"We've still got to take out the last target!" Aiden yelled. Sirens blared everywhere around them. The city was being alerted of the attack. There was nothing they could do.

He spotted Deon too late. He didn't catch Virgil's reply over the coms before he noticed Zariah already sprinting towards him, her last throwing knife raised for the kill. Aiden chased after her just as she tripped Deon and threw him to the ground.

"Your city is going to fucking burn!" she snarled, her knife pointed at his throat. "Tell me how it feels!"

Deon stared at the blade, spitting blood onto the ground with a look of menace on his face. "You think you have it all figured out, don't you? Whatever you think will come from this, Programmer, you're all doomed."

"Go to hell!" Zariah screamed. She plunged the knife into Deon's throat, and blood gushed from the wound. He coughed, which came out as a muffled gargling sound, and splattered droplets of blood onto Zariah's clothes and face as he died. She stared at Aiden, looking utterly defeated. All the hatred that had once consumed her was gone. She was Zariah again.

She'd killed Deon in the most malicious way possible. Aiden was taken aback by her sudden rage. Then he remembered Xylem's warning.

She's seen a lot of combat action. It's taken a toll on her, I'm sure, he'd said. Was this what he had meant?

"Zariah, let's go. Come on." He grabbed her hand and dragged her to her feet. She snapped out of the shock, assuming her usual Zariah-like behavior.

"Virgil, Jayda! Tell me you heard Rania's warning!" Aiden said.

"Roger that. We've got to get out of here, now. Virgil and I just confirmed the incoming air strike. Second Unit just warned us about it over our radios. We're dead in the air out here," Jayda replied, breathing heavily.

"Deon's down. Let's go, we're headed to the edge of the city. Hurry your asses and meet us down here, now!" he demanded.

Jayda and Virgil dropped from the ladder of the warehouse, catching up with Zariah and Aiden. The four of them sprinted for the city limits, just beyond the forest where they'd come from. They didn't stop. In the clearing where they'd landed, they found Rania and Theo in their helicopter. Aiden wasn't sure exactly where they'd come from, but the four soldiers clambered into the aircraft just as Theo began to take off.

Aiden slumped against the interior of the helicopter, peering out the window. The bright lights of Laspil City were becoming smaller and smaller as they got further and further away from the city.

"Are you guys okay?!" Rania looked at them with terrified eyes. No one answered her.

"Fuck, fuck!" Virgil kicked the side of the helicopter angrily.

"They're nuking the city," Jayda whispered, her face white. "They're... they're nuking... the city..." she repeated.

"The people," Aiden gasped, the horrifying realization hitting him with the force of a hundred bullets. "They have nowhere to go! We have to help them, there's still time!"

"No, there isn't," Zariah said quietly from her seat. All eyes turned to her. "Aiden, that nuke can't be just for Laspil City. The Program... they know we had to abort our original mission. We still eliminated the targets, but the Program must know by now that Phantom is so much bigger than they thought. This missile is for Oslua, Tuclea and Zagreb, too. The neighboring cities. They're wiping any trace of Phantom from the map."

"How can they even contain an explosion like that?" Virgil exclaimed, exasperated.

"It's not exactly an explosion," Zariah explained miserably. "It's a nano-tech warhead. The missile is for show. What's inside it are tiny nanobots that will form a wave over the city. They are programmed to target electrical, gas; anything explosive. Once they're in position, they'll cause a multitude of explosions all at once."

"So the cities will be somewhat intact. But the people..." Jayda trailed off.

"They had to have been evacuated by the City Officials. They had to," Aiden muttered grimly. "There were sirens going off everywhere."

Theo's face was rock hard, glaring out into the distance from his pilot's seat. "This is fucking bullshit. Absolute bullshit. They can't do that. We should have known about that nuclear strike way ahead of time. What is Xylem thinking? He can't pull this shit."

They returned to headquarters in silence. No one had the urge or the words to express what they felt. Aiden kept giving Zariah pointed looks, but she didn't notice. If she did, she gave no indication. Instead, she stared out the helicopter dejectedly, her jaw loosening and tightening as if she were grinding her teeth together. Her face was still splotched with Deon's blood. He shuddered at the thought of her assault. It wasn't just a hit, it was filled with more hatred than Aiden had ever thought it was possible for a person to muster. Zariah's expression gave nothing away, as it usually did. No secrets, no clues. It made Aiden more confused than ever.

He noticed Rania glancing over at him wearily. She must have been terrified, seeing what she'd seen. Aiden decided that handling the coms might have been the hardest job out of all of them; knowing that she'd be sending her friends into combat, and not being able to fight beside them. All she could do was watch as they faced danger after horrible danger. He flashed her a hollow smile. There was no happiness behind it. Then again, Aiden was used to wearing masks by now. They suited him. Rania returned his smile, but her face was tired and sad.

Virgil's fists were clenched, white with tension. Aiden knew he'd be taking the mission pretty hard. The one thing that Virgil hated more than injustice was casualties. And from Zariah's description of the missiles, there would be many. No soldier liked to be helpless in situations where they were needed most. He didn't seem to acknowledge Aiden if he had seen him looking in his direction. Jayda kept her head down, and her eyes closed. She traced circles on her palm while Theo piloted the helicopter in cold silence. Their usual energy was gone, and replaced with emptiness. They'd succeeded, but at the same time, they'd failed. What kind of soldiers were they if they couldn't even protect their own people?

Aiden's own mind was cloudy with thought. The adrenaline was beginning to subside, and his exhaustion was becoming more and more evident. He leaned against the side of the helicopter, the cold metal jarring his aching muscles. The hum of the aircraft was dull and monotonous as they journeyed home.

All Aiden's sense of justice was depleted. He didn't know what awaited him when they returned to Second Unit headquarters, but he knew it wouldn't be anything good. A part of him wanted to trade Theo for the pilot's seat and steer both him and his friends home.

But where was home, if not Second Unit?

Resentment gnawed at his stomach. They hadn't been flying long before Aiden shut his eyes tightly and tried to block out the sounds of explosions and the flashing of fiery light that began to billow from the city they'd left behind.

***

"Do you understand the severity of what you've done?" Dominic Xylem hissed.

"Sir," Aiden pressed. "My team performed as well as we could under the circumstances we found ourselves in. However, we were never informed about a nuclear strike against a series of cities during the debriefing. We were taken completely by surprise."

The General's eyes were dark with anger. "Is that an accusation, Lieutenant Lycroft?"

Aiden drew his lips into a thin line. "I stand by my squadron, General. The attack on Laspil, Tuclea, Oslua and Zagreb City was completely unauthorized."

Virgil shot Aiden a warning look from beside him. Aiden nodded very slightly in return. A silent message between the two.

What the hell are you doing, you infer? Stand down.

Right, sorry.

Yeah, no shit.

The two Lieutenants stood before Xylem in his office, where they had been requested by the General to meet him in order to follow up on their recent mission the day before. Aiden wasn't a hundred percent sure why Xylem had asked for Virgil, but he decided not to question it. The General stood up from his seat. His office was a cool white color with polished marble floors. He sat in a comfy leather chair behind a modern-looking glass table. Xylem's office was so unlike any of Second Unit's quarters. It looked far too modern; too urban for the likes of the Program, which had been industrialized and militarized since the beginning of its time. There were no cement walls here, or flickering fluorescent lights hanging loosely from the ceiling. Aiden was disturbed by how out of place it was. Being in Xylem's office always gave him an unsettling feeling.

"Unauthorized, you say?" The General echoed. He looked directly at Aiden, who tried his best not to shudder. Xylem's very gaze was enough to make his skin crawl. "As the political leader of Creatan and the General Director of the Program, I am the authority, Lieutenant. It would be wise not to challenge me."

"Understood, sir. My apologies," Aiden replied, swallowing his discomfort.

"I will have you know, Lieutenants, that I was required to make a last-second decision in order to save my people. The nuclear strike was our final option. After your cover was blown, we knew that the Phantom leaders would have disappeared, and the entire cartel would have gone into hiding. Who knows if they would have ever resurfaced? A lot of innocent people would have remained under the influence of a cartel working in the shadows. The strike allowed us to eradicate the cartel in the most merciful way we could, with the least casualties. When my soldiers mess up, I am forced to clean up after their mistakes. This was one of those instances, I'm afraid." Xylem's cold gaze transitioned between Virgil and Aiden, unsure of who to blame more. He settled for Aiden. "You are two of the highest ranking soldiers in Second Unit. Perhaps, before placing the blame on anyone else, you should consider your own actions first, no?"

"Yes, sir," Virgil nodded curtly. Aiden noticed how hard Virgil was trying not to scowl. The menacing look in his friend's eyes nearly betrayed him.

"However," Xylem paced back and forth alongside his trusty leather chair. "I do not believe your reconnaissance team was to blame for this unfortunate instance. You technically did not fail your mission. The targets, Oakes, Elias, Hywel and Deon, were eliminated as required. However, I may have misjudged my decision to place your youngest team member, Private Rania Hope, on coms. She was supposed to have your backs, have eyes on the entire scene. By failing to notice or warn your squadron of the location of the guards in the warehouse, she nearly got your entire squadron killed, or worse."

Aiden bit back a heated retort. He and his whole squadron knew that Rania wasn't to blame for their lost cover. Things could go wrong in an instant during missions. Xylem had to have known that. However, the General was a man of perfection, detailing every flaw. Praise from him was uncommon. And when it occurred, it was the highest honor. Or so it was made out to be. Aiden wasn't so sure anymore.

"I will be dispatching various squadrons to the four affected cities in order to aid civilians and the rehabilitation of the communities," Xylem continued. "The rehab squadrons will be sent out by thirteen-hundred hours today. I am temporarily requesting your squadron to remain at headquarters. Although, if either of you Lieutenants are up for the task, we could use you - and you exclusively - out in the field. You may bring Lieutenant Blanche with you if you wish. Lieutenant Aeriona, you are dismissed. Lieutenant Lycroft, a short word."

"I'll ask Lieutenant Blanche to accompany us out in the cities immediately," he said, giving Aiden a  pointed look. It seemed that Xylem's proposition of allowing them to help the civilians of the harmed cities had snapped Virgil out of his dark mood. He was almost back to his usual self, and ready to make things right again.

Aiden nodded. "Of course."

Virgil amused Aiden sometimes. He only spoke this formally when he was in the company of an Official. And sometimes, not even then. With girls and most people in general, Virgil was never serious, and spoke with a loose tongue. But when it came down to business, Virgil was always a soldier. And when it came to Zariah, well...

Virgil saluted before exiting the office. He flashed Aiden a sympathetic look before he left, and shut the door behind him after he had gone. Aiden turned back to the General.

"I would like to say that you did not fail as a Mission Leader." Xylem folded his arms across his chest. "I'm sure you might think it, but you haven't, at least not in my eyes. But aside from this, I wanted to talk to you about the progress of Lieutenant Blanche."

"Yes?" Aiden replied. He decided not to provide the General with any elaborate answers.

"How did she handle herself during your mission?" Xylem asked simply.

"Lieutenant Blanche performed excellently," Aiden answered. "I think she'll be a good candidate to have on our rehabilitation mission. She's a fine soldier."

"Indeed," The General stroked his beard thoughtfully. "No behavioral issues when the mission went south?"

"No, Lieutenant Blanche remained a level-headed, valued member of my team. Should I be worried, General?" Aiden defended Zariah quickly. He was lying, but Xylem seemed far too curious to be told the absolute truth.

"No, not at all. That's an excellent sign. Well then, Lieutenant, I should let you carry on with your day. This won't be the last conversation we have. I look forward to speaking with you again soon. You are dismissed," Xylem said.

Aiden left Xylem's office without a word. Once outside, he found Virgil positioned by the door, eyebrows raised.

"Man, I hate it in there," Aiden shivered.

"I know, same," Virgil agreed. "Did he make you kiss his ass for how the mission went, or something?" The two of them began walking away from Xylem's office, headed in the direction of their bunks.

"Nah," Aiden shook his head. "He was just wondering how Zariah handled herself during the mission. I told him she did well. I think he believed me."

"At least that's good," Virgil mused.

"What about you? Volunteering Zariah like that? It's no surprise you've got a crush, brother," Aiden jibed.

"She's pretty; pretty hot. I like her."

"No shit, you infer," Aiden grinned halfheartedly. He'd meant for his smile to be more sincere than it came out to be. He still felt hollow from the mission; even more so now that Xylem had practically pinned the nuclear strike on his squadron. The General had called out Rania for her actions over the coms, even when Aiden really knew that he, the Mission Leader, should have been blamed for the mission's debatable success. Guilt clawed at his stomach, and threatened to eat him up inside.

"What I don't understand," Virgil muttered, "is why we're being blamed for this one. We were there. We both saw what went down. He must've too. It wasn't anything like that."

"The same thing is crossing my mind," Aiden murmured. "Excuses. We're all just looking for excuses."

He instantly thought of Rania, and a part of him wanted to kill himself for not sticking up for her. He knew for sure that she'd be punished somehow; anywhere from being assigned the worst city for Consignment Day, having to do extra training drills, or even being temporarily banned from missions altogether. The idea infuriated him. However, he also knew that even if he had spoken up, her punishment could have had the potential to be even worse. That was the disadvantage of having emotional ties to anybody in the Program. They knew just who to punish in order to make any soldier instantly smarten up.

"You know, about Zariah," Virgil began. "She's a hard girl to read. Usually I've got 'em eating right out of the palm of my hand by now, but her, she's a right piece of work. She's so hard to get to know. I don't know, man. I might throw in the towel."

Aiden had drawn the same conclusions about Zariah himself. She was no ordinary girl; that much was certain. "Aw, man, I've never seen you give up the chase before, ever." Aiden gave his friend a sideways smile. Virgil threw up his arms in defeat.

"Me neither, man. Guess there's a first for everything," he admitted. "Why don't you go get Zariah, then? I'm going to change out of this scratchy uniform. It's tight in all the wrong places, if you know what I mean."

Aiden looked down at his own uniform. The military clad suit was a deep navy blue with white and gold accents; the colors of both the Program and Creatan itself. "Sure thing. I have to talk to her about something anyways," Aiden said. Virgil nodded absently.

"Alright, cool. Meet both of you in the Foyer in thirty minutes," Virgil scratched his head. "Xylem's sending the squadrons in an hour. We better be there on time."

"Definitely," Aiden agreed. He left Virgil and began setting off in the direction of Zariah's bunk.

He couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness, even now that they were safe at headquarters. Something much bigger than anything he'd ever known was happening in the shadows, and Aiden wasn't sure whether he wanted to be part of it or not.

But the more that he thought about it, he wasn't sure if he even had a choice anymore.