"So, you told Alena about the mission?" Aiden finally said.

He and Zariah were walking along the perimeter of Second Unit headquarters. They'd decided that the weather was ideal enough for them to talk outside, where Aiden liked it the most. Outside headquarters, Creatan was gradually transitioning into the typical spring weather. The bitter cold of winter was beginning to cease, allowing for rain and occasional sunny days to shine through. Aiden disliked winter, but was rather fond of spring. Today, the clouds parted to reveal timid rays of sunlight, and the climate was rather mild. It was a nice day for a walk, and at least he would get to enjoy it with company.

Zariah shrugged. "She asked. Sorry she freaked out on you like that. I didn't think she would."

"It's fine," Aiden replied. They walked forward a few paces in silence, absorbing the smell of fresh rainfall and the sight of the industrial-like headquarters building.

"She really cares for you, you know. Like a son," Zariah added. "She lost hers a long time ago. You remind her of him."

Aiden furrowed his brow. "I never knew Alena had a son."

"She did, long before we were even inducted into the Program. He died from one of the plagues in a nearby city," Zariah elaborated. "She talks about you often. You're her favorite."

"I've known her since I became a part of Second Unit," Aiden murmured. "She was my mentor. I would probably be dead by now if it weren't for her training."

"And your own resourcefulness," Zariah put in. "Don't underestimate yourself."

Aiden nodded. "Right."

More silence followed them as they turned a corner and onto the back side of headquarters.

"What are you thinking?" Aiden thought aloud. Zariah gave him a quizzical look.

"Nothing," she responded. "I'm just scanning the horizon." 

"No, but it's more than that," Aiden persisted. "It's always more. You're full of so many secrets."

Zariah pursed her lips and didn't say anything. She paused before answering. "I could say the same thing about you. You're just as equally reserved, resilient." 

"What happened in Fifth Unit, Zariah?" Aiden asked quietly. "Why did you get Transferred to Second Unit?"

Aiden waited patiently for her reply. After a few moments, Zariah finally spoke.

"I don't know, Aiden," she sighed. "Maybe I'm just a test subject of the Program or they're trying to get rid of me. Maybe they're doing this with a subject from every Unit. Who knows? I don't." She took a deep breath. "I'm here to do my duty as a soldier of the Program. I took my Test when I was ten, and I passed. I worked hard, I trained harder. I was good. Haven't I earned your trust by now, after all we've been through in the past few months?"

He'd sounded like an asshole without intending to. Aiden had never really thought about how Zariah must have felt, leaving everything behind the way she did. He'd felt only the sense that he had to protect her, from things he didn't quite understand yet. Then again, did she even really need protection? Everyone did, just a little bit, Aiden had determined. He still couldn't shake the feeling that Zariah was still harboring multitudes of secrets that she was unable to share. She hadn't shed her armor; not even a little bit.

"I'm sorry," Aiden said, looking at her carefully. "Of course I trust you, Zariah. You've saved my sorry ass plenty of times now. I just... want to look out for you."

Zariah eyes wandered away from his gaze. "I appreciate it. Thank you."

Aiden managed a friendly smile. "You look really beautiful, by the way. You always do. Just in case no one told you."

Zariah turned away. Was she... blushing? "Thanks, Aiden. You're a really good guy."

They traveled along the perimeter in silence after that. No more chatter, no more questions. After another ten minutes or so, they reached a door opening into the Foyer, and pushed through it. They were greeted by the sound of soldiers chattering away to one another, the smell of food emanating from the dining hall, and the sight of hundreds of soldiers passing through headquarters. 

"It's lunch time," Aiden remarked. "About time, too. I'm starving."

"Same here," Zariah agreed. "Should we meet the others at the dining hall?"

"Sounds good to me," Aiden nodded. Together, he and Zariah followed the smell of stew to Virgil, Rania and the others, anticipating a normal lunch full of their usual jokes and small talk.

His walk with Zariah had left him relatively relaxed, but had only temporarily kept his thoughts at bay. His weariness began to creep back into him, threatening to suffocate all the good in his life and all the people he held dear to him. Things were changing. The Program was reforming itself. Death and destruction had left a giant hole in what was once the purity of the nation, and Aiden didn't have a clue who was obligated to keep it together anymore.

***

"I'm telling you, there's got to be some kind of conspiracy behind it," Virgil insisted.

"You're crazy. There's no conspiracy behind who gets promoted and who doesn't," Jayda snorted. "You do a good job, you get rewarded for it. What more do you want?"

"How did Eden Kaori, of all people, get promoted to Lieutenant in the first place?" Virgil pointed out. "She doesn't do jack shit. I don't think I've ever seen her go on a single mission other than Consignment Days, and unless you're us, you can hardly consider those to be a mission to begin with."

Theo shook his head. "Xylem has his ways. Isn't that the point of visiting the Units? To check up on our progress and see who should be reappointed to different positions?" 

"Yes, but come on, Theo. You saw how badly Zariah kicked Eden's ass during training. Was Eden's performance really worth a Lieutenant ranking?" Virgil argued.

Aiden, Virgil, Zariah, Rania, Theo and Jayda were all gathered at their dining hall table for their daily lunchtime conversation. Aiden had already polished off his bowl of beef stew, while Rania, Zariah and Theo were still working away. 

"Lighten up, Virgil. Just because she's got a high rank doesn't mean she's respected." Zariah took a bite of her meal. "But hopefully I knocked her ego down a few levels."

"Hopefully," Aiden agreed. "If we're being honest, though, I'm with Virgil on this one. The girl needs to know when to quit." Virgil whooped, giving Aiden a high-five. Aiden grinned.

"Speaking of Eden," Rania piped up. "I heard that she's still royally pissed at Zariah from the fight a few months ago. She might be planning something." 

Virgil stared at Rania in amazement. "Seriously, where do you hear all this stuff? First Xylem's mission, now this? You've got to get me in on your sources!"

Rania smiled. "I know people. Privates, particularly. We're good for 'accidentally' hearing things."

Zariah took another bite of her stew. "Well, if she tries anything, I'll be ready. And this time, I might not let her off so easily."

"Whoa, whoa. Let's not get too carried away," Jayda started. "She's still a soldier of Second Unit, no matter how much we dislike her. Let's try not to kill anybody."

"Alright," Virgil grumbled. "I'm still betting on Zariah, though." Zariah smiled.

"It's almost thirteen-hundred hours," Theo looked up at the dining hall clock. Jayda started stacking everyone's lunch trays. 

"That's it, then. What are your schedules for the rest of the day?" Jayda asked.

"I've got training," Aiden replied, adding his tray to the growing pile. "Followed by a patrol, and then dinner."

"Me too," Zariah said, glancing at Aiden. "Looks like we're spending the rest of the day together."

Rania shifted in her seat, shooting Zariah a sideways glare. "I'm on Colonel Asphodel's squadron. She's gonna make us do drills."

"I have to take inventory," Virgil groaned. "You know, explosives are a lot less fun when you don't get to use them." He seemed to realize the weight of his comment, and promptly shut his mouth before anyone could tell him otherwise.

"I'm working in the hangar. There are a few planes that need repair work," Theo's eyes glimmered with excitement. "Maybe even some helicopters too."

Jayda kissed Theo on the cheek. "Good luck, babe. If anyone knows aircraft, it's you."

"What about you, Jay?" Virgil inquired, drumming his fingers on the table.

Jayda smirked. "The Officials gave me the rest of the day off. They're considering giving me a promotion for my work on the drug bust."

Aiden's eyes widened. "That's great, Jay! We're happy for you!"

Virgil froze. "Oh... so my comment on how they hand out promotions...?"

Jayda gave him a pointed look, while the others fought to suppress their laughter.

"I'm really sorry, Jay, I didn't mean it like that," Virgil apologized quickly. "We all know you could kick mine or Eden's butts any day of the week."

"Mhm," Jayda waved dismissively. "It's fine, Virgil. You don't have to apologize." Virgil sighed in relief. 

"We'd all better get moving, then." Aiden stood up from the table and glanced at Zariah. "Shall we get going?"

She nodded. "Sure. Let's go."

"Virgil, wanna join us? The armory's on the way." Aiden turned to his best friend, who immediately jumped to his feet.

"I'm down. See you infers later," Virgil cheered, waltzing out of the dining hall with Aiden and Zariah not far behind him. Even as Aiden left, he could still feel Rania's eyes drilling into the back of his head. Rania's jealousy was more than evident to him at this point, but Aiden couldn't help it. It wasn't his fault that Zariah had gotten the same schedule as he did. Besides, Rania had nothing to worry about. He didn't have any feelings for Zariah. They were strictly friends. Weren't they?

Aiden thought about all the times Rania had made his heart run a mile. There were plenty of times, he decided. He looked back on recent memories; how pretty Rania looked when they'd talked after he'd returned from Oslua City, all their shared conversations in the dining hall... that had meant something, hadn't it? He cared about Rania. He had to. All the signs pointed to them being together. 

But part of him hesitated. There seemed to be a giant disconnect in how his feelings linked together when it came to Rania. She was perfect for him. A few years younger, yes, but very mature for her age. They complimented each other well, and had known each other for years now. And yet, something was missing. He pushed himself towards the happiness that Rania would offer him, but his heart seemed to refuse. It was if his brain was pulling him in one direction, and his heart was pulling him in another. But if he didn't have any feelings for Rania, then who else might he have feelings for?

"Aiden?"

Aiden snapped out of his thoughts, finding himself beside Zariah outside the training centre. Virgil was gone, locked away in the armory for the rest of the day. At least Aiden would get to enjoy some silence. He looked at Zariah, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Sorry," he said hastily. "I was just lost in thought."

"It's okay," Zariah replied. "It happens to me a lot too. Thinking about Rania?"

"Sort of," Aiden answered. "How'd you know?"

"I saw that look she gave me when we found out we had the same schedules," Zariah explained. "So did you. She didn't exactly make it subtle. Still haven't made anything official yet, have you?"

"No," Aiden admitted. "I'm just... unsure of some things still."

Zariah paused, as if thinking about something, then immediately shook her head. "Well, you'd better figure it out quickly. You never keep a girl waiting."

"Right. Of course," Aiden stammered. "So, uh, shall we start training?"

"We?" Zariah glanced at him skeptically. "I didn't know you wanted to train together."

"Oh, uh... we don't have to if you don't want to," Aiden responded quickly. "I just said that because Virgil and I usually spar together. Sorry."

Zariah laughed. It was a beautiful, odd thing. Aiden was a bit taken aback. He hadn't really heard her laugh before. Her voice rang out across the training centre, a brilliant smile plastered across Zariah's face.

"Holy shit, Aiden. I promise, I'm not going to bite you. Come on, let's train. What do you want to start with? Sparring?"

"I'm just not really the best around girls," Aiden confessed. "You'd think otherwise, since I hang around Virgil."

"Virgil's too cocky for his own good. Come on, you've grown up with the girls here. Well, except for me. But still, there's nothing to be afraid of."

"I guess so," Aiden gave in, embarrassed. "There's an empty mat over there."

Aiden and Zariah walked towards the mat, dropping their belongings off along the side of it and establishing their training space. Together they positioned themselves on the mat, their fists raised in a ready position.

He allowed himself to open up to Zariah and feel comfortable around her. If he showed her that he had nothing to hide, maybe she would show him the same courtesy. Zariah seemed to pick up on this, and matched him for behavior. "They teach every Unit slightly varied methods of fighting," Aiden assessed, observing Zariah's unique stance. "Why don't I teach you our methods here in Second Unit, and you teach me yours from Fifth?" 

"Sounds good," Zariah nodded appreciatively. "I'll go first."

They spent the next few hours analyzing each other's styles and correcting one another on their different techniques. Zariah, as it turned out, was especially agile, and could dodge Aiden's moves faster than he could throw them. Aiden turned out to be particularly skilled in maneuvering through his opponent's actions and establishing control over the fight. They took turns demonstrating different movements, both offensive and defensive. They practiced with weapons and without weapons, both of them absorbing and adjusting their postures according to the other's constructive comments. Aiden was so busy training with Zariah, he hadn't even noticed the time. He had enjoyed the past few hours they'd spent together. Zariah was a good teacher; never overly critical, and always willing to demonstrate a second time. They were both fast learners, which made them an optimal team. Aiden was drenched in sweat by the time their three hours were up, and nearly depleted of his energy. 

"We may not have thought this through completely," Aiden panted. "We've still got a whole two hours of patrolling to do."

 Zariah cracked an exhausted grin. "Yeah, maybe not. It was a good session though," Zariah stretched, taking a long swig of water from her canteen. "When does our patrol start?"

"A half hour, it looks like." Aiden checked the small card tucked away in his pocket. "That gives us enough time to take a five minute shower, change, and meet up with the others. We're just patrolling the outer perimeter, right?" 

"Right," Zariah confirmed. "Who's on our patrol?"

"Not sure," Aiden mumbled to himself absently. "I heard rumor that Kerian Earnest is joining us, though. She's a good soldier, but I don't know her that well. Maddox might be with us, though, and more of Eden's idiots."

"Aren't they wonderful?" Zariah muttered sarcastically. "We should get ready. Meet you in the Foyer?"

"Yup. Don't get into any trouble on the way there," Aiden teased.

"I won't," Zariah grinned. "Although, I think I'm in good condition to handle myself now." 

The two of them packed up their gear before exiting the training centre and heading in the direction of their bunks. 

After a brief shower, Aiden met Zariah in the Foyer as promised. The two of them were later joined by Kerian Earnest, Maddox, and three other soldiers Aiden didn't know. He recognized them from the infers' table; where the soldiers who were considered to be background noise in Second Unit sat. None of them carried very high ranks with them, and few had ever been on serious missions before. The patrol went pretty much exactly as Aiden had anticipated. Zariah and Aiden stuck together, avoiding the shadow of Maddox, and they circled the outer rim of headquarters, surveying the borders. Aiden's gun was positioned firmly against his chest. They were precautionary, of course, but Aiden knew better than to expect any action. The patrols were meant to keep any curious civilians away from headquarters, dividing the Unit from the rest of the cities. The cities not far away from Second Unit knew better than to trespass onto government property. It wasn't worth being riddled with bullets, after all. The Program came to the people; not the other way around. Aiden was beginning to hate the way the system worked.

After the patrol, he and Zariah joined their friends in the dining hall for dinner. They caught up on what everyone had done during the day, told stories and jokes, and eventually scattered to get some much-needed rest. Aiden bid his friends goodnight, and ducked into his bunk to retire. He changed into his night clothes before diving under the warmth of his bed sheets and resting his head on the pillow, and staring up at the ceiling. He was growing drowsier and drowsier by the minute. It had been a good, productive day. He couldn't get the image of him and Zariah training together out of his mind. He had sincerely liked spending time with her. It made everything regarding Rania all the more confusing, and Aiden was too tired to comprehend it all. He allowed himself to close his eyes, and fall asleep. 

He didn't know how long he'd been sleeping before the sound of a struggle stirred him from his slumber.