
"Did I scare you, lady? You look sad, lady." Crooned a childish, high pitched voice. Indeed, Gabrielle did look sad. She could not deny that. "Why don't you talk, lady? You can talk to me, lady. I won't say anything to those naughty boys outside!" Merle said and giggled. Gabrielle smiled very softly as she rubbed at her eyes to quell the throbbing pain behind them. Perhaps she could make a friend with this cat-girl.
"Ban-Sama still has your sword," Merle said. "Ban-Sama isn't married." She said irrelevantly, her gaze wandering as she tilted her head rhythmically to some silent beat. Merle's mind tended to wander often to different subjects. "Allen says that you're pretty. He says that 'No doubtedly, that squadron leader will come after her, Vaughn. You have to keep her under special watch.' I listen to them, lady." She said, and when she imitated the tall blonde warrior, she lowered her voice and puffed out her chest, trying to act like the man. Gabrielle couldn't help but smile. Her thoughts turned back to the fact that she was scared and alone, and her smile vanished. "You should smile, lady." Merle said.
Merle sat back and cocked her head to one side.
"You sleep here tonight, lady?" She asked.
"Please, my name is Phin, if you've gotta call me anything. And yes, I am sleeping here for as long as I'm useful to Vaughn. Then I suppose he'll dispose of me." She said hollowly.
"That's not your real name. I can tell." Merle said with childish reason. "Onamae wa nan desu ka?" She asked in rapid Japanese. Gabrielle looked up and met her gaze.
"Don't tell them my real name, okay?" She asked the cat-girl.
"I promise," She said. "My name is Gabrielle." She said. Merle studied her for a few moments.
"I like you." The creature grinned as she tilted her head, decidedly affirming herself. Merle got up. "Byebye. I'll talk to you later." She twittered, and left, closing the door.
Merle scampered out into the night on the ship, when she almost skipped along right into Allen. He looked down at the little pink-haired cat-girl.
"What did she say, Merle?" He asked from his tall height, his long, straight, shining blonde hair falling about his shoulders almost like a river of gold.
"Nothing. She didn't talk to me." She lied with a straight face, her sharp green cat-like eyes burning into his starkly blue ones. Allen knelt down and took one of the little girl's hands.
"Merle, you know I don't like it when you lie." He said. Merle scoffed at him.
"Why would I lie to you? She didn't say anything. I think I'll go stick some venom in your food!" She crowed, her nose upturned to him. Allen smiled and shook his head and walked off, his back turned to Merle, who was making faces at him as he strode towards the door in which Gabrielle was contained.
She had curled up against the wall and was silent, her mind as black and empty as the dark expanse of night all around the ship. Allen walked in, and she didn't even seem to notice, although she was completely aware of his presence. The Asturian knight sat down at the desk in Vaughn's room, locking his gaze onto her as she stared blankly at the floorboards.
"Speak. What is your name? Where were you going with the rest of your squad in Fanelian territory?" Allen asked in a commanding voice. Gabrielle stayed just as silent as a softly coloured stone sitting on a table. Allen waited a moment. "Answer me!" He commanded, and she still said nothing. "You are unwise to refuse to talk." He said, and leaned back in the chair. While still staring at the floor, her words formulated slowly in her mouth as she spoke them.
"I take commands only from my squadron leader. I am not about to answer you," Gabrielle coldly let the words flow. If looks could kill, he would have fallen over dead.
"Not exactly the most reasonable of types, are we?" he asked.
"I don't know about you, but I know I'm not." She spat, and returned to staring at the wall.
"You enjoy your sleep while you can. I'll be back here in the morning." He assured her coldly. "I hate to inflict pain upon such a beauteous creature such as yourself, but, if I must..." He said, and stood up.
"No-one will come for me, and I know next to nothing. You're wasting your time." Gabrielle snapped sharply, staring at him. He walked out of the room.
She leaned against the wall and prayed that the rest of the Dragonslayers and Dilandau would try to get her out of here. She eventually drifted off into that state where sounds seem unusually loud and images play about on the backs of eyelids, but are not dreams. One image seemed to continually return to Gabrielle. It was one of Dilandau, of course. He was holding his sword and he had his beautiful ebony wings spread, the light playing about on the black feathers, making some look blue. He would smile warmly at her and offer his hand. She longed to take his hand and disappear with him, but she felt as if she couldn't move. Of course, it was only because he really wasn't there, and she was really asleep.
A long while after the captured soldier had fallen sound asleep, her body slumped gently against the wall, curled in the corner. Vaughn opened the door into the room. He ran a gloved hand through his spiky black hair and sighed. He felt sorry for this girl for some reason. Perhaps it was just that; Phin, she was a pretty girl. Hitomi should meet this girl. He thought. Hitomi could tell about this girl using her tarot cards. Vaughn looked at the girl to make sure she slept, and then sighed, lying on the cot that served as a bed. He gazed at her curiously as the candlelight flickered. She twitched gently in her sleep, a slow expression of fear taking over her features, but she stayed asleep. He watched her with half-closed eyes for a while. She began to cry in her sleep. She murmered a word in her sleep, but didn't wake. She said the word again. He couldn't make it out clearly, though. She eventually fell silent again, and Vaughn drifted off to sleep.
Dilandau could not keep his eyes closed. He stared blankly at the wall. The boy tried to sleep, but he was so internally awake that he seemed to have a continual flow of adrenaline in his system. That was the way it always used to be, except usually sleep came, if desired... He had just not been used to this insane feeling of strength and the will to kill ever since she had been here. He'd been worrying about Gabrielle ever since she'd been gone. Worry. It left a bitter taste in his mouth that made him want to spit.
He eventually got up from his chair and walked out of the hallway, searching for a way to vent his frustration and anxiety. He trailed down a long hallway, hating the night outside. The commander wanted to get out of here, go track her before her trail went cold. The images of that cursed White Dragon flying away from him made him angry. The Libreia, standing motionless, empty. The Libreia. It had to be carried back by the Dragonslayers. He remembered vaguely giving the order to the others. If he could talk to the Libreia, perhaps would know where Gabrielle was. On fleet, silent feet, Dilandau took himself to the hangar. The boy silently walked into the almost painfully silent room full of mechas, and went on searching in the dark. He came across his squad's row and scanned the stationary guymelefs, searching eagerly for the distinctive orange paint.
Dilandau came across her. She was in stasus, charging as usual. He touched her pointed beak-like nose. Her heat sensors indicated something was there, and eye shutters swiveled as they opened in a circular manner. The yellow filament brightened and focused forward on him. They eyes glowed their beautiful fire's tip colour as the systems came online. She was just like a human waking up from sleep.
.:Yes, Commander Dilandau?:. The female voice pattern slid forth, her voice lowered to adjust to the quietness around them.
"Libreia, I need to know whether you are capable of tracking Gabrielle." He muttered hurriedly, the voice near lost on his breath.
.:Clarify,.:. She asked flatly.
"Location. I need to know where she is, and if she's still alive." He snapped irritably. The Libreia raised her head slightly, ignoring his insolence. It was forgiven, if recognized.
.:She is alive. She is asleep right now.:. The Libreia was silent for a moment, and her yellow eyes dimmed slightly with the effort. .:She cries out for you in her dreams.:. She said finally, completing her neural scan on Gabrielle, and her eyes returned to their normal brightness. .:I can track her. Why did you not come to me earlier, Sir?:. She asked. Her emote chip commanded her to reason.
"Didn't think of it. Where is she, Libreia?" He asked, almost begging.
.:One moment, please. Tracking in progress...:. And the dragon of metal was silent. Dilandau waited, still touching the tip of the Libreia's sharp beak. .:She is on an airship, model number Z-128, Asturian in origin. She is in the cabins on the second level, sleeping in the top right corner of room 24. Ship is anchored. Co-ordinates sector 130, division 10. Stationary on a mountain peak.:. She said. Dilandau calculated where that was.
"Gods, that's far..." He muttered to himself.
.: Yes it is. :.. The Libreia responded, unaware the statement was not directed at anything in particular.
"Did they hurt her?" He asked.
.:No.:. Libreia responded. .:She is having a nightmare.:. The Libreia slid flatly. Her voice didn't seem to emanate or be put forth. It seemed to slide, to fade in and out of existence. It made his brain feel odd.
"Can you tell what she is dreaming about?" He asked for curiosity's sake. What couldn't this colossal thing do? How had technology come this far and he not been aware of it?
.:Not in detail. Just that she was having a nightmare.:. The voice responded, a slight air of tin and falseness to the sound.
Dilandau hissed under his breath and impatiently, turning on a foot.
"I have to get her back, now. She poses too much of a risk for exposure as a captive. She's not been trained to lie… She'll give away far too much information!"
.: Query: Is there more to that statement than you have said? :.
The slim boy turned his head and stared up at the machine's eyes. They glowed with this sense of life that disturbed and intrigued him. He narrowed his eyes at the great orange beast of metal, hydraulics, and part something else.
"No… But I simply cannot allow myself to rest. It has to be a continual effort. The entire establishment is at risk! What would happen if she went and spilled even the names of the squadron? Furthermore who are you to question my motives? You're a robot, subversive, submissive and inferior to me in every way!" He barked harshly.
.: Your denial of rest is not the most logical path of action, Commander. You do need sleep. Take drugs if you cannot. You can't be functional and rescue her otherwise. :.
Dilandau felt frustrated. He knew exactly where she was, yet he couldn't go to her.
"Who said anything about rescuing? I'm not rescuing. I'm establishing safety protocols. It's more for my own benefit. Besides… I can't sleep, and I won't take drugs. Don't tell me what to do." He growled stubbornly, arms crossed.
The Libreia's arm whined slightly as it broke stasus and lifted one a massive talon-like three digit hand and tapped him on the head. Her blow was incredibly weak by her capabilities, but she had calculated it so that it would be just hard enough. Dilandau's arms uncrossed limply, his eyes rolled up in his head, he swayed gently for a moment, and then he fell over. Her curved metal claw was there to catch him. She lay him down on the ground gently, put him on his side, and pushed him so that he would be at least somewhat comfortable.
.: Sleep well, Commander. You have a busy day tomorrow. I personally look forward to your performance as a knight in shining armour. :. She said, and returned to stasus. Although the only onlooker was a small mouse, it would have sworn, had it been able to talk, that the hulking orange metal dragon seemed to be smiling.
Early in the morning, Allen woke Gabrielle. He brought her food, but she didn't touch it, and only drank from the vial of water he'd brought her. She was ravenously hungry, but she dare not eat whatever these foods were. They might be laced with poison. They might be anything. She watched him warily.
Gabrielle put down the empty vial, and stared at him hollowly.
"Please, just tell us what we want to know, and I won't hurt you." Allen finally said, and at the sound of his voice, Gabrielle almost startled. She stayed silent. Allen sighed. "Please, come on, my Pretty Flower." He said persuasively casting her a charming fox-like grin. She was immune to him.
"I am not yours," Gabrielle softly muttered, the words laced with ice. "…and I will never be."
"All right, then. Tell me, who your leader is or I will be forced to hurt you." He said. Shegave him silence. He shook his head, and slapped her across the face.
"It will take more than that." She spat haughtily. "What do you think I am, some kind of child?"
"Fine," He snarled darkly. His voice was strong, touched with a hint of the unknown. "I can do more. You will not eat until you speak." He said.
"I can deal with that. Your food sucks anyways," She sniffed. "I'll be dead soon, besides. You'll end up killing me before I say anything, and my squad won't come for me. I'm the worthless omega, the new recruit. I don't know anything, so, according to you, I'll just sit here and die." She said stiffly. He withdrew a small knife and slashed her shoulder. A line appeared on her skin through the cut fabric, and then it grew wider and red as she began to bleed. She withstood the sting easily, staring him in the eye. He cut her again, and she still did nothing more than breathe in a little deeper when the knife split her flesh.
"So, you have someone back at that base?" Allen asked slyly.
"What kind of ridiculous banter is that? I'm tired of speaking to you." She retorted.
"I ask questions around here, you!" He barked, and reluctantly cut her again. She had three horizontal marks on her shoulder, all of which were bleeding it long streaks. "Come on, answer! It's not a hard question." He hissed. A menacing tone was not very practiced for him, but his determination and viciousness held strong. Allen held up the knife again, which now had her blood dripping from the tip.
"I don't understand why you want to know this." She said flatly. "If I am obliged to answer, I'd appreciate at least knowing why before I tell you about my personal life."
"Because I want to know. There's no way you can't have someone. I'll bet you want to see them again, don't you?" He asked, almost soothingly.
"That's no business of yours." She growled. He held the knife underneath her throat, right by her jugular, and she felt the sharp knifepoint driving into her. She could feel the knife moving slightly with the pulsing of her blood flow. Gabrielle rolled her eyes.
"You won't kill me now." She said with a tired smile. "You haven't got anything out of me yet. It would be stupid to kill me. I've seen this in a million films." She hissed. Allen knew she was right.
"You'll never see the one you love back there." He said.
"Whatever," She growled. He noticed she had tears in her eyes.
"I'll let you go if you tell me what we want to know. I'll tell Zaibach we have you and we'll leave you somewhere easy for them to find. Then you can return to whoever it is." He said to her, trying to get her to talk.
"He wouldn't want me if I betrayed him. So no deal. You can shove it up your ass." She said back, her blue eyes filled.
"Who is it? Let's see... You were with that group... Hmm... The one named Chesta, perhaps? How about Dalet? Is that him?" He asked, poking her with the knife. She said nothing, her eyes glassy as she tried to ignore him.
"No? How about Guimel? ... No, eh? Migel? Gatti? Which one?" He insisted, and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly.
How did he know their names? It didn't matter. She fought back her tears. She'd never see any of them again. The only semblance of familiarity, again a remnant of memory.
"Hah! You don't mean to tell me you have affections for that maniacal tyrant? That pathetic excuse for a leader?" He cried, with a genuinely taken aback expression. She snapped her gaze back to his, and the firey anger burned.
"Never, ever insult him like that, you coward! How dare you!" She screeched. "If you'd had any sense of honour you'd have fought with him one-on-one without stealing me away."
"Hah!" He scoffed bitterly. "That ... Boy could never feel emotions. He's simply instructed to kill. You love him, and you will forever love alone." He shrugged, and she fought back her tears harder. She wouldn't cry in front of this man.
"It doesn't matter anyways. You'll never see him again, because once I have what I want out of you, I'll kill you." He said. "Too bad for you, pretty thing. You will eventually break." He told her.
"And how's that supposed to give me incentive to tell you anything? If I'm going to die anyways, why the hell bother opening my trap in the first place? Gods, you know nothing about interrogations at all, do you?"
"You… Insolent-"
"Allen, give it a rest." Vaughn muttered with a sigh. The knight hadn't realized Vaughn was in the room. "Just leave her alone for now." He spoke firmly and stared. Allen shot Vaughn a glance, but he complied and left. Once he had gone, Gabrielle hung her head and allowed herself to cry. She was bleeding still, but the ache in her chest hurt more. She didn't seem to notice Vaughn was still there.
"Hey," He said softly. "Don't cry." He said, and Gabrielle held her breath, without looking. She shrank away from him, with a snort of distrust. What now?
"No need to do that," He crouched in front of her. "You need to clean your wounds, or they'll get infected." He said. Vaughn recognized the name the girl had been crying out. Dilandau. It made sense. He went and got a rag before returning to her front. The black haired boy flipped out a knife, and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting with a grimace for the stinging cut.
Gods, whatever. I've put up with enough bullshit. I just haven't the energy to fight…He only cut off the blood-soaked arms of her uniform, putting them aside. He put the blade back in the knife, and put it back away on his belt. He took the rag which he had dipped in water and wiped her cut shoulder. Gabrielle winced at the touch, but the cold water felt good. He then squeezed out the wet portion and bandaged up her shoulder. He cleaned the other one, and did the same.
"Thank you." She said quietly. "I'm sorry… It's just, I didn't really expect anyone to treat me like a person here."
"Yeah. There's someone I want you to meet." He nodded as he spoke over his shoulder, and he beckoned for her to stand up. She did so, shakily. The cold of the mountain outside bit at her bones.
"Hitomi!" Vaughn called.
"Coming!" Replied a female voice from somewhere. A few moments later, a girl with short brown hair, and wearing a Japanese sailor-type school uniform came up to them. "Yes?" She asked.
"This is the soldier we caught yesterday," Vaughn said, and the girl named Hitomi looked at Gabrielle. Gabrielle looked away shyly and sadly.
"She doesn't really look like a soldier. Hey, there!" Hitomi smiled.
"She doesn't… Talk much." Vaughn explained. "She's the pilot of the dragon you found out about. I need you to do a reading for her." He explained to Hitomi, and she nodded.
"Okay. What's her name?" Hitomi asked.
"Phi-" Gabrielle cut him off.
"Gabrielle. My name is Gabrielle." She said.
"That's a nice name," Hitomi said in a friendly tone. "That doesn't sound… Local. Where are you from? How'd you get to Zaibach?" Hitomi asked with a tilt of her head.
"I've heard rumours from the crewmen that another girl fell from the sky and Zaibach captured her. I think this is her." Vaughn spoke with closed eyes, and Hitomi looked stunned.
"I did... I… Don't know what's going on." Gabrielle blurted. Hitomi said nothing, though she plainly was biting her tongue.
"Well, my cards are back in my room. Come with me and I'll do the reading." She said rather distantly, and turned to walk. Gabrielle followed rather awkwardly behind Vaughn. They came up to a small room just a moment later and Hitomi opened the door. They walked in, and Hitomi motioned to chairs nearby a table. She pulled out a pack of Tarot cards and prepared them. Gabrielle was silent. Hitomi wasn't the only card reader in the room… But it was Gabrielle's turn to bite her tongue. The set that the girl spread on the table were very different looking. When she touched the cards as was customary before a Tarot reading, Gabrielle jerked back in surprise.
"They bit me!"
"They what?" Hitomi asked as she cradled the pack in her hands.
"… Nothing. Go."
Hitomi dealt the cards and interpreted them in near silence, sometimes whispering the names of the cards and trying to figure out their possible meanings.
"It says you've definitely come from someplace far away… I'm willing to bet it means Earth, or… The Mystic Moon as it's known here… This is definitely very odd. Death, new beginnings… The Knight of Pentacles, the wish card… -" Hitomi immersed herself quietly in the card's silent language.
Gabrielle sat in knowing silence, reading the spread for herself. She swallowed.
"… And with an outcome of the Tower. Vaughn, we need to get her back to him. She's part of an integral balance that we can't break. There's something really big going on here. Really big. We can't let politics and military stratagems get in the way. There's a tension between this card here, the Knight of Staves and whomever's the Knight of Swords. It's incredibly strong… And it looks like something's entwining us all. Something unnatural." Hitomi's voice was urgent, yet faint and strangely far off. Vaughn was visibly disturbed by the entire affair and ran a buckskin-gloved hand through his hair nervously.
"We can't let her go, Hitomi. The Zaibach forces will only corrupt and hurt her more." Vaughn sighed, deep in thought.
"How can you be so sure to trust these?"
"Vaughn, the dragon must be set free. It says so in the cards." She reasoned stubbornly, blowing a piece of her short hair from her eyes as she jabbed a finger at the spread.
"Exactly. Set free. Giving her back to the Zaibach forces is not setting her free!" He shot a glance.
"Please, Vaughn. We have to let her go. It's important. Please, give her back to that boy. It's the only thing he wants. We've got to restore balance or this whole thing will explode and nobody will be able to stop it. I'm not sure what it is yet… But whatever it is it effects us all. If we don't give her back, he'll stop at nothing, even if it kills himself in the process. That'll rip the last threads of whatever's holding this turmoil away." Hitomi nearly flailed in desperate exasperation.
"What boy?" Vaughn asked, and Hitomi was just about to describe when Allen knocked at the door.
"Vaughn! The Zaibach forces are on the move. Towards the Royal City!" He barked. Vaughn shot up immediately, and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. He was gone with Allen, leaving Gabrielle and Hitomi standing there.
"Gabrielle, you have got to get back." Hitomi placed her hand on the table as she spoke, withdrawing the cards.
"What's he look like…? You saw, right?" Gabrielle asked slowly, sure that she already knew.
"Tall, slim, pale, silver hair, I think. Really cold expression… I think he's some military commander guy. That's what he looks like, at least. I've seen him before, he's got red armour and-" Hitomi replied.
"Dilandau!" Gabrielle exclaimed.
"He'll die if you don't get back soon, and if he dies, we all do." She glowered.
"What do you mean, 'he'll die if I don't?'" Gabrielle asked, taken aback. Surely she couldn't cause his death! She wasn't that important. Sure, there was a little romantic tension, well… From her side anyways. So she knew.
"He won't stop trying to get you back, even if it kills him. And it will eventually, because he'll do it without any rest. Allen..." Hitomi explained. Gabrielle shut herself off.
No more words… She closed her eyes. No more hopes… No more beliefs… No more crazy theories putting me in the pinnacle of this huge fray… Just, nothing. Quiet.
And so it went for days. Vaughn refused to let Gabrielle go, and Allen kept trying to question her, each time inflicting more pain upon her. He did it in vain, because Gabrielle kept her strong silence. Dilandau doggedly followed them, destroying everything in his path, and constantly staying one step behind. Gabrielle did not eat. She only drank water, and only if anyone else but Allen brought it. Gabrielle lost some weight, but still, she did not eat.
Eventually, Vaughn force-fed her rice and meat, as he could see there was no other way to get her to eat. Gabrielle struggled weakly against the boy, but eventually she caved, the taste of the food too delicious to resist. Accepting food only from Vaughn, it was late one night as Gabrielle ate her bowl of rice that she overheard Vaughn and Allen talking in another room.
"Alright. I think we've tired him out enough. He almost didn't make it last time. I say we bring Gabrielle as bait, and then we kill Dilandau." She recognized Allen's voice.
"I still don't think this is right. All he wants is Gabrielle back. Damn, he's said it enough times to us, and he hasn't attacked us unless we attacked him first. The readings did say that she should be given back." Vaughn said, the voice of reason.
"Vaughn, we want this war to end. He's a key. He has to be eliminated. If she needs to go too, so be it! Be a man," Allen said gruffly. "This is war." He added.
"Fine. We bring Gabrielle." Vaughn sighed.