There wasn't much else to do in the bunker once routine became the same day in and day out. Not that Alex had fooled herself into thinking their time spent underground would be an amusement park, but she had thought the sensory rooms or training would be enough for her. 

As it turned out, Alex's mind could only be preoccupied so much before she felt like she needed to fill her spare moments with even more to keep her thoughts from spiraling even further.

It felt like they were in the city again. Barricaded in their apartment, watching the world go on without her outside the window. Only, in the bunker, she couldn't see much of the world. Alex felt trapped.

To fill her time and vicariously live through those able to go outside, Alex talked with the others in the bunker. Brief exchanges at breakfast, short conversations in the training room, and passing greetings in the hall. She was getting intel of her own.

Greg proved to be a loose lipped ally. Alex found out as much when she chose him as her target for the most information. Unlike his more recluse counterpart, Daniel, Greg's eyes always watched everyone around him as if searching, waiting for someone to initiate a conversation with him. He never did it himself, and no one ever approached him, either. Why, Alex wasn't so sure. Greg wasn't a complete bore. He just stood off to the side and observed a bit too much.

When he wasn't with Daniel, Greg looked like a lost puppy. Half of a whole, wandering around the bunker without a place to go. That was when Alex would talk to him. Greg liked to talk about missions and ventures he and the others would go on. They would take convoys out into the Wildlands to search for supplies or follow leads for Designations.

Alex longed to go with them, if only to see the sunlight for a few minutes. She had forgotten what it felt like. The sensory rooms were realistic, but they weren't the real thing.

 "I'm going to go crazy in here," Alex complained to Ace on a day just like any other. She pretended that her companion wasn't munching away on a sad-looking burger like it was the best meal he had ever had.

Ace wiped away crumbs from the corner of his mouth. "It's not like we're going to be here forever. They have intel on a Center and possibly other people like us. Edric said-"

"Edric said we'd be leaving in a week three weeks ago for a training run," Alex interrupted. She pushed away her own plate of food in disgust, having barely taken a bite of the tasteless burger.

Without hesitation, Ace took the food from her plate and slapped it onto his own. It was a wonder he hadn't gained thirty pounds during their stay in the bunker. 

"We just need to train some more here before going out there. He has a plan," Ace said.

"Does he?" Alex asked.

She was cautious to trust that Edric had any idea what he was really doing. The man had a great poker face. He could be making up everything on the spot and the others would just fall in line to follow him. She had put her faith in him at the start, but her trust in his words waned.

The only person she could depend on was Cicero, and she wasn't even sure there was a one-hundred percent guarantee he deserved it.

 "What are you guys talking about?" Cicero's ears must have been ringing.

Alex turned her head, eyes falling on her Keeper. He looked concerned at her obvious cabin-fever. She sighed, regretting her thoughts.

It was so hard to be mad at him, no matter how much she wanted to be. Cicero was no more dangerous than a puppy to her.

 "I need to get out of here," Alex admitted. But a fact she wouldn't admit, was that she needed to see the proof herself. That the Wildlands were real, and Cicero had lied to her.

"Well, we could go train if you want," Cicero offered, but Alex shook her head as soon as he started talking.

"No, I mean, out of here." Her hands gestured around the entire room. "Greg said they're going out for a supply run later today. That can't be too bad, right? You know how good I am at finding things," Alex nearly pleaded.

Cicero looked between Alex and Ace. His expression was unreadable. She could almost hear the gears turning in his head.

At least he didn't immediately say no—that was a good sign.

 "I'll see what I can do," he finally said.

Alex's jaw dropped, words screeching to a halt in her throat. Wait, what?

Cicero tucked his hands in his pockets and turned to leave the dining hall. "I'll see," he said back over his shoulder.

 Looking over at Ace in disbelief, she saw how shocked he was, too.

"No way he just said that." Ace dropped his food back to his plate and shook his head over and over. "No way. I think they've done something to your Keeper. Switched his brain out with someone else's."

An uncontrollable smile tugged at the corners of Alex's lips. Disbelief turned to excitement. 

"I'm going to get to go outside!" she exclaimed.

"Now, hold on-"

"You know better than anyone else how persuasive he can be. He's going to get me on that supply run," Alex said. "I'm not as weak as I was before, either. They'll see that. I've bested Daniel and Greg in the training room before. They're right hand guys to Edric, and I've beaten them at something."

Ace drew a deep breath. "You shouldn't get your hopes up. Edric's a tough son of a bitch, too. Those two butting heads about something will never end well."

A twitch broke down the smile on her face. She knew how stubborn Edric could be. In his eyes, they were all children. He would never agree to let her go out on the supply run. And if Cicero pushed too hard, their stay would prolong even further.

 Minutes passed in eager anticipation. Every time the doors to the dining hall opened, Alex looked over hoping to see Cicero. Each time it disappointed her to see someone else.

Rollo wandered in after awhile, taking her seat next to Ace. She plucked a burger off his plate and started eating it.

"What's with that look?" Rollo asked through a mouthful of food. Their resemblance in that moment was uncanny.

 "Cicero's going to try to get her on a supply run," Ace replied.

Rollo nearly choked on her food, spitting out a piece into hand. She placed the half-chewed mess onto Ace's plate and leaned forward, eyes wide. 

"No way he'd do that. They definitely did something to him," Rollo managed through a cough.

 "That's what I said!" Ace blurted out, leaning forward to keep the conversation between the three of them. "It's taking too long, he's probably getting his ass beat by Edric." Alex raised a brow at him. "Well, maybe they're kicking each other's asses. I'm not sure yet which one we've decided is scarier."

All three of their heads turned simultaneously when the door opened again, this time with Cicero making his grand entrance. He seemed pleased with himself and poorly attempted to hide a smile.

Alex stood, nearly causing the chair to fly back over onto its side. Cicero looked over to Rollo and Ace, and both stood up just as loudly.

"All of us?" Rollo asked. Cicero nodded his head.

"Hell yeah! See, I knew he was the scarier one," Ace said.

-