Journals, more crashes and wolves...

The rain was a waterfall.

Ayden didn't see it as an omen— just unavoidable. But the rain or cold wasn't really new to her since Chicago, her birthplace... 'The Windy City', was pretty much the same. It wasn't as vast or uninhabited, but it was often just as cold and rain-pouring... well, as far as she remembered. She hadn't gone back there since she moved out of the country with her brother and mother. However, they hadn't exactly gone on a 'holiday in the sun'. They moved into a town close by the border separating Quebec from Ontario. It was close enough to Ontario to have English equalized to French, but far enough inside Quebec for the town to be swarmed with Quebecors.

The town she lived in was rather beautiful, for a rainy one. Though she had had quite a rough life there, she knew she would always better being there than being in Chicago and, at that moment, in the cold wilderness, she really missed her town. Compared to where she currently was, where everything was dull and almost gray, her town was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves. It was too green— an alien planet. Even the feeling she got there felt alien to her, though, it was her home, even if it hadn't quite felt so in the past few years. It was nothing like back in Chicago. There she used to feel like a stranger, an outcast, never mind she'd only been there when she was five and younger. There, in her town in Canada... it really felt like home. She felt endangered there, yet quite safe. It was confusing, yet she always went along with it.

But now, alone in the jungle... she didn't feel as free as she had once imagined she'd be. Then again, she wasn't in Africa, where she had once imagined herself getting married. She was stranded on an island in Japan, lost alone in the cold, wet and dirty with sweat, grime, and blood staining her clothes. All she really wanted to do now was go back home, but... just thinking about it... was it really her home anymore? Her brother probably hated her by now, and her mother could probably care less.

She sighed. "Story of my life," she muttered, gently clutching her wounded, rumbling stomach.

She had starved herself since she'd been captured by Hamid Clayton, and only ate once when she'd been aboard the Endurance, though she didn't eat anything since then as she had only thrown it up a while later. She was rather surprised she hadn't died and had managed to go almost two months without eating, since she'd been taken till after she was found by the Endurance crew, only nurturing herself with drinks as it was the only thing she could digest, but, now, her hunger was finally catching up to her.

Ayden let out a long sigh as she tried not to think of the torture she had to undergo, though it was rather inevitable. Her mind flashed to her last mission before she'd been abducted. It was colder then, in Norway, but, right now, dressed in a pair of ripped and bloodied wet trousers and a tank top... well, you could guess why she felt like it was freezing cold.

"Why is it so freaking cold in Norway?" Elena complained.

"Just be grateful it's barely starting," Ayden said as she blew small puffs of air, glancing up at the barely snow-covered trees; winter had begun later than usual in that region.

A loud crash of thunder snapped the young soldier out of her memories. Small droplets continued to pour down over the skin of her arms and neck and Ayden suddenly realized that she was shivering. What had it been? One or two hours since she'd escaped that godforsaken cave? Waking upside down surrounded by rotting flesh and blood wasn't the nicest greeting that the island she'd washed up upon had to give. And that dead body... god. She still felt sick thinking about it. The sun had just begun to set as she'd stumbled out of that opening narrowly missing being crushed to death, and now night had fallen casting darkness all over the land.

She shoved a hand into the left pocket of her trousers and fished out her small radio that had surprisingly survived her wild arrival. There were a few cracks on it too, and it, too, was covered in dirt and a slight bit of blood, but, when she turned it on, she couldn't help but let out a small relieved chuckle; it worked. Pressing on the recording button, she spoke, her throat raspy and her voice hoarse from all the screaming when she escaped the cavern.

"It's been about a day or two since the Endurance met its demise. It wasn't my first shipwreck, but... it was my first in which I had one of my darkest moments since I've been in the army." She paused for a moment, frowning slightly. "And, what I've discovered since is that... in our darkest moments... when life flashes before us... we find something. Something that keeps us going... something that pushes us. What pushed me into coming back to life was... my life."

She chuckled softly to herself in disbelief. "I died in the shipwreck, and though it was only temporarily... I died. And my life literally flashed before my eyes. It wasn't my whole life, though..." She inhaled deeply, then exhaled, wincing slightly in pain. "Everything I saw... it was all mostly memories... memories I didn't even know I had anymore."

She coughed. "I woke up on this island... I don't know if this is the one we were aiming for, but... what I do know is that... there's something strange about it. Now, I'm not just saying that because this is the first island I've been to outside of America. Technically, it's not the first one since the first one was in Mongolia when I was captured in Norway... but, back to my point... God! What I'm saying is that this... the shipwreck happened in a strange way I don't—"

She sighed, rubbing her forehead tiredly, her body still trembling from the cold. "I don't know how to explain this, but... I... I think the only reason we were shipwrecked in the first place was because of this island. Like what happens in that triangle thingy... the Bermuda Triangle! Now, normally I wouldn't be superstitious, but it can't be too much of a coincidence that we weren't the only ones to be wrecked on this island. And there's... well, there was proof of rituals or whatever being performed in the cavern... scavenger den— or whatever place it was that I woke up in, underground."

She let out a shaky breath. "Something's going on on this island, and I want to find out, but..." She swallowed hard. "I'm scared," she whispered. She then turned off the recorder and put it back into her before wrapping her arms around herself once more.

The brutal cold that had wormed its way around her body as she'd walked in the rain was replaced almost instantly as the roaring heat from the flames engulfed her. At least she wouldn't freeze to death now, maybe just die from hunger instead. No. Ayden couldn't think like that. She had to keep going, keep pushing forward. Hopefully, the storm would subside in the morning so she could search for food. No use now when she had no weapons and possible predators stalking the woods.

Ayden pulled out Sam's camcorder, which was surprisingly still working as well, and pressed play on the oldest entry. She was greeted with the image of herself sitting at her desk back on the Endurance days before they had been shipwrecked. Sam's voice filtered through the speakers and Ayden tried to imagine her friend was sitting right beside her.

"Here's the someday-will-be world's famous archaeologist—"

"I'm not gonna be an archaeologist," Ayden cut her off with a mutter, eyes never moving from the notes she was reading.

"— Ayden Jaubert," Sam continued as though the young soldier had not spoken. "In her newest habitat. She has joined our crew and is now on a dead-set hunt for the lost kingdom of Yamatai," Sam spoke in a rather dramatic voice. "Home to the fabulous Himiko Nēmisu, mythical Sun Queen... an ancestor of yours truly."

"Sam... this is serious," Ayden had replied, finally looking up, from the notes she was taking for Roth, to face her new friend.

"Oh, sweetie... I know. I'm just trying to lighten the mood here. Everyone's so on edge! What are you so worried about?"

"This is my first time doing something like this, and... for the first time since I've joined you guys... I've finally gotten close to something, I'm sure of it. I just don't know if the others will listen..." she said leaning back in her chair. "Or even if they should..."

"Ayden, as much as you deny it, you know this kind of stuff better than anyone! Seriously. I'm not just saying this to make you feel better. I trust you... Roth trusts you! You got this." Ayden gave her a small smile. "Now let's take a break, okay?"

Ayden chuckled, nodding her head. "Okay, okay! And Sam..." She paused for a moment, then said, "Thanks."

The camera moved away from her as Sam turned it around to face herself. At the campfire, Ayden smiled at the girl's face coming onto the screen, and for a minute she forgot she was alone on a murderous island.

"I haven't known her for too long, but I can tell she's not always this serious."

The scenery then changed as the next filmed clip came on. The main crew members were in the kitchen; Jonah was stirring an enormous pot of soup, chuckling under his breath and shaking his head as he glanced back at Roth and Grim who were watching a football match on the small television they both, both men cheering for opposing teams.

Around the eating table were Sam, who was reading an old book on the past researches of the lost kingdom they were all seeking, Reyes, who was tinkering with a small device unknown to the others as she waited for her plate to be served, and Alex, who was surfing through his laptop, while Ayden and Dr. Whitman stood on the side, between Sam and Reyes, arguing about Ayden proposition, which had clearly flustered Whitman.

"How can you suggest I'm not serious about this expedition, Ayden? It's not only Sam's family funding us. I put my savings on the line too."

The camera turned Reyes as she rolled her eyes and, her eyes never leaving her small device, she said, "We've all got some kind of stake in this." She, then, looked up. "The funding won't last forever Whitman."

And then, the camera shifted back to Ayden and Dr. Whitman. "That's exactly why we should push east, not west," the young girl insisted.

Dr. Whitman sighed. "No one believes Yama..." He turned for a moment and glared at Grim, who had interrupted him with his loud, joyful laugh when his team scored a goal. Whitman, then, turned back to Ayden and spoke louder. "No one believes Yamatai's that far east." He motioned toward the book in Sam's hands as he continued. "The books simply don't support it!"

At that moment, Sam looked up from her book as the camera shifted toward her. "Well, whoever wrote those books never found Yamatai," she pointed out.

Ayden looked at her, fighting back a smile as she nodded in agreement. "And I've talked to Roth about this. There's no point in following in other people's footsteps Dr. Whitman," she tried to persuade as she pointed down at the map in front of them.

He seemed to falter, for a moment, at her reasoning, but he soon retaliated and shook his head, his hands now resting on his hips. "I refuse to bet my reputation on your hunch!" he objected. "I'm the lead archaeologist here," he continued, placing a hand on his chest.

Then Grim chose to speak up, the camera instantly shifting his way and zooming in on him as he spoke, still stirring the large pot of soup. "An' when were you last in a field without a TV crew behind you?"

Slowly, Dr. Whitman turned around and glared at Grim as he said, "Got thirty years' experience, two PhD's, one in East Asian history. So why don't you just stick to boats, Mr. Grim?" Dr. Whitman said, turning back around to face Ayden, while Grim continued to grumble rather loudly.

"Ship, Dr. Whitman. It's a ship," he said. "Don't need a PhD to know that."

Ayden sighed, oblivious to the camera shifting back her way as she decided to speak up in order to steer the conversation back to the point. "Look. Going east will take us directly to the Dragon's Triangle." She pointed at the map and watched Whitman's brows furrowed as he followed her finger to the direction she was pointing at. "If Yamatai's what we're looking for, that's where we need to go."

As she said that, the camera zoomed a bit out, catching Jonah in the shot as he set the bowls of soup for everyone at the table. As he set one in front of the empty chair Ayden was standing by, he looked up at her with kind, fond eyes.

"Ayden, little Wise girl... I'd follow you almost anywhere, but that place has bad energy."

"Bad storms more likely," Alex chimed in. "Makes the Bermuda Triangle look like Disney World..." Almost everyone chuckled at that one, including Ayden. "Sign me up," he added, looking at Ayden with soft eyes.

Ayden smiled and looked back at Whitman, eyes filled with more determination. "Look, I'm not the kind of person who believes in all these superstitious things, but the stories do say that Queen Himiko Nēmisu could summon storms," she said, standing taller. "Myths are usually based on some version of the truth!" Whitman crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, in exasperation, as Ayden went on. "What if Yamatai was somewhere in the Triangle itself?"

"Look," said Alex, grabbing everyone's attention, including the camera's, as he turned his laptop around for everyone to see. "This is the satellite imagery from inside the Dragon's Triangle."

Everyone studied it, though Sam was the one to speak up their worries.

"That doesn't look good," she said.

Grim looked at it a moment longer, before walking back to the stove. "If it's wet, I can sail on it," he reassured them with a nod.

Whitman uncrossed his arms as he looked at the sailor in disbelief. "Oh, don't tell me you're seriously cons—"

But Roth finally chose to speak, cutting him off. "Reyes is right, we don't have the funds to piss about. It's now or never," he said, standing from his stool and walking over to them. "Ayden's offering fresh ideas and a plan. I'm the captain here, and it's my decision." And then he pointed down at the map. "We're going into the Dragon's Triangle."

Whitman gave him the evil eye as he picked up his bowl. "Why am I even here?" he said, clearly annoyed, before walking off.

Ayden looked after, then sighed as she sat down on her chair. She looked up and blinked in slight confusion when she found Roth looking at her expectantly.

"Go on... show us your plan."

She smiled and leaned in closer to show him on the map.

Another flash of thunder and Ayden realized she'd been so deep in her thoughts that the camcorder had reached the end of its footage. A nearby owl hooted over the sound of the wind and rain hitting the ground as she put the camera to one side; she could always look back to the footage if she ever needed to. God knows that if she didn't get off this island soon, then there would be no doubt she'd re-watch footage of her new friends. Lying down her side, she was reminded of the injury she'd sustained back in the caverns as pain ripped through her left side.

"Ah, son of a..." She groaned sitting back up, clutching the wound; she was lucky that she hadn't lost much blood from it.

Ayden knew that in a few days if the sedative didn't leave her system, her wound would no doubt get infected, but it wasn't like she had much choice in the matter. She shuffled onto her other side, hoping to find more comfort front from this position. In the end, she knew that it would continue to hurt throughout the night no matter where she laid down. Ignoring the pain as best she could, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Tomorrow she would hunt for some food, before finding the others. Dear God, please let her find them.

Before she knew it, Ayden's thoughts of the Endurance and her new friends blurred into dreams as she dozed off beside the fire.

Elena had found the journal under a desk in the abandoned building her team had scouted in Mongolia. There had been many signs of people being captured and experimented on, but they couldn't tell if Ayden had been there. No blood sample Andrew had his colleagues analyze was a match to her DNA... but, then again, what if her DNA had changed from being experimented on? Had she been experimented on? Elena sighed; there was no way to know that, but it wasn't unlikely in a place like that.

The unit had been spending the past three weeks in one of the American bases located just outside of the country. They were doing the usual; training, while Andrew and his team of scientist tried to find another possible location. They couldn't go back to their Al-Qaeda mission without their Captain. Plus, even though Elena was Ayden's second in command and was perfectly capable of calling the shots herself... it just wouldn't be the same. They had been going on the mission for almost a year now and had all gotten used to following Ayden's orders— Elena got used to following her orders.

She was a total wreck— it was a wonder the Colonel hadn't forced her to go back home. It also came as a surprise that he hadn't called off the search on Ayden; he was usually very impassive when it came to someone missing. The capture of the one-o-sixth, for instance; if it hadn't been for Ayden going to rescue, along with Elena, he would've sent the condolence letters he'd been writing.

"Elena!" She looked up and saw her brother standing by the door. "You coming to train, or what?"

She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "Already did my hour."

He nodded and turned to leave, though he retaliated when he noticed the journal in her hands. "What's that?"

She mentally cursed herself for not hiding it quickly but answered him either way. She didn't want to do anything alone at this point. "I don't know. I found it when we scouted the building in Mongolia. Haven't checked it yet, though."

He frowned, entering the room and sitting down beside her. "Why didn't you say anything?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I haven't been able to think clearly since she's been gone, Damian," she admitted.

He looked at her, then glanced down at the book; he was tempted to just grab it and read it himself, but he knew better than to just throw himself to the sharks. This was evidence. Something that could probably help them in their search for Ayden.

"We should show it to Andrew," he said.

His sister frowned at the journal, simply staring at it with intense eyes. After a long moment of silence, she finally nodded and the pair went off to Andrew's temporary office to show him the journal.

"Start reading from Phase 2," said Clara.

Andrew gave her a weird look. "Why?"

"Because I said so. Go."

Rolling his eyes, he began.

Experiment A608, Phase 2 (injection of Serum 515)

Personal Journal of Dr. Hamid Clayton,

Damian's jaw clenched at the name.

December 19, 2012.

Phase two of the Military experiment A608 code-name 'Aliema' has commenced. So far, Subject seems passive and overall unresponsive to most stimuli. Her mental age is equivalent to that of an adult. Her attitude is that of a regular teenager; moody, stubborn, rebellious.

"He speaks of the subject being a teenager and a female," said Clara. "It must be Ayden... right?"

We have begun injecting the Serum, it has only been three hours since the initial injection and A608 already shows slightly increased aggression. She screams at anyone who dares enter her cell. It is unknown whether this is due to the drug, or just a natural reaction to the pain of the injection.

The look on Elena's face was clearly one of terror, while her brother's was void of emotion; Andrew simply frowned as he continued to read the journal entries out loud.

December 20, 2012.

'Aliema' has been temporarily diagnosed as blind. It is unknown whether this is due to the serum or the illness she had recovered from yesterday. She appears to be adapting well, her other senses making up for the loss of vision. Subject's bones have increased in density, hardening to a much more inhuman strength than before.

Damian had a murderous look in his eyes.

Pain, another thing to note about. It is unknown whether the Subject actually feels pain as she had previously been a victim and survivor to an explosion in the abouts of the American military base in Kabul.

"How the heck does he know—"

"Keep reading Andrew."

He sighed. "Fine," he muttered.

Her DNA remains unlike anything I have ever seen before. Unfortunately, it is still scientifically unreproducible. However, the possibility of breeding it is still unknown.

December 21, 2012.

While A608 was being given her daily injection she lashed out, striking at my assistant William Alisher. She was swiftly restrained and kept tied down for the rest of the tests. We will use more caution in the future.

"Go further," Damian instructed.

January 3, 2012.

'Aliema' is showing unconscious animalistic reactions. In the past two days, she has killed four of my colleagues in her sleep by literally ripping their—

"Stop," Elena quickly cut him off, her face paler than usual.

"But I'm not—"

"Andrew, that's enough for today," Clara cut him off, snatching the journal from his hand. "Keep searching," she told him, nodding toward his snoozing computer before grabbing onto Elena's arm and leading her out of the office, dragging Damian behind.

Back on the island, the next morning, when the rain had cleared out, Ayden set out to find food. She followed another path down the hill, following a deer that crossed her path. As she turned around to the right, she began nearing a small stream, where she noticed a corpse hanging from a tree.

"Oh, God..." she muttered, grimacing as she looked up at the unfortunate victim. She was soon distracted by something big wrapped around the body and squinted her eyes. "Wait... I can use that bow!"

She went on forward and approached the bunker on the other side of the stream. As she moved closer, she found the quiver of arrows, reached down for it and secured it to her back, tightening the straps in a way that wouldn't hurt her. She then went on alongside the bunker and stopped when she found more arrows leaning against the tree from which the man was hanging. She grabbed them and put them in the quiver with the rest before continuing on her way. She then stopped at the foot of the bunker and climbed onto its roof, then jumped across the small gap and stepped out onto the branch lodged in the fork of the tree near the dangling man. She almost lost her balance while crossing the branch, though, luckily, she regained it, then leaned to the right to reach out and grab the longbow.

She sighed once she got back onto her feet, after falling to the ground from the branch, and quickly snatched the bow from the corpse; finding that bow had been a simple rare batch of dumb luck— only five minutes into searching for food, Ayden had stumbled upon that hanging corpse with the bow slung over its body. To be honest, Ayden hadn't expected to come across any form of weapon on the island, but then thinking back to her earlier encounter with that savage man in the cave had Ayden changing her mind. How many other shipwrecked people had he brutally murdered? She shook her head, trying not to think about it as she walked further away from the corpse's rotting form. As a weapon, it was simple enough. Whoever made it had done so with limited resources; a bunch of bendy branches wrapped together with string and bits of cloth.

"Let's hope this still works," she mumbled. Sure it might not be powerful, but it would do for now. "Just remember Roth's sayings..."

You can have the best form and technique in the world, but it won't mean a thing if you can't focus.

It was only when Ayden shot her first prey did she realize how terrible her aim had become; it was hard to focus when your mind was clouded with dizziness caused by an irritating sedative that was stuck to your system.

"Those bloody bastards," she muttered, mentally cursing Clayton and all the other people who helped him experiment on her.

Luckily she'd hit the deer she was hunting enough to knock it to the floor, but not enough to kill it instantly. By the time Ayden had made her way over to her kill, she'd realized what a mess of it she'd made; the poor thing was grunting and whining in pain as it slowly bled to death.

"I am so sorry," she whispered to the stag, with sincerity, as she quickly ended its pain with another arrow, before slicing open its belly to gut it.

Looking at the deer carcass, Ayden was beginning to regret that she'd never dared herself to take that survivor's training class, even if it hadn't been part of her program, back at the college. It would've helped her a great deal at the current date.

It was nearing dusk by the time the young soldier finally reached her camp with her food. She'd just finished eating the meat when static came over the two-way radio she'd picked up from Sam's pack.

"This is Conrad Roth, captain of the Endurance, we are shipwrecked on an island inside the Dragon's Triangle."

"Holy shit!" It was Roth! Ayden was relieved; she could finally talk to someone on this island who she actually knew. Up until this point, Ayden didn't have a clue whether Sam or Roth had survived. She'd only caught glimpse of Reyes, Jonah, Alex, and Whitman on the beach before she was knocked unconscious by that savage man.

"Roth!" Ayden all but shrieked into the receiver.

"Ayden?" he replied.

"You're alive!"

"Easy, easy," he reassured. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Ayden proceeded to retell her story to the ex-marine, including every last detail. She struggled to hold back tears when she told him about that dead body tied up in the cave in what looked like some strange ritual. The past day had been like some terrible nightmare where you hoped to wake up from but never did. A lone tear rolled down Ayden's dirty cheek as Roth tried to calm her.

"Ayden! Listen to me! I sent an SOS from the Endurance before I abandoned her, hopefully, someone caught it. I've spoken to the others; we're regrouping at my location..."

"Please come and get me!" Ayden begged, cutting him off, and soon began hating herself and mentally scolding herself for acting so vulnerable; she was a soldier, she wasn't supposed to do that.

Roth sighed. "I have to stay here."

"It's fine," she replied sighing.

"You can do this Ayden. Remember what you told me when we were finishing up the plan? You said the key was knowing that all you've got to do is just..."

"Keep moving," Ayden finished for him.

"Remember everything I've taught you on the way, Ayden, you're ready for this. And keep your radio on."

Ayden nodded absentmindedly. "Okay," she answered as Roth's voice left her.

She took a few deep breaths before gathering her things and setting off back down the path towards where she found the bow. Ayden knew she was in a better position than any ordinary shipwreck survivor. She could climb, she could navigate, and she could hunt. She could do this.

She was Captain freakin' Shades.

Ayden made her way back through the forest, and out of nowhere, she heard-

"Music?"

At first, she thought she might be imagining it as a result of trauma or stress, but as she neared the stream where she found her bow, it got louder. In fact, it happened to be coming from inside a mysterious looking old shack; an old shack that looked like the setting of one of those horror films where the girl goes inside the abandoned house, while you scream at your TV for her to turn around. Of course, Ayden was skeptical. But after looking around for another available route to Roth's position only to find there was none, meaning that creepy music or not, she had to go in and investigate.

"Hello?" she called out, hoping that no-one would reply. "Is someone there?"

No answer.

Cautiously, Ayden stepped into the shack. It was small inside, to no surprise, but she saw that there looked to be a ladder of some sort leading down into a tunnel. Ayden walked over and picked up an already lit burning torch, peering down into the darkness. It could be a way through. Suddenly, a large gust of wind appeared from nowhere and slammed the door shut, leaving her trapped.

"Oh, God, are you fuckin' kidding me?" she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.

She sighed. Now she had to descend into the tunnel. Ayden climbed down the ladder and began to make her way through the underground pass, where she was now up to her waist in cold murky water. And if Ayden thought the dead body she found with the bow had smelled, she was gravely mistaken.

The water stunk.

"My sense of smell just had to be enhanced, didn't it?" she grunted, then she shook her head once more. "What the hell am I doing?"

Luckily Ayden didn't have far to walk in the water and the tunnel led to a dimly lit room, with candles and markings.

"What are these markings?" she wondered squinting her eyes. Her eyes widened in slight fright when she noticed how similar they were to the ones that were in the cave she'd woken up in, the previous day.

Shit.

"I really hope that man does not have friends that live here and are as crazy as he was," she gulped.

There was a door directly in front of her, but it was locked. She needed to look for a crowbar of some sort. Taking in her surroundings, Ayden noticed that a few barrels and other flammable material were blocking an entrance into a room next door. The material burnt away pretty fast and Ayden was able to make her way into what was some kind of abattoir; she hoped that the meat that was around her was deer and not human. Scratch that, this was the worst smell ever. Holding her nose and trying not to gag, Ayden pulled out a pry ax from a lump of raw meat next to an old record layer that was the source of the mysterious music. This would hopefully open the door. Unfortunately for Ayden, after opening the door with the pry ax, there was more smelly water to crawl through before she could exit to the surface.

Ayden had never been more relieved to be back in the fresh air. As she stowed her torch, she heard a muffled female voice talking in the distance.

"Hold on, let me find out."

Wait a minute. That voice sounded like Sam's! As Ayden grew closer, she heard Roth's voice over a radio in the distance.

"We're on the south-west side." It must be Sam! Seconds after hearing Roth's voice, an unfamiliar one spoke up too.

"They'll need to follow the path; it's a bit of a climb."

Ayden didn't recognize the gruff, sly male voice. She pulled out her bow, ready to strike if needed. Right now, Ayden didn't trust anyone who wasn't part of the Endurance crew.

"Did you get that?" Sam said; Ayden presumed she was talking into the radio.

"Got it." That was Reyes, Ayden knew it.

"We've got a fire. Look for the smoke."

Sam was right around the corner. Ayden ached to go rushing in and greet her friend in a much-needed hug. However, she needed to be aware of her surroundings. This man that was with Sam, Ayden had no idea if he was friend or foe, and that meant she needed to be cautious. She peered her head around the corner to see her friend sat on a makeshift bench beside a roaring fire. Unlike Ayden, Sam was unscathed; no cuts, no bruises, just a bit of dirt here and there.

"Ayden!" Sam exclaimed, standing up abruptly with the radio still clutched in her hand. "You made it!"

"Sam, thank goodness." The soldier sighed in relief, relinquishing her grip on the bow.

Ayden wasn't the only one happy to see her friend. Sam had been worried sick ever since the wreck about the sixteen-year-old girl. Before the storm had struck, Sam had luckily been up on deck chatting with one of the crew about cameras and tripods, meaning that when the Endurance crashed onto the island, she had come out unscathed. Albeit she was alone and shaken, she was not hurt. On the other hand, Sam knew that Ayden had been in her cabin and was probably reading; the worst possible place to be if the ship sunk.

Ever since washing up on the shore, the filmmaker had not stopped wondering whether the young girl who had taken up the little sister figure in her life had managed to get out. When Reyes and the others contacted her via radio, she was desperate to know if Ayden was with them, but they were as in the dark as her. To see her there alive and well... hold on. What was that on the left side of Ayden's stomach? Christ... was it blood? Had Ayden been impaled with a pike or something? She'd thought twisting her foot on a loose tree root was bad enough.

Ayden's face went blank and her posture went from being relaxed to tense as someone moved to her right. A man, probably in his late forties, stood up and appeared to be relying on a makeshift crutch to support his weight.

Sam noticed her friend's behavior and reassured her. "It's okay, he's one of us."

Ayden hesitated, before she loosened her hold on her bow again, which she hadn't realized she'd been gripping so hard; she was surprised she didn't break it with her enhanced strength, but... then again, she didn't know how strong she was anymore, ever since the experimentation Hamid had done on her.

"You're too trusting... it'll get you killed one day," she muttered, low enough for only Sam to hear. When the latter did hear that, however, she frowned slightly but dismissed it either way as her new ally spoke up.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," the man said, his voice smooth and calm. "This place would make anyone jumpy. We just spoke to your crew, they're on their way."

Ayden acknowledged the man but said nothing. It was Sam who broke the silence in the end, pointing to her ankle.

"Look, he bandaged my foot."

The soldier pitied her friend but was at the same time glad that Sam hadn't gone through any of the inflicted horrors she had.

"Oh, it was the least I could do," said... wait what was his name?

Strange.

As if reading her mind, the man spoke up once more holding out his hand for Ayden to shake. "My manners... I'm sorry, I'm Mathias. A teacher by trade." Ayden carefully returned the handshake, feeling the contrast of Mathias' large rough hands on her own. "Not really cut out for island life I'm afraid," he finished with a little laugh before shuffling to sit back down near the fire.

Sam studied her friend's appearance, noticing her ruffled hair and faint dark circles under her eyes. Ayden looked like she was in need of a long rest.

"Sweetie," she began, using her affectionate name for Ayden that made the girl practically melt at the motherly affection. "You look exhausted, sit down."

"Yeah..." Ayden replied as she moved to sit beside the campsite, a little bit disorientated.

"Oh, here, I thought you might want this." Ayden gave Sam a curious look as she held out a small familiar bag. "It has the things you had on you when we found you in Mongolia."

Ayden eyes lit up slightly as she grabbed the bag from Sam and brought out her scouter, looking at the damaged item with a fond look on her face. She started to absentmindedly tinker with it, pressing on the operating button as Mathias decided to break the silence.

"Sam here was just telling me about the Sun Queen," he informed.

"Right! Himiko!" Sam chirped.

"Can you tell me more? I'm intrigued."

"Well, believe it or not, a couple thousand years ago Queen Himiko Nēmisu pretty much ran things in Japan."

Ayden shook her head and let out a small laugh at her friend's enthusiasm. Sam had pretty much told Ayden this story straight away when they met after she found out that the young female soldier had studied some bits of Japanese history in her college Western Civilization course. Since then, Ayden swore she'd heard it about a hundred times from Sam.

"She loves telling this story," she said, speaking to Mathias for the first time.

"Himiko was beautiful, enigmatic... but also ruthless and powerful! Legend says she had shamanistic powers."

"And this is where she loses me," Ayden confessed, baffled at Sam's willingness to believe in the supernatural. She was actually like Ayden used to be in that retrospect.

"Well there's always some truth to myths," replies Mathias with a glint in his eye that made Ayden a slightly bit more warry.

"She commanded an army of Samurai warriors," Sam continued as Ayden felt her eyes go heavy. "Her magnificent Stormguard. They rode the very winds into battle, laying waste to all who opposed them. They say the sun rose at Himiko's command and she ruled everything its rays touched..."

By this point, Ayden was desperately trying to keep her eyes open. Hunting all day, crawling through that god awful water; it had really taken its toll on the girl. She really tried to stay away for Sam's sake, but what harm would a short nap do?

"... from the mountains to the sea and beyond."

"But what happened to her?"

With Sam's soothing voice and the heat from the fire, Ayden couldn't help but fall asleep. Then, what felt like only seconds later, Ayden jolted awake as thunder jolted her from her nap. It was only when her eyes stopped blurring from sleep did she realize she was alone.

Sam was gone. And so was Mathias.

Ayden scrambled to her feet and called out for them both. She got no answer except for the pitter patter of rain. Damn it! This is what she feared most. She'd known something was off when she sat down at that fire. Instinct had told her not to trust the Mathias, but she'd let her guard down anyway for the sake of her friend.

"SAM! SAM!" she shouted desperately into the darkness.

Ayden pulled out her bow and ran back around to the path where she'd walked from the underground tunnel, hoping to see the pair there. But there was nothing. Racing back and past the fire, she stumbled down some old steps, flailing desperately like a lost child. If only she'd looked where she was going and not had her senses clouded by desperation, Ayden might have seen the bear trap that she walked onto.

She screamed as the metal jaws clamped down on her left foot. Pain seared through her as it dug into her flesh. Ayden tried in vain to pull the metal apart, every twitch making the trap more unbearable. Breathless and scared like a trapped animal, she still called out for her friend.

"Shit!"

Still, she tried, heaving the metal jaws in some lost hope they'd just fall off. That is until she heard a sound that froze her to the spot. She shivered as the nearby sound of wolves could be heard howling with glee. Panicking, she grabbed her bow; she'd have to fight them off while stuck. Her breaths grew shallower as the howling got closer. She prayed that they weren't after her and that they'd found a wounded stag instead or something, but she knew that was just blind hope. The wolves could smell blood, and they were coming for it— they were coming for her.

Back at the military base on the outskirts of the country Mongolia, Andrew sat in his office, his ears perking and back straightening when he heard a familiar beeping noise coming from his computer.

"Sir, there has been a sudden movement that has caused something abnormal," his AI suddenly informed them.

Andrew went back to his computer and started looking at the map where the 'abnormal' thing had just occurred. "Good job. Location?"

"Japan. The Dragon's Triangle. I have managed to track down the new scouter you gave Miss Jaubert on her last mission in Norway, Sir."

Andrew whacked himself in the head. "Of course, I'm so stupid. The scouter. Goddammit, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"You didn't ask, sir."

"I'll go tell the Colonel," Elena said, for the first time a smile appearing on her face. "Marvin, Dan, can you guys get a plane?"

Daniel nodded. "Of course."

It didn't take long before the main members of the Feral Force were loading a plane. As Elena walked up the ramp, she found herself stopping short on her tracks with a skeptical look on her face when she noticed her brother. He was dressed in his usual navy blue combat suit, but he had a small, baby-blue blanket draped over his elbow.

"Uh... what's the blanket for?" Elena pointed towards the blanket that Damian was holding in his arms.

He gave her a blank look. "For Carmen," he replied. "She might be cold."

Anthony hesitated, from behind Elena. He didn't know Ayden as well as Elena, but he knew what would undoubtedly be on her mind and her need for a blanket didn't fit into any of those categories.

"I don't think that will be necessary, buddy."

Damian frowned. "Why not?"

Elena was the one that informed him. "Listen, Damian, you heard what was written in the journal; Ayden's been through a lot. She might not be the same for a little while. We're gonna have to be patient with her, if she doesn't react like she normally would."

"I'm always patient with her!" he said, clearly offended.

The Scottish soldier walked up behind them and cleared his throat. "I think what Elena and Anthony are trying to say is that there might be more emotionally damaged than physical."

"Enough with the dreary subject," Andrew said from the front seat, where he was telling the pilots— Marvin and Daniel— where to go. "Whatever happens she will still be our little Den-Den, no matter what."

Anthony frowned as he walked closer. "Is that it?"

The AI had told them it was a tropical island, but now it looked more like a dead one.

Elena gulped, her relief beginning to fade. "Is that—"

"We don't know for sure," Andrew tried to reassure him. "So don't get teary-eyed with me, you two. Land the plane."

All was quiet as the team shook off the cobwebs of a challenging mission. The plan had actually been going accordingly, that is, however, until the plane began to be pulled toward the island in a rather strange way. Part of the situation looked as though the aircraft was being magnetically pulled toward the island, while the other part seemed more as though it had been electrocuted and was now plummeting. Andrew finally opted for the second possibility when he noticed Daniel's body suddenly vibrate as though he'd been stung by electricity and stinging burns suddenly appearing on his arms as well as on Marvin's, who was co-piloting the plane.

Andrew, clearly annoyed with the sudden shift in the air, demanded, "Jones, Lewis, what's going on back there? You're not doing any of your elaborate stretches are—" His words were cut off by another sudden loop of the jet.

They all, except Daniel and Marvin, who were both strapped in their seats, were lifted up and hit the roof. Damian had a second to catch Elena before she collided with the ceiling, which would have been very painful. He was aware of the fact that the plane was dipping forward and using all his strength he managed to grab a handlebar, for support, with his sister knocked out in his arms, completely oblivious to their current surroundings.

"Lewis, what's going on—"

Abruptly the jet turned the right way up and Damian had to let go of the bar otherwise he would have experienced an eye shutting, ear-splitting, neck cracking, headstand. Andrew paused for breath before running to the pilot area and yelled with surprise and terror at the unconscious pilots, rolling around with control panels being knocked left, right and center.

"Guys, Jones and Lewis are dead!" he screamed.

"What!"

"That's impossible..."

"Who, did it?"

"Ah, Vinny? Dan?" The last one came from a crumbling Elena, who was suddenly lying on Anthony's chest, his head was pushed back as he tried to shake off the blow and take in the unlikely information.

As if suddenly hearing the news— whilst Anthony was still processing it— Elena sprang away from him and joined a mouth-gaping Carson whose eyes were close to tears. In any other situation he would have vaporized anybody for seeing him in such a state, but right now he wasn't the only one. Red was choking back a sob and Anthony's chocolate brown eyes were glued to the young Shostakovitch.

He was mesmerized that she hadn't fallen apart at the seems of having been so close to the pilots in their team, or that she hadn't erupted and sent the still spinning jet down to the ocean to sink with her heart. But then her small, delicate fingers rested with the lightest touch on Jones' neck, and then Lewis'. Her pupils grew in the blinding sunlight that the jet was reaching for.

Her nonchalant voice challenged anyone to state otherwise, "They're alive, you moron!" She groaned in exasperation. "How does she deal with you," she muttered in disbelief.

Andrew's tears melted away as quickly as they'd risen. Red's charged forwards, his finger replacing Elena's. "J-just... h-help me g-get them to the table?"

With the help of her brother, Elena obliged, taking both pilots toward the offered aid. Precipitously the jet rounded a stomach-churning corner in mid-air and the Scottish soldier was bashed around from wall to wall until his eyes smacked open and he looked around the spinning room.

What was going on?

He saw a nauseous Andrew roll in mid-air, Curt grabbed his leg before he almost collided with the bridge button. That wouldn't have been good! Chris curled in on himself as his body was thrown against the ceiling, or was it the floor? Anthony peeked around the corner and saw Daniel's unconscious body caging a struggling Elena against the wall. Huang was slowly rising and falling under the table. Red felt terror and suspense build like a brick wall inside his veins.

Cautiously, Andrew yelled at his AI, "What the fuck is going on?" Though hardly anybody heard due to the uproar the bodies of the frantic and helpless avengers were making whilst they were flung from wall to wall like lifeless rag dolls.

"Sir, it appears that the plane is being attracted by some magnetic pull toward the island. Mr. Lewis and Mr. Jones tried to counterattack it, but they both received some sort of electrical shock," the usual inanimate, robot voice started to lower until it was a long-held yarn. "And that knocked them both unconscious." His voice fizzled in and out of focus.

Trying to suppress a scream, Elena squirmed, as the sharp medical instruments gone out on display had set out earlier pocked and prodded her and Daniel's bodies. Daniel was wrapped around her, unaware of the immediate protection his sleeping figure was giving her. But still, the odd knife sliced her skin, sending shivers and sparks of pain down her back.

Against he, the sharp fingers of pain dragged a blood curdling, ululating scream from her. Tearing the veins and vessels, that intricately interlaced her heart, from her chest as pain embedded itself in her mind. She felt the word engraved on her eyelids, burning like a punch to the gut. If she could have collapsed forward she would have, she felt like shrinking inside herself, going into hibernation and crawling in her shell as the plane somersaulted, landing the right way up. During this painful duration of spinning, Daniel had floated forward a fraction and Elena's body uncontrollably went to follow. Before she had a chance to steady herself a sharp pointed instrument dug between their bodies and right before gravity was about to push it into Daniel's back, the plane changed course and Daniel's back moved with unstoppable speed and inserted the miniature blade into Elena's chest. Blood ran from her wound and her eyes saw stars as her cheeks drained.

Daniel muttered under his breath as he came to, "Elena..." When he felt the sticky feeling of spilling blood, he protectively wrapped the fifteen-year-old up in his arms and put her down on the dented hospital table in the center of the jet. "Red! Come 'ere! Elena's been hit!"

The redheaded soldier who was the only to know how medically aid someone correctly materialized next to the main pilot of their team. "H-how?"

Daniel's ears turned red. He held a crimson colored knife in his fingers.

Andrew began yelling orders. "That can wait! Lewis, Jones is still unconscious, so get your ass back to the controls before..." He spoke too soon as the plane tipped like a teapot forward, threatening to enter the stormy looking ocean. "Shit! Shit! Shit! E. get us under control."

All the boys, relying on instinct, ran to Elena careful to avoid her wound as they buckled her in a seat and did the same for themselves as Daniel tried to regain control of the ship, with Marvin's help, who had thankfully reawakened.

A thunderous silence established in Damian's head as a pool of memories clouded his vision. His eyes froze over as he remembered the night he and his unit had been captured all those months ago. But then, Ayden appeared into his mind— how she saved them, and how he thought she was an angel when he woke up all those days later in the hospital. But then... his heart began to ache as he remembered how she wasn't there with them.

His muscles flexed as his eyes returned to his surroundings. Elena was staring at him, he realized, trying to conceal a blush and failing as it came to his mind that he knew in what way he thought of her best friend.

"Try to relax, brother, we're not dead yet." Her amusement returned to her cheeks, though her smile did not reach her eyes.

"You don't sound too hopeful." His hands unclenched and his nails removed themselves from digging into his palms.

She snorted, wincing slightly in pain. "Ha, you try sounding cheery with a knife wound in your stomach. And you never know. I might get lucky and save the world from a thousand more press conferences with Mr. self-centered-genius-billionaire-cry-baby over there."

Andrew turned, his brows knitted perfectly. "What did you just say, Shorty?"

The siblings shared a glance and out of the blue, the plane abruptly crashed into a beach, sending sand over the windscreen. As the plane flipped over, Damian's eyes never left Elena's as he silently made a promise to her.

He would find Ayden, even if that's the last thing he would do.

Meanwhile, deep within the woods of the island, Ayden found herself to still be stuck in her helpless position, foot caught in the large animal trap. Though she had been painfully tortured and experimented on, this was almost as painful; she could feel the sharp, metal teeth of the trap, digging through her boot, and into her flesh.

"Get off me, you bastard!" she screamed as the full weight of a large wolf jumped onto her helpless form.

The beast had sprung from the bushes towards Ayden with its sharp teeth, as a flash of lightning lit up the night sky. Before she could even aim properly, the wolf had already begun snapping at her, trying to get a taste of her flesh. Its snarling jaw was only a few inches from her face when Ayden quickly grabbed an arrow from her quiver and dug the head into the wolf's neck. The wolf's body went slack as its life drained out and Ayden forcefully pushed the huge creature off. She didn't have long before another one was upon her, but this time she was ready for it. Ayden had fired another arrow into the wolf's skull before it was even a meter near her. Adrenaline pumping through her veins, she waited for another attack but luckily none came. The wolves had backed off for now.

"Thank god," she gasped before turning her attention back to the foot caught in the bear trap.

It still hurt like hell and didn't seem to be coming loose anytime soon. Shit, what was it Roth had taught her about traps? Actually, wait, did he ever mention them to her? Of course not, Ayden, why would he? Bears weren't exactly expected to be found on a deserted island! She mentally kicked herself.

"Over here! I found Ayden!" came the familiar voice of Joslyn Reyes as she appeared from the bushes, where the wolves had once been, holding a gun.

"Reyes!" Ayden yelled.

Reyes jogged over to Ayden as the rest of the crew climbed up the hill. Ayden had never been so relieved to see the faces of Jonah, Alex, Grim and bloody hell, even Whitman. It was only when she moved her leg again did she remember the excruciating pain in her foot.

"Let go," ordered Reyes whilst aiming her gun at the trap before firing. The contraption immediately loosened up and so did the pressure on Ayden's ankle. Jonah's big form knelt down beside Ayden and pried the trap's jaws open with a heavy grunt.

"It's good to see you, Wise girl," he said helping her up to her feet.

She forced a smile. "I'm so glad you're here, is Sam with you?"

Ayden hoped desperately that this was all just a big hoax, and that Sam was alright and hadn't been accosted by Mathias and was about to jump out from the trees and yell 'surprise!' before engulfing her in a hug.

"She was with you..." Jonah replied.

Oh, no. She'd been taken; Ayden nearly began hyperventilating at the thought. Sam was most of the time like a little girl in the body of a twenty-year-old; Ayden promised herself she would look after her and protect her... now, look how that had worked out. Now she'd fallen asleep and let Sam get abducted. All of this was her fault.

"She was here with that man... Mathias, but I passed out and when I woke up they were both gone."

"Ya girls shouldn't go wanderin' off!" Grim stated in his thick Glaswegian accent.

"We need to find her!" Ayden said, in her authoritative Captain voice.

In response, Grim muttered something under his breath, Reyes rolled her eyes and Jonah placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, looking at the girl with sorry eyes. Nearby, Alex scratched the back of his head at loss of what to do or say.

"We'll find her, Wise girl, don't worry."

"Uh, w-wait, what about Roth?" Whitman inquired; he'd been very quiet up until then.

"Okay," spoke Reyes, her voice demanded authority. "Let's split up. One of us go with Ayden and meet up with Roth. The rest of us will fan out and look for Sam."

"I'll go with Ayden," Alex stated.

Ayden gave him a small smile, which he immediately returned. Of course, the soldier knew about his crush on her; Sam had told her only a few days after being on the Endurance. Alex was a nice guy and a good friend and had she not been a soldier in the army and in a relationship hiatus, Ayden probably would have returned his affection.

"No, no... let me," Whitman insisted, pushing a dejected Alex back with his left arm.

Ayden eyed him skeptically. Reyes did too as she handed over her gun to the Doctor.

"You know how to use one of these?"

"Um... it's b-been a while. It's all coming back to me," came the reply, as his shaky hand took the offered firearm.

"Get to Roth," said Alex. "We'll find this Mathias guy, Ayden, I swear." Ayden smiled at him again before he and the others left.

Brilliant, now she was stuck with Whitman and his over exaggerating pompous self. Don't get her wrong, she respected him and all he did in the field, but his hunger for fame was something Ayden didn't quite understand. Or trust. With Andrew it was a different story, but... Whitman? Ugh... Being a celebrity was not something that interested Ayden, not even when she'd had her band or her dance crew.

The Feral Force had decided to settle down for the night as they knew that, even with their high-tech gadgets and weapons, they wouldn't find much throughout the night. If Ayden was there, she could be resting as well, for all they knew... or she could be captured... but most likely resting...

Hopefully.

Elena had laid down beside her brother that night, staying as close to him as she possibly could as it was rather cold for an island. It wasn't exactly surprising a it was barely nearing February, so basically it was still winter. However, the fact that it was a 'tropical' island, well, that only made her skeptical, though she opted for worrying about it the next morning.

However, when she woke up from her much needed rest, it wasn't morning yet, nor was it because she was no longer tired. No matter how exhausted she was, like many other soldiers, she had become a very light sleeper; she woke up at the sound of a twig snapping.

She sat up and groggily glanced around, eyes squinted as her vision was still blurry from sleep. She looked over at her brother and sighed when she saw him still sleeping; he just had to remain a heavy sleeper, didn't he?

She reached for his arm and shook him slightly. "Damian, get up!"

He moaned in his sleep. "Certainly, Lennie. Whatever you like," he mumbled as he rolled over, only to keep sleeping.

Rolling her eyes, Elena sighed as she got up and began to make her way into the woods. She stopped by the trees that separated the jungle from the beach and leaned slightly against it as she squinted her eyes again, peering through the darkened wilderness.

"Hello?" she called out. She stepped forward and walked a little further, though made sure to stay close to the beach. "... Carmi?" she tried, but only got a growl in response.

Suddenly, someone sneaked up behind her and put a hand over her mouth, and dragged her back. Elena panicked, though she relaxed slightly when she saw it was her brother. They looked over and saw that the source of the growl was a wolf. Damian signaled Elena to be quiet as he drew out his silent gun. He slowly brought it up and aimed it at the creature that began to advance toward them. Quickening its pace, it began to run, though, just as it leaped into the air, lunging toward the siblings, Damian pulled the trigger, shooting the beast in the head, killing it instantly.

Damian then glanced down at his sister who looked rather shaken up. "Are you okay?" he asked, both of them unaware of the shadows closing in on them.

Elena nodded, running a hand over her forehead and down her face. "Yeah, just... caught off—"

She never got to finish what she was about to say, and Damian never got to hear it either as they were both knocked out from behind and dragged deeper into the murderous wilderness, away from the campsite occupied by Andrew and the rest of the Feral Force.