Leadflare turned, putting his weapon on his back, trying to force the memories away. His mind was playing all the terrible memories and replaying the recent nightmares. They felt so real, even though he knows he was in an Apex match. That was all he could remember without having a full-blown panic attack. That one significant detail that he was in a different situation entirely.

Wattson tried to get his attention, but when she attempted to grab his hand, he gripped her wrist with far more force than necessary, drawing a hiss from the young defender. This action caused Wraith to glare at Leadflare with unadulterated malice. The voices had said that Wattson was in danger. Wraith saw a look of concern on her girlfriend's face rather than pain. She was more worried about him than her own well-being. Shaking her head softly, Wraith let out a low whistle, gaining their attention.

Suddenly realizing that he was in fact not back there, he released his grip, set himself down on the rock by the death box, and just started shivering. Whilst mumbling apologies, It was subtle enough to not be noticeable but noticeable enough to gain the concern of his squadmates. "Mon ami, look at me," Wattson cooed, knowing how to handle panic attacks. Having helped Wraith with her rare occurrences means she knows how to help. "Wherever your mind might be, it is not real. Listen to my voice, d'accord?"

Leadflare's mind was being shown images and of what happened, he saw it all, it covered him, and the worst part was, he could do nothing about it. He wasn't able to due to the sheer surprise of it. Even in his own mind, he heard a soft voice. It was reaching out to him, to try and pull him back. He willingly followed it, but his own demons, personified as them were digging into his flesh, attempting to rip him limb from limb, but leaving him alive enough to relive it all.

When his head snapped up, both females were hovering over him. They pretended not to notice the tear trails just beneath his glasses dripping into his mask. "Are you with us?" Wraith asked, slightly wincing as it came out harsher than the skirmisher wanted it to be. She wasn't adept at the whole 'soft' thing yet. Leadflare did not react to that statement.

Wattson, however, was a born natural. "That's it, just listen to me. I know you don't want to talk about it, but when you need me—I mean us," shooting a look at her girlfriend—"we will be there for you, okay?"

All Leadflare could do was nod. Wraith shot a look of what looked like jealously over to the young defender. Leadflare, at the current moment, didn't trust his voice. It still felt like his throat was all knotted up, like his lungs were pulling on the inner linings of his body, forcing it to condense. He had to remind himself that he needed to breathe.

So he did.

He took a large inhale for four seconds, before holding his breath for three seconds and then exhaling for seven seconds. Repeating the process was simple after that. Both ladies did multiple checks of their surroundings. There was still gunfire going off in Fragment and it vaguely sounded like Skyhook was getting traction too.

"I-I'll be fine, just have to get my bearings," Leadflare said, taking another deep breath He really needed to focus at this moment, because if he didn't, he would be the reason that they lost. He couldn't have that.

"Make it quick, we need to leave soon. The ring is going to close in five minutes, which may not seem like a lot, but time passes quickly in the games," Wraith said.

"Understood," he said dejected, his voice hollow. Both ladies shot each other looks, but they both knew that this was not the place to hash out issues. Standing up, checking his weapons, he asked, "Where to?"

The skirmisher hummed, "Swing by Fragment and pick off any stragglers, then make way towards Reactor. The ring looks like it's going to close by Thermal Station by round four."

"Hoping to snag a few kills on the way?" Wattson poked Wraith's side.

"Maybe, but I expect you to get rough with it, LF," Wraith directed at Leadflare.

A dry chuckle escaped him, "Find me another RE and I will gladly join the fray." He gestured to his empty thigh holster where another pistol could reside. His left holster was concealed but it did show that a weapon was nested in the worn leather.

Nodding, they did their last loot checks, to which Leadflare found another grenade and handed it to Wattson. Repayment, he says, but Wattson believes it was more than that. As they left Survey Camp's area, there were three crates, unopened. Pointing them out, Leadflare ran over and slid as he opened the first one. Inside, a level two Evo shield, ammo for his volt, a level two backpack, and syringes. Grabbing everything, he moved to the next which had an RE with ammo. He looked towards Wattson who winked and gestured to the crate.

Leadflare smiled under his mask because he was thankful, but now since his panic attack, he opted to stay silent unless he needed to speak. With a nod, he scooped up the RE and had the attachments 'transfer' over as he activated his passive. The only thing he really needs is Light ammo.

Thankfully, the last crate had loads of it, plus weapons. Wraith and Wattson grabbed one stack of ammo, while they left him the other two stacks, which he did thank them for. Dropping both mags, which were actually empty as he never reloaded it when he picked it up, two new ones popped from his legs and he slammed the pistols into them before crossing them and making the guns prime each other. With a minor display of skill, that one was actually pure luck. Normally, the guns don't catch on each other long enough to do that.

"Show off much?" Wraith commented. Wattson, however, looked impressed.

"That one was luck, ask me to do it again, I have a better chance of shooting my foot," Leadflare said before taking off towards Fragment.


Fragment looked like a kill box before it looked like a piece of the map. About two dozen, maybe, death boxes existed before the trail led to the choke of the Reactor. Using his glasses, he stealthy activated an option to scan for gun residue. To his non-surprise, gunfire was mostly on the left side of their current view. The train station and 'building Alpha' were the hot sectors of the area. That, and that's where half of the boxes resided. Wattson took point as she looked everywhere, noticing the explosive residue of a fragmentation grenade, explosive aftermath of an Arc Star or two, and some bullet holes with blood coating the walls.

"This must have been Revenant," Wattson deduced. When she heard nothing, she continued, "Only he would purposely spill blood like this," her voice went to a near whisper.

Leadflare put his hand on the wall and constructed a holo simulation of what happened. He stepped back as the construction played. Wattson was right, it was indeed Revenant, and the poor sap who got in his clutches was struggling the whole way. The simulacrum did not spare any mercy because his other hand went right through the sap's heart. Ezra flinched and suppressed more memories like pop-up ads on a computer. Neither of his squadmates noticed him flinching and continued to search for stragglers.

Closing the simulation, he looked over to see them peeking around corners. As he glided his hand along the wall, Wraith turned on a dime and shoved him in the chest. He was about to complain why she did that, but a bullet embedded itself into the wall. The smoke trail was a great indicator. Immediately, Leadflare hopped over some cover and pulled out his Volt, risking a glance around the corner. Another shot trail and it whizzed by him again. "So, that's how they want to play it." Putting a hand to his comm, "So, the enemy has a massive hard-on for me. Are either of you available to assist?"

"Stay hidden, that Kraber can blow your intestines out," Wraith said, before the sound of her phase overrode the comms.

Leadflare had one option, and it was probably maybe not going to work, but a shot can be made. He reached a hand up to his glasses and activated his ultimate, Homing Beacon. Peering around the corner with his Volt raised, he looked in the general direction of the shot and fired.

There was a second between him pulling the trigger and the sound of someone getting knocked down. For a second, he felt nothing, but then he looked down and it was just 'ohhh'. Dropping his gun, he clutched his midsection and immediately pulled a syringe out of his bag. He was very much alive, but something tells him that he survived by the skin of his teeth. Jamming the syringe in his stomach, it was only five second later when he felt relief. It was honestly a miracle he didn't just scream.

Repeating the process again, he breathed an audible sigh of relief before popping shield cells. Wattson appeared next to him, "I thought she told you to stay behind cover, mon ami."

Scoffing, "I never listen, but did I get them?"

Wattson giggled, "Oh, you got them, and Wraith got the rest, but she's not happy with you." There was more to those words that made Leadflare look up to see mischief in the defender's eyes. She leaned down, "So, how did you hit them from this far away, over one hundred and fifty meters away, hm?"

"Ultimate," he replied to the younger Legend. "Finally unveiled it, I haven't been in a situation for it."

"I see," the defender pursed her lips—her very kissable lips—before she stood up and peeked out of the building. "Do the advisors know about it?"

"They had to know about it to allow it. Anyone who complains about it, can shove it up their a-"

"Leadflare."

Freezing in place, he turned around slowly to see a very pissed off Wraith on the floor above him. Her eyes were not the milky white he has seen them as, but her eyes could cut through Steele. Really? You make a joke about this while she is very clearly pissed off at you, nice one, Ezra. "Yes?"

She jumped down and walked towards you, shaking off some blood from her knuckles before she flexed her wrist, hearing grotesque noises. Even Wattson grimaced, but waited patiently off to the side, mischief growing further in her eyes. "What. Did. I. Tell. You?" Each word earned him a poke to his chest. Surprisingly, it wasn't a bullet, which he would rather have instead of looking into her eyes. When he didn't respond immediately, she pushed him back. "What did I tell you?"

Regaining his footing, Leadflare said, "To stay put but-"

"No buts. Have you looked at yourself?" Wraith continued, and this had Leadflare on pause. He wondered why she was concerned now, as her anger faded subtly from her person.

"I'm alright, I've taken worse shots," he said, idly rubbing a spot on his upper thigh. Both women zeroed in on that spot, wondering what exactly happened.

"Uhm, not to interrupt, but the ring is coming, and I do believe that this one hertz a little more than the last one," her pun made her eyes crinkle, but the situation was not a laughing matter.

With that being said, the conversation halted for now, the trio looted and scooted to Reactor. It was a quiet journey.

On the way over, they crossed a bridge and skipped over some rocks. Leadflare hopped over first, making the leap with practised ease. Wraith soon followed. Wattson was the unfortunate who was shot by a stray bullet, making her slip on her footing and fall in the crevice. "Wattson!" Leadflare's heart spiked in fear.

"Relax, these air flows force us back up, the only thing it does is give you a sunburn and chips away at your body shield," Wraith explained curtly, still slightly furious at his stunt.

"A little help, s'il vous plaît?" Leadflare peered over the edge and grabbed the defender's hand, yanking her up, eliciting a small squeak out of the young woman. "Merci."

"De rien," Leadflare responded, before ushering her along as another shot whizzed by.

When Leadflare looted a death box, he picked up more Light ammo and grabbed a frag grenade. He had a plan and it was stupid, but it actually gained him seven kills during his preliminary matches. He set the grenade on a crate that Legends constantly walk by. Then, as they slid down the hill to one of Reactor's branching hallways, the newest Legend reloaded his Volt and set a target on the grenade, his glasses lining up an approximate shot, the heat had messed with the systems. Now, he must play the waiting game.


While waiting, the Dark Sparks pair had scouted around and found they were alone for now. While Wraith checked again, Wattson was with Leadflare. The defender was admiring what was in front of her. The way his muscles flexed everytime he shifted, the subtle looks he would shoot her way. Her crush only got bigger when they both found out that they liked the same person.

"Ouu, victims," Leadflare said excitedly before pulling the trigger once. The resulting boom made him nod in satisfaction before looking to Wattson. When he looked at her, she looked away bashfully, with a light blush to her cheeks. Glossing over that, he looked back to see them healing and sliding down the hill.

Leadflare grinned, holstered his volt on his back, pulled out his REs and glanced at the defender, "You going to join me?"

Pulling up and cradling her 301, she smiled, "Oui."

"Not without me," said Wraith returning from her paranoia run. "Don't do anything stupid."

Rolling his eyes, "Me, stupid? Never."

While the squad was trying to recover, they did not expect to be put under fire so quickly. All this squad saw was a bandana wearing Legend with two pistols mowing down the team. Before the third could react, they were knocked squared in the face, over the ledge and into the lava pit. The burns themselves finished off the squad and the deathbox appeared. However, one of them had a special shield.

Wattson was about to finish them but he stopped her, "Let him get up, and then kill him."

"Pourquoi?"

"So you get a kill too," Leadflare said, gesturing to the frantic person currently jabbing the revival syringe into themselves.

"Okay," Wattson shrugged and rubbed her hands together and started constructing fences around them. Wraith watched with a barely concealed smile.

Leadflare watched in stifled chuckles and snickers as the person got up just as the last fence was put in place. As soon as they tried to move, they got shocked, and then they stepped back, and then got shocked again. The cycle repeated until they fell over from overstimulation. Electroshock therapy featuring Wattson everyone.

"Are you happy now?" Leadflare asked as she took away the fences to get to the box.

"Very."

Leadflare looked over to Wattson with a concealed fond expression. The way her eyes lit up as she placed her fences and with the person literally killing themselves, well, that should be cause for concern, but they are in a blood sport.

Wraith nudged him as he was staring for a little too long, "Ready to move?"

"Yeah," he responded curtly.

"Don't think I forgot about our conversation, LF," Wraith said before catching up with the young defender.

"I hear you, Ghosty," Leadflare called to her with a grin that made a dimple appear. Eliza, for the love of all things good, help me out here. I am going to go straight off a cliff if I don't separate myself from them. How can I though? They're gorgeous, but so perfect for each other. I honestly don't think I would fit in their relationship. Seriously, I wish I could talk to you right now, even in the middle of this Apex Game. I think it would be funny.

Shaking his head when someone tapped on his shoulder, it was Wattson looking at him with concerned eyes. Again, she doesn't have to concern herself over me. "You spaced out for a moment, I thought I was going to have to shock you into shape!" A small giggle accompanied her pun.

"What's the plan?" Leadflare asked his squadmates.

"I'll let you figure that out, it seems you need to be thrown in the hotseat," Wraith smirked.

"If you wanted me to throw myself into the lava, all you had to do was ask, Wraith," Leadflare quipped back. "Maybe I will after we win."

"Oh, such confidence," Wraith said, not doubting the claim, but looking over to her girlfriend. She smiled and winked in return.

"Do either of you have a map of the area?" Leadflare asked. "I believe I have an idea. It's stupid, dangerous, and will most likely get us killed, but I think it would be a great way to go out for the first match of the season."

"What do you have in mind?"


"Hey, Gibby," Lifeline said, gaining the attention of the gentle giant. He had just whacked someone over the head because they took his loot.

Dusting himself off, "What can I help you with, brudda?"

"What do ya thinks going on with Dark Sparks and da newblood?" the field medic asked.

Crypto chimed in, putting Hack in the pouch adoring the hacker's back, "They are probably considering asking him to join their relationship."

Both of his teammates looked at him with confused looks, "What makes ya say dat?"

"The fact that Hack has kept track of them on the ship, in public areas only," he stressed, since everyone still holds animosity against him during the artifact hunt. "The fact that they tried to make breakfast for him is one," Crypto started, pulling a Phoenix Kit out of a death box and handing it to the medic.

Lifeline took the kit before putting it in her own backpack. Gibraltar hmmed, "The kid makes a good point. When have they ever tried to make breakfast that wasn't for themselves?"

"Two, he seems to be struggling with a similar problem," Crypto said as Hack chimed something from his back. "His history isn't great, but to no fault of his own."

"I should believe you why?" Lifeline narrowed her eyes at the Legend.

He scoffed, "You don't have to and I'm not asking you to," no one ever does anyway.

"I wouldn't worry bruddas, because we have more pressing concerns," Gibraltar said, pulling out his airstrike marker. "One of which is me opening the skies." with one stretched finger, he pointed to two different squads fighting each other.

...

Well, I believe that Hack is sentient because I feel like it needs to be. T drone did nothing wrong. I blame Caustic.