Aiden took a few bites of his eggs in silence, refusing to look upwards out of fear of his friends' combined wrath. From the moment he'd even sat at the table, he'd been met with instant hostility and coldness from his friends. However, he was so relieved that Rania was present, he didn't even care. He was so happy that she'd escaped safely. Aiden had no idea what he would have done if she hadn't. The horrific thought sent shivers down his spine. So far, despite Zariah being thoroughly unimpressed with his behavior, she had at least been making an effort to forgive him, however small the shred of hospitality may have been. Progress was progress, and Aiden would take anything at this point.

When Aiden had woken up that morning, he'd woken up alone. Zariah had left long before him, leaving him by himself for the remainder of the night. He could have only imagined the spiteful words she would have told him had she decided to inform him of her absence.

You infer, she would have said. Did you really think I'd forgive you so easily? Just because I love you doesn't mean I'm ever going to take it easy on you.

Aiden smiled slightly at the thought before instantly wiping it off his face. He hadn't yet forgotten that his friends were with him, and they were still beyond furious at him for his actions the night before. Aiden shoveled another forkful of his breakfast into his mouth as an attempt to keep it shut before succumbing once again to his vigil of silence.

Despite Aiden's lack of invitation to the breakfast conversation, he continued to listen intently to the others' vague chatter, interested in what they had to say.

"There's been a small rebellion in a few of the cities in our sector," Virgil said excitedly. He managed to keep his voice low and monotonous, so that it would merely blend into the crowd of other soldier's engaging in their morning conversations. "A little bigger than the last one. See? People are starting to get involved, little by little."

"But how quickly was it put down?" Theo pointed out. "We're gonna need a hell of a lot more firepower to take Xylem down. The people may outnumber the Programmers, but what we lack in numbers we make up for in skill. We need different solutions."

"Keep your voices down," Zariah muttered. "Officials are headed our way."

Their chatter ceased as two armed Officials walked by them, making their rounds along the dining hall perimeter. A few moments after they had passed, Aiden saw Theo, Virgil, Zariah and Rania exchange looks before tentatively resuming their previous talk.

"Different solutions, huh?" Virgil rolled his eyes. "Certain people have those." He eyed Aiden agitatedly.

"Stop that," Zariah snapped. "He looks sad enough already. Stop beating on him."

"I still can't believe you didn't bring me with you," Virgil protested. "What kind of a best friend does that?"

Theo turned to Virgil, giving him a pointed look. "That's all you're angry about?"

"Sneaking out behind our backs, yeah, yeah," waved Virgil. "You know, out of our whole group and shit, I was always the rebellious one. I mean, technically that's all of us now, but still. I at least thought I was just a little bit badder than the rest of you. Then this punk goes around trying to steal my title."

"You're an idiot," Theo shook his head hopelessly. "Both of you."

"Theo," Rania said gently. It was the first time she'd spoken up all morning. "It's okay, really. Aiden was thinking of the greater good. Besides, this transmission could be a really important thing for us. Not telling the rest of you was a safety precaution."

"Can you imagine what Jayda would have done to me if I let you get hurt on my watch?" Theo exclaimed in exasperation. "That goes for you too, Colonel," he eyed Aiden warily.

"Look, Theo, I'm-" Aiden began. Before he could continue, he shut his mouth and scowled down at his breakfast. He knew that talking would only make things worse, but he still felt horrible for keeping quiet while Rania defended him; especially after all he'd asked her to go through.

"We should split," Virgil warned. He looked around the dining hall briskly, his lips drawing into a thin line the longer he scanned the area. "The Officials are uneasy after the stunt you two pulled last night. Best we get out of here as quickly as we can."

"I'm with Virgil on this one," Zariah agreed. "Finish your breakfasts, and fast."

"Yes ma'am," Theo replied gruffly. He took an enormous bite of oatmeal before frowning and making a revolted face. "Forgot about the food situation." 

"Well, I'm out, infers." Virgil stood up from his seat, casting Aiden a serious glare. "You better tell me all about what happened, or I swear, there'll be hell to pay."

Aiden threw a wad of folded bread at him. "Have a nice day, brother."

"You too," Virgil answered, catching the bread piece in his hand before stuffing it into his face and grinning widely at Aiden. "For once, don't get your sorry ass into anymore trouble, yeah?" He turned to the others and waved goodbye. "Later, guys."

"See you," they responded in unison. After a few moments, they resumed eating in silence.

Theo was about to start a new conversation until an Official approached them, his face adorned with a gleaming black eye on his right side. Aiden assumed that he must've been one of the Officials that he and Rania had taken out the night previous. The very thought made his skin crawl with tension. What if the Official recognized them from the transmission room?

"All of you," he barked. "On your feet. Breakfast is over."

"Breakfast doesn't end till oh-ten-hundred hours," Zariah argued. "What's this about?"

"Mind your business, soldier," the Official hissed. "Xylem's issued a new schedule in which all recruits are required to follow. It includes a shortened breakfast block so that there's more time for patrols, training sessions and inventory checks - as well as new mandatory security checks."

Aiden and his friends exchanged puzzled looks at the Official's words. It seemed that Aiden's actions had made Xylem even more paranoid than before. Then again, Xylem couldn't actually confirm that it was Aiden and Rania who'd broken into the transmission room. As far as the General knew, the culprits were three miscellaneous rebels who'd trespassed onto Second Unit headquarters. They could have been mercenaries for all he knew. All that mattered to Aiden was that his indentity remain a mystery to not only Xylem, but to his Officials as well.

The Official's eyes settled onto Rania before his mouth twisted into a malicious smile. "You there, blondie. Get up. You can be the first to introduce your friends here to what a security check is."

Rania looked up at him, her green eyes uncertain. Slowly, she stood up from the table and walked over to the Official, whose smile was unchanged. Aiden clenched his fists as the Official roughly shoved Rania against the wall, patting her down thoroughly limb by limb. Across from Aiden, Theo was seething with rage. The way that the Official even dared to look at her made Aiden sick.

"Fucking sadist," Theo swore under his breath. "If he keeps staring at her like that, I'm going to fucking kill him."

"Don't make it any worse than it is," Zariah glared at him sharply. "Remember, Officials can get away with murder if they want to. They can get away with many other things too, if they were really serious about it."

"You wouldn't be so calm if he was touching someone who you considered to be your little sister, now would you?" Theo muttered angrily.

"Of course not," Zariah growled. "But I'd at least be smart about it, and make sure my actions wouldn't make it any worse than it had to be."

Theo pursed his lips, continuing to stare at the Official with a murderous expression. Eventually, after he was seemingly satisfied, the Official allowed Rania to return to their table. She quietly sat back down, unwilling to say anything.

"Hey, Rania, girlie. You okay?" Theo's brown eyes were dark with concern.

"Theo, I'm alright, really," Rania dismissed him. "He's just a ruthless Official. Thinks he can do whatever he wants and whenever he feels like it. Don't worry about me."

Zariah nodded to her reassuringly. "He's a fucking asshole, that's what he is. You sure you're good, Rania?"

Rania gazed at her tentatively, but nodded confidently anyways. "Yeah. Seriously, guys, I'm fine."

"Well, my appetite's gone," Theo grumbled, slamming his cutlery onto his tray pointedly and picking it up, still glaring in the Official's direction. "Damn prick." He rose from his seat and collected Aiden and his friends' trays before carrying them to the dirty tray disposal.

"I'll see you all later, I suppose," he mumbled. He nodded to Rania worriedly. "Take care of yourself, Ran. Let me know if he bothers you again."

"I will, Theo," Rania smiled at him. "Bye for now."

"No matter what you say, he's still going to worry," Aiden pointed out after Theo had left the dining hall.

"I know," Rania sighed. "He's like the overprotective older brother that none of us ever had. It'll be okay, though. He just needs some time to cool down, like always. I'll go check in with him later."

"That's a good plan," Zariah agreed. She rose from the table, and Aiden and Rania followed.

"Let's get out of here," Aiden decided. "We shouldn't stick around here any longer."

"Best idea you've had in a while," Zariah nodded, adjusting her shirt absently. She didn't seem to acknowledge the wince that Aiden must have made upon feeling the sting of her comment. "I've got a patrol with Jace and Farley, so I've got to go, quickly. I'll see you lot later today. Just... lay low, both of you. Especially you, Aiden," Zariah pleaded, her blue eyes wide with sincerity.

"Bye Zariah," Aiden replied, the hurt ebbing away. She waved a hand in acknowledgement as she turned the corner and passed beyond the doors of the dining hall.

"I'm really sorry, Ran. For everything I put you through last night, and well... everything else," Aiden apologized briefly. "I know it's a shitty apology, but I just had to get it out there."

Rania shook her head. "Aiden, if I didn't agree, I knew you would've gone alone. Then again, you might have been better off," she admitted bitterly. "How could I have fired that gun, even if it was accidental? Who does that?"

"I definitely would not have been better off," Aiden assured her firmly. "I'd be six feet under right now with an unmarked plate above my head. Thank you, Ran."

Rania looked away before tentatively meeting his gaze. "You're welcome. I just wish a lot of things could have gone differently."

Aiden sensed the double meaning in her words from the moment they'd spilled from her lips. He nodded curtly, and Rania smiled sadly, even though Aiden could see the emptiness within her expression.

"You two! File out!" an Official shouted at them from across the dining hall.

"It's like we're in a prison now," Rania murmured in dismay. "I'll see you later, Aiden. Take care of yourself, and don't worry about me, okay?"

"See you later, Ran," Aiden replied. They parted ways, Aiden exiting out of the dining hall one way and Rania the other. He found himself thinking about Rania's comment, and coming to that sad realization that she wasn't that far from the truth at this point.

He shoved his hands in his pockets before striding down the hallway towards his bunk at a brisk pace. With all the added security, Aiden didn't want to risk attracting any unwanted attention by lingering anywhere for too long. Eventually he was walking towards his bunk, lost in his troubled thoughts, until he saw Virgil at the end of the hallway. He was kissing a girl whom Aiden could only assume to be Kerian, and it seemed that their situation was getting more and more heated with every second.

Aiden saw Virgil break away from Kerian at the sight of Aiden approaching, and seemed to apologize to her thoroughly before the two of them decided to walk away from each other. After a few minutes, Virgil casually strode up to his own bunk as if nothing happened. Aiden grinned, doing his best to keep from laughing. He called out to his friend from down the hallway, once he was positive that Kerian was out of earshot.

"Thought you said it wasn't serious?" Aiden shouted down at him, smirking.

"Shut up, you fucking degenerate," Virgil hollered back at him. "I'm still pissed at you."

Aiden laughed as he and Virgil entered their bunks. Aiden flopped down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling for a bit while he recollected his thoughts. His eyes alternated back and forth when looking at the same spot to focus on. After he felt satisfied with his conclusions, he sat up, checking his clock. Oh-nine-hundred hours and twenty minutes. If he had read his schedule correctly, Aiden was supposed to organize four patrols for the following day and attend a meeting with General Xylem regarding the events of the transmission room break in. He was dreading the gathering more and more as every minute went by. Everything just seemed so out of place, and Aiden didn't know what to expect.

He pulled up a chair and sat down at the small table in the corner of his bunk, picking up a black pen and jotting down a few time-slots for the patrols he'd been asked to organize. After a good thirty minutes, he had drafted all the recruits on his list into their designated groups and felt good about his choices. Well, the choices he'd made towards his patrol distributions, at least.

He stood up from his chair and, upon getting the sudden urge to stretch his legs, sifted through his dresser and pulled out some training attire. He still had a good two hours before Xylem's meeting, and he wanted to spend it as effectively as possible. He figured that a short training session couldn't hurt, and he hoped that the physical activity would help him relax a little.

After he was dressed, Aiden made his way down to the training centre. It was relatively busy as soldiers of an assortment of ranks passed through, sparring with one another or performing their own independent strengthening sessions. Aiden scanned the area for anybody he recognized, and found a few soldiers he knew, but none he knew well. Deciding against his idea to engage in a group training session, he instead turned to the row of sandbags lining the end of the training space. He sat down on a bench beside the first bag, taping his knuckles in place. The last thing he needed was yet another injury on the ever-growing list Aiden seemed to be carrying around with him regularly. Once he was taped up, he circled the sandbag, his feet falling into the default attack position.

Aiden struck with his right arm first, his knuckles making fierce contact with the bag while another punch was delivered shortly after by his opposite hand. He circled the bag, performing a close range kick to it and watching it swing back and forth methodically. He continued to practice his strikes for the next forty minutes before moving on to physical circuits, then equipment training. The time seemed to pass even faster than he'd anticipated, and after a little while, Aiden looked at the clock to see that Xylem's meeting was only about a half hour away. He packed up his things and headed back towards his bunk.

Aiden was satisfied with his training session, despite the short amount of time he'd spent in the training centre. It had improved his mood even more than he'd thought it would. He felt more in tune with his thoughts, and his uneasiness about the General's assembly was weighing on him less. The more confident he felt that he could slip by Xylem undetected, the less anxious it made him feel. Once Aiden entered his bunk, he immediately stepped into the shower before changing into his Colonel's uniform. As he was adjusting his shirt, he noticed something shiny gleaming from his balcony, stopping him in his tracks.

Aiden carefully approached the doors to the balcony, unsure of what had caught his eye. Had someone been inside his bunk looking for evidence against him? Surely he was being paranoid. He cautiously ran his fingers along the window panes of the doors, making sure that nothing metal was poking out of place. He opened it, sticking his head outside for a brief period to make sure no one was watching him from a distance. He walked out onto the balcony, scanning the distance and searching for any clues.

Then he saw it; a small silver card wedged in between the balcony railing. It looked virtually inconspicuous in the daylight, making Aiden even more confused about how it had gotten there. He picked up the card and turned it over in his fingers, analyzing it. It was lightweight and made of a very thin, glass-like material. The only thing that seemed to be on it was a black smudge, which Aiden traced with his fingertip. To his surprise, he saw letters begin to appear on the card. Had the card been able to recognize his fingerprint somehow? The black ink was becoming transparent and after a few seconds, revealed to him four elaborate words hidden beneath it.

I'll be there tomorrow.

Aiden took a step back in surprise as the silver card began to disintegrate in his palm and turn into a small pile of gray dust. Aiden brushed it away from his hand, the dust scattering in the wind around him. He looked outwards towards the horizon, leaning against the balcony railing in silence with nothing but a single name in his mind.

Roman.