"… after reports of a brawl between several Alpha Humans as well as casualty and damage reports from the city. Are we looking at another Windham Rotunda moment or could this be something more menacing? More details at 7. Next…"

The President of the United States watched the news with Shane McMahon on the massive television in his office until the article of interest ended. He turned off the monitor and looked at Shane with trying eyes.

"You see this?" He said to Shane. "This is what we were trying to prevent. Who knows how many people were hurt or killed there? Not only is there going to be civil unrest due to people feeling helpless in the presence of Alpha Humans, they will probably begin not trusting one another because of a group of your Alpha Humans fighting one of your own in front of them." Shane threw up his hands.

"I understand." He said. "I understand how that looked and how it's going to look going forward. I can't fix that, sadly."

"Not what I wanna hear."

"I'm sorry, but it's what's true. I can't fix this, but work with me and we can find Claudio and put an end to him together." The President eyed Shane deeper.

"First you show up here even after being disconnected." He started. "Meaning you used your Alpha Human powers to break in here. Then your sister sends your team out to attack one of your own soldiers…" Shane grimaced at the term.

"They're not soldiers."

"Whether you know it or not, what you're doing is Strategy 101: make it seem to your enemy that you're on their side by sacrificing some of your own soil. I'm not stupid, Shane." Shane was beginning to lose patience with the Commander in Chief, but he understood why the man was skeptical.

"Again, I know how it looks, but Stephanie has no idea where I am. I had no clue what happened out there would happen. I am in the dark just like you are." Shane then took a deep breath. "I gave her a chance to make the hardest decision we've ever had to make, and because of what happened with Windham we can't afford to make the same mistake. I know what needs to be done and so does she, but she won't accept it or face it. I have, and I will." The President looked into Shane's eyes and read them as closely as he could; he saw no notion of dishonesty. The man then sat down in his office chair and sighed.

"I'm tired, Shane." He said in earnest. "I'm tired of all this Alpha Human, political mess. Even though we're just a moiety of the globe, I feel like we are the only ones dealing with this kind of misfortune, this kind of… misstep in judgment. You never hear anything about China going through any seismic Alpha Human activity, I don't hear anything from Sweden saying they need our help containing a man with a god complex that has the power of an actual god." The President then looked at Shane. "I don't know if it's just my worst decisions catching up with me or if there is some higher power that despises me, but I don't know how much more of this I can take. I said what I said about strategy due to muscle memory. I do believe you… I'm just out of faith. After seeing what happened out there, my head goes back to that violet rain… I still remember how helpless we all were and how much power you all had. I don't like feeling like I can't defend my country, Shane. Unlike some that came before, the people who depend on me actually matter. Being able to defend them matters to me. …I don't think I can defend my people against Claudio... against any of you. It terrifies me. Always has and likely always will as long as I'm in this seat." Before the President could continue his ruminations, his official phone line began to ring and he knew that it could be only one of two people.

"Status Report." He answered. He waited a moment to allow the person on the other end to respond and his facial expression changed from stern to worried. "Go to Facility D. Provide status updates as long as you're there. Once you're all clear, come to me. We'll discuss the rest when you arrive." The President ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket.

"What's going on?" Shane asked, only to receive a trying look from the commander in chief.

"That brawl between you Alpha Humans caused heavy damage to the city, chaos among the people, and injuries and deaths. Rousey and Zodrick were also caught in the mess. Rousey came out unharmed, but Zodrick wasn't as lucky. The Major General is taking him to one of our medical facilities as we speak. She'll be here when she is done." The President balled up his mouth as he thought about Zodrick. Shane knew of nothing else to do.

"I'm sorry, Sir." He said.

"Don't be sorry." The President responded before turning to Shane with slightly pleading eyes. "Just help me stop him. We can't afford another Windham, Shane. We can't… we can't go through that again." Shane put his hand on the President's shoulder.

"We won't." He said to him. "I promise."


The superstars returned to the Safe Haven after they failed to retrieve a distraught Cesaro from the city and aided in cleaning and recovery. Before they all could fully assess what had happened, they were met by the concerned eyes of Macey Estrella and Rusev, and the apologetic faces of Xavier Woods and Daniel Bryan.

"We saw what happened in the news." Macey said "Where is Claudio? Is he okay?" Triple H shook his head.

"Estrella, is it?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Look. Sorry, but this is an in-house mission."

"Please excuse me, but it was all over the news. I don't think it's in-house anymore." Stephanie then stepped into the conversation.

"Forgive us, Macey." She said. "It's been a long day and I think we're all on edge right now." Macey threw her hands up.

"I understand." She said. "I just came all this way and I really need to talk to you all. I can wait until tomorrow if you wanna rest, but please. It's important to me." Sami looked into Macey's eyes and saw a slight desperation. He then looked back towards Stephanie and Triple H. Triple H balled up his mouth and went to reply to Macey's plea.

"Alright." He said to her. "Sorry for being impolite just now. Like Stephanie said, all this has us feeling out of whack. You can stay the night if you want and we can discuss whatever it is you want to discuss early tomorrow morning."

"I can show you to one of the empty rooms." Sami volunteered. Macey smiled at the man before Stephanie spoke to everyone.

"Everyone else." She started. "Try and get some rest. We'll figure out what to do next once we've all gotten our minds back together." She then slowly turned towards the stairs, her mind and her body exhausted from the ordeals that fell upon her over the course of the past few days. Triple H quickly took her weight over his shoulder so that he could carry her upstairs to their bedroom and the couple left everyone else to their own devices. Once they made it to their bed, Stephanie sat down on her side of it carefully and spoke in a painful tone.

"How can we sleep knowing Claudio's out there somewhere?" She asked her husband. "He's lost, confused…he's hurting and afraid and we attacked him, Paul. He'll never trust us again. Any of us." Triple H sat down next to her and held onto her hand.

"We did what we could." He said to her. "We tried to help him and that's what matters right now. We've got a hard day ahead of us tomorrow, Steph, so we need to get some rest." Stephanie shook her head.

"Paul… if Shane was right and he does have some alien force inside him… how do we…" Triple H then squeezed Stephanie's hand gently.

"Stop thinking." He said to her. "You, out of all of us here, need to rest your mind. You've been non-stop. If we're gonna face all this, you need to be able to focus, Steph. We all do." Triple H then stood to his feet and motioned to tuck Stephanie into bed. "Now, lay down, calm down, and try to rest. Okay?" As convincing as he tried to be, Stephanie could not bring herself to sleep.

"Okay." She said to Triple H to ease his mind so that he himself could rest. He kissed her on the lips, climbed over to his side of the bed, and situated himself to attempt to sleep.

"Good night, Love." He said to Stephanie.

The other Superstars started towards their rooms, all of them worn down from the emotional day. Brie sat on her bed with Daniel Bryan, and he immediately put his hand on her belly.

"How is she?" He asked, referring to their unborn child. Brie looked at her stomach and gave a partial smile.

"Birdie's doing great with everything that's going on lately." Brie replied. She then looked into Daniel's eyes. "I know I shouldn't have gone out there with them." Daniel gently squeezed his wife's hand.

"I know you were just doing what you felt you had to." He said. "Just remember you're going to have to take it easy from now on. Stay here and let me take care of you." Brie then looked away from Daniel.

"You know…" She started. "You've always let me do what I felt I needed to do. You never stood in my way and always supported me, even when I make dumb choices like this one. You never said one word to make me not do it."

"That's because I trust you. I know you wouldn't do anything to risk your life or mine on purpose. It's just now that we've another addition to our little family, I've got to start wearing my Big Poppa pants and think for all three of us." Daniel then caressed Brie's face. "We both have to." Brie smiled against Daniel's remarkably soft hand.

"In other words," She said. "You're telling me to sit the hell down." Daniel nearly laughed at her remark, able to hold back all but a smile.

"Yes, Brie. Sit the hell down." Brie then thought about Cesaro and saddened.

"I can't not worry about Claudio." She said. "I want him to be okay. He's going through so much." Daniel balled up his mouth.

"I'm worried about him, too." He said. "I think we all are. It's safe to say he's the heart of this place." Brie nodded and positioned herself to lay down in the bed.

"I just hope that he's safe, wherever he is."

Down the hallway, John sat on the bed while Nikki emptied her pockets in front of the dresser. She stared into the mirror and all she could see was the fiery gaze of Cesaro as he held her against her will, his words to her still vividly emblazoned in her head. She was so taken by her ruminations that she almost did not hear John call out to her.

"Nikki?" John called out to her once more. Nikki did not turn around. Instead, she spoke with her back to him as she eyed the ring John gave to her.

"John." She started. "Claudio… said something to me." Nikki hesitated before turning to John and quoting Cesaro's words; it seemed as if the words pained her to repeat. "He said, 'You took everything from me'. John, what did I do?" John tried his best to console his wife.

"He's just going through a lot, Nicole." He told her, using her given name as a mark of sincerity. "A lot of it, I don't think we can help with or even understand." Nikki shook her head.

"I can still see his eyes, John. They're haunting me right now. He looked at me like I committed a crime against him, like I did something unforgivable. What did I do, John? What did I do to make him hate me?" John then stood up off the bed and held onto Nikki's shoulders.

"Claudio doesn't hate you." He said to her. "Don't say that."

"You didn't see, John. You weren't staring into his eyes out there like I was. He looked like he wanted to kill me, and I feel like if Simon hadn't stopped him…" John squeezed her shoulders.

"Stop it." John said to her. "Get that out of your head. Claudio would never hurt you. He loves you just like he loves me and everyone else. He just needs help."

John's words rung in Nikki's head for a moment until she finally realized what Cesaro's words truly meant. They came not from a place of hatred, but of pain. They came from a place of heartbreak. It was a place she knew all too well. Nikki gently pulled herself away from John and turned back to the mirror.

"John." Nikki said to her husband. "I think I know what's wrong with him." John blinked at Nikki.

"What do you mean?" John asked skeptically. Nikki sighed.

"Remember the story I told you about that time before I started with WWE?" John knew of only one story.

"The one about you trying to… " He started, but could not finish. Nikki shut her eyes as she recalled that dark moment in her life.

"Yeah. That one. I never told you why I tried." Nikki braced herself as she went back to those moments. "I met this guy through Brie. His name was Kevin McLaughlin. We hung out a lot. Kevin was funny, he was strong, he was caring, daring… I thought he was everything I knew I wanted in a man. I just didn't have it in me to approach him with it. We all just spent time together as friends, me and Brie's mutual friends. Hung out for months." John listened as Nikki revealed a story she had never told him until that moment.

"One day," Nikki continued. "I finally got the courage to share everything I felt inside about Kevin and decided I was going to do it that night after we had gotten dinner. Then Kevin told all of us that he met this great girl named Eva Kisinger and that he was thinking of asking her out. That broke my heart, John, because I knew that girl wasn't me. After that, I tried to tell myself that it wasn't the end of the world and that we'd still be friends, and it worked for a while. They were together almost all the time. Eva was great for him and complimented him so well. I was happy for them… I tried to be anyway. In the back of my mind, though, I kept hoping that it wouldn't work. I had hoped that there was some hidden flaw that he hadn't found about Eva and that would end it all. I had hoped that one day, he'd notice that I've been waiting to be the one to be at his side. I had every part of our life together planned out in my head bedside I just knew he would come to his senses and see me. Then, on Thanksgiving Day that year, Kevin asked Eva to marry him and all my hopes and dreams died. The little life I made for us in my head just disappeared and left a hole in my heart in the shape of him."

John looked at Nikki and almost broke down in front of her. She did mention her attempted suicide, but never went into detail about how that moment came about nor did John wish to press for fear of reviving painful memories. The more he listened to her story, the more he tried to recall feeling the way she did about Kevin all those years ago. Nikki began to cry before looking away from him.

"I locked myself away, John." She told John. "Away from Kevin and Eva, from Brie and the rest of our friends, from Mom and Dad… from everyone. After everything I gave to him and shared with him, he still chose someone else. It made me feel like I wasn't good enough for him… for anyone… or anything. It felt like my life was over, but I knew it wasn't. I would have to live in a world where my Kevin was content with Eva and not me and I… I didn't want to live in that world. So, I decided that I wanted to leave. I wanted to leave all my tears behind. So I locked myself in my house, closed all the windows and blinds, drenched myself in gasoline… " Nikki then picked up her lighter and lit it. "… and lit myself on fire. I was in so much pain, but to me, none of it compared to what I was feeling inside. Soon, the pain went away and I felt nothing. That was when I found out about my immunity to fire and my ability to absorb it. The amount of fire I took in made me pass out and when I came to, there was Brie… and Mark… and Paul and Stephanie. They told me what happened, how I survived the fire and what I was."

John was at a loss for words. The sorrow he felt for Nikki began to take over and he felt like crying for her, but he also knew that she would not be alive to call his wife if she had not healed from her heartbreak. He was proud of her being able to recover from such a devastating moment in her life.

"Thank you for sharing that story, Nicole." John said to her sincerely. "You wouldn't be the woman you are now if it weren't for all that. Don't forget that." Nikki then sat down next to John.

"John." She started. "Thank you. I know that now and I won't forget it." Her tone then changed to a saddened tone. "But John, think about everything I told you. Doesn't some of it sound familiar?" John thought for a moment and it was then that he realized what (or who, rather) Nikki was referring to. It hit him like a brick wall compared to an egg.

"…Claudio." He said aloud. "… but… I didn't..." Nikki placed his hand in hers.

"John." Nikki said. "He loves you. He loves all of us, but he loves you more. I could see that from a mile away. It was obvious to almost everyone but you. I didn't say anything because I figured you two worked through all that and I just felt it wasn't my place to discuss it, but yeah. He loves you, and you love me, but you don't love him the way that you love me. You don't love him the way he wants you to love him and us getting married confirmed that for him." Nikki's eyes began to swell with tears once more. "I know that feeling and I know it well. He's not angry, John. He's broken."

John hung his head to the floor, defeated by his ignorance and naivety. Looking back, it was as obvious as Nikki said. Cesaro's willingness to go out on every mission instead of sitting some of them out to recover, how he would decline spending time with the two of them with the excuse seeming more realistic than the last, and him declining his offer for him to the best man at his wedding… all of it leading to everything Nikki detailed in her own story. What made matters worse was at one point, John thought he felt the same way Nikki thought Cesaro felt about him.

"I… I just… " John stammered as he tried to find his words. "Why didn't he say anything? Why did he let himself hurt like that?" Nikki gave John's hand a gentle squeeze.

"We all deal with pain differently, John." Nikki said to him. "You know that." John then looked up at her.

"I do, but he could have come to me. I'm his best friend. He doesn't have to hurt like this, Nicole. I just…" Nikki then let go of John's hand.

"We'll find him." She said. "We'll find him and make everything right. We have to."


In a top secret medical facility available only to those directly tied to the President, Ronda Rousey waited for news about General Zodrick's condition. She had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity before a doctor and nurse finally came out to see her.

"Misses Rousey?" the doctor called out to her.

"Yes." Ronda replied. "How is he?"

"We were able to remove most of the metal from his hand and arm to keep infections from starting." The nurse replied. "His eyes, however, received severe nerve damage. He is still able to use them to a degree, but he is nearly seventy-five percent blind in both due to the burns. We will do everything in our power to salvage them, but I'm afraid he'll lose his sight no matter what treatments or surgeries we offer. We will have to hold him here so that we can work on options for therapy and recovery."

Ronda swallowed a lump. She knew he was not in good condition, but that was not the news she wanted to hear. It meant that Zodrick would be unable to continue his work as a General and would have to medically retire. Of what it meant for her, however, she was unsure.

"When can I see him?" She asked.

"We were actually coming to take you to him now." The nurse said. "He asked to see you as soon as our tests were done." Ronda nodded and then followed the two to Zodrick's hospital room. Upon entry, Ronda saw Zodrick laying in bed dressed in hospital garments with his hand heavily wrapped. He appeared to be conscious, confirmed by him turning his head slightly to look at the doorway.

"Rousey." Zodrick called out to her. She walked over to him and sat down in the chair next to his bed.

"I'm here, Sir." She said to him. Zodrick nodded.

"They told me that I'm going to be staying here for a while." Ronda shook her head.

"They already told me, Sir. They're going to put you in rehab for your eyes."

"That's right. There's a slim chance that I'll recover all my sight, but a greater chance I'll lose what little sight I have now." Zodrick sighed. "Any chance I have, I'm going to take it." Zodrick paused once again before speaking to the doctor and nurse. "May I have a word with her alone please?" The doctor nodded.

"We'll be back in a moment." He said before leading the nurse out of the room, leaving Zodrick and Ronda alone in the room after closing the door behind them.

"Rousey." Zodrick started. "I went to Arizona and chose you specifically for a reason. I've… been working with top scientists and developers to create a device, a weapon, to give us humans a chance to fight against the Alpha Humans should the events 6 months ago happen again." Ronda closed her eyes.

"Project Aegis." She said aloud, making Zodrick blink at her. "I'm sorry, Sir, but our Commander in Chief has already told me everything. The wrist device, the suits, the training. All of it. He told me that… " She hesitated a moment. "… That you want me to replace you and that the wrist device you built wasn't for you, but for me." Zodrick then laid his head down on the pillow.

"I don't have much time left in my position." He said to her. "The main reason I've been here as long as I have been is because I couldn't trust anyone else to take my place at the President's side. That is, until I found you. I know you can replace me without me having to worry about my friend's safety. I can feel in my gut that you have what it takes to do better than I can now." Zodrick then thought back to what Happened in the city earlier that night. "I lost myself tonight, Rousey, and you risked your life to bring me back down. I would have likely gotten myself killed if you hadn't stepped in. That is what the President needs right now. Someone to bring him back to reality. I used to be that someone, but now… you are." He sat up in his bed to reposition himself. "When you leave here, I'll be informing the President that I will be stepping down as General and that you will be my replacement, effective immediately. I'll have it no other way. He'll likely agree and take care of everything else."

Ronda blinked, once again quickly thrown into a position she had no knowledge of. The first person she thought of was her husband, Travis, and how he will take the news of her hastened promotion. As if reading her mind, Zodrick motioned towards her.

"Mister Browne and the rest of the repair team will be taken care of, General." He said to Ronda. "Don't worry for them." Ronda shook her head.

"I just…" She stuttered. "I don't feel like I earned any of this. I feel I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"Nonsense. You chose to remain Lieutenant Colonel of your own free will. You allowed others less qualified than you to step over you because you felt they needed the money and recognition more than you did. You are more than qualified and more than ready to help lead our country's forces. You've earned this and far more. Don't doubt yourself and definitely don't doubt me."

"I'm not doubting you. It's just… a lot to take in at once."

"Of course it is. You've a lot resting on your shoulders now, but I truly believe you are capable of handling it." Zodrick let out a small cough before continuing. "Now get on out of here. Don't keep our Commander in Chief waiting for you. I'm gonna be alright." Ronda took a deep breath and stood up from the chair.

"I wish you a speedy recovery, Sir." She said, saluting her former mentor before turning around to leave the room. Once he knew she was gone and he was alone, he carefully felt around the side of his bed, lifted up a bag, and pulled a small locket out of it. He opened the locket and inside was a small photo of a little girl holding a teddy bear. Zodrick squinted his eyes to see better and smiled.

"You've grown to look just like your mother." He said. "Just like her."

The air was filled with the sound of the wind howling through the mass of trees and the brittle night sky. There standing among the trees was Cesaro, his clothes still weathered and covered in everything that happened earlier that night. His eyes were wet with tears and his mind was racing, filled with cycles of emotions that weighed down on him as if he were physically holding the world on his shoulders.

"What is wrong with me?" Cesaro asked. "Why is all this happening? Why can't I… why does this… why doesn't…"

It was the pain of losing Trevor, the confusion of losing control of his powers once again, the fear of potentially losing his friends after involuntarily attacking them, and the underlying pain he had felt for months. All of it overwhelmed him so that it made him want to scream, and scream he did. Cesaro let out a loud, avian scream and emitted a massive pulse of electromagnetic energy that shifted all the land beneath him and instantly charred all of the trees surrounding him. The release seemingly drained the energy that he had left, causing him to faint and fall to the ground, the fiery veins still vibrantly lining his then darkened skin. It was then that a bright light shined down from the sky upon his unconscious body and from the light descended what appeared to be a humanoid figure. It was a petite woman with pale skin, icy blue eyes and shimmering blonde hair, soft yet maternal features, and white and lavender garbs made with an elegance as foreign as the surface of the moon. She averted her gaze down to Cesaro, knelt down near him, and placed her hand on his forehead. In a matter of seconds, the burning lines on Cesaro's skin faded and his color returned to its natural olive hue. The woman moved her hand away from his head and wrapped him in a warm embrace. Then, in an ethereal tone, she spoke to him.

"I am here, Claudio." She said to him. "I am here."