Darkness. All around Caleb, surrounding him was darkness. It was just like before. Hushed whispers echoed throughout the area, reassuring him that it was a room, a compressed space. But the darkness was like the city, Infinite.

There was movement, all around him, something was moving; shifting. Running. Footsteps pounded heavily, from every direction as harsh breaths were dragged in. The darkness grew, blocking out everything, taking his hearing, his sight, his touch. His senses closed over. He felt empty, weighed down. Like there was no happiness, like there was never anything fun, or elated, like there was nothing to smile about. Like there never had been a reason to. And then he was falling. Stumbling backwards as something crashed against him, burrowed into him. His senses came back, rushing in so he could feel; feel soft hands, fingertips brushing his skin, see the body that assaulted him, the small figure that huddled into him like a shelter. See her hair. Bright rebellious red, fiery locks...

Soft, tentative lips brushed against his neck. Hands clutched tightly around him as she buried her face into the crook of his neck; hiding. His arms wrapped around her protectively, drawing her into his warmth. Hot breath left goose bumps on his skin as she pressed herself closer, her words ghosts in the wind. "Sleepy Boy…" He pulled her closer, tighter, afraid he'd lose her again as a soft chuckle passed by rosy lips. "I'll still be here, Sleepy Boy…" she whispered, "Just hold on and I'll still be here…" He wanted to hold on, more than anything he'd ever wanted in his life. But she was slipping. And there was the darkness, the same consuming darkness as before that wrapped around him, grabbing him and tearing at the couple. He squeezed her closer to him, unwilling to let go as the tentacles of pitch black grasped at him, grappling on to his arms and yanking tightly. "Don't let go." "I won't." He wheezed, feeling a wave of protectiveness as her voice cracked.

Innocence leaked through her, coating her with a faint pink light as she buried herself closer to him. She wasn't as confident as she had been. She wasn't even remotely close to how she was in their first encounter; she was scared. And it frightened him, worried him that such a strong person could lose their confidence so suddenly; change their character completely. She was like a child, clutching him close to stay safe as the darkness continued to grasp at them, only ever grabbing him; never her. He supposed her childish voice deceived it, protected her from it. Even the darkness knew laws, knew that children were protected; to harm them was a sin, an offence to even the Prince. Looking down, he saw the shadows covered her face, all but rosy lips. Eagerly he leaned towards them, wanting to capture her while she was here; while they were together. Tilting her head up in understanding, she leaned towards him as well, just as the thorns tore into his arms, ripping at his skin. But he didn't remove himself from her grasp and he refused to let go. Lips just millimetres apart, hot breath warming his face as the scent of strawberries and cherries circled him—

"Sir," his eyes flashed open as he sat up, ruler straight in his stone slab of a bed, the sheets falling away from him. He glared at the man entering his chamber through the separating curtains, "There is a meeting in place. Your attendance is required." His glare intensified, causing the man to cower as he spat, "I do not appreciate being disturbed!"

Caleb stomped his way to the plans' room…well, plans' cave, a large cavern where all the tunnels connected, many different levels making it several feet tall in height while the space was huge; just as big as the old room in the Infinite City. His arms itched and he hurt, like he was bruised. Everything ached, almost as if he'd been hit by a rolling cart. It made him feel less like a rebel leader and more like a child. Unable to cope with pain. Grumpily, Caleb stood in his place beside his chair, half-dressed, his coat in hand, shirt half on, the bottom stuck and rolled up, while his hair was moussed up, tousled. His eyes were lifeless green. Their nature completely distorted with an unpeaceful awakening, completely changing his calm and collected appearances. He yanked his shirt down, completely covering his torso as he slipped on his large trench coat, finally taking his seat and glaring at the group before him angrily. Once they had entered the caves, they had found several of the Elders in their cavern, sitting and talking idly, as if nothing had gone wrong. He was still miffed. The Elders had taken fifteen men with them and fled the city when the ceiling began to fall. The only problem was, that out of twenty, only seven Elders were present, the others missing.

Aldarn chuckled at his friend's behaviour. "What's wrong, Caleb?" He enquired. He had always found it amusing that Caleb wasn't a morning person. He was a nocturnal type. Only coming out at night, when the shadows were his allies. "I. Was. Asleep." The punctuation showed his irritance as his teeth ground together, his voice cutting and bitter as the men around him winced. It was obvious their meeting had interrupted something important, more important than sleep. Aldarn grinned viciously, "What did you dream of, brother?" A low crimson came to Caleb's face, but his glare remained in place. He was firm, unmoving as he responded, "Why am I here?" completely dodging the question.

Caleb tilted his head in the Elders' direction as Aldarn did and glared at them instead. It was obvious Aldarn had not called this meeting. He had enough sense to rest, revitalize and then retaliate. "We sent the scout, Lionel, to the palace yesterday in search of the Elders. We have evaluated your plans for the next attack and suggest moving them forward; rescue the Elders and the other prisoners and gain support for our side." The rebel leader frowned. Those plans were not to be put into action so soon after retreating to the secondary base. They were due to be used in several weeks, not hours. "Why risk it?" He hissed, showing his distaste. There was no point in hiding his opinion. It would get him nowhere in this argument, or any arguments with the Elders. Cowardice was frowned upon in the rebellion. But of course, if it were completely true, Caleb thought bitterly, the Elders wouldn't be in charge. They would be frowned upon with their uncouth methods and idiocy. "Why not?"

****Rebel Fire****

The scout, Lionel, had returned to the base a mere half hour later; immediately rushing into the meeting place to explain all he had learned. He was eager, no doubt meaning he had found something important. "Lionel?" Aketon asked, a polite and encouraging smile on his face. Caleb grinned. Encouragement was all it took for Lionel to take his stance and prattle for hours. But they knew, in this situation, encouragement would lead to his explanation. A very good one, they hoped. "I have learned of the Elders."

"So they aren't imprisoned in the palace?" the scout shook his head. His explanation had confused Aldarn, while the Elders seemed to understand. But then again, Caleb chuckled, they spoke several of Lionel's languages; vague, cryptic, confusing and idiot. Caleb himself was on the fence. Not exactly confused but not exactly understanding either. Lionel was a good scout, but the reason he had so few missions by himself, was because no one ever learned anything from his in-tell. The boy just clearly couldn't explain things. "Only a few of them are. The other six, from what I understand; the major leaders, are in Cavigor."

Cavigor. The worst prison in all of Meridian, specifically reserved for the Prince's most severe enemies or people he viewed as merely scum. Of course, there were some actual criminals. The Prince, though uncaring to most, seemed to severely dislike child abusers or anyone who hurt children in any way, shape or form. It didn't matter what they did, they would end up in that prison. It was basically a hole in the ground, filled with different cell levels and prison cells. A door of solid rock, five inches thick, stuck in between two pillars that separated the cells was the prisoner's home. The only way out, was through the hole in the dome, which was accessed by rope ladders. Guards used them to change shifts or bring in new criminals, but other than that, no one entered and no one left. If the other Elders were there, then there was little to no chance of them being rescued. Not unless the Guardians suddenly appeared to help the rebellion. But the Guardians had not been seen for years; after disappearing into the night they just vanished. The last Caleb had heard, they were old women, called back to Candrakar to renounce their duties as protectors of the Veil. The large black blanket that hid Meridian from the other Infinite Dimensions. The Guardians closed the portals that allowed the people of Meridian to leave. But other than that, and defeating the few creatures who tried to travel through the explosive blue swirls, the Guardians had never interacted with the people or the war. What was the chance they would do it now, if they came back?

"But there are seven Elders in the palace dungeons," Lionel turned to Caleb, an excited grin on his face that had Caleb rolling his eyes. The blonde boy was easily excited by trivial things, but normally when he relayed things to Caleb with such a grin, it was about women of the rebellion offering their company to him. All of which he refused. "Apparently," he started, "a red headed maiden was spotted exiting a portal and going into the palace to converse with the Prince." Caleb sat forward in his chair, locking his fingers together as he laid his hands on the table. Now her company, he wouldn't object to. "She came from Earth." So he was right. Either she lived on Earth or she was searching for Phobos' sister. But if she was in the palace now—right now—he could see her.

Caleb stood up, gesturing for Aldarn to do the same. The Elders looked at him in surprise as he addressed the two boys. "Aldarn, gather a small platoon; ten men or less. Lionel, be well rested for our departure, you will be our guide." Though Caleb was sure he had enough experience in his raids of the castle to know his way around, he wanted to know where the sleeping chambers were. Maybe then, if he disappeared, the others would still have a chance with Lionel leading them out. "We leave in an hour." And with that he walked away, heading back to his chambers to ready for their mission. Or, more importantly, his mission. He would find her. He would see her, talk to her. And if he didn't learn her name, than at least he would have a face to look for.