Colonel Truman was in his office, being tended to by his medical officer when Chas arrived. Despite it only being a little while since the battle had ended, Colonel Truman still had much to organise, being the leader of Corinth's defence forces.

"You should be in the hospital Chas." He stated. Chas just chuckled. He'd been given a few dressings, but he still hadn't gone to the hospital to get properly checked out. He knew Colonel Truman had been busy, and he was there to help oversee the efforts to re-stabilise the city following the battle. A few riots and petty crimes had flared up as a result of the chaos, and the military was under pressure to move quickly to bring order back to the city.

"Well Hicks is still out of it, so right now I'm all you have." Chas reminded him, making his way into the office. He was using a crutch to help him support his weight because of his leg injury, and he was favouring his ribs and his right arm quite badly. A dressing covered a large part of his face and his right eye, where an explosion had caused some burn damage. "Besides, you took a pretty good beating too and you're still here."

"What did the medics say?" He asked him.

"They said I should get to the hospital." He replied. "The leg should heal, but they think the burns are going to leave some scarring."

"Chas, go and get yourself seen to." Colonel Truman repeated a little more forcefully. "The patrols have almost rounded up the last of the trouble spots."

Just then, there was a small knock on the door and Brie came in, escorted by a couple of armed officers. She came in slowly, her gaze straying over to Chas.

"I'm guessing she isn't here to see me." Colonel Truman stated. Brie came over to Chas slowly, wrapping her arms around him, holding him gently. Chas returned the gesture, taking comfort in her arms. She released him, looking in horror at the dressing on his face.

"Chas, I was so scared I was going to lose you." She said to him softly, beginning to stroke the dressing tenderly. "How bad is it?"

"The doctors think there might be some scarring." He told her with a little grin. "They're confident my eye should be fine though."

"Chas, you can't endanger your health, you need to get tended to properly." She pleaded with him. "You could get an infection or..."

"Chas, in my experience, it's never a good idea to keep a lady waiting." Colonel Truman interrupted her with a smile. He gestured to the other soldiers in the room. "Guys, escort Lieutenant Winchester to the hospital."

"But sir..."

"If he tries to refuse, you have my permission to arrest him." Colonel Truman told them. "You may return when I see a doctor's clearance Lieutenant Winchester."

Chas decided it was best not to refuse the Colonel at this point, and started to leave slowly. He stopped as he realised something curious about what the Colonel had said.

"Sir, I'm only a Sergeant." Chas corrected him. Colonel Truman just smiled and nodded.

"There's a Lieutenant's position waiting for you if you want it." Colonel Truman responded. "Of course it would require a move to the law enforcement division."

"After this, I kind of think Admin will be a little slow for my liking anyway." Chas replied, saluting the Colonel. "Thank you sir."

"Just go and get your injuries seen to." Colonel Truman replied cheekily. "You're not in Admin anymore. I expect my infantry to be on their feet and working."

Chas and Brie turned to leave, before Chas turned back to him. He handed him a folder.

"Sir, before I go, I need to report from the field. There was a small scale Venjix attack near the base after the battle. It was Crunch and Shifter." He told him.

"What happened?" Colonel Truman asked him.

"It doesn't look like it was a major incident, they just caused a couple of casualties and left." Chas told him. "What concerned us is what they took."

"What were they after?" Colonel Truman asked him. He opened the folder and looked at it curiously. "Gates?"

"We never found his body sir." Chas informed him. "They took him with them."

"I need to tell the Rangers and Dr. K." Colonel Truman stated, pulling his jacket on and leaving the room. "Tell Vasquez she's in charge until I get back."

Meanwhile, over at the Garage, the Rangers were sitting around, completely dumbfounded by the revelation from earlier in the evening. They knew that Dr. K hated Venjix, though she hadn't told them much, if anything about her life before the Dome. Indeed, it had only been a few months since she stopped communicating with them through the computers and dealt with them face-to-face. They assumed that like everyone else in Corinth, she had lost someone dear to her to Venjix, though now they knew the real reason behind her passion to destroy it, the guilt over knowing that she created it in the first place.

"You know a lot more of this makes sense now." Dillon said bitterly as he thought about it. "I mean she always was the one that knew what was happening with my implants. She knew about the acceleration codes. She was able to enter the Venjix base codes twice now. I guess we know why."

"Dillon, we have to think about this." Summer told him, holding his hand gently. "We don't know the full story."

"Who cares about the full story?" Scott snapped as he opened another beer. "She created the Venjix virus! She single-handedly destroyed the world!"

"Scott, you don't know..."

"If it wasn't for her, none of this would have happened!" Scott interrupted her. "We wouldn't be in this dome. We wouldn't have to fight every day just to survive..."

His words tailed off as he considered everything that happened since the first attack.

"If it hadn't been for her, Marcus would still be alive."

"You aren't the only one that lost someone Scott, Andrews died to protect me." Summer reminded him. "We all know that she was developing weapons systems before the attack, maybe there was a good reason she was developing it."

"Summer, it isn't exactly a small mistake." Dillon responded bitterly. "Billions of people died..."

"Dillon..."

"I've lost everything because of her!" He reminded her. "I don't know my name. I don't know who I am or where I'm from."

"Dillon..."

"There's still no way of stopping the implants from growing." He reminded her. "It might have slowed down again, but there's no way to stop it! Like it or not, eventually it's going to progress too far. I'm either going to turn into a machine completely or..."

He looked at her regretfully. They both knew what the likely outcome was; they just didn't want to talk about it.

"I could end up back in the stasis pod."

"Dillon, I'm not happy about this either. I don't want to lose you." She assured him. "But you know she's been doing everything she can to stop Venjix. If it wasn't for her, we'd all have been over-run already."

"Just because she's trying to clean up her mess now doesn't make up for causing it in the first place." Scott told her. "I think we should...

"Well you know what I think fearless leader?" Ziggy interrupted him, getting into his face and confronting him aggressively. All the others watched on in shock. Ziggy never had the guts to stand in defiance of Scott before. "I think you should back the hell off and calm down until you hear her side of the story!"

"What difference is that going to make Ziggy?" Scott asked him. "She screwed up..."

"So have I!" Ziggy reminded him. "I spent most of my formative years as a criminal! I was a member of the Scorpion Cartel by the time I was 16."

"Ziggy, we know you made mistakes." Flynn told him. "You've shown us..."

"I'd never have been able to show you if Dr. K hadn't given me a chance." Ziggy snapped. "She knows the reasons I did what I did."

Summer looked at him sympathetically. She had been to the orphanage with Ziggy, and so she knew a lot more about his background than the other Rangers. She knew that he had grown up with no one, and that his involvement with the Cartel had been largely down to him wanting to just find a place he belonged.

"You keep moaning and bitching about the fact you lost your brother, well guess what Scott, some of us didn't even have that to lose!" Ziggy yelled as he continued. "I grew up in an orphanage. My parents dumped me there days after I was born, I don't even know who they were."

"Ziggy..."

"I grew up with no one Scott; do you know what that's like?" He demanded of his team leader. "I was so desperate for someone...anyone to care for me that I clung to anyone that gave me some measure of acceptance; even if I knew what I was doing was wrong."

"Ziggy, you were involved in theft and fraud. No one died because of what you did." Scott replied.

"They could have." Ziggy stated flatly. "You have no idea what I was asked to do back then, but the point is I had my reasons. It doesn't excuse what I've done, but what matters is what I'm doing now, that I do everything I can to help those that need it."

He turned from Scott, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I'm going to check on Tenaya." He told them. "I'll be back later."

Over at the hospital, Chas was sitting in the treatment room, being looked over by the doctors as he finally took the time for a proper examination. He had removed his body armour and his shirt to allow him to get a better look at the injuries. Brie was standing beside him, holding his hand gently.

"The wound in your leg should heal up just fine." The doctor told him. "It'll be sore for a while, but it's missed the bone. As long as you don't put too much strain on it, I'd say it'll be back to normal in a couple of weeks."

At this point, Mr and Mrs Winchester came running into the room, seeing the extent of their son's injuries.

"Oh my God, I was so worried!" Mrs. Winchester rushed out, looking in disgust at the extent of the burns and injuries covering a large part of the right side of his face, neck and chest.

"How is he doctor?" Mr Winchester asked the doctor, not even looking towards his son.

"His eye received some flash damage, but his vision will return in time." The doctor began. "His leg will recover in time, but I'd suggest he doesn't overdo it."

"What about his burns?" Mr. Winchester asked. "How bad are they?"

"I'd say he can expect to have some pretty extensive scarring." The doctor replied. "We'll keep the permanent damage to a minimum, but they extend pretty deeply..."

"Son, you don't have to worry, I'll have the best cosmetic surgeons available working around the clock until this is fixed." Mr. Winchester told him. "We'll have you just the way you were in time for the wedding, and of course we'll have you ready for your photo shoots..."

"Photo shoots?" Chas asked him.

"You're still going to be campaigning for Mayor aren't you?" His father asked as though it was a foregone conclusion. "You have to look your best when..."

"Dad, half the city's gone to hell!" Chas reminded him. "I don't care about becoming Mayor."

"Son, we know this is a terrible shock, but you have to be brave." His mother said, fawning over him. "Look at the state he's in. He better be getting promoted for this, and if he doesn't get awarded another medal..."

Chas interrupted them by slamming his hand on the edge of the bed angrily as his temper overtook him. He could finally see what Summer had loathed about the attitudes of the world they had grown up in. People were dead, others were gravely injured and all they could think about was making him look like a hero?

"I don't want a damn medal!" He roared. "I don't want to be the Mayor either. People's lives have been ruined because of this."

"Son, you can't make any rash decisions." His father told him. "Right now the city needs..."

"It needs dedicated troops to set everything straight more than it needs a politician right now." Chas interrupted him.

"Son, you're just in shock because of the scarring." His mother told him. "Once we've gotten the scars fixed..."

"I don't want the damn scars to be fixed!" He roared at her. "Mom, this is the only thing I've ever done that mattered."

"Son, you're one of the Heroes of Corinth." His dad reminded him. "You can't lower yourself to..."

"Dad, I wasn't a hero I was a God damned pencil pusher!" Chas reminded him. "I never did anything in the battle. You and mom bought my rank, and you used your connections to get me that medal."

"Son, you need to calm down." Mrs. Winchester told him. "This isn't helping."

"I gave back the medal." He informed them. He gestured to his scars. "These are the only medals I've ever earned. This is the only thing I've ever accomplished for myself."

"You gave back your medal?" His father asked incredulously. "Son, you can't..."

"Why can't I hand it back?" Chas asked him. "I wasn't out there like Colonel Truman or Scott, or Marcus. I want to keep the scars. This is one medal I've actually earned."

He got up and started to pull on his jacket as he prepared to leave. His father grabbed his arm, causing him to wince slightly as he inadvertently grabbed the one that was burnt.

"You will not disgrace the Winchester name like this!" He hissed angrily.

"That's all you give a damn about isn't it?" Chas asked him. "If that's the case, then I suggest you don't read tomorrow's newspapers. I'm scheduling an interview tomorrow, and I'm going to tell them the truth about why Summer and I split up."

"You can't do this to us!" Mr Winchester snapped.

"I shouldn't have done it to Summer." He responded. "At least now I can make amends."

"If you do this, then you'll be cut off." Mr Winchester told him as his wife held him and started to cry on his shoulder. Chas just snorted. "I mean it. There'll be no more money, no more mansion, nothing!"

"Well I believe the Landsdowns are getting along alright." Chas stated. "Maybe I'll try working for a living."

"Chas, we don't understand." His mother sobbed. Chas just smiled.

"I know you don't." He replied. "I just hope you do some day."

As he left, Brie left with him, running up behind him and putting her arm around him.

"Chas, it's alright. We can stay with my parents for a while." She told him.

"Brie, you heard what dad said. I'm being cut off." Chas told her. "Your dad won't be interested in marrying you off to the disgraced Winchester kid."

"Chas..."

He cut her off by turning to face her. He looked into her eyes and let out a sigh.

"Brie, this has shown me what's real in this world. I'm sick of being fake." He began. "Brie, do you want to marry me? I don't mean because of your dad and everything, I mean do you actually want to be married to me?"

"Chas?" She asked him.

"Brie, I don't want to live a lie anymore." He told her. "Brie, I love you. I might not have when we got together, but now I do. I just need to know that you feel the same way about me."

She wiped away a tear, before leaning in and kissing him deeply.

"Chas, I always have loved you, ever since we were kids." She told him with a huge grin. "When I heard you were betrothed to Summer, it broke my heart but I knew you'd go through with it. I couldn't believe it when you asked me to marry you."

"Are you sure about this?" Chas asked her. "I mean, I doubt your dad..."

"I couldn't give a damn about my dad, I love you." She announced happily. "If you can do this, then so can I."

"Well, I guess we better go and gather some things." Chas told her. "The Colonel will be able to arrange something on the barracks. We can start looking for a permanent place tomorrow."

With that, he put his arm around her and they left the hospital, prepared to face what lay ahead of them.

Back at the Garage, Colonel Truman arrived, finding the Rangers sitting around quietly, drinking a few beers. He smiled as he saw this.

"I would have thought you'd be celebrating a little more." He commented.

"We didn't really feel like it." Scott told him.

"I just needed to debrief you all a little." He told them. "Where are Dr. K and Ziggy?"

"They're in the secure lab checking on Tenaya." He told him. Colonel Truman made his way through, finding them in the lab with her. Dr. K was working on something, while Ziggy was talking with Tenaya.

"Dr. K, I just wanted to debrief you on something we found at the scene." Colonel Truman stated. He looked at Tenaya a little curiously. "Isn't she meant to be restrained or something?"

"That won't be necessary Colonel." Dr. K replied, trying hard to keep her voice from cracking as she kept concentrating on her work. "As the others continually remind me, she doesn't have anywhere else to go. She isn't going to run back to Venjix."

"Well, I trust your judgement as always." He replied, still looking at Tenaya a little unsure. "Dr. K, I would really like to assemble the others."

"Ziggy, go through with the Colonel and hear what he has to say." She responded. "I have some diagnostics to run."

The Colonel looked at Ziggy, who looked a little guilty. He gestured to the door, signalling for him to leave. Ziggy did so, leaving her alone with him.

"Colonel Truman..."

"I've know you long enough to know when something's upsetting you." Colonel Truman interrupted her. "What's going on?"

"I would like to finish here." She told him unconvincingly. "Colonel..."

"Dr. K, look at me." He told her. She froze as he asked this. The side of her face still throbbed and burned painfully from where Scott had hit her. "Look at me."

She turned slowly to face him, a couple of warm tears running down her face. Colonel Truman stepped forward and stroked her cheek gently, inspecting the injury. The side of her face was already badly swollen, and was turning varying shades of red, blue, purple and black. She could barely keep her right eye open.

"Who did this to you?" He asked her.

"It looks worse than it is." She replied. "You don't..."

"You didn't have those injuries after the battle." He reminded her. "Who did this to you?"

"The Rangers found out about me." She told him. "They were upset."

"Who did this?" Colonel Truman asked again.

"It was Scott." She replied. Colonel Truman stroked her shoulders gently, before leaving her and going into the main room. Looking across at his son, he made his way over.

"So what do you...?"

Scott was sent flying backwards out of his chair as Colonel Truman punched him hard in the face. Scott looked up at him in disbelief.

"Step outside." Colonel Truman ordered him.

"Dad?" Scott asked him. Colonel Truman grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him back to his feet, throwing him against the door. "

"If you want to hurt someone, I suggest you try hurting me." Colonel Truman told him. "Or are you only brave enough to hit young girls half your size?"