NEW FRIENDS

Seattle, September 2040

They sat together on the blankets and waited until the others found them. Thanks to Joshua's good nose and because he was able to find all the paths in the sewers almost blindly, he and Seth and Yara quickly reached them. Seth saw his brother sitting there and immediately noticed a change. Otherwise, when he took "time out to run," as he called it, he would not be as relaxed and free as he was at this very moment. It seemed to him as if Ben and Nika had made a bond that filled his brother with a level of satisfaction he had never felt before.

"Slept well?"

Nika looked openly at Seth and replied: "Yes to each other".

Ben looked down and blushed, he definitely wasn't expecting her openness on the subject. Seth felt the same way, he froze briefly, blushed and immediately changed the subject.

"So Joshua, where do we go from here?"

"Joshua goes to Terminal City, children look for housing, is the plan".

"Well then today I'll introduce you to my gang and we'll ask where we can accommodate you," was Nika's direct response to Joshua's short instructions.

She grabbed Ben's hand and at the same moment pulled him towards the nearest exit.

Joshua was right behind them when they got to the exit, he helped the four of them push the gate up and said goodbye with the words:

"Nika contact to Terminal City?"

"Yes," was her short answer.

Joshua nudged the boys on their shoulders.

"Nika will do it," he said and was already on his way into the tunnels when Ben called after him: "Will you please contact Uncle Alec!"

"It'll be done Casanova," replied Joshua before he disappeared around the corner into the sewers.

Ben blushed again and looked down until he felt Nika's hand on his chin. She lifted his head and kissed him.

Seth and Yara looked at the two of them, immediately noticing this incredible intimacy between the two of them and wondering how it could be that Ben and Nika had formed this close bond in such a short time. Seth admired his little brother for his spontaneity and dedication.

Now they climbed up into the daylight. Ben and Seth looked around and couldn't see any suspicious people in the area. Both instinctively pulled their hoods over their heads, also to better cover the codes on their necks. Nika looked at her questioningly. They explained to her that they were being chased by family members but didn't know the reason. She turned a little pale when she found out about the family and immediately walked a step faster.

"Then let's make sure we get you out of the public eye as quickly as possible and you also have to explain that thing about Uncle Alec to me."

The two nodded and Yara also agreed to the plan. Nika darted around a few corners of the narrow streets, suddenly she started to jump and she was standing on top of a small awning and knocking on a small window up there. It was opened and she climbed in and a second later poked her head out again.

"Don't stand around like oil idols, come in, hurry up."

Ben jumped up and helped Yara, who jumped a little too short, up with a skillful handle. Seth, after carefully looking around again, also jumped up and climbed in. Inside, not only Nika, Yara and Ben but another 10 young people were sitting in a kind of living room on cushions and a large sofa. Nika was explaining what was going on when a young man came over with a huge cooking pot. However, two other boys followed him with plates and cutlery for everyone. The entire group introduced themselves to the three of them and they were also able to briefly complete the round of introductions when everyone already had a good pot of stew on their plate. Everyone was hungry, Seth, Ben and Yara noticed that they hadn't had hot food in a while and literally devoured the welcome meal. When Ben had finished eating, he got up and took his backpack, he looked for the tryptophan. Nika, however, grabbed his hand and gestured for him to wait with a look around. He knew immediately that it would mean having to share with everyone. On the one hand he was sorry, on the other hand he knew that from now on he would be sharing his two cans with Nika and he simply pulled the old card out of his backpack that he had fished out of the drawer in Maple Falls. He placed the map in the middle and asked where exactly Terminal City was. The first people in the group began to explain it to him and asked him a ton of questions. Seth tried to help him answer all of them. Yara tried to make herself useful by helping to bring all the plates into the kitchen and doing the washing up with a few others. With her cheeky short skirt she stood at the sink and suddenly no longer seemed so cheeky and childlike but rather like a young woman who was trying to take responsibility for the younger ones in the group. After Nika sat on Ben's lap and he still felt overwhelmed by this new situation, Seth joined her in the kitchen. He and Yara had to be about two to three years older than most of the kids who stayed here. A few were older or younger than Ben, and Seth guessed by looking around. It was bearable here. Somehow he had the feeling that he had arrived. There was still a deep, sad feeling of loss in him and he realized that he wanted to stay with these young orphans or whatever they were for a while so that he could heal himself too. Yara looked him in the eyes and took his hand, she must have been a little influenced by the openness with which the communication was going on here because she stood in front of him. Seth pulled him towards her, stood on tiptoe and kissed him. He looked at her, lifted her up a little and looked deep into her eyes. She looked at him and saw something in his eyes that she didn't know how to interpret. But for the moment she knew that he wouldn't hurt her and that he would catch her with his sensitive nature.

"Get a room!"

Seth and Yara spun around in shock, Seth almost dropped Yara and both stared at Ben, who had just abruptly pulled them out of this situation.

They looked at each other and all three burst out laughing. They were finally able to let go of something and enjoy this moment.

Gray, Chad, Aiden and Harper came around the corner at that moment and looked at the four questioningly. They were in Nika's group here in the squats from the start and the older Y2. Sitting in the living room were Madison, Jade, Boas and Carson, who were a few months younger and around Nika and Ben's age. Jannik, Oliver and Harper were the same age as Seth and Yara and had Y1 offspring like them. Jack and Damon were the youngest and had escaped from a city welfare facility.

They were a large group with different stories. The four who had just surprised the new ones laughing in the kitchen now wanted everyone to sit down together. It was an important part of their daily routine to gather all the information and to network better. They had lived safely together for many years and no one had yet managed to separate their community.

They took Seth, Yara and Ben into the living room. Nika had called everyone together and began introducing the three of them as soon as everyone was there. She pulled Ben to her and announced without mincing words that he was her mate had been looking for her all her life. A murmur went through the group. Jack, the youngest of those present, looked up at her:

"But he's not in charge here yet."

"Shut up little one, I'm your leader and you've never questioned that so you'll listen to Ben when I say it."

"Okay, okay Nika, but he has to earn our trust," Harper, one of the older ones stood in for Jack.

Nika nodded to Ben and he got his backpack. As we know, small gifts are highly recommended at the beginning and so Nika had already discussed with Ben that when it came to convincing everyone about him, he already had the best arguments in the form of capsules in his luggage. He pulled the can out of his backpack and handed out a dose of tryptophan to everyone who came forward.

They thanked him and one or two of them seemed to be satisfied and reassured by this gesture. Jack still looked at him skeptically and Gray, one of the older ones, wasn't easily convinced either. Nika nudged Gray on the shoulder and he looked at Jack and knew if he didn't agree as a role model, the younger ones would also be skeptical. So he stood up, held out his hand to Ben and thanked him. He also went over to Yara and Seth and also held out his hand to welcome them. He grabbed Seth's hand particularly tightly and held it a little longer than the others. They looked deep into each other's eyes and Ben saw that Nika had a smile on her face at that moment. Just a tiny, tender smile that quickly disappeared behind her boyish facade, but somehow she was satisfied and he interpreted it as a kind of recognition and the final confirmation that they were now accepted.

"Let's sit together for a bit and tell everyone what's been going on over the last few days," Nika was really the leader of the group because everyone immediately sat down in a big circle and one after the other began to report.

Seth, Ben and Yara also spoke and talked about their trip and what they were looking for here in Seattle.

"Max? Max Guevara, is your mom?"

Damon, one of the little ones, asked with admiration, because Max had rescued him from the care of a municipal facility a few years ago. He was forbidden there among all the normal children to behave as a transgeno and to talk about it. He was subjected to extreme discrimination and also to beatings. She had heard about him from his big brother Oliver and got him out of there. Since then he has been able to live here with his brother and Max was a saint to him.

"Yes, that's our mum," Ben replied.

Damon looked at Jack, the two little ones were now definitely on his side and could accept Nika's announcement, because he was the son of their heroine, which almost made him a hero for her.

Gray reported that he had discovered an old pharmacy on the outskirts of town. And he wanted to get in there with one or two people to get more tryptophan for all the Y2 in the group.

Seth immediately volunteered. Yara looked at him in surprise because she hadn't noticed his spontaneity that often. So far he had been the more deliberate and reserved one but she let him do it and Boas and Jade were there too and she had no choice but to let him do it.

The rest divided into groups to get food. Yara joined them and was immediately informed that things would be a little different than she was used to. She was the daughter of a police officer, she had already said that, and now she went into stealing in the group with Aiden and Harper. The allure of the forbidden sent goosebumps down her spine and she threw herself straight onto her things so she could set off quickly. Her Companions were thrilled by their drive and they were out the door.

Seth watched her go, she had even forgotten to say goodbye and he hoped she wasn't too careless and discovered by the Familiars on this mission. However, she was not their target but Ben, which had become clear during the incident on the Spaceneedle. But just as he was about to start talking to Ben again, Gray grabbed his arm and pulled him away to leave too. The grip was hard and he could feel that Gray was physically superior to him, something in him resisted this way of getting others to do something, at the same time Gray's charisma was calm and very calming, so he simply complied.

"See you later little brother."

"Don't get caught," Ben saw that Seth was almost out the door and called after him, but he was also sure that it wasn't Seth who started carelessly into a situation, but rather that it was him who had to be much more careful.

"I'm the target of the Familiars," he said to Nika once Seth, Boas, Jade and Gray were out the door.

Damon, Carson, Madison and Chad and Jannik were also already on the move when Oliver instructed them to look out for technical devices.

Nika and Ben were now alone with Oliver and Damon. The brothers were one heart and one soul. Nika told Ben how his mom had picked up Damon and brought him to Oliver. The little one was separated from his brother after his birth and Oliver had been looking for him for a long time. When they were finally reunited, the two vowed to do everything they could to make life easier for other transgenic orphans in the city and so they became the group's link to a large number of people in the city's various institutions. Oliver was now of age and had guardianship of his little brother. The adults in the group were also the ones who looked after the police at the apartments and thus ensured the safety of the rest of the group. But Oliver now also had a lot of contacts in politics and he was exactly the right person for Ben.

"Can you make a contact in the city council?"

Oliver looked at him in surprise: "What do you want first and foremost?"

Ben had to explain to him that Alec McDowell had been the one who had brought him and Seth to safety with Max and because they were just alone without Seth and Yara, he added:

"And I think Alec was caught up with my mom at the same time in the Familiars project in Manticore, from which many of the Y2 emerged."

"More 17s?"

Ben looked at Nika questioningly. What did Oliver mean by 17s?

"Yes, like us, July 17th, the others are 15s from January 15th, we are the summer litter of cats".

Ben still didn't understand exactly what it was about, but he realized that he and Nika weren't the only ones with the same birthday. But then there seemed to be a second group who also shared a day. Madison, Boas, Jade and Carson and Gray were the 15s.

Oliver went next door to a tiny room. The door had been locked until now and Ben peered curiously around the corner.

"Man, Seth would like that," he was sure the room would be paradise for his big brother because it was some kind of computer operations center. Multiple screens, transmitters, radio and surveillance cameras throughout the area. It was cleverly and sophisticatedly put together and Oliver looked like the head of a secret organization sitting there in the chair in front of this huge technical unit.

"Impressed?"

"Your big brother has really put together a gem here."

Turning to Damon, Ben expressed his admiration and from across the room Oliver replied:

"Thank you, but I wouldn't have been able to do that without the help of the others, but tell me what sweet message you would like me to whisper in your godfather's ear."

"Tell him to contact Joshua in Terminal City."

"Is out!"

Ben looked at the screen and saw that there was also a camera on a computer with a guy with a huge monocle sitting in front of it.

He asked Oliver who that was there. Oliver explained to him there on the other side was Terminal City and the guy in front of him Screen, Luke, one of the first somewhat unusual creations from Manticore. He continued to talk about the many unusual characters in Terminal City and where they usually stayed because not much had changed in the last twenty years in that they were stared at and sometimes spoken to with contempt on the public streets. Therefore, these early X-Series creatures prefer to stay in Terminal City and use the sewers as a road network. They just want to live in peace like all of the transgenic community.

"If Alec contacts Joshua, they can contact us through this interface. But we don't use the connection for small talk, otherwise the network security authority will track us down."

The information was out, now we had to wait. Ben wasn't allowed to leave the house for the time being and was now stuck here. They just had to wait and see. Luckily Nika was with him and she also knew how to shorten his waiting time. She took his hand and as she called out to Oliver:

"Knock if you want to tell us something," she pulled him into one of the small bedrooms and closed the door behind them.

They attacked each other in the same second. He didn't know how she did it that he didn't even think about it for a second but he let it happen and just gave in to this passion. She was his soulmate that was the only thing he needed to know while they were there together.

They lay there for a while afterwards and she absentmindedly stroked his shaggy hair. Suddenly there was a rumble outside and a scream ripped through the silence of the apartment.

"Quick, help us, Gray is injured".

It was Seth who called her and Ben just manages to pull a hoodie over his boxers on the way out the door. He stormed out of the room, his brother was covered in blood and he was supporting Gray, who had obviously taken a beating.

Seth was bursting with excitement, telling how they had made their way to the pharmacy and how it seemed to have been a trap. In any case, they had surprised two familiars there. If they hadn't been in the majority, they wouldn't have made it.

"We separated while escaping, but Boas and Jade grabbed the prey and then took over the diversionary tactic; they'll come later."

Seth was excited, he knew his companions were all Y2ers and dependent on the tryptophan, but it had been a damn dangerous situation they had put themselves in.

At that moment, Boaz and Jade stormed in with a large bag full of tryptophane doses. Boaz threw the bag into the entryway and stormed over to Gray.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, he saved our asses and better get rid of the loot before someone else discovers it up there."

Ben didn't know his brother to be so bossy and looked at him in surprise.

"And you look like you had a nice few hours while they were out there kicking our asses," was the next belligerent statement from Seth, this time directed at Ben.

Gray groaned and Seth helped him lie down on the large sofa. He quickly got some towels, something to drink and bandages.

Ben had always thought of Seth as the more caring one, but he was unrecognizable at the moment. He stalked the apartment like a wolf, avoiding the windows and appearing to circle around Gray like a hungry animal, tending to Gray's wounds and not letting anyone else help.

"Grey, he was crazy, he fought like an animal," Seth was still telling Ben how everything had gone and must have read Ben's thoughts on his own behavior because he literally described himself and the others like a pack of wolves.

Only Gray seemed to be his leader at the moment. Now it got louder again, but not alarmingly loud, but rather cheerful.

The two troops that had been out to get food and technical supplies returned. They were all carrying heavy bags or filled backpacks and turned the corner into the living room, hooting, before falling silent in shock. Yara immediately jumped to Seth's side and wanted to help him take care of Gray, but he blocked her and pushed her aside a little harshly. Aiden, who had just come in with her and had seen her on the tour, defended her:

"Hey, I thought she was your friend and besides she was an absolute hit on the tour, could treat her a little better dude".

Seth replied, "Sorry, it's been a hard day."

That was all he could say at the moment and Yara looked at him a little disappointed and went into the kitchen with Aiden and then others to put away the groceries.

Seth sat next to Gray, who was now asleep but looked better after washing all the blood off him.

had. Seth sat next to him and just looked at him. Then he stood up and stroked Gray's hair as he passed. At the same moment Nika came around the corner. She came close to Seth and whispered to him:

"If you're not clear about your feelings yet, don't do it or figure out what you want quickly, Gray is one of my longest friends and I'll kill you if you hurt him."

She looked at him belligerently but at the same moment she laughed and said:

"You don't know yet, do you?"

Seth looked at her cluelessly: "What should I know and what nonsense are you talking about?"

"Take another look at Gray and then go to Yara and when you're clear about it you can take the little one for a walk."

Seth looked over at the sofa and knew at that moment what she wanted from him but he was so surprised himself, how was he supposed to figure it out so quickly, he secretly asked himself.

He first went to Ben and they sat down at the table with Nika to talk about the attack with the Familiars. For now, Seth wanted to suppress what was going on inside him. He told how they had been surprised there in the pharmacy and how hard they had to fight to leave these machine people behind. They had expected one of them to show up there. But they obviously weren't prepared for who showed up instead, otherwise there wouldn't have been just two of those horrible figures hanging around.

"Grey was great, we're well trained, but he's got a lot more on him and incredible strength. He took on one familiar while the rest of us were busy with the other."

"Thanks for the praise, Sethy," Gray looked fine again, he seemed to have recovered and was just coming through the door when Seth was talking about him.

He put his hand on Seth's shoulder.

Seth actually blushed, Ben could hardly believe his eyes and looked over at Nika, who gave him a knowing wink.

"But you weren't bad either Sexy…uh…Sethy, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten out of there and so we were even able to save the prey".

Yara came along with the others and already had food for everyone. They set the table and Yara grabbed Seth's hand and started to walk back and forth while she held on and he followed her and listened to what she had to say about the day's experiences.

Gray looked at the two of them for a few minutes, grabbed a sandwich and went to the couch to rest a bit. Seth watched him go out of the corner of his eye and then turned his attention back to Yara. But he only half listened to her, was a little absent, and then sat down at the table with everyone and ate his meal in silence. Then he stood up and helped clean up in silence. He was still working in the kitchen when most people were slowly rubbing their eyes and the excitement of the day was making everyone tired. The first ones were just setting up their sleeping places. Some rolled out mats in the hallway, others disappeared into the small rooms of the apartment. Nika, Ben and Yara were still sitting at the kitchen table. Seth pulled one of the stolen beer bottles out of the fridge and opened it. Yara looked at him:

"Don't you want to go to sleep yet?"

"No, I'm still a little shaken up from that day and my ribs are throbbing from the beating I took, I still have to process that a bit."

Yara also said goodbye and slipped into her sleeping bag, which she had already rolled out near Nika's room. Ben and Nika went into Nika's room together but the thin beam of light under the door revealed that the two hadn't gone to sleep straight away. Seth was sitting there looking into the darkness of the kitchen, staring ahead and lost in thought when someone tapped him. He spun around, stood straight on his feet and at that moment looked into bright blue eyes. Grey, had gotten up from the couch and was now standing directly in front of him. Seth's stomach clenched and he stuttered something about beer and sitting down together. Gray grinned and got himself a beer too. He opened it and held it in front of Seth to toast, sat down next to him and asked:

"Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Seth began to talk. About his childhood, the coaches, the letters with instructions and the letters from the coaches after they left. Gray sat quietly and just listened. Seth then talked about his father and noticed that he was overcome with sadness. He couldn't hold back the tears. Gray grabbed his hand and looked him straight in the eyes, leaned over and kissed him. First a quick kiss on the cheek, then directly on the lips and Seth returned the kiss. At that moment the light came on. The two of them spun apart, with Seth knocking over his beer bottle and making a huge racket.

Boaz stood before them. He looked from one to the other, took a glass of water and disappeared again.

"Damn, he got his hopes up and is sure to tell your girlfriend."

Seth looked at Gray in horror.

"That's not possible yet, please talk to him, I can't do it, give me some time to deal with it."

Gray went out to Boaz and began to speak to him quietly. Boaz nodded and Gray nodded to Seth. But Seth didn't know what to do anymore and went into the living room. He didn't want to go to Yara now, she was already asleep exhausted and he postponed this decision and the conversation until the next day. He stretched out on the sofa and fell asleep surprisingly quickly. However, he dreamed crazy things. The death of his father in particular upset him. But in the middle of the night he felt warm and calmed down.

Early in the morning, at dusk, someone started singing in the kitchen. The voices joined in from all corners of the apartment, Ben and Nika woke up first and Ben remembered it was Seth's birthday! He jumped up, Nika followed him and they discovered Yara in the kitchen who was putting the cake she had bought yesterday on the table. She had just lit a candle:

"Where did Seth lie down last night?"

Boaz replied, "Perhaps he had one beer too many and couldn't find you again."

Ben was surprised at the sarcastic undertone, but when they came around the corner into the living room with the candle and he saw Seth lying there, and with whom, he quickly jumped a step to the side and sang twice as loudly as before. Seth woke up with Gray next to him, both of them close together on the sofa. With a skillful jump he was quickly at the other end of the sofa and Ben stepped aside to make room for Yara. Yara hadn't seen anything. She went straight to Seth, kissed him, congratulated him and he accepted all the congratulations with some embarrassment. Gray lay on the sofa and watched the spectacle. When Seth got up and headed towards the kitchen at Yara's request, Ben came over, hugged him and congratulated him. He couldn't help it:

"Dude, what was that," he said.

Seth shrugged. He now knew how he had come to rest that night, the warmth, the strength that he had felt, that had absorbed him so much. But he still couldn't deal with it, especially since the whole thing hadn't even been in his head for 24 hours. He went into the kitchen, choosing to celebrate rather than think about his feelings at that moment. In the kitchen there was a small piece of cake for everyone in the group, a capsule of tryptophan for all Y2ers, a glass of milk and a candle on the table. Lovingly and quite unexpectedly prepared at home by Yara, which you didn't expect when you looked at her appearance. As usual, she wore a short skirt and a tight top, probably previously high heels, but at the moment she wore sneakers that were appropriate to the situation, but they still came across as more chic than sporty. She must really care about Seth. Ben was a little worried about what was going on with Seth, but he actually knew that there was still a lot that needed to be sorted out soon. Yara, however, didn't seem to suspect anything yet and stood at the table full of joy and sang the birthday song again with the others. They all sat down to breakfast together and everyone looked happy. This is what it must feel like in a big family. Ben looked around and his gaze stopped on Nika. At that moment he decided to do everything he could to continue to be there for this surrogate family when Oliver came around the corner excitedly.

"Hey you two, there's someone online for you."

Seth and Ben looked at each other confused, then Ben knew what it was about. The computer room! He jumped up and Seth followed him. Seth hadn't seen this room yet, Ben remembered. He had actually wanted to tell him about it first but yesterday it was lost in all the excitement. When Ben opened the door, Seth was amazed, it was a kind of paradise for him. They saw Joshua on the big screen and were happy to finally see the big dog man again.

"Joshua found someone."

He moved aside and cleared the space. A very handsome man came into the picture.

"Hey, happy birthday Seth," that was the first thing he said, surprising both of them a bit.

Seth thanked him politely, because he had an idea, but wasn't sure who he was looking at yet.

"I'm Alec."

Both boys were happy. They finally saw their supposed godfather for the first time. They had so many questions. However, Alec quickly spoke up and in his very direct way he made it clear to the two of them that they didn't have much time to talk because he didn't know how secure this line was. He said they should send someone to meet him and show him to their apartment. He would get the information from Joshua and they should proceed very carefully. Under no circumstances should they come to the meeting point themselves because the surveillance had been omnipresent since he had taken them away. The Familiars knew he had something to do with it. He was very happy to see them both. As he said goodbye, he looked at Ben and there was something questioning in his eyes, as if he had an inkling that he himself still had to understand. With that he ended the connection.

Seth looked at Oliver.

"Do you already have a plan on how to arrange this meeting?"

Oliver had actually already thought about it because he was sitting here in the best place to be able to watch all the surveillance cameras and yesterday he had already thought of a way where Alec could best be smuggled in without being seen. Ben turned around and went to the others to find volunteers for this task. Seth was transfixed by Oliver's computer unit.

"Can we talk about a project soon that I've had in mind for a while?"

Oliver nodded and at the same moment he called for Carson and Madison.

"Bring the technology stuff you brought with you yesterday."

The two of them and Oliver had already suspected that Seth was up to something. They had heard who his father had been and knew of his connection to Eyes Only. What they didn't know was that he had been "Eyes Only." Madison and Carson brought some parts that looked a bit shot, and maybe they were, but for Oliver there was hardly any type of technology that he couldn't get working and when he got stuck he contacted Luke and Dix in Terminal City. If the two of them couldn't get something to work, no one could actually do it anymore. Oliver sent them back to the others and closed the door.

"Well, if you want to start something here, we'll keep it under wraps. What do you imagine?"

Seth looked around, not sure if he dared say out loud what he wanted to do.

He looked at Oliver:

"Can you keep absolutely tight-lipped even if Nika or Ben ask questions?"

"I don't know if I can do it with Nika, but I can do it with all the others without any problems."

"Then pull yourself together, I can do it with my brother and you can do it with Nika from now on, leader or not, that could be life-threatening if she finds out."

Oliver understood and nodded. That was the deal and Seth got started. He told Oliver exactly what he wanted to do and how he wanted to implement it.

"We still have one problem: we need a few things to be able to feed into the public network without being tracked. I'll put our technical team on the parts."

So it was decided, Oliver helped Seth bring the legacy of "Eyes Only" back from obscurity.

Seth had written down all the information he needed in his notes, collected articles, and learned the technical details of bringing such a stream online. He had even practiced secretly once and played a little cartoon for the entire community in Maple Falls. At the time, everyone including Ben thought it was a joke from the TV station, but Seth had passed his dress rehearsal. He gave Oliver his hand and the two agreed to sit together every evening from now on and work on getting this project online.

When they left the room, Gray was sitting on the sofa, trying to renew one of the bandages on his flank. Seth asked if he could help but all he got was a quite short answer:

"You probably helped Oli just enough."

He pulled the bandage a little roughly himself and then decided to simply put the shirt on and stretch out provocatively on the sofa again. At first, Seth didn't know what the sarcastic undertone was about until Oliver reacted.

"Oliver, not Oli and you know full well that I won't get in your way. Just because I haven't had a girlfriend in ages doesn't mean I'm changing shores."

Jealousy! For heaven's sake! Seth didn't know what to say to that. He still hadn't thought about what he wanted and felt, he was still confused and unsure of his feelings. So he ignored the whole thing and changed the subject:

"We should make the plan how to meet Alec and when".

He left it like that for the time being and then immediately called everyone together to discuss in a large group. Little by little everyone trickled in and Oliver told them what Alec had told them. A lot of ideas came together straight away and they collected and sorted eagerly. No final plan had yet been reached, but the suggestions and counterarguments slowly brought structure to the considerations. Ben had already assigned groups to carry it out and Oliver had come up with the plan for monitoring and coordination from here. He had been trying to organize and repair radios and cell phones for everyone in the group for some time. He now proudly presented his work and from now on everyone had the opportunity to exchange ideas with him at the headquarters. Now all that was left to do was transmit the meeting point where Alec would meet the first group. The plan was now set and should be implemented in the next few days as soon as Terminal City gave the green light. It was approaching evening so Nika sent Aiden and Jade to kitchen duty to prepare dinner. Gray stood up and came forward to support the two. As Seth was about to get up, Boaz leaned on his shoulder and pushed him back onto the sofa to take over the duties in his place. Gray looked at Seth invitingly, but he was so overwhelmed that he stayed put and didn't move. He didn't want to cause a stir either because he was too confused and Yara was still officially his girlfriend. At the moment it was just right for him to leave it like that for now. Boaz grinned at Gray and with a nod to Seth he couldn't resist saying:

"The stakes are weak, don't you think Gray?"

At the same moment Seth jumped up, Boaz couldn't duck quickly enough and took a good blow. At least one violet had already been distributed, but when Boas started to counterattack, everyone in the group jumped up, grabbed the two fighting cocks and pulled them apart.

"Everyone in a different room," Nika ordered spontaneously and glared at the two of them punitively.

Seth and Boaz looked down, already ashamed of this outburst. Seth especially, because Yara looked like she had become suspicious this time. However, when he took a step in her direction, she backed away and went towards the front door.

"Wait, it's getting dark soon, you can't run away," Seth grabbed a jacket and went after her.

She wouldn't let herself be stopped, he knew that and he also knew her stubbornness, so he let her go ahead and initially followed her at a distance out into the alleys. It didn't take as long as he thought before she stopped and he was able to catch up. He then walked next to her for a while but then gathered up all his courage and took her hand, pulled her to a small wall at the edge of a park and sat down. She sat down next to him, somewhat reluctantly.

"I don't know what's wrong Yara, it just happened. I really like you but…"

"But what? "You didn't have to play along."

"I didn't play anything. The whole thing only really came to a head recently and I couldn't control it, it just happened."

"Didn't you already know and just screwed me over and took advantage of my help with the information and files?"

"What are you talking about, of course not, you're great and it's really only been an issue for me since yesterday."

"What was yesterday?"

"Gray and I were talking over a beer in the kitchen and…"

He paused, knowing he was hurting her the moment he said it out loud:

"…and he kissed me".

She looked at him disappointed.

"And in the morning you still let me sing and walk around like a lovesick fool"?

"I thought it would happen again."

"What would happen, you actually don't understand it, you like men!"

When she said that out loud, Seth felt a chill, he had no idea what to do. He had just heard it out loud for the first time, he hadn't even dared to think about it and he was insecure and very vulnerable at that moment.

Yara leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. She looked at him and then took him in her arms.

"You actually didn't know until just now, did you?"

His look must have told her. He shook his head and looked down. Yara stood up and grabbed his chin to catch his gaze.

"It's okay Seth, I'm sad but I see how much it's still bothering you."

Seth was incredibly happy with how she handled it because he needed someone to explain his feelings to him at the moment, he himself had no idea how to sort it all out. They sat there for a while and talked. Yara told him that she had always had some feeling that the relationship between them was more platonic than she wished. The passion was missing, it was just a friendship and not a relationship. Seth talked again about the evening when he opened the beer and how it felt to be kissed by a man for the first time. He now told her about the restless night, the dreams about his father and the warmth that had brought him to rest and in the morning he discovered that Gray had simply laid down next to him. He talked and talked and she listened to him.

"Now I understand you, Seth, we can continue to be good friends, I support you and you have someone you can confide in. I also need someone I can trust."

Seth nodded and pulled her up from the wall and placed her in front of him, he gave her a brotherly kiss on the forehead and gave her his hand to go back to the apartment. They walked back through the winding streets hand in hand like a couple but with the awareness that they were simply there for each other as friends. Up in the apartment, Oliver and Boaz sat in front of the surveillance and saw the two return together. Just before they reached the door, Yara pulled Seth to her again and kissed him one last time, a kiss goodbye and a new beginning of a friendship. Then they went up to the others. Ben came up to her and wanted to know what had actually happened.

"I'll explain it to you when I know it myself, but I have to talk to Gray first."

Seth walked past him and Yara held Ben's arm back.

"Let him. He's not ready yet."

Ben looked at her in surprise, she just shrugged her shoulders and let Seth do his thing.

Seth looked around to see where Gray was. He spotted him just coming out of the computer room. When Gray saw Seth, his expression darkened and he rushed past him without saying a word. Boaz came around the corner next and Seth suspected what was going on. He just glanced around the corner at the screen and saw the still image of him and Yara kissing in front of the door. He looked at Boaz, who grinned maliciously, but he didn't have time for that now, the second time that evening he heard someone open the apartment door and the second time he set out to run after them.