Chapter 2: Workmen

Our journey was a rather quiet one at first save the gentle wobbling of the crawler. I was so energised from the mere imagining of the possibilities in this world that I forfeited sleep through the night. Rain had the initiative to at least bring me food, much to my own embarrassment regarding my lack of self-care.

Then the first trial of this world came to us.

Approaching the end of our second day in this unknown world, brown clouds of sand approached us from the west. EVA had wanted us to deploy the MCV and wait out the storm.

Sadly, I had argued against, and it backfired hard afterwards.

Upon checking the time left before the storm hit, I'd pushed for gaining as much ground as possible. It wasn't that I was worried that we'd run out of supplies, but simply because I didn't like the idea of wasting our time far longer than necessary. Rain protested against me as well, and I voiced my disagreement against her just as much as I did EVA.

Now, here we are, trapped due to a dune collapse.

My knuckles were still white from having frozen stiff in fear. Me and Rain had switched seats whilst the latter worked with our resident intelligence to figure out a plausible solution to our problem. My head hung low and silent whilst the dust storm blew outside.

It was quite the fantastic start I must say.

With nothing better to do, I got to work reading more of the information within the black box. While much of it seemed general at first, it was better I tried to read as much of the contents as I could in case there was something of note that I may miss.

I glimpsed at Hassan in the corner of my vision. The homunculi had barely avoided injury by grabbing the corner of one of the tables in the room. I had him use the intercom to inquire as to the state of his brothers down in the main bay, and thankfully most of the injuries were light. With not much to do, the man had drifted into sleep, which was peculiar given his biology. Deciding it was not worth my time, I continued my reading.

Rain wasn't kidding when she mentioned this MCV we possessed was a very special model of its own.

To correct myself, the official height when deployed was 53 meters at its very tip and had 100 meters in length and 40 meters in width. It occurred to me quickly how some of the interior didn't match the outside. A quick pull up of the schematics revealed that much of the space was dedicated to the vehicles mecha-shifting capabilities as well as housing for more powerful sensor arrays and data storage. It even had its own small cloning facility apparently, but it was only regulated to two tubes. This was on top of living space for the crew. Sadly, that didn't to explain much of how the space worked for me at least.

My attempt to research into the matter at least brought up a basic understanding as to how base construction worked. In layman's terms, the materials can be tunnelled through the soil in massive crates which then erupt from the earth to form the required structure or transported there physically. This technology was based rather loosely on tiberium seeding itself, with the crate forming the 'pot' that the plant is expected to grow out of.

I could go into plagiarising the text on nano-assembly, but I fear that I wouldn't do it justice seeing how I myself only understood a small iota of it.

What was important to take away from this was that like in the game, the terrain played an important factor into construction. EVA did most of the work in ensuring that our base structures could operate in most terrain. However, in order to maximise our defences, we'd need to adapt minute changes in our buildings to fit different terrain. These changes weren't to be drastic in anyway, just enough to better blend into the surroundings. This would be yet another topic to discuss with Rain.

For the moment, seeing as I was trying to cut cost as much as possible, I duplicated the file of yet another building folder in order to create cheap mockeries for use within the immediate future. Earnestly, I question just how many of my supposed 'brethren' were screaming indignantly at me right now for being cheap on the faction whose units already notorious for being expendable.

Hours seemed to pass by as the three organics and one synthetic within the room found their own ways to pass the time. At some point, even I happened to doze off as became apparent when my vision blackened.

"Master," a voice called out, and something shook me by the shoulder.

I opened my eyes blearily and was soon met with a most beautiful sight.

There was Rain with her face inches from mind. I could make out the details on her face from strands of hair to her eyelashes. Temptation rose within me to cup that face. Alas, one good look at her beret was all that was needed to remind me as to my current situation.

Shaking off my drowsiness, I stood straight in my chair and looked around my surroundings. Inwardly, I cursed seeing as how it must've been close to noon if the brightness outside was any indicator.

My brow furrowed, I turned to look at my aide with the most serious expression I could muster.

"Please tell me you have a solution to this mess," I asked.

"That would be part of why I awoke you Master," Rain replied, straightening her posture as she did so. "EVA has determined that now that the sandstorm has come to pass, we can try reversing the MCV and recalculate an alternate path to our destination."

"Good," I nodded at her words. "Proceed with the execution. I'll leave the piloting to you, Rain."

She nodded in understanding before making her way back to her station. I took the opportunity to look at our supposed guard. I really shouldn't have been surprised to see that the man was still sleeping and also drooling on to top of that.

Damn untrained militant, I internally grumbled.

Deciding that, like any good leader, I didn't like the idea of my subordinate sleeping on the job, I came up with a good way to remind them to do their job right. Turning to the WMT still attached to my wrist, I felt for a particular button that I now knew existed for good reason.

"I'm going to try out a feature on the WMT, Rain."

"Go on ahead, Master."

Pressing the button with a growing smile on my face, the MCV's klaxon alarms blared in full force. The poor man stood no chance as scrambled off the floor with a sharp scream, and even I was taken by mild surprise by how sudden and loud it got. I'll give credit where its due because the man seemed to gather his wits quickly and was looking at me with clear concern.

"Be mindful, Hassan," I said with a brief smile. "Danger comes at a moment's notice. I ask that you be vigilant, or at the very least competent in your duties."

"I-I'm sorry, sir!" he stammered. "I-I didn't mean to fail in the line of duty again. Please don't forsake me!"

"No, no, Hassan," I reassured the man. "Just take it as a nasty reminder of your duties. Oh, you better get on the intercom again too."

This made the man ever paler than he had been before. I had to applaud him for finding the strength to reach to the intercom station and listen in to the ranting of no less than 5 mouths. My little amusement was finished with me spinning my chair to face the front.

And being confronted with my own failure.

Well, shit.

"Beginning reverse movement in five seconds," Rain reported.

"Acknowledged," I confirmed.

At the final count of one, the MCV tremored ever so harshly as servos strained to pull the weight of the body out of the sand that trapped it. The first groan was enough to make me close my eyes in resignation. Yet, I didn't hear any sound that would indicate my journey in this world would be short-lived.

With a muffled boom, the crawler's 'nose' bursts out of the sand that entombed it. I could hear, even from within the control room, the frantic steps taken by the vehicle to escape lest it falls into the pit once more. Five steps back later, and we reached the cusp of the hill where gravity worked to pull us back and out. A moment of freefall later, we found ourselves behind the curve we'd fallen into the day before. The MCV 'sat' on its rear as it settled.

The whole incident was nothing short of a burst of exhilaration. I looked back to see Hassan gripping the intercom for dear life, but a nod from him was enough for me to know that he was fine.

Rain, however, was a different story.

Her posture was locked in place. Arms stretched in a straight line with hands gripping the yokes in a death grip. Sweat dripped and soaked her uniform to the point it looked like she could melt into a puddle before my eyes. Her mouth slowly opened, releasing a mute breath.

I wasted no time getting up and reaching her side. I didn't care when I slipped and nearly slammed my head onto the console. Her health took precedence over mind.

When I did reach her, it seemed she retained enough awareness to look at me. It was then I noticed the bags under her eyes and her pale expression. Her state of health was a lot worse than I thought.

I snapped back to Hassan once more.

"Medical, now!" I ordered.

"Adjutant Rain is subject of extreme exhaustion," EVA informed. "Recommend rest period of approximately four hours before a return to active duty."

"That won't be necessary, I'll be fine in five, Master," Rain weakly protested.

"None of it Rain," I glared at my assistant, before softening. "You deserve this rest. It's my fault we were in this mess to begin with."

"But, what about the time," she tried arguing. "We won't be able to make up for it if we wait for me to recover."

"True," I nodded. "But that's where I have to work smarter."

I lightly gripped her shoulder. "Get some rest Rain. My orders."

The woman had been strapped to a medical bed within the MCV's infirmary. I wasn't sure if this room was supposed to be in a mobile builder, but I wasn't one to complain. Not that when it was this room that was going to help her recover.

I watched as she slowly closed her eyes and drifted into slumber. Looking at her still sweat-drenched clothes, I felt my heart become heavy at the thought that I was to blame for this. I'd take the liberty of removing her coat at least and strapping her on one of the medical beds to avoid an unwanted fall, seeing as the MCV were still at an incline.

With my current priority handled, I made my way out of the medical room and into its connecting hallway. Hassan was waiting for me there, having helped me bring Rain into the room in the first place. His heavy footfalls echoed up and down the length of space we traversed.

"Sir?" the man behind me asked.

"Yes?" I replied, not bothering to turn my head as we traversed into the hallway leading to the lift.

"This place is kinda creepy, ain't it?" the militiaman voiced. "I mean, I get it that the dark, scary look makes us look badass, but, can't we do with sum more peeps in here at least?"

"In case you haven't noticed my dear subordinate, we don't have the freedom of expending our funds aimlessly. Not until we find a Tiberium deposit to which we could feed our engines."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I get that part. Still, I guess it kinda got boring standing around watching you and Mistress working all day."

I pondered for a bit on what he said, then asked as we entered the lift.

"Do you wish to go down to your brethren then, while we're here?"

"….. Yes?"

Hassan had the decency to at least give me a 'thanks' as he exited the lift into the main bay. I managed to catch a glimpse of his supposed 'glorious triumphant return' to his brothers, seeing as the bay doors were left open. Something about the scene I saw struck a nerve within me, but I knew enough that the homunculi didn't intend it, or at least he was at no fault at all.

When the lift doors closed once more, it was only me with the silence for companionship.

"Permission to speak, commander," EVA's voice reverberated through the silence.

"Granted," I said.

"It is highly suggested that Unit Number 12's remark be taken into more consideration."

"Why is that?"

"With the current state of our operations, we would be putting ourselves under unnecessary strain each time that a complication occurs. Recommend bolstering our manpower to ensure quality efficiency within the organisation."

"That requires resources EVA. And like I told Hassan; we don't have the luxury to throw money at our problems. This matter will solve itself when we find the Tiberium field."

"According to the data transferred, we approximately have a distance of no less than 15,840 kilometres to travel, requiring a period of 7.5 days to reach our destination, provided we do not encounter anomalies and hazards such as the one today."

The elevator ding sounded, and I instinctively planted my feet into the floor as I worked to climb up the incline and make my way towards the pilot's chair. The task proved arduous given that I had very little friction on the smooth floor.

Getting seated was another test of my patience, but I prevailed nonetheless. I had to quickly turn the seat to face forward and lock it to avoid falling out. By then, I breathed heavily from the exertion. A moment went by before I responded back against the intelligence.

"There's isn't much of a threat out there other than the sand and heat. Any vehicle we make would still need manpower to operate, let alone be properly armed. You're concerned is noted EVA, but I'm not even willing to waste another digit of our funds unless we get into trouble."

I didn't bother to hear its next line of argument. Gripping the yokes, I set to work bringing the crawler back to a proper upright position. My forward direction underwent several deviations up and down, but eventually the legs were able to find just the right position to enable comfortable, flat movement and not that of an obstacle course on an incline.

I let out a hearty breath before standing up. The muscles on my face seemed to relax and settle back to the neutral look I was comfortable with. Now, onto my next task, I thought to myself.

"Commander," EVA called out.

"What is it now EVA?" I inquired, a feeling of annoyance rising.

The holographic table to my left flared to life. A dark shade of orange, followed by the generation of lines and curves and finally shapes. Curious enough, I walked towards the light to see just what the electronic was trying to show me.

Immediately, I could make out the familiar shape of the ConYard as I neared. I assumed to be a schematic of sorts, but what I drew my attention was the x-ray showing the internal layout of the structure, mainly the various rooms and their function. This was complimented by a list of personnel tasked with operating said rooms, most of which was empty as of now.

"Before you is the list of personnel required to maximise MCV operations. As you can see, the list is incomplete."

"Yes, I can very well see that, EVA."

"Regardless of if you feel that building our combat capability to be a profligate of our limited resources, the same cannot be said of the support staff tied into the steady management and maintenance of our forces. These personnel are far more of value then any armament or group of trained elite units. As this unit has witnessed, the current commander lacks the capability to single-handily operate and carry out tasks by its lonesome. A dedicated, trained staff would allow them more freedom to focus on the larger picture as opposed to having to dedicate faculties to the most minute issues."

"….,"

"This unit only does what it needs to ensure the secured future operation of present Nod forces. The decision is still yours to make commander."

My lips straightened as I stared at the list of personnel. EVA had even given upfront the cost of producing each individual unit. Upon tapping the name of each unit on screen, the details regarding the homunculi were even written down to a Tee.

It really wanted me to take this.

I couldn't fault it either. My stunt has costed us an entire day along with the strength of my supposedly most important aide. What men I do have were hardly of use as of now, which was ironic given that I placed so much emphasis on not wasting resources only to produce assets that can't differentiate a sensor station from a calculator.

I turned to look at the empty space of the pilot's seat. What came to mind was the exhausted woman who had worked tirelessly in the first two days of her existence to serve me, and that's before her so-called 'master' had even broached the topic of getting to know her better and ascertain the true extent of her loyalties.

A weight that I didn't know previously began to form in my heart. Perhaps, it had already been there, and I hadn't notice. Maybe I was taking this whole displacement scenario in the wrong light; not that it would be out of place given my history.

A drawn-out breath escaped my lips. My eyes closed as I rubbed my palm over my face.

An idiot not cut out for this.

"Commander?" EVA voiced.

"…. Focus on producing medical staff first," I said curtly. "After that, I want a pilot, co-pilot, and the full staff for the control room. Forward to me the personnel list and prepare a list of other things you believe we should have that isn't directly combat related but is otherwise important in the future."

"As you order, commander," the light from the table's screen died. Even it didn't have a physical presence, I could tell the intelligence had turned its attention elsewhere.

Once again, I found my reflection staring back at me. I hated it, truth be told. Yet, there was no choice in my part seeing as how it had dropped me on this path. Hence, it was all I could do to let the anger fester and grow as it please with no outlet for release.

Well, maybe except for one thing.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"You keep hitting off-centre. Try and keep a straighter arm, and stop twitching."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Stop, that's enough."

A hand reached out and gripped the back of the pistol I'd been shooting. It pushed the weapon down until it was pointed at the grounded, along with both my hands in extension.

I turned to look at my chosen teacher. Sergiu's face was by definition the perfect representation of calm and patient. However, I knew better, and recognised the face of a person who'd seen too many of the same faults repeated by many a student under them. I internally winced at the thought.

The shooting range we were on was an ad hoc using 'free' items fabricated and dispensed in a construction container. Earlier, after some thought, I decided to deploy the base to allow the men some fresh air from the impromptu and very unwanted joy ride. As a way of apologising, I'd had EVA bring up a second container with a compact kitchen and plenty of good food to cheer the men up some more. Of course, the festive was only allowed after the practice drill I had the squads do.

I opted to join in as well, switching to a basic PT gear stashed away in my room. The training was also how I learned just how much disparity physically separated me from the homunculi. I guess the perks of living in the apocalypse was that to an extent, everyone was sporting plenty of muscle. While their leaders were certainly a step above, the fact was they were able to go quite a ways before tiring out.

Tried as I myself might, the fact was I didn't make a fifth of the way before collapsing. At some point, I convinced myself that if this gave me a bad perception among the men, then by all means it was earned because how much I sucked.

This was two hours ago. Now, the group leaders had called for the end of the session to prevent unwanted incidents due to the heat. Many of the men were in the process of using the ConYards showers whilst the leaders worked on prepping the food. I stayed behind to continue more firearm practice.

Flicking the safety, I placed the weapon on the counter. I rubbed my wrist to get rid of the soreness. A sigh escaped my lips as I observed the aftermath of my efforts.

My aim wasn't too wild, but the fact was I could tell it wasn't that great either. I didn't kid myself and try to go for headshots. Instead, worked to maintain a tight spreading dead centre of the paper target.

"It's a good first try, commander."

"You think?"

"Of course, what matters now is that you know your way around the gun. Trust me when I say this, start with quick shots to learn good shots to learn kill shots."

"How does that make any sense?"

"If you can be the first to fire, then you have the better chance of walking out of trouble; that requires good aim. From there, you'll learn to aim well, and start hitting true, and there's the final that I feel doesn't need elaboration."

I nodded slowly digesting the words the veteran had to say. The low sun casted shadows over his eyes, and I felt almost like a character in a movie. It didn't help when both turned to look at the makeshift mess hall now built in front of the ConYard. My mouth watered at the scent of something nice being cooked.

"Come," Sergiu patted my shoulder. "Let us feast proper. To a new world awaiting to be conquered."

This time, it was me following someone. With all that had happened, it was strange to be the one being led, and this was only the second day!

Strange times indeed.

"Commander!" the chef of the day called out as we neared. "Come on, the first meal is in your honour."

Sergiu turned to me. "Wanna shower first, sir?"

"No," I shook my head. "I'm dead starving right now."

As if to emphasis my point, an audible growl could be heard as well as the feeling of my exhaustion doubling. It got a guffaw out of the cook that was for sure.

"Now, no need to worry, commander," he said jovially. "This here dish is special and straight from home."

I was handed a plate, and what I immediately noticed first and foremost was the veggies. And holy, there was a lot of it. It was all neatly bundled and looked like what might've been a sandwich of some sort.

I turned to look at the chef -who I happened to remember was third squad's leader- and caught myself from making a face when confronted with his radiant smile. Politely thanking him, I moved to allow the next person in line, which of course was Sergiu.

The both of us took a seat on the floor below the curve of the ConYard. The men had returned from cleaning themselves and had just about rushed the kitchen, pushing each other all the way like children. A single shout from of the leaders, however, seemed to put them in their place and they began lining up.

"Quite the rowdy bunch, aren't they?" Sergiu commented.

"Definitely in line with their backstories, that's for sure," I agreed with him before taking a bite out of the vege-wich. To say I had to take a double-take of the taste was an understatement.

"How do you find it, sir?"

I turned to look at Sergiu before turning back to look at my food. I didn't have to ponder for longer in order to respond.

"I like the sour taste," I commented, earning a nod from the man.

"That's good," he took two full bites of his food. "This stuff is considered a luxury from where we're from. You can't ever find good vegetables anywhere."

… Right, I forgot about that.

These men that were serving me came from a world of strife I couldn't ever imagine. A world where the very air I took for granted killed people by the hundreds of thousands within years and drove humanity to near extinction. A world where you could be sleeping soundly in your home one night, and proceed to never wake up the next day because you'd already been turned to a bed for an alien crystal.

A world where you couldn't even have an honest to God clean meal.

My knuckles tightened as it now came to the realisation more and more as to what I'm expected to do in this world. I could feel a tight grip forming around my heart as my imagination generated a world much like this violated to the very core and where every colour on the spectrum was a shade of sinister green.

What a dark fate to weave.

"Sir?" a voice called.

I turned to look at the curious face of Sergiu. Had I accidentally gotten too wrapped in my thoughts again?

I shook my head and assured him.

"It's fine," I said, and thus we continued eating, until a thought occurred to me.

"Hey, Sergiu."

"Hm?"

"…. Just how much do you remember of the world before?"

Immediately, the leader of Squad 4 dropped his last piece of half-eaten food. He went utterly stiff, save for the continuous blinking of his eyelids, akin to what happens when a child plays with shutters.

"Sergiu," I called. "Are you alright?"

I gently tapped his kneecap. His response was to suddenly jolt and shake his head. However, what really caught my attention were his eyes. Something spoke from within his dark pupils and as I stared in them. Something I'd never seen in any human before.

Primal fear. A certain depth of horror I never knew to have been possible.

Upon seeing this, a part of me felt compelled to tell him that it was alright to not answer the question this time around. That he could forget what I said and maybe even make some hasty inspirational speech of sorts that would in making him forget. Yet, I never got to voice this as Sergiu spoke once more.

"…..I ask for forgiveness, sir," his voice seemed to quiver. "That is a question I fear- no, I know that I can't answer."

This should've been my cue to not press on. Yet, what I did next surprised even me.

"Why?" was all that I voiced.

Sergiu gulped. "Because there is only so many ways I could describe the pain that my original self went through in those times. Physical, mental, spiritual; the amount of tribulation that surfaced in the wake of Tiberium's spreading was soul-crushing."

"So why didn't he quit?" I interjected.

"…. It wasn't that he didn't want to," he answered almost unwillingly. "It's just that he didn't have any other choice. They offered him a place to comfortably rest, along with a path to follow in those dark times."

"He wasn't just someone Nod hyped up, wasn't he?"

Sergiu shook his head. "He was a candidate for becoming a minigunner, but alas there was no time for a proper initiation into the Brotherhood. In the end, he met his end a year after Sarajevo; dying on his back in what remained of his hometown."

Hearing what my man said, I could only imagine what that must've been like. To die in pain and with the feeling of having hope stolen. Meeting death as a man who had nothing to lose, or perhaps even begin with.

Refocusing my vision on Sergiu, I watched him as he watched me. In the evening sun, I could catch the reflection of myself just barely. As I clicked my tongue, I felt a fire briefly spurn in my chest. Acting on it, I didn't get to catch my next words.

"His death was a tragedy," I addressed him. "However, don't think that his fate is yours so easily my friend."

I gripped his shoulder.

"I can assure you this. I don't plan on letting things pan out as it did before. I want to go further. Further than even Kane did. We have the benefit of knowing how Tiberium grows, and what kind of change it brings. When I'm done, the world will see us in a far different light than it did in the old world."

Mind and heart became one, and I placed all of my inner voice into speaking my next sentence.

"We'll take this world for our own. We'll show the people what it really means to live True and Strong. This time, there won't be just misery and anger to give us incentive. All of those lost, pained souls; we'll take them in and redeem them as people. We'll give them back the meaning of living by serving under us."

"Nod will ascend and evolve. Just as it is meant to!"

Such passion, such conviction. The words that slipped from my mouth; the weight didn't compare to the sheer gravity of the promise I was making myself uphold. Yet, what I said miraculously struck a chord in Sergiu, for I immediately identified that same fire that had briefly burned in me now burning strong in his eyes.

Despite being seated, he attempted a bow. "I am most honoured to serve under thee, my leader."

I couldn't stop the soft smile that appeared on my face. "At ease, my soldier. Let us finish eating. We're going to get some new blood soon."

Sergiu raised his head. A questioning look appearing on his face. Before he could inquire further, someone interrupted us.

"Hello," a new voice said. "Forgive my interruption, sir."

The person in question was a young man in his mid-twenties. He wore a technician's overalls in the signature black of the brotherhood, complete with a flat top cap. His bright blue eyes were a certainly distinctive feature, along with his army regulate blonde hair.

"Ah," I blinked. "And you are?"

He snapped into a salute. "Number 51, sir! I'm an MCV operator tasked with serving the Brotherhood. Under me, the cities of Nod will expand!"

I openly whooped. "Easy there, soldier boy. This isn't a formal inspection."

I patted the floor next to us. "Come and sit."

He blinked. "Sit… with you sir? Will that be alright?"

"Do you see anyone here acting formal at the moment?" I deadpanned.

"No, sir," he shook his head.

"Then, sit."

He took his seat on my right. From there, I passed him my last piece of food, to which I had to force him to eat, much to Sergiu's amusement. It was then I noticed the new faces appearing from the depths of the ConYard. Their appearance didn't go unnoticed, and I saw how the militia openly cheered and welcomed their new brethren with open arms, much to the shock and confusion of the new arrivals.

"New blood, Sir?" Sergiu asked.

"Yup, figured they'd help with the MCV operations," I finished the last of my food before turning to look at my newly acquainted pilot.

"So, you're my pilot?"

"Yes, sir."

"Don't be stiff, relax. The only one here who probably will eat you alive is Rain, and she's still strapped in the medbay."

"I appreciate your genuine concern, Master."

I recoiled as if I'd been gut punched. My lips sucked in as I turned to see a familiar figure behind me. Her hand was on her hips as she looked down on me with all the ire a woman could muster.

Shuffling to my left alerted me to an act of abandonment. I looked with pleading eyes as a cool-faced Sergiu stood up and ushered the pilot to do the same. The two of them quickly disappeared into the crowd in front of the ConYard that was getting increasingly chaotic with every second. Leaving at the mercy of the woman behind me.

"I'm waiting," she said, the tapping of her boot was like a countdown to a bomb.

'I did no wrong, I swear!' was what I wanted to say but failed to.

"Would you mind explaining to me why we have an additional thirty homunculi onboard?"

To better uhm, conduct the interrogation. Rain had seen fit to move me back to my quarters. Under her orders, I was now in my seat and getting grilled for information.

I could've just countered by asking why EVA didn't inform her, but I guess there must be some other reason I'm missing.

"With all due respect, I was given a valid point when EVA said that we couldn't run the crawler all by ourselves even if we wanted too. Plus, I'm starting to realise that I didn't made particularly good choices for company to begin with."

"What happened to the 'we must conserve as much of our funds as possible'?"

"We still are, mind you. It's just that this would be a good investment to avoid unwanted complications. Plus, we could really use having more systems in the control room manned."

Silence ensued as the two of us stared at each other. Admittedly, I got uncomfortable under her glare which was why it was a relief when she finally sighed and rubbed her eyes with her index and thumb. A softer expression replaced the frown.

"Do you have time at the moment?"

I gave it a good thought then nodded. I motioned for her to sit, and she willingly complied, taking her place on one of the two round seats in front of my desk.

"Just what is our plan at the moment, Master?" she asked, with a rather concerned tone.

"Same as yesterday," I answered. "We find the Tiberium. Set up a base, and then build our forces as we expand further out."

"I mean just what are supposed to do in this world?" she emphasised her tone grew increasingly worried. "I understand that as the Brotherhood of Nod, our concern is to the continued existence and growth of Tiberium, but is that all we're going to do here?"

"What are you saying Rain?" I furrowed my brows. "I don't get it."

She sighed; her gaze fell. "I'm…. nervous. There's so much banking on us, and too little in the way of guidelines for us to follow. We have no series of goals, neither do we have short or long term planning. What I'm saying is that this all feels meaningless, don't you think?"

….. Well, that was a sour thought to be about, wasn't it?

I saw no reason to correct her either. Outside of what we knew Nod as a faction was intended to do, we really had no goal was there? It was a distressing thought that certainly was without merit.

But what about what I said earlier to Sergiu? What about that? Was all that passionate speech about 'not being lost anymore' just an act? A way of self-delusion?

….. No.

Rain looked up at me. In turn, I looked at her. Once again, I summoned as much of that same fire that invigorated me earlier.

Placing both my hands forward and resting the lower half of my face on my interlocked fingers, I took a moment to compose myself before replying.

"No, we aren't a meaningless existence. We're out of our depth, and awfully unprepared to face our future, yes. But a certainty can't be reached before we take a leap of faith, however that leap may manifest in due time."

Breathe in, breathe out. "We will find a purpose for ourselves, Rain. I hate promises, but I will guarantee you. There is something for us out there for us to find and spurn us on. Tiberium is the answer, but it isn't the true reason or meaning in our lives. That, is for us to uncover and decide."

I stood up and extended my hand to Rain.

"I had intended a different approach and circumstance to do this, but I guess this is a good step forward as any."

"Can I trust you Rain? Can I trust you to help me find the strength to uncover the purpose in our lives here? Will you help me become the person I need to be in order to shoulder any burden and exemplify the strength of Nod?"

Rain looked me in the eye, and then to my hand. She seemed to be locked in an internal struggle of her own before coming to a resolution of her own. Standing up, she maintained her gaze on me as she clasped my hand in a firm grip.

"I'll endeavour to put my trust in you, my Master. Please allow me to be your pillar of support in these uncertain times."

Hearing those words, I couldn't hope but earnestly smile for the first time in this world. A warm feeling filled my chest as a result.

Though I can't say what the future would hold for this iteration of Nod. I was certain enough that for the time being, I can work with the goal of finding a good enough purpose to propel my people forward. There had to be more to this, of course, but for the time being, I felt like I wasn't just following an outline like in the stories I've read in my past life.

We released our handhold. Tapping the desk, I checked to see the time was already 8.45 pm. Still early into the night, but it wasn't like we had anything left to do at the moment.

"You know, that vege-thing I ate earlier was kinda cool," I turned to look at my aide. "Come on, let's see if we can convince the guys for extras."

Rain slowly raised her eyebrow. "A sudden change of topic, really now?"

I shrugged. "Ain't no time like the present. Plus, I'm kinda still hungry you know."

That was when it occurred to me.

"Hey," I narrowed. "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"I'm perfectly capable of maintaining my own needs, Master." She glared. "I'll eat when I want to eat."

I went around the table and quickly grabbed her hand once more.

"None of it!" I added with flair. "A master unable to see to the welfare of his servants is nothing more than a master of ineptitude and unworthy of their servants. Now, come! I must maintain your curves!"

"So, you do admit to me being made based on your desires!"

"Yes, and I'll never tire of admitting that!"

A/N: WHOOO! I got it out! Man, this feels great.

So yeah, not much happening this time. But I like using chapters like this to build up my practice and expand my capability to write characters. Good stories take time, and rest assured there's a timeline I've planned.

I really intent to explore Nod in a way that I believe it could've gone if things played out better. The mod Twisted Insurrection for CC: Tiberian Sun is proof that Nod CAN play a bigger role if it wanted to. All I ask is your support and patience as we explore.

See you next chap!