The atmosphere of Second Unit headquarters was busy as Aiden walked around, surveying the last minute preparations for the battle against Eskium. Every remaining soldier was on high alert, working busily to take inventory on food, weapons and supplies for the cities.

The clock was ticking, and everyone in the Unit knew it. With soldiers being sent off into the cities at steady rates, their numbers were slowly decreasing within the Units, leaving them with even more work to do. As they worked, more Eskium soldiers reached their borders, and the more nervous Aiden became.

It had been two days since Xylem's death and Orion's promise of war. That left just under twenty-four hours to finalize all the details of their plan. He, Theo, Virgil, Zariah, Roman and the other Unit representatives had all been working tirelessly to ensure that everything was covered, from aircraft to naval teams to civilian evacuation. Almost every able-bodied rebel had joined the cause, escorting families to underground bunkers in order to keep them off the streets. Surprisingly, even regular civilians, men and women, had chosen to take up arms, leaving their children in the care of fellow loved ones. The people and the Program were more united than ever.

Roman had left for Oslua just a few hours prior, leaving Second Unit especially vacant. Virgil may not have minded, but Aiden felt his absence with a pang of sadness. The two young men had bonded over the last few days, Roman providing him with more information on Rhiannon and Micah, and Aiden telling him about his life in the Program. While Roman could in no way fulfill Virgil's place as Aiden's best friend, he appreciated Roman's insights and company. He valued understanding multiple perspectives on the realities of Creatan, rather than basing all of his opinions on only one. How else would he better the country if he didn't have an advocate for the civilians? Aiden had been a soldier longer than he'd been a mere citizen of Creatan. Roman's suggestion were of high meaning to him.

Aiden continued down the hallway to the Foyer. Outside, the weather was cold and harsh, ugly dark gray clouds promising heavy rainfall. He pictured hundreds of enemy aircraft dotting the sky, the horizon alight with fire and the echoing patter of gunshots...

"Aiden?"

He spun around, finding himself face to face with Zariah. "Hey, sorry," he quickly apologized. "I was just thinking about tomorrow."

Zariah shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I've been doing the same thing all day." She looked out the window where Aiden had just been staring out of, and Aiden couldn't help but wonder what her blue eyes were thinking. Had she pictured the same scene as Aiden had?

"So, Roman left this morning?" Zariah asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah. Cain took him to Oslua. Apparently they both made it there safely," Aiden told her. "I told Cain to stay there and get the pilots in order."

"Good plan. The decoy aircraft and the supply aircraft also made it to the cities intact. Theo sent me a report this morning, along with the other Units. It was a good call sending fake ships, in case anything happened, but because nothing did, I suggest we use them in the fight," Zariah added. "Orion's been quiet."

"The Other Worlders have probably been just as busy as we've been. Orion promised us three days, and I'm confident at this point that we'll get three days," Aiden shrugged. "Let's just hope we've done all we can in the time he gave us."

"Agreed," Zariah nodded. "I arranged for you, Virgil, Rania, Theo and myself to be stationed in Abree City by tomorrow morning. The latest reports say that it's a total war zone. Orion's made the city his personal fortress, which means we won't be sending any ground teams there. It'll just be us, until we can deal with Orion. That means once we're in, we don't get out until he's been dealt with."

"So, it's us versus Abree City?" Aiden summarized.

"That's correct," Zariah confirmed.

"We've done it before. Nothing we can't handle."

"You're such an idiot."

Aiden smiled, and Zariah laughed. She'd been spending most nights with him now, although they did more talking than anything else. He'd been having frequent nightmares regarding his parents' deaths, as well as Jayda and Xylem's deaths, and she'd been extremely helpful in aiding him with them. Likewise, she also had frequent nightmares, mainly of her days within Fifth Unit. It felt nice just to have someone with him, who could relate to him on so many things. It only strengthened his feelings for her. At the same time, however, it scared him.

He wasn't oblivious to the sacrifice of war. What would happen if Zariah were killed? What would he do? He loved her, but to lose her would tear him apart. Zariah was smart and extremely skilled, but the heaviness of their situation was unbearable. Losing any of his friends was not an option.

"Would you like to train with me?" Aiden said suddenly.

Zariah tilted her head to the side. "Right now?" she replied, her eyes puzzled.

"Yeah," Aiden nodded. "I don't know. I just need something... normal."

"Normal sounds good," Zariah agreed.

Together, the two of them walked towards the training centre, which had been completely deserted. With all the activity going on in the cities, the Units were quite barren, leaving places like the training centres and youth buildings abandoned. Aiden had sent the younger soldiers into the underground bunkers with the civilians, since many of them were far too young to fight. They would get their opportunity to go out into the field one day, but Aiden wouldn't have the blood of children on his hands.

Zariah claimed a mat and Aiden stepped onto it, getting a feel for it. He'd tried to train as often as he could in the past few weeks, but with everything that had happened, it had proven difficult. Despite the interruption in his training schedule, he reckoned that it wouldn't take him long to get a feel for things again. He waited patiently for Zariah to tie her hair up into a ponytail, and once she was ready, their sparring began.

He circled Zariah around the mat, and she analyzed his every movement with her piercing blue stare. After a few seconds, Aiden lashed out, directing a swift kick to her legs. She managed to avoid it, swerving out of the way and landing a blow across his shoulder. Aiden threw a punch in her direction, which grazed her cheek before she grabbed his arm, twisted it, and threw him onto the mat below.

"Getting soft, are you?" she smirked. "You're mind's everywhere. You're not focused."

"Can you blame me?" Aiden gasped, staring up at her from where he lay on his back on the mat. "A lot's happened."

Zariah offered him her hand and he took it, getting back on his feet once he'd caught his breath. He clapped his hands together, repositioning himself on the mat, and glancing at her once he was ready.

They sparred again, this time Aiden managing to get Zariah in a headlock before she grabbed his arm and yanked free. Aiden blocked a few easygoing punches from her, grabbing her leg and using his momentum to knock her down. Once he'd gained the upper hand, he put her in a secure pin, looking down at her and smiling.

"Who's getting soft now?" he taunted.

"You may not want to know the answer to that question," she smiled.

Before Aiden could react, Zariah wrapped her legs around his shoulders and threw herself off of him, sending him sprawling. She swung back onto her feet, peering at him challengingly.

Aiden was on his feet in a second. Zariah sprinted towards him, and Aiden saw the slightest bend in her knee. Before she could jump, Aiden grabbed her arm, flipping her over and back onto the mat. As soon as they both went down, they started grappling, Zariah putting him in an arm bar. Aiden grunted, slipping free and getting a proper hold on her. Finally, he managed to keep her in the pin, and Zariah relaxed.

"Congratulations," she panted. "You pinned me."

"Yeah, I did," Aiden answered, equally out of breath.

"Are you going to get off me?" she asked quietly.

"Do you want me to?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.

"No, not really," Zariah admitted.

Aiden's lips came crashing down on hers before he could do anything about it, and he felt her body tense before easing into the kiss. Aiden's body filled with electricity, and he felt Zariah's hands run up and down his back, her touch igniting a fire within him. Sparks lit up in his mind, and when they finally pulled away, it was only so they could catch their breaths.

"Sorry," Aiden breathed.

"For what?" Zariah whispered. She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling their foreheads together.

"I love you," Aiden said. "I keep thinking that something bad is going to happen to you tomorrow."

"Aiden," Zariah soothed. "It's going to be okay. I promise. You and I will pull through this. I love you too."

"But what if it isn't? I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you."

Zariah sat up on the mat, criss-crossing her legs and staring at Aiden very seriously. "Together, you and I are unstoppable. With the others, we're invincible. We have so much to fight for tomorrow, and that makes us even stronger. Rhys. Jayda. Your parents. Everyone. We won't let Orion get away with this."

"I'm scared shitless," Aiden admitted.

"I'd be worried if you weren't. Tomorrow decides whether or not we made actually made a difference in this damn world. This changes everything," Zariah murmured. "If we die, we die together."

The doors to the training centre burst open, and Aiden was instantly on his feet. To his relief, in ran Virgil, his concerned face melting into one of recognition upon spotting Aiden and Zariah.

"Shit," he swore. "Theo was losing his mind. We didn't know where you'd be."

"We've been training," Aiden replied, gesturing to the mat. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Virgil shrugged. "I sent Dax, Seren and Osric with Farley to the interior cities. Hopefully that's alright. Dax told me you'd given him permission, and of course I was skeptical, but Seren seemed pretty honest about it."

"I approved it," confirmed Aiden. "It'll be much quieter around here with those three gone."

"And then some," Zariah added, getting back to her feet. "Do you need us?"

"Theo wants us all to have dinner together," Virgil said sheepishly. "Sounds dumb, but I kind of agree. It'll be our last opportunity to be together before shit hits the fan."

"We'll be there," Aiden promised. "Our usual time."

"I'll let Theo know. Almost all the patrols have been sent out. Unit's pretty quiet now. Last round gets sent out by oh-one-hundred hours tomorrow morning. We leave tomorrow at oh-six-hundred hours, sharp," Virgil reported. Aiden could sense the look of worry that his friend tried so hard to conceal. The creases around Virgil's eyes and mouth looked strained, and he fidgeted absently every so often.

"Kerian's gone?" Aiden guessed.

Virgil dipped his head curtly. "She left about an hour ago. Tuclea City. It's one of the bigger ones lining the Eskium borders, and I'm just..." he trailed off, but, realizing who he was talking to, cleared his throat and straightened himself out. "She'll be fine," he tried again, the sarcastic strength back in his voice.

"Well, anybody would need a vacation from you every so often," Zariah smiled slightly.

"Funny," Virgil rolled his eyes. "Anyways, it's no big deal. Why would I care what happens to her? She's just a girl."

Aiden and Zariah exchanged knowing glances before looking back at Virgil and raising questioning eyebrows.

"Okay," Virgil exasperated, "maybe she isn't just some girl. Maybe she's just one that I happen to have slept with a little longer than most."

"Stop bullshitting, brother." Aiden shoved his hands in his pockets. "It's obvious that you like her. Why not just say it?"

"Because! I..." Virgil started. "It's not that simple."

"Not so simple," Zariah laughed. She began gathering her things, Aiden and Virgil looking at her in puzzlement.

"What are you on about?" Virgil narrowed his eyes.

Zariah slung her bag over her shoulder, looking at him pointedly. "In just under twenty-four hours, we're fighting in a war. You'd better tell her you love her now, since you might not be alive to say it tomorrow."

Zariah continued to pack her knapsack, and Virgil flashed Aiden a look of disbelief.

"You gonna help me out here?" Virgil gaped at his friend.

"Not sure if I can," confessed Aiden. "I kind of agree with her, brother."

"The smarter decision, really," Zariah put in.

"I hate you both," Virgil grumbled.

"Well, you'd better get over it. Tell you what, I'll help you figure out the final arrangements for soldiers if it means appeasing our friendship," Zariah offered graciously.

"Me too," Aiden chimed in. "I've done enough sitting on my ass today."

"About time," Virgil sniffed. "Let's go, then."

***

Aiden, Theo, Virgil, Zariah and Rania all sat at their table within the deserted dining hall, only a few other soldiers scattered around them. Their plates weren't as greatly piled with food as they were in the past, but Aiden didn't mind. Each of them had enough rations to last them the night, and that was more important.

None of them said much, since one of them would start a conversation and allow it to die after a few minutes. There were no quip banters or playful remarks, but rather a comfortable silence that all of them seemed to readily embrace.

"Guess there's no use for that anymore," Theo broke the silence, nodding his head to the empty infers' table. The low-ranking privates that had once occupied it now resided in the cities, awaiting the call to arms that would surely come the next day. Aiden wondered what everyone would be doing by now. Were they all in their camps within the cities, discussing how the day would go? Were the traps set up for when the Other Worlders came?

Did they even stand a chance?

"I remember when I used to sit there," Rania recalled. Her green eyes pondered the memory, and she even smiled a bit. "I was sixteen. Fresh out of the youth centre. I was terrified."

"That sure didn't last long," Theo joked lightheartedly. "Jayda noticed how skilled you were during training and invited you to come sit with us. I'm glad she did."

"Me too." Rania's lips curled upwards slightly.

"Zariah sure didn't sit there for long either," Virgil grinned. "In fact, I think you had the most interesting first day out of any of us here."

"Oh, please," Theo mused. "She probably had the most interesting first month here, tops."

"What, between all the dirty looks and fights with Eden and Maddox?" Zariah teased. "Definitely not the most welcoming environment."

"Oh, man, I remember that day," Aiden reminisced. He remembered Zariah's intense fight with Eden and Maddox in the training centre, leaving both of them needing to the Medical Bay, even after Maddox had pulled a knife on her.

"Ah, the memories," Virgil whistled. "Those were the days."

"Before Xylem, before rebellions, before Other Worlders, before a war..." Theo added.

"You just have to be a buzzkill, don't you?" Virgil muttered.

They talked like this for another hour, cracking jokes and coming up with witty comebacks like they had so many years before, until Rania finally suggested that the five of them disperse in order to get as much sleep as possible for the coming day. They had all agreed wholeheartedly, recognizing again the severity of the task before them. In just a few hours' time, the five of them would be engaged in an all-out war, spiralling into the chaos that Orion had decided to stir up for them with little to no warning. Not long after their dinner and accompanied by all his crippling thoughts, Aiden and Zariah were tucked into his bed, staring up at his polished ceiling and talking softly before they went to fall asleep.

"It's going to be okay," Zariah said aloud.

"Okay," Aiden echoed. "I hope so. They say it's usually okay in the end."

"It will be," Zariah whispered determinedly. "I know it will."

***

Aiden awoke to Zariah gently nudging him awake. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, blinking wildly as he adjusted to the dim light. The sun hadn't fully come out yet, but the sky was a pale color, indicating that morning would come soon. It must've been only oh-five-hundred hours yet. One hour before they were to depart for Abree City.

"It's time," she mumbled from beside him. Her brown hair covered her face. Aiden reached to push it aside before kissing her gently from where he lay, bleary-eyed and half-asleep. 

"Go shower and change first," Aiden encouraged softly. "I'll gather my stuff while I wait."

Zariah nodded, grabbing her gear and entering the bathroom, shutting the door promptly behind her. Meanwhile, Aiden crept out of bed, taking a moment from collecting all his materials to go outside and look at the horizon from his balcony.

The trees stood, looming and powerful, around him, black silhouettes in the canvas of the sky around him. The air was cold, crisp against his warm skin. He inhaled and exhaled, feeling the chill seep in and out of his lungs.

A million thoughts crossed his mind as he watched, not expecting anything in particular, but only one revelation he knew for sure. This was it.

The dawn of war.