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Chapter Text

*Mid July 2021; X13, Just outside Villedor*

A small girl of about four years of age sat on the exam table, hazel eyes narrowed at the doctor and nurse as they got various medical instruments cleaned and set out. She crossed her arms as her lips set into a petulant look, lower lip quivering the faintest amount. A flinch as the nurse gently lifted her arm and swiped an alcohol soaked gauze pad on it, cleaning the area. There was a small cry as a needle pierced skin, not for the first nor the last time, the wound quickly being cleaned and bandaged up. 

"I know it hurts, Raegan, but you were such a brave girl. I'm very, very proud of you. You did so well. You can go join the others, now, okay?" The doctor, Vincent Waltz, soothed her. He gently lifted her up and down to the ground. Raegan nodded as she rubbed at her eyes, walking out to join the other kids. Her eyes searched the room before landing on two kids seated a bit from the others, a boy and a girl. She quickly made her way over to the two and squeezed her way in between them, looping her arms through theirs and resting her head on the boy's shoulder. Her eyes closed as the boy gently patted her head, while the girl gently rubbed her back.

"You're okay, Ray. Aidy and I've got you." The other girl said, smiling softly at Raegan as she gently squeezed the girl's shoulder.

"I wanna go home, Mia... I don't want any more shots. They hurt and I don't feel good after them." Raegan protested weakly, squeezing Aiden's arm gently.

"I know, but it won't be for much longer. You'll see, we'll all be able to go home soon. We just gotta hang in there a bit longer, okay?" Aiden soothed, giving what he hoped was a reassuring smile to the smaller girl. 

*Late August 2021; X13, Just outside Villedor*

Small, nearly silent footsteps padded down a hallway late one night as three small children embarked on a very important mission. One child wrung his hands as he glanced around. One of the girls darted ahead, a slight skip in her step as her pigtails bounced. 

"Aidy! Aidenbabaiden! Ray! Quick! This way to the kitchen!" We'll eat all the ice cream they hid from us!"  She whispered, eyes wide with excitement.

"I'm scared. Mia." Aiden protested, eyes darting nervously around the hall.

"Hey! Us too! And we're younger." Raegan and Mia scolded, hands placed on their hips as they rolled their eyes some.

"Don't be a chicken, Aidy!" Mia teased, crossing her arms as she looked at Aiden.

"What if the doctor sees us?" He asked, voice rising just a bit in pitch before he glanced back down the hallway again, half convinced at any moment they'd be caught.

"He won't. Besides, he'd have to catch us, too." Mia stated, voice confident as ever.

"Yeah, and he can't catch all three of us at once!" Raegan added with a grin.

"Come on. Don't back out now! We're almost-" Mia cut off with a gasp as the door to the hallway opened. Waltz raised an eyebrow as he took in the sight of three slightly guilty looking children, a small chuckle leaving his lips.

"What on Earth are you three doing out of bed this late at night?" He asked softly, kneeling down so he was eye level with them.

"We were looking for the ice cream, daddy! Wanna help us?" Mia exclaimed, bouncing excitedly in place as she grinned up at her father. 

"Oh, honey. I'm sorry but there isn't any ice cream. I wish there was or I'd go and get you all some right now." He murmured, frowning as Mia and Raegan sniffled and hiccuped softly while Aiden glanced down, looking a bit despondent himself. 

"I think me and some of the other doctors have some candy stashed away. How does that sound for tomorrow afternoon? I'm sure they wouldn't mind sharing if we ask very, very nicely." He soothed, rubbing both girls backs as they nodded their heads.

*September 10th, 2021; X13, Just outside Villedor*

Raegan looked up with a terrified expression as the door to the room she and several other children were gathered in opened, watching two more children get ushered in before the door was once again locked. 

"Wait here!" The guard ordered the two, quickly walking towards a smaller room and heading inside.

She glanced over at the boy and girl sitting near the doors before darting over and sitting on the boy's other side, leaning against him. 

"Ai! Mia! Why did they bring us in here again? They already did those shot things two days ago. I don't want another one...." She protested softly, clutching at the boy's arm, before he was suddenly yanked up and away from her and Mia. 

"NO, Ai!" "Not him, no! Aiden!" She and Mia cried out as Aiden was led into the other room.

Not long after there came the sound of panicked shouting and hurried footsteps moving closer as someone fumbled with the lock on the door, before flinging it open with a sharp bang. 

"Fire!! Fire in the lab! Doctor Waltz, we need to evacuate everyone at once!" 

Doctors and nurses scrambled around in search of exits, while screams echoed down the halls and mixed with the sound of alarms as smoke quickly filled the air. Raegan screamed and kicked as a nurse scooped her up and ran out a nearby exit.

"No! Let go of me! AI! MIA!" She sobbed. 

*Fall 2036, Old Villedor*

Raegan gasped as she sat up on the makeshift bed, scrubbing her hands over her face befofe letting out a shaky breath.

"I haven't dreamt about that night in years..." She sighed, shaking her head and getting her things ready to head out.

Once satisfied everything was in order she slung her pack over her shoulders, leaving the small safe zone and heading for the Bazaar. She flashed her Biomarker to the guard and walked up to one of the side entrances, hearing shouting coming from inside. 

"The hell....?" She muttered before hurrying over to the source of the noise.

She froze as she saw the residents of the Bazaar stringing a man up, eyes widening once she saw the marks littering his arms. There was only one possible person that could be, especially with so many of them covering his arms.

"Aiden...?" She managed to get out, jumping slightly as Hakon appeared next to her, frowning as he took in the sight.

She watched in horror as a few of the Bazaar residents started hoisting Aiden up, his legs kicking furiously as he they tied off the rope.

She quickly grabbed a throwing knife before giving Hakon a pleading look.

"As soon as I throw this, you get him away from them." She ordered, deftly flicking her wrist and sending the knife sailing through the air.

It quickly sliced through the rope, causing him to slump to the ground and start coughing violently as he grasped weakly at the now loosened rope. Hakon moved forward and threw one of the younger man's arms over his shoulders. After helping him up he made his way back over to where Raegan was standing. 

"He's about to turn!" A man from the Bazaar protested, taking a step towards them before flinching back at the warning.

"He's with us, now back the fuck off!" Raegan snarled, pointing her machete at him at the same time Hakon laughed dryly.

"That's his problem? I thought it was a sneezing fit." He grunted as he adjusted the man's weight, continuing to move as Raegan positioned herself between the majority of the Bazaar and them.

The younger man let out a pained grunt as another wave of pain hit him. 

"Didn't I tell you not to go anywhere without us? Didn't I fucking tell you?" Hakon chuckled nervously, just a bit further and they'd be outside the building, and not farther than that and they'd be outside the Bazaar completely.

His eyes darted around, making sure nobody was deciding to get any ideas. The last thing that was needed was for Raegan to decide some fool would make a good pin cushion.

"Who....who are you?" The man managed to say, voice barely above a whisper as he coughed, swallowing thickly.

"Shhh...not now. They'll tear you apart. Your savior over there likely won't take well to that." He whispered, leading him out the door and into the courtyard.

He nodded his head to the younger woman as she slipped the gate open and then shut behind them, before shaking his head as the younger man promptly passed out, hefting him over his shoulders in a soldiers carry position. 

"Oh, feel free to sleep it off my friend. Now, mind explaining what's going on, Raegan?" He asked, arching an eyebrow as they moved further from the Bazaar and up a makeshift ramp leading to the rooftops. The younger woman sighed as she looked at Hakon, gently tapping one of the younger man's arms as Hakon glanced, both eyebrows raised in surprise and recognition as he took in marks identical to the ones the woman had, only there seemed to be a great deal more.

"That's Aiden...those savages would have killed him, there wasn't time to explain. I'm sorry, but I couldn't let him die. I wasn't about to lose him again." She explained, smiling weakly at him. "Think Jana and Sarah would mind if we patch him up at their place? Nowhere else is going to be safe until we get him a biomarker."

Hakon laughed weakly at the comment, before shrugging.

"They might not be thrilled, but if you ask them and explain the situation, I can't see why they'd turn us away. Now, we might want to get going before anyone decides to come out after us." He said, starting towards the girls' workshop.

Chapter Text

*Jana and Sarah's workshop, Old Villedor* 

Hakon grunted softly as he helped get Aiden on his feet after he'd suddenly woken up with a soft cry of pain right as they were walking up to the makeshift bridge leading to Jana and Sarah's place.

"Easy does it, kiddo..." He soothed, placing the younger man's arm around his shoulders as he carefully made his way to the workshop, Raegan having already darted ahead to open the door. He frowned as Aiden convulsed, struggling to keep him upright as they walked in the door. 

"Jana, get the inhibitors and a medkit!" He groaned as he lowered the younger male onto the floor. 

"Who the fuck is this?" Jana asked as Sarah moved in between her and the two men. 

"Just hurry will you?! Bring 'em here!" He demanded, watching as Sarah rushed and got both items, sliding them to him before resuming her protective stance in front of her wife. Raegan knelt down and pressed gauze to the bite mark on Aiden's hand that had started bleeding again, watching as Hakon snatched up the inhibitor and quickly jabbed Aiden's shoulder, causing him to roughly shove Hakon away, suppressing the urge to snicker softly at Hakon's cry of "Ah, fuck...you prick...fuckin' prick!" before they moved to restrain him, having a bit of difficulty resulting in a few items being knocked over, before Aiden slumped and passed out again. She sighed and leaned back, throwing an apologetic look at Jana and Sarah. 

"I'm sorry. We, uh, we had nowhere else to go. You remember the boy I was looking for after Frank and the Nightrunners found me? Well, this...is Aiden. Those fucking idiots at the Bazaar thought stringing him up by his neck was a smarter idea than dragging him outside so he wouldn't turn. Again, I'm really, really sorry. We'll get out of your hair after he recovers a bit and I clean that bite wound." Sarah sighed and leaned against the wall, wrapping an arm around Jana. 

"Well, while I don't appreciate the mess, he can stay and recuperate for a bit, get his strength up. But he's not staying permanently, and he's your responsibility. We've got a large order we've got to get finished, but if you need anything then feel free to help yourself." She said softly, shaking her head as her and Jana went to go down to their workshop on the floor below them. Raegan nodded, giving them a small wave before helping move Aiden onto the bed Hakon usually used, before she moved and sat near him with her cheek resting on her knees, hugging her arms around them as she kept a close eye on him. Hakon busied himself with tidying up before moving on to making something for them to eat, taking plates down to the girls before going over to the couch and sitting down. He leaned his head back and relaxed, keeping an ear open in case either Raegan or the girls needed something. 

A few hours later Raegan sat up as Aiden gasped awake, sitting up abruptly before looking around with wide eyes as his chest rose and fell rapidly. His gaze snapped to Raegan as she moved closer, one hand reached out to steady him. 

"Whoa, easy there....deep breaths, Ai, come on. There we go." She smiled softly. Aiden's eyes widened again as he fully turned and looked her over, a look of realization washing washing over his face.

"....Ray? Is that....is it really you? This can't be real..." He exhaled shakily as he reached out, before letting out a startled laugh as his hand touched her arm. Raegan chuckled weakly as she gently placed a hand over his, giving it a small squeeze before lunging forward and throwing her arms around him. She let out a watery laugh as she tightened her grip some, before leaning back and grabbing the medkit, opening it to get to what she'd need as she gently grabbed his hand.

"Sorry, this is going to sting, but this needs to be disinfected." She warned, pouring some disinfectant over the bite on his hand, keeping his wrist steady as he hissed softly. She glanced at his wrist and gently tapped the scorpion pendant affixed to his bracelet. 

"Tell me about this?" She asked as she dabbed gently at the bite, making sure it was thoroughly clean. He huffed out a laugh before wincing slightly. 

"I thought Pilgrims came through here all the time?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her. 

"Well, obviously, but I haven't interacted too closely with them, or at least not enough to ask them about those badges. So, since my long lost best friend just so happens to be a Pilgrim, I'm asking him." He chuckled as he shook his head, watching as she expertly wrapped gauze around the bite, tightly enough to stanch the bleeding while still allowing for freedom of movement. "Well, each badge is different depending on personal taste, but it's always a scorpion. It's a way to let others know you're a Pilgrim, and also for other Pilgrims to identify each other. My mentor, and a good friend of mine had this made for me when I joined the Pilgrims, which let me tell you is kind of hard since we're so spread out and there isn't exactly an official headquarters where everyone's constantly coming and going. The closest thing to headquarters would be a decent sized settlement called Crossdale River, which is supposed to be fifteen hundred kilometers from here, but the main bridge from there to Villedor washed out this spring, so it's closer to two thousand kilometers due to have to take an alternate route. As for joining the Pilgrims, you basically have to ask around and meet certain criteria and prove you're up to the task. Most don't last more than two years, if they're lucky. I've been at this the past four years. That answer your question?" He asked, grinning at her. 

"Well, it answers that question. I do have a few others." She said, leaning back against the wall with a small smile as Aiden barked out a laugh. 

"I just wake up and you're already interrogating me, I see how it is. What do you want to know?" He teased, nudging her leg with his knee. She rolled her eyes and playfully smacked his leg, shaking her head with a fond smile on her face, not noticing Hakon shaking a bit as he silently laughed and observed them, content to let them catch up a bit. 

"This isn't going to be as lighthearted of a question, but....how come you didn't come back to Villedor sooner? Don't get me wrong, I missed you so fucking much and was worried about you, but during those four years, how come you didn't come back?" She asked, smiling weakly at him. He sighed as he glanced down, taking a breath before looking back up. 

"I couldn't remember the name of the city, with everything that happened, I just...I remembered you and Mia, and a hospital, and Waltz, but that's about it." He said, voice hardening as he said Waltz's name, before he continued. 

"I was so desperate to find you and Mia those four years, after the fire I tried asking everyone everywhere I went, but nobody had heard of either of you. They said you probably died in the fire or the city either during or after The Fall. I didnt believe them, I knew you both were alive, and I was going to find you. That's why I joined the Pilgrims as soon as I was able to, tried from the time I was thirteen or fourteen until I was around sixteen or seventeen and someone finally agreed to show me the ropes. Finally Spike heard from this guy a couple days ago that he had information on Waltz, and on Mia. His name was Dylan, he told me Mia was alive in the city, and I knew if she was alive then you had to be as well." Raegan gasped sharply as she looked at him. 

"Wait....Mia's still in the city? She's alive? I....I knew there was no way you were dead, that you had to have gotten out somehow, but Mia...she was so sick, I hoped she was but I didn't know how she possibly could have survived. I haven't seen or heard from her since that night, Ai. I tried looking for both of you, but you were both just gone. Nobody had heard of either of you. They looked, of course, but nothing came up. Apparently you must have been taken from the city. I was found by this group called the Nightrunners, former elite military team. They took me in." She explained, smiling sadly at him as he frowned. 

"You're sure you haven't seen or heard from her?" He asked, cursing under his breath when she shook her head no.

"Damn. He said he'd seen her and had confirmation that she was alive. She has to be here, Ray, maybe there's some place you haven't checked." Raegan sighed and shrugged her shoulders. 

"I mean, it is possible. It's a big city, but...we'll find her. Together. I know this city and everyone in it. I'm sure someone has to have heard something." She said, before jumping slightly as Hakon cleared his throat and added 

"Not as well as I do, I'm Hakon by the way, our dear petit rayon del soleil here's talked quite extensively about you the past fifteen years, pleasure to finally meet you, Aiden." He said, holding his hand out and giving a warm smile to Aiden. 

"Fuck's sake, Hakon, I thought you were downstairs with Jana and Sarah!" Raegan said, putting a hand over her heart and scowling as Aiden chuckled in amusement before he shook Hakon's hand. 

"Oh, has she, now? Nice to meet you, Hakon." He said, barking out a laugh as Raegan flipped Hakon off. 

"This nosy fucker is one of the ones who saved me that night. Also, if you're going to be going around the city we need to get you a biomarker. You won't get very far without one, since we haven't had people coming through for the past, oh, six months or so at least. The Peacekeepers, who you will definitely be seeing around, they're basically our police and military, sealed off not only the route to the Central Loop where I live, but also the entire city is locked down. Someone killed their commander and so they locked everything down tight until his killer is found. So, unfortunately we can't check the Center just yet, but Old Villedor is decent sized, we can check around here and hopefully this matter is resolved soon." She explained, giving him an apologetic look.

"Biomarker? That's why those assholes strung me up, though I'm not sure what the hell a Biomarker is." Aiden grumbled, shaking his head. 

"Yeah, those dumbasses, instead of, you know, taking you outside where it was nice and sunny and would have prevented you from turning, got all spooked because somehow someone from outside the walls wandered right into the Bazaar, freshly bitten and with no Biomarker. Which, by the way is one of these lovely things. It monitors your rate of infection when you're in the dark, the lines slowly turn red the longer you're outside of either the sunlight or UV lights. You can delay having to go out in the sun or find a spot with UV light by taking immunity boosters, UV mushrooms, or there's also UV pills, which I prefer. The mushrooms and boosters leave an aftertaste. Now, obviously those aren't a permanent solution and you will need to get to UV light in some form, but it can be the difference between turning and getting to safety. These things are only made by one production team now, and they're made maybe a few at a time. Plus they are insanely expensive. People will spend all of their savings on these but they are a very crucial thing, right up there with food and water. They are that important." She said, patting his arm at the slightly bewildered expression on his face. 

"Sorry, I know, a lot at once, but I cannot stress enough how important these are." She explained. Aiden shook his head, smiling weakly. 

"No, I get it. I don't agree with what they did, but with how important these seem to be, and whats happened, I can see why they got a bit spooked. Fear clouds people's judgment and while I'm definitely not happy about what happened, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt. Now....how do we go about getting a Biomarker?" He asked, slowly standing up, lightly waving Hakon's hand away and shaking his head. 

"There's an abandoned air drop nearby, the suppliers sometimes stash Biomarkers and people can take one if they've somehow managed to break theirs, and just leave their payment in the crate. But we better get going if we want to get there before dark. You up to running?" Hakon asked, securing his bag to his back before walking towards the door after Aiden nodded his head, securing his own pack and checking her had everything as Raegan walked to the stairs. 

"We're headed out, sorry again for the intrusion!" She called, getting a faint "Bye!" from Jana and Sarah before they all headed out into the late afternoon sun.

Chapter Text

*Biomarker cache, Quarry End, Old Villedor*

Once they got near the supply cache for Biomarkers, Hakon held his arm up to stop Aiden from going forward as he nodded to a group of men wearing blue militaristic uniforms.

"Hold up, Peacekeepers. They're decent for the most part, but we don't have time for the hassle they'll give us if you're caught without a Biomarker." He explained, before his attention was turned back to the streets as a woman came running up towards the men on the street with some infected hot on her heels.

"Help! Somebody! Help!! ...Urgh!" She grunted as she tripped, scrambling up and towards another Peacekeeper as the one next to her brutally swung his weapon down onto the infected's head a few times while two of his comrades dispatched the rest of the infected. Two other Peacekeepers led her away before the rest followed suit and leaving the intersection. Raegan crouched and moved over to the side of the building before nodding to Hakon.

"All clear, let's get moving, it'll be dark soon. C'mon, it's on that roof across the street." He said, sliding down the ramp to the street as Aiden and Raegan followed suit, quickly darting across the street before scaling the side of the building. Hakon cursed as he opened the crate, moving something around before letting out a frustrated groan.

"Picked clean. I was sure there'd still be some here. There's another place they'd be, but....I was hoping to avoid it." He sighed, before frowning in confusion as Aiden pulled a device out of his pocket and attempted to unlock a smaller compartment, eyebrows shooting up in surprise as it opened and Aiden held up some electronics.

"Enough for a Biomarker, maybe?" He asked, glancing between Raegan and Hakon's surprised expressions. "Fuck me, where'd you get that? I haven't seen working GRE equipment in years!" Hakon exclaimed, inspecting the key as Aiden held it up.

"That informant was a GRE scientist named Dylan, he....uh, he gave it to me right before Waltz eviscerated him." He explained, tucking it back into his pocket. Suddenly an inhuman shriek rang out, causing all three of them to flinch.

"Fuck, they're waking up, we're going to have to run!" Raegan hissed, peering down at the infected spilling into the streets along with Aiden. He suddenly groaned as he staggered a bit, nearly falling over the edge before Hakon yanked him the opposite way before collapsing to the ground and gasping as his body seized some. Not long after his arms shook as he attempted to get up, gratefully taking Hakon's hand as he yanked him up.

"Are you alright? We need to get you to a UV lamp, and fast." He muttered, cursing as he heard something advancing.

"We need to run like hell! Move, move!" He shouted as they took off across the rooftops, hearing an enraged shriek from a viral behind them.

"The Bazaar isn't far from here, keep moving!" Hakon called out, changing direction and heading for the Bazaar, using a zip line to get from thebkast rooftop down to the street before sprinting to the main entrance.

"Just a bit farther, hurry! Stay in the light, Raegan, keep an eye out, I don't want any surprises." He ordered before pounding on the door.

"Open up! Hello?!"

"Hakon....fuck, Hakon, a Howler's coming." Raegan hissed.

"C'mon! Open up! Now!!" Hakon smacked his fist against the door again, glancing worriedly over his shoulder before turning his attention back to the door.

"Fuck." He muttered, before looking up as the guard slid a covering from a small window open. "Biomarkers." He demanded.

"There's no time! We got a Howler on our asses!" "Biomarkers." The guard repeated.

"Didn't you hear! Behind us...." He gestured towards the rapidly approaching Howler.

"I said- Biomarkers!" The guard snapped. Raegan moved further into the UV light, holding hers up next to Hakon.

"Here."

"And his?"

"He's with us." Raegan snapped, a bit annoyed by the man's attitude.

"I have to see his Biomarker." The man sighed.

"Let us just inside the door at least!"

"I need to see his Biomarker."

"Aaargh! How about some electronics, huh?" Hakon asked, holding the part up to the window for the man to see, before the man suddenly slammed the little window shut. Raegan's jaw dropped a bit before she kicked the door once, hard, letting out a muffled frustrated yell.

"FUCKER!" Hakon added for good measure, flipping the door off.

"Open up!" He pounded the door again, before looking up as the outside UV lamps were switched off, causing him to let out an incredulous and frustrated laugh.

"Ah-ha....you piece of...." He trailed off as the Howler suddenly let out a roar.

"FUCK! Move, NOW!" Raegan shouted, pushing Aiden as they took off from the Bazaar.

"Cillian's place, it's our best bet!" She shouted.

"If the fucker is even home!" Hakon panted as he launched himself across a gap to the next rooftop. "I've got a key, remember? If he's not there we just let ourselves in, apologize after!" She called over her shoulder, picking up speed as she saw Cillian's place come into view.

"There! Just a bit more!" She said, dashing up to the door as Hakon smacked his hand against it.

"Cillian! Cillian I know you're home, open up, we've got infected on our asses! Cillian! Damnit...open up!" He shouted. Raegan growled and smacked the door herself as she heard the sound of virals closing in. "Cillian, you open this door right fucking now! So help me..." She sighed as the lights flickered on right as a viral crawled onto the ledge, before it backed away and started smoking as the lights hit it. Seconds later the door opened and a man peered out, glancing behind Hakon and Raegan at Aiden.

"And who's this?" He asked, glancing between the three of them as Aiden stepped forward.

"Aiden, I'm a..."

"The Aiden? The one Ray here wouldn't stop talking about?" Cillian asked, raising an eyebrow as he stepped aside to let them in. Raegan's shoulders went up to her ears some as she pointedly looked away from the amused look Aiden gave her, ducking into the small space and sitting on the couch as Aiden and Hakon trailed in.

"The very same apparently." Hakon said, motioning for Aiden to sit on the couch.

"Go sit by the UV lamp." He said, handing Cillian the electronics.

"As thanks for saving our collective asses." He said as Cillian's eyes widened.

"That's rare! Where on Earth did you get that at?" "Crate where there's usually Biomarkers stashed. This GRE key opened a small compartment." Aiden said, holding up the key for Cillian to inspect, before pocketing it again.

"What are you up to, Hakon?"

"I gave him an inhibitor, he survived." Cillian whipped his head around to look at him.

"Are you mad?"

"He needs a Biomarker, crate was picked clean " Raegan piped up.

"Don't have any. Afraid what was in the crate was it for a while, damned blockade means suppliers are missing a key part for them." Hakon sighed as he thought it over.

"The hospital, then? I was hoping to avoid it, but it's our best shot."

"Always looking for an easy way, huh, Hakon?" Hakon chuckled weakly as he headed for the door.

"You two wait here, I'm going to see about the best way to get in. I'll be in touch." He said as he slipped back out into the night.

Chapter Text

*Cillian's Hideout, Trinity, Old Villedor* 

Raegan yawned as she carefully got up from the couch, rubbing at her eyes as she glanced at the clock Cillian kept. She moved and checked over her gear while Aiden slept, making certain things were in working order. Better to check now than to have something go wrong once they were in the hospital. She also grabbed a spare bat Cillian had lying near the door, leaving a note that she'd give him a replacement when she was able to. She inspected the bat and reinforced it so it was sturdier and packed more of a hit before setting it by Aiden's gear. She nearly dropped her pack when Hakon came over the radio, giving the small device a scowl as Aiden jolted awake.

"Mornin', HQ here, hospital ride needed, copy?" Came the cheerful voice over the radio. Raegan shook her head as she glanced at Aiden, chuckling softly.

"Always with the cabbie jokes, honestly.. thinks he's hilarious, that one."

She said, handing him the radio.

"Very funny. Did you make it?" Aiden sighed, rubbing at his eyes and stretching his body.

"Almost. Biomarkers are at the GRE hospital. I'll be there shortly, but to get the job done, I need you two to join me." Hakon explained.

Raegan grabbed the radio, sitting down next to Aiden. "Alright. Gonna check our gear and we'll be there in about...five minutes, maybe less. Make sure your gear is good before we head in, Hakon."  She handed the radio back, double checking her gear while Aiden did the same.

"Alright, stick to the rooftops and try and not alert any Howlers while we're out there. I really don't want to run like hell again." She teased, nudging Aiden with her elbow before standing up and opening the door. She let him out first before closing the door behind them, pointing towards a building not far off. 

"That's where we need to go, St. Joseph's hospital. Should be a few Biomarkers left in there, since it's a bitch and a half to get to even at night." She said softly, taking off from Cillian's with Aiden trailing behind her. 

*St. Joseph's Hospital, Houndfield, Old Villedor* 

Not long after they came upon the main entrance to the hospital. Aiden pulled the GRE key out while Raegan kept an eye out for any infected. He cursed under his breath as the lock refused to open.

"Lock's broken. Any other ways in?" He asked, pocketing the key and standing up straight. 

"Yeah, this way. Bus crashed into here during The Fall, should get us close to where Hakon is." She whispered, moving quickly and quietly around a corner. She slipped between the doors of the bus after Aiden, clicking her flashlight on once they were inside. 

"We're in. Where are you, Hakon?"

"By the upstairs lobby, I marked the route for you guys."

"Got it, be there soon." Raegan said, making quick work of getting up to the next floor, Aiden following not far behind her. They wandered outside the hospital before making it into another room, with Hakon trying to get a door open.

"Door's locked. You know how to open locks, Aiden?"

"Sure. Turn the key." Came the sarcastic response, causing Raegan to try and disguise her laughter, failing and getting a one fingered salute from Hakon. Which only made her chuckle again.

"What if you don't have a key?"

"Hakon...I've traveled thousands of kilometers. You think doors are a problem for me?"

"Okay, just checking. Got any lockpicks?" Hakon asked with a grunt, moving away from the door to give Aiden room once he nodded. Within moments the lock gave a faint click before Aiden swung the door open.

"You didn't lie. You know your stuff." Hakon said, ducking through the door and beckoning them to follow.

"Had no other choice. Was forced to know my stuff." Aiden muttered. Raegan smiled weakly and patted his arm. 

"He could have done that himself, honestly. Lockpicking is pretty much a necessary skill anymore. He's just not the greatest lockpick in Villedor." She teased, smirking as Hakon gave her a withering look. He left the room and scaled a wall, holding a hand out to help the two of them up to the next level of the building. They quickly scaled a few more walls before making it to a rooftop courtyard. After that they climbed onto another ledge leading to a hallway with a few elevators. Hakon let out a groan as he tried prying one of the doors open, motioning for Aiden to come help him. After a bit they both stepped back, having been unsuccessful at opening the doors.

"Damn. Looks like we'll have to go this way. It's a darkzone, so we'll have to be quiet." Hakon whispered, moving and pushing two heavy double doors open. Raegan's breath hitched as she took in all of the children's toys, face going a bit pale as she reached and gripped one of Aiden's hands. She took a breath and steadied herself as he squeezed once reassuringly before letting go of her hand. He walked over to a wall with a faraway look in his eyes, brushing an area of the wall as if remembering something. 

"Ai...? Earth to Aiden. You good?" Raegan whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder with a concerned look on her face.

"Y-yeah, just....this place reminds me of..." He trailed off and looked down.

"The hospital. Yeah, me too...sooner we get what we need and get back out, the better." She muttered, nodding once to Hakon.

"We're good, just...bad memories." She reassured him, getting an understanding look.

"It's not much farther. We'll be back out of here before you know it." He soothed. He led them down a flight of stairs before putting a finger to his lips and crouching down, pointing to a group of dormant infect through half opened doors.

"If we stay low and move quietly they shouldn't notice us. Just don't get too close to them and it'll be fine." He whispered, slowly edging through the doors and around the infected. Raegan quickly followed, moving slowly so Aiden could keep up with her. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage once they made it past the infected.

"Fucking hell that was close..." She gasped out, keeping her voice low in case there were anymore nearby. She flinched as Aiden started coughing, glancing at the chemicals with a frown. 

"Chemicals. Here...use this to cover your mouth and nose, it's not much but it helps." She said, digging out a bandana and helping him tie it so it covered his face.

"Better?" She asked softly, smiling when she got a nod.

"A bit, yeah. How do you deal with that stuff?" He whispered, walking with her down a hallway.

"You sorta get used to it after eleven years, but it's still absolutely foul stuff. Don't touch it if you can help it."

"I'll try not to, stuff smells bad enough, I can't imagine what it might do if you touch it. Not sure I wanna find out either." He sighed. Raegan hopped onto a light fixture, moving towards the middle and waiting to make sure he made the jump, before sliding off on the other side of a half wall, leaving a few dormant infected none the wiser of their presence. They carefully wound through a few hallways and small storage rooms before coming on another pair of elevators. Raegan winced as the doors creaked open, nodding once to Hakon before slipping down onto the top of the elevator roughly a floor below them. She quickly ducked through the open doors to the third floor right as Hakon landed on the elevator.

"Shit! Be careful. It's not stable. C'mon, quickly." He cautioned as he slipped through the doors after Raegan. 

There was a bang as Aiden leapt down onto the elevator, before it started creaking and groaning ominously. 

"Oh fuck." Aiden muttered, edging closer to Hakon, who'd moved closer and held his hand out for Aiden.

"Slowly...slowly..." Hakon said, moving as close to the edge as he dared. His fingers barely brushed Aiden's before there was a loud creak, sending the elevator and Aiden down to the first floor. Aiden let out a pained grunt as he shakily got back on his feet, breathing heavily as he glanced up.

"You alive?" 

"Fuck! Aiden, are you okay?!"

"Guess so.." He groaned, leaning against the wall as he caught his breath.

"Can you climb up?"

"Yeah. Just give me a sec." Aiden panted, waving a hand I'm Hakon's general direction.

"Hurry. We're running out of time. It'll be light out soon. You don't want to be caught in a darkzone come morning." He cautioned the younger man. Aiden sighed and started using the metal in the back of the elevator shaft as a ladder, barely making it halfway before his arms gave out. 

"I can't make it." He gasped out, shaking a bit from the exertion. 

"Wait, I've got an idea. Remember that cocktail I served you earlier? At the girls' workshop..." Hakon asked.

"Inhibitors."

"Exactly. You fell the the first floor. There's some GRE storage down there... Look for white-green crates. Inhibitors should be inside. If you take another dose, you should get your strength back." He explained. Aiden nodded before moving to open the hatch on the elevator, blinking as he heard a startled shout from where Hakon and Raegan were.

"Damnit, Ray! What are you....get back here!" Hakon shouted, right as there was a muted thud as Raegan landed next to Aiden. 

"I'm going with him, you go find the Biomarker, Hakon. We'll catch up with you."

"Putain de fille obstinée...be careful." He sighed, shaking his head.

"Me? I'm always careful. Careful is my middle name." She quipped, slipping down into the elevator after Aiden, smirking faintly. She helped him ease the doors open, before her eyes widened as a volatile bounded out into the hallway. They both pressed into opposite corners, holding their breath as they heard it walking closer, before a loud but muted sound somewhere in the hospital sent it scurrying away with an enraged roar. Raegan panted and looked over at Aiden with wide eyes.

"That was..." She gasped, voice barely above a whisper.

"Too close. Yeah. Let's go.. before it decides to come back." He finished softly, easing out of the elevator with her behind him. They both nearly jumped as the GRE key made a small noise before announcing there were inhibitors nearby. 

"Jesus-... okay then. Not far, I guess. C'mon, Ai."

They made quick work of sneaking past infected, managing to get to the GRE crate. Raegan quickly opened it and lifted the inhibitor out. 

"Try and not yell.." She said, quickly jabbing Aiden in the stomach with the inhibitor, causing him to grunt once before he clapped a hand over his mouth, breathing heavily as he felt the inhibitor start working.

"Good to go?" She asked, rubbing his back lightly. Once he nodded she moved the table leg blocking the door's handles.

"Ah, that'd be why this wasn't opening.." She muttered, tossing it aside before they quickly moved back to the elevator. She glanced worriedly as she heard a howl, following him back into the elevator shaft before closing the hatch to the elevator. After that was done they made their way up to the third floor, listening for any signs of infected. A ways down the hall they happened upon an old exam room with Hakon rummaging around in it, a small box set to the side of him. He glanced back before pulling a biomarker out of the box.

"You were gone awhile. How you feeling, Aiden?"

"Infected, but good to go." Aiden said, pulling a chair over and sitting down on it. Hakon turned around and walked closer with the biomarker, smacking Aiden's hand away when he grabbed for it.

"Hah. Thats great. Sorry about this. Raegan, hold him still."

"What? Sorry about what?" He frowned as the biomarker was affixed to his wrist, listening to it making small beeping noises. It suddenly clicked and tightened, drawing a startled and pained yell from him as he grabbed his wrist. Raegan gripped his shoulder with one hand, placing her other over his hand and squeezing gently.

"I know, I know, hurts like hell but whatever you do don't try and yank it off. Trust me." She soothed, patting his shoulder as his breathing evened. 

"Sorry about...that. On behalf of all of its whores, bandits, idiots, and everything else in between...I re-christen you as a citizen of Villedor. Welcome home." Hakon said, before frowning as the biomarker started rapidly beeping, the bars all turning red in quick succession.

"Fuck...you're about to turn!" He said, gripping Aiden's wrist and glancing at the biomarker before looking at Raegan with a worried expression.

"Get him into the light! Fast!"

"Shit, c'mon, Ai! Move!" Raegan gasped, hauling him up and pushing him some as they started running towards the exit. She cursed as she heard the volatile roar somewhere behind them, spurring them to run even faster once they saw the doors up ahead. They both tumbled through the half open doors, with Raegan pulling Aiden further back as a viral lunged for them. She kicked it back before a bat suddenly came down on it's head, crushing it after a few blows.

"Hakon, watch out!" She gasped as the volatile tried running out the doors, before it let out a cry and ducked back into the shade. It let out an enraged roar as steam rolled off of it's body, before it bounded back into the hospital.

"Yeah, you better run, fucker!" Raegan shouted after it, leaning against Aiden and nervously laughing before sighing, ignoring the incredulous look on Aiden's face.

"She tends to get a bit giggly after an adrenaline rush." Hakon explained with a small shake of his head, chuckling weakly. He reached down and helped them both up off the ground, walking towards the edge of the hospital's roof and pulling out a pair of binoculars. He motioned them over as he looked around, trying to pinpoint something.

"Should probably fill you in on the situation around here, Aiden. Things haven't been stable here in at least half a year, maybe more. However...after the PK commander was murdered, well...they blocked all routes to and from the Center. They're trying to keep the killer from escaping. If you want to get to the Center, we either need to sneak around them or we need to see if we can help them. So, essentially the hard way or the harder way."

"Well, it might be smarter to ask if we can help them...show them I'm not who they're looking for. After all, it can't hurt having allies that could help find who I'm looking for, right?" Aiden asked, shrugging his shoulders a bit.

"Very true, and a wise choice. Here, I want to show you something. You can keep these, have a look around the city. Old Villedor has plenty of interesting spots to check out." Hakon said, handing him the binoculars. He watched as Aiden glanced around with them before speaking up again.

"You see the church? That's where the Howlers were after us. It's the center of the district. You can find notice boards with missing people around the city. One of them is near the church. Maybe, somehow, you'll find something about Mia there. It's a good place to start."

"Yeah, there's always new notices put up, or we can ask about older ones that have been covered up. There's a guy at the Bazaar who's been living around there since before The Fall, if anyone would know something it would be him." 

"Well, I've got some prior engagements to get back to, so I'll leave you in Raegan's capable hands. If you need me just give a shout over the radio, I'll try and get there as soon as I'm able to. Good luck, you two!" Hakon waved, before taking off.

"Well...ready to try and brave the Bazaar again, Ai? They shouldn't hassle you with a biomarker, and if they do...I promise I'll only hit them a little bit." Raegan teased as she nudged his shoulder, getting an amused chuckle in response.

"Well, alright, then. Lead the way, I guess."

Chapter Text

*Bazaar, Trinity, Old Villedor* 

Raegan tried fighting a scowl as she and Aiden walked up to the gates of the Bazaar, shoulders tense as she glanced around.

"Easy...I've got a biomarker now, and I'm not in danger of turning. There's no reason for them to hassle me or try and hang me again, right?" Aiden tried soothing her, hands coming up at the withering look she threw at him.

"No, but I'm still extremely pissed at Carl and the ones involved. Can't be helped though, I need some supplies and we should probably get you a change of clothes or two. Yours are a bit worn down, they can be mended of course, but having some spare clothes can't hurt." She sighed, pushing the door open and walking into the courtyard with him. She was glad nobody glanced twice at them, merely getting a curious look or two before the people looked away. She walked up to the door of the church and pushed it open, taking a breath before walking in with him. There was faint music and the chatter of people as they came upon a closed door. She pushed the door open and walked in, Aiden trailing behind her and looking around with a slightly awestruck look on his face. 

"Hey, might wanna pay attention to where you're going, or you're gonna wind up crashing into someone. Not that that wouldn't be kinda funny to see, but...some people here can be kind of short tempered." She teased, smirking at the look on his face.

"That's just mean, Ray. You'd laugh if I fell over? I'm hurt!" He said, feigning a wounded expression.

"If you fall over due to gawking with your mouth wide open, yep! Definitely gonna laugh at you, Ai. I'll help you up first, though."

"Oh, how kind of you." He drawled out, laughing softly as he shook his head.

"You know I wouldn't let you really fall over, right?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Hmmm....maybe. Maybe not. Hard telling with you." He teased, ducking away from her trying to smack his arm with another laugh.

"Okay, okay, geeze! No, you probably wouldn't unless I deserved it." He chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Hmm, only if you really, really ticked me off." She hummed, looking at the supplies one of the vendors had, picking out what she needed while Aiden looked over the clothes another vendor was selling. Once they'd gotten what they needed Raegan nodded to where a few people were selling food. 

"How 'bout we grab something to eat and then check out the notice boards? I dunno about you, but I am starving." She groaned, giving a weak chuckle as both their stomachs decided to growl.

"Yeah...sounds good to me." He chuckled, following her to one of the vendors and waiting as she ordered two portions of food. He took the food when she handed it to him, before following her to an empty bench and sitting down to eat. Once they were done Raegan led him outside the church to a wall coated with missing persons posters.

"Looking at all the dead people?" An older man asked as he walked up to them.

"Hey, Abraham. Got a question about the notice board. Did you ever see a missing poster for someone named Mia? She'd be about our age now, but at the time she was around five years old. She, ah...was at the hospital with us." Raegan asked, nodding towards the wall.

"She was part of those GRE experiments? Sorry, don't recall seeing anything about anyone named Mia put up there. But, if I do find something I'll let you know as soon as I do." Abraham said, giving them both an apologetic look.

"Damn...well, it was worth a shot asking you. You've lived around here for ages, so if anyone would know something, it's you. And, yeah, if you hear anything, even a rumor...please do let us know. Thank you, Abraham." Raegan sighed as she looked at Aiden.

"Any other notice boards around the city?" He asked, frowning a bit as he walked away from the notice board.

"Ah, maybe...not too many this side of Villedor, I'm afraid. Other than the PK outpost here, that is. There's a smaller one near the water tower, but, ah...that's kind of controlled by bandits. So that one is out until we can run them out, without risking the water tower. So, looks like we'll be paying the new PK commander, Aitor, a visit. I'm not sure if he'll have information on Mia, but...it's worth a shot. And we can ask about getting to the Center, or at least making sure once once blockade ends we're at the front of the line." She said, leaning against the wall.

"Alright, let's go talk to this Aitor, then. The sooner we can get to the Center, the better, right?" He asked, walking toward the gate to the Bazaar.

Chapter Text

*PK Metro Base, Quarry End, Old Villedor*

Raegan leapt down off a one story building before making her way to the PK's Metro base, Aiden trailing behind her. She opened the door, letting him slip in ahead of her before closing it. She waved when a few of the guards on duty greeted her, walking into the metro station and glancing around, before her eyes landed on Aitor's second-in-command, Anderson. 

"Hey, is Aitor in? My friend and I need to talk to him, it's urgent." She asked as she wandered over to the older woman. 

"Your friend, huh? Don't recall seeing him around before. What's so urgent you need to see the commander? And where was your friend four days ago, hm?" Anderson sneered, crossing her arms as she gave Aiden a scrutinizing look.

"It's a big city, Anderson, I guarantee you've likely not seen most of the citizens of Villedor, or could easily recognize them for that matter. As for what's so urgent, that is between us and Aitor. If you've not seen him we'll check his office or wait until he's in. And he was with me four days ago, running an errand for Sophie that took all day, had to run like mad to the nearest safe zone because we got caught out after dark. Now, if you'll excuse us." Raegan snipped, grabbing Aiden's wrist and walking around Anderson towards Aitor's office. She let go of his wrist and knocked on the door, sighing in relief when she heard Aitor answer, pushing the door open and walking in with Aiden before closing it behind them.

"Come in. Ah, Ray, to what do I owe the pleasure? And who's your friend?" Aitor asked, motioning for the both of them to sit down. 

"Well, to answer the second question...Aitor, this is Aiden. As in the one I was looking for and who was at that hospital with me." She answered, holding Aiden's arm up next to hers briefly, showing the matching scars on them. Aitor's eyes widened just a bit as he took in just how many more scars lined Aiden's arm, before he nodded with a grim expression.

"We were wondering if there's any chance you may have heard of someone named Mia, she was my sister, and she was with us at the hospital. This doctor, Waltz...he took her. I was separated from her, as well as from Ray, when we were younger. I was taken from the city and bounced around refugee camps before becoming a Pilgrim four years ago, but I've been searching for and trying to get back to them for fifteen years now. I just got back to the city about two days ago, and...it wasn't easy, I got bitten in one of the GRE access tunnels." Aiden explained, clasping his hands as he looked to the floor.

"Bloody hell...you went through that tunnel, and you lived to tell the tale? There's a reason we never sealed that one off, it's impossible to traverse due to at least one volatile, if not more, being there. That and we can't get any lights far enough in it to make it safe to do anything. You're very lucky to be alive after going through there, I'm honestly impressed." Aitor said, shaking his head some in disbelief before sighing.

"I'm sorry, I can't say I've heard anything about a Mia. Waltz...we've all heard of him and what he's done, the sick bastard. I'm sorry you also went through that, Aiden, I can't imagine what that must have been like, and...as a father it boils my blood that kids were ripped from their families to go through that. If I hear anything about your sister, I'll let you know personally. Was there anything else either of you needed?" He asked, leaning forward with his hands clasped, resting his chin on top of them.

"Yeah, I know the blockade is going on, and why...so I know we likely can't get to the Center just yet. But, well...is there any way we could be some of the first to go once the blockade is lifted?" Raegan queried.

"There might be, but it won't come free. If you could help me out I can guarantee you'd be some of the first, if not the first ones through. I need help finding out who murdered the former commander. There's also something that cannot get out to other people...whoever killed him cut off his tattoos. Sick fucker decided to take a trophy, and his weapon, the Lazarus, is also missing. Help me and I give you my word I'll help you any way I'm able to." He said, voice tinged with disgust as he spoke.

"Holy shit...who would even do such a thing? That's just...completely fucked up. We'll try our best, Aitor, I'm not sure how successful we might be, but I can assure you we'll do our best to find anything out." Raegan said softly, standing up and heading to the door.

"Good luck to both of you, and...even if you don't come up with much of anything, I'll still try and help. It would just expedite things if you find anything out is all." Aitor said, nodding his head to dismiss them.

Raegan sighed as she walked with Aiden out of the main part of the metro station, jumping as Aiden's radio crackled.

"Hey, how's my favorite duo, Raeden, doing? Enjoying city life, kiddo?" Hakon chuckled.

Aiden shared a confused look with Raegan as they left the metro, climbing up onto a nearby rooftop. He grabbed his radio and pressed the button down. 

"Raeden? You have a stroke there, old man?" He asked.

"Raeden, you know...Raegan and Aiden. Figured you two could use a cute couple's nickname." Hakon teased.

Raegan felt her face heat up as she grabbed the radio. She grit her teeth some and nearly cracking it as she tried strangling the thing, likely imagining it was Hakon's neck instead.

"We are not a couple, Hakon! We're childhood best friends. Your jokes have gotten worse. Now what did you want? Aside from being a pain in the ass, as usual." She hissed out.

"Sure you aren't, kid. I've got a sixth sense about these things, you know. Just checking in and making sure you both are still alive. Found any leads yet?" Hakon asked, chuckling in amusement at the rage in Raegan's voice.

Aiden sighed as he took the radio back from Raegan before she wound up breaking it, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently rubbing a bit to try and soothe her.

"No, not really. We met with Aitor. He wants help trying to find the former commander's murderer. We're going to look into that." He said, still absentmindedly rubbing Raegan's shoulder. He blinked as she squirmed away, giving her an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I was just...too much?" He asked softly.

"No, no, you're fine...I just...what Hakon said. Don't know why it's bugging me." She said with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"He's just trying to get a rise out of us. Easier said than done, but best to just ignore him, yeah?" He suggested, chuckling weakly.

"Mh, maybe...he just has a tendency to latch onto something and not let it go. Anyways, we should head to a safe zone. Not much else we can do today before it gets dark on us." She sighed, climbing up onto another roof before heading in the direction of a small rooftop outpost.

Chapter Text

*Oak Windmill outpost, Quarry End, Old Villedor* 

Raegan groaned as one of the radios crackled, burying her face in the makeshift pillow before sighing as she sat up. She watched as Aiden blearily grabbed the radio.

"Good morning, hotshot. I've got some information on someone who may know about the Lazarus. Meet me on the rooftop near the Oak Windmill outpost, copy?" Hakon said, voice entirely too chipper for as early as it was.

"Yeah....give us a bit, Hakon. We'll be there soon." Aiden yawned, grabbing his pack and clipping the radio to his belt while Raegan did the same with her pack and radio. He couldn't help watching her with an affectionate expression as she yawned and rubbed at her eyes, finding the sight adorable. He froze, feeling a bit of heat creep up his neck and face as he registered the thought. Since *when* did he find Ray adorable? Sure, when they were kids he'd thought she was cute, but this felt different...very different, but not unpleasant. He shook his head to clear his thoughts before standing up, slinging his pack over his shoulder and stepping outside the small room they'd slept in. He wandered over and grabbed some food for the both of them, walking over to Raegan as she stepped out of the room. She smiled as he handed her a portion of the food, leaning against the wall as she ate. After they finished she walked over and sat the dirty dishes down for someone to wash. Once that was done they made their way to where Hakon was waiting, not having far to go before they came across him. 

"Ah, if it isn't the two lovebirds! Sleep well, did we?" Hakon chuckled.

"Very funny. You said you had information about the Lazarus? Let's hear it." Aiden sighed.

"Of course. Ray's heard of this person, Hubert Kerbatsos, or, Half-assed Hubie as we like to refer to him. Trades stolen goods and other shit he gets from thieves." He explained.

"A fence?" Aiden enquired.

"Part-time fence, full-time scammer. An artless one, too... he's got half the city after him for debts right now. If anyone I'm Villedor is fool enough to buy a Peacekeeper weapon, it'd be him. Every day he sets up shop at the nearby windmill and waits for customers. Prolly selling booze and weed to the PKs. If you want to find the Lazarus, talk to Hubie. I'll chase down some other leads." Hakon stated.

"Alright, let's keep in touch. Back to Oak Windmill, Ai." Raegan remarked, setting off back to the windmill. Once there she climbed up to where a red headed boy was crouched with a pair of binoculars.

"Hey, Benny. Hubie been here yet?" She asked, moving aside so Aiden could climb up next to her.

"Nah, could be an hour, could be two. Never know with old half-assed." Benny chuckled.

"Well, might as well get comfortable, Aiden. We're gonna be waiting a while." She said softly as she sat down, waving as Benny went and hopped down off the platform.

"Gotta make absolute certain he's the very first customer." She shook her head and chuckled.

A couple hours later Raegan gently shook Aiden awake as she saw someone approaching. Another man who was perched on the platform glanced over, before looking at the man walking their way.

"Hey, Hubie! You got special customers! It's Ray and that Pilgrim from the Bazaar!" He called out.

Raegan cursed as Hubie startled and took off running back the way he came, nearly tripping over objects in his haste to get away.

"Damnit, Ahab, nice going..." She growled.

"Hakon! He's running away!" Aiden yelled into the radio.

"Heh...sounds like Hubie! Wait a sec... I see him. Asshole's running to the northeast..." He said.

Raegan groaned and leapt down onto the pile of mattresses and bags at the base of the windmill, taking off after Hubert with Aiden not far behind her. They eventually came upon a GRE facility, stopping to look around. 

"Hakon? He's not here." Aiden said into the radio.

"Impossible! I just saw him there! That little weasel must be hiding. Look around. Wait! I see him! He's climbing! See that GRE building?! He's climbing to the roof!" Hakon exclaimed.

They darted across the rooftops, going to the left and jumping down before crossing to another rooftop using the top of a lamppost, scrambling up a broken sign. 

"You go that way, I'm gonna sneak around the other side so he doesn't try taking off." Raegan whispered, slipping around one way while Aiden walked up to Hubert.

"Hubert! I just wanna talk!" He stated, holding his hands up.

"Leave me alone! I ain't done anything! Don't hurt me. I don't know anything." Hubert begged, standing up and backing up some.

"About what? I haven't asked you anything yet." He asked.

"I don't know anything about anything. I swear!" He insisted.

"I'm told that you're a fence." He remarked.

"A fence? No way! Re-seller...maybe..." He mumbled.

"I'm looking for the Lazarus. Used to belong to Lucas, the late PK commander. And don't try to tell me you don't know who Lucas is." He said.

"Well then I won't." He muttered.

"Know anything about the Lazarus?" He demanded.

"Are you kidding me? Even if I'd been offered those brass knuckles, I woulda refused. I'm not an idiot. That weapon is waaayyyy too hot." He stated, shaking his head some.

"Why did you run, then?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

"Cause every five minutes someone's comin' after me, man. Okay, I might have given people a reason to be mad. But I'll make things right. Soon! Eventually!! Maybe..." He rambled.

"How did you know the Lazarus is a set of brass knuckles? I didn't say that." He enquired.

"C'mon...everyone knew about Lucas's little love glove. He was always showin' it off. If anyone thought I had 'em, they might also think I killed Lucas. Which is bullshit!" He said as he paced a little.

"But someone tried to sell it to you? Right?" He asked.

"I told you, I... Okay fine. Maybe someone did, but... I can't say who! Client confidentiality!!" He stated.

"Hubert, stop fucking around and tell us or so help me!" Raegan snapped as she moved from where she'd been hiding around the corner, causing Hubert to jump and swing his head to look back and forth between them with a startled expression.

"Her name is Maya.May's. I met her in the old tenement building at Meatpacking Square, near the old butcher shop. But I don't know anything else. Leave me alone! It overlooks some army barracks or some shit." He said, before taking off.

"Fucking hell, Maya...what have you gotten yourself into now?" Raegan groaned, sighing as she shook her head.

"Wait you know this Maya woman?" Aiden asked.

"Girl, and yes. I know her quite well. I've no clue how or why she has that weapon, but I can tell you there's no way she killed a highly trained PK commander. Let's go see what she knows, and, hopefully she's still got the weapon..." She sighed, taking off for Maya's place with him.

Once there they slipped in through an open balcony window, looking around the place before she walked further into the building.

"Leave it! It's mine! Hey! This isn't funny, damn it!" A boy shouted from a room one floor up.

"Hmm...a shithole indeed." Aiden muttered.

"That's an understatement, best not say that where they can hear you, though." She chuckled softly, hoisting herself up to the next floor. Aiden followed her, noticing a green and white crate.

"Oh, no. Don't even think about it." She growled, grabbing the inhibitor and shoving it in her bag, sighing at his confused look. "Too many of these things are dangerous, Ai. I'll explain later, but...someone close to me died from overusing these. I do not want to witness that ever again." She said fiercely.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know..." He trailed off, looking down.

"You don't need to apologize. I'm just...I'm sorry I snapped, I'm just looking out for you, okay? I just got you back, I'm not losing you again, Ai. Not like that..." She said softly, before wandering further to where the argument between a boy and girl was going on.

"Maya, picking on Dominik again, I see." Raegan greeted them, grinning as they turned at looked at her with excited looks, before looking apprehensively at Aiden.

"He's okay, I promise. This is Aiden." She said gently, crouching down on the floor as Aiden did the same.

"Oh, your boyfriend?" Maya teased, causing Raegan to sputter a bit. She felt her face heat up some, glancing back and blinking as Aiden's face turned an interesting shade of red while he coughed and looked away.

"He's not my boyfriend, Maya. He's an old childhood friend." She said weakly, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her right about then.

"Coulda fooled me with how you're both acting!" She said cheekily.

"Maya...how did you get ahold of the late PK commander's weapon, and why did you try selling it to Hubert?" She asked.

"We all found it. Was wandering around around these punks qnd ran across a corpse. Happens a lot. He was totally dead. We searched him. And I took the brass whosi-whatsits, cuz I figured someone'd pay a pretty penny for 'em. I tried, but the jerk didn't want it, he got all freaked out and chased me away." She stated.

"Maya...we need that weapon. It's very important." Aiden spoke up.

"You expect me to just hand that brass...whosi-whatsits over? Are you nuts?" She asked incredulously.

"The whosi-whatsits real name is the Lazarus, and it belonged to an important PK. We might have a war if we don't return it. You could help us find a murderer." He said gently.

"Okay...I'll give you the stupid thing. But for 500." She demanded.

"Why do you need so much money?" He asked, eyes widening a bit at the high number.

"What planet are you from? We don't have water. And water costs money. Plus my brother is almost twelve and needs a biomarker." She said, swinging her arms some.

Raegan sighed as she glanced at Aiden, pulling a wallet out.

"Normally I wouldn't do this, but...here. There's a bit extra, noticed you're low on food as well. Get your brother his biomarker, and some good and water for you and the kids, yeah? And I'm not taking no for an answer." She said sternly, pressing the money into Maya's hand before the girl handed the Lazarus over.

Raegan handed it over to Aiden before tugging Maya in for a quick one armed hug, smiling fondly at the girl. 

"Take care of yourselves, and if you need anything, or just wanna chat, give a shout over the radio. Aiden or I will be over as quickly as we can." She said, getting up and walking back out of the tenement building with Aiden. She rubbed at the back of her neck and chuckled nervously. 

"Sorry about her...I think she fancies herself a bit of a matchmaker at times.." She mumbled shyly, refusing to look at him as she climbed up onto the rooftop.

"N-...ah, no...no, it's fine. No harm done, right? She is...quite precocious though." He laughed weakly, before grabbing his radio.

"Hakon... We have the Lazarus." He stated.

"Cool. Get your asses to Aitor with it. It'll make the perfect birthday present for him. Though I have no idea when the prick was born. I'll be near Metro Station." He remarked.

*PK Metro Base, Quarry End, Old Villedor* 

Raegan sighed as they walked into the Metro, quickly walking towards Aitor's office and knocking on the door, opening it when he mentioned for them to enter. Aitor was seated in a chair while another Peacekeeper sat facing him, appearing to be giving him a tattoo. Aiden peered curiously at the ink, leaning forward to see better.

"Ah so you two have returned...I hope not empty-handed." Aitor remarked.

"We found the Lazarus." Aiden informed him.

"I'll be damned. Never doubted you two for a second. Where's the fucker who had 'em?" He asked.

"In Meatpacking Square." He informed him.

"You didn't let him go did you? Coulda been the murderer!" He said.

"It was a girl, actually. She's ten, there's no way she could have fought let alone murdered a trained PK officer. She and some kids took them off the corpse, but she gave them back. She's a good kid, she just wanted money for a biomarker for her brother, and food and water. There's no need to go busting down her door, is there?" Raegan asked, voice a bit worried before relaxing as Aitor waved his hand in a dismissive motion and shook his head.

"Stop. We'll get back to this later. Leave us." He told the other Peacekeeper, waiting until the man had left the room.

"No, of course not. I've got a feeling I know who it was. Maya, right? She is a good kid, everyone here adores her. No harm no foul for her part." He said gently.

Aiden peered curiously at the tattoos on Aitor's arm again before nodding to them.

"Looks like a constellation on your arm." He stated, frowning in confusion when Raegan huffed out a small chuckle.

"Those are rank tattoos. When we ran low on resources, tattoos eventually replaced medals. They show our hierarchy." He explained.

"Like in prison?" He enquired.

"Prison or military, it's all the same. There's always a pecking order." He shrugged.

"I don't suppose we can get to the Center now?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, but that's still a bit above my pay grade. Command wants me to find the killer... Which, if you're still willing to help me, will go much faster. And I can promise you I will make sure you're the first ones through to the Center as thanks for helping. In the meantime, take this as a smaller token of gratitude." He said, handing him a weapon while Aiden set the Lazarus on the table.

"Well...it was worth a shot asking, right? Can't be helped." He sighed.

"We'll do our best to help you, Aitor. You've never not kept your word to me in the past, I doubt this time will be any different." Raegan stated, giving him a weak smile.

"Of course, I always keep my promises. Especially promises to good friends. The sooner this blockade is over, the sooner I can get back to my wife and kids..." He said, looking down with a slightly sad expression.

"Yeah...I miss them, too, Aitor. If we get through before you I promise we'll drop by and let her know you're okay and that you'll see them soon." She promised.

"Thank you, Ray...that means a lot. I see some blood on the Lazarus's blades... Lucas managed to wound his killer before he died. Bastard's gotta have a nasty gash. So, keep that in mind during your search." He informed them.

They both nodded before leaving the room, watching the Peacekeeper from before return to finish the tattoo.

"Aiden, Ray. What did you find out? Meet me outside." Came Hakon's voice from the radio. 

"Well, let's go see what he's found out." Raegan said softly, frowning as Aiden tapped her arm and pointed to a man in a green uniform. 

"Haven't seen that uniform before." He stated.

"Oh, yeah. He's from the Carriers Guild. They're kinda like our postal service. Poor guy's stuck here due to the blockade, and with the blockade means no mail in or out, same with people." She explained, walking outside with him after a moment.

"Ah...you guys really do have everything here, huh?" He asked.

"Pretty much, yeah." She chuckled as they walked over to Hakon.

"Well, looks like we're going to have to check the Bazaar...this is going to suck." She explained to him.

"Doesn't surprise me they suspect them, the PK and the Bazaar have never gotten along. As for leads, no luck on my end, but I'll keep looking and keep you posted." He sighed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, thanks, Hakon. We're gonna head to the Bazaar. Good luck in your search." She said, giving him a side hug and smiling as he quickly kissed the top of her head. She waved as they walked out of the Metro and headed towards the Bazaar. 

Chapter Text

*Bazaar, Trinity, Old Villedor*

Raegan sighed as they walked up to the main entrance to the Bazaar, seeing as the side entrances were being worked on. Something about the hinges nearly giving out and thus needed replaced. She leaned against the wall as Aiden tried the door, frowning when it didn't immediately open. She shrugged and leaned forward, knocking on the door before leaning back against the wall while they waited for someone to open the door. The metal hatch slid open as one of the guards peered out.

"Hey, you're that Pilgrim." He said, eyes widening a bit in recognition.

"And this time we both have Biomarkers. Mind letting us in, Roger?" Raegan piped up as she kicked off from the wall. The hatch slid closed before the door swung open, allowing them entry to the Bazaar.

"Carl said if you showed up to bring you 'round so he can introduce himself to the Pilgrim. Ah, what's your name again? Don't think I caught it last time, my apologies." Roger said, scratching the back of his head as he closed the door.

"Aiden. No worries. Now, you said Carl wanted to meet me? Lead the way." Aiden stated, following the man as he walked along the wall of the courtyard where a man could be heard speaking while crouching on the ground. 

"What a nice change from trying to hang him.." Raegan grumbled. She tried schooling the irritated look on her face, settling for rolling her eyes.

"And remember! Humanity created a civilization that turned out to be a colossus on clay legs! We cannot make the same mistakes!" The crouching man preached.

"He didn't want to. He had to. He was a threat to everyone." Roger explained.

"Bullshit! It was broad daylight, you could have dragged him outside, or put him under some UV lamps! Biomarker or no biomarker, doesn't matter. You don't immediately jump to fucking murdering someone when there were other solutions!" She snapped, eyes narrowing as she looked at Roger, watching him shrink back a bit.

"Do not listen to the ideologies preached by foods calling for reconstruction! There will be no rebuilding!" He continued, before Roger walked over and crouched down, whispering something to him. He turned to glanced over his shoulder before slowly standing up.

"Who would have thought, a Pilgrim in the Bazaar, especially after all this time... Welcome." He said, pressing his palms together as he turned to fully face them.

"Yeah, I'm still alive, despite your best efforts." Aiden grumbled, frowning as he looked at the other man.

"It's clear to me you're holding a grudge. But if you were in my shoes, you would understand. We are responsible for the safety of our community. And we take that very seriously. That's why we did what we did. I hope you can forgive us. So... Pray tell, what's it like in the outside world these days?" He asked.

"Bad. And getting worse. Settlements are shrinking in size and number. I'm afraid soon, there will be nowhere else to go." He answered honestly, glancing at Raegan as she leaned against the wall of the Bazaar with a barely concealed look of contempt on her face.

"It doesn't surprise me, son. Humanity must reach the bottom in order to rise again. And this is why WE are here. Any more news?" Carl stated.

"Not really. But why don't you tell me more about your people?" He enquired.

"We are called the people of the Bazaar, simply because of where we live. But who we are truly are free people. Free from lies, free from money, free from religion, wars, politics, and the dark cloud that has blanketed the Earth." He said, lips twitching into a frown at the derisive snort Raegan made, before he schooled his expression.

"Sounds great. Too good to be true, in fact." He quipped.

"Oh, we have our challenges. Water is scarce, for example. But with courage and patience, we will someday create a paradise." He said with an air of hopefulness in his voice.

"You seem almost thankful for the collapse of civilization." He mused.

"It was as tragic as it was inevitable. Consumerism, belief in the almighty dollar, led to this catastrophe. So, we here strive not to make the same mistake twice. It would be a crime. We want to create a new order based on social bonds. On family and community. A society where people support each other and adhere to justice. No need for the police, military, or false authorities to shoot those they are meant to protect. We have a place for everyone. But let's get back to YOUR stories." He spoke.

"Is gossip all you want from me, Carl?" He asked.

"No. But you came from outside, and you're walking around my flock. So, to set things straight I need to know if you're a sheep or a wolf. What are you then?" He enquired.

"Not really a fan of this metaphor." He sighed.

"Ah, yes... I see. Pilgrims are not people of metaphors or poetry. They prefer to act." He stated.

"Some, not all. I just don't like that particular metaphor. And, about acting... we're looking for Sophie." He demanded.

"Are you? And why, pray tell?" Carl enquired.

"We need to ask her about Lucas's death." He said.

"Oh. Why would a Pilgrim care about PK business? What's in it for you?" He asked.

"Let's say a man's death should be another man's concern. Isn't that what separates us from the infected?" He mused.

"I guess you have a point. Lucas's death is our concern as well, but mainly because we are the prime suspects. I have never hidden my views on the Peacekeepers. The old world fell because of people like them: greedy, power-hungry fascists. Building the new reality based on the old values would not be wise, to say the least. Of course, according to the PK, such claims automatically make me -- and all of us -- potential killers. So the sooner Lucas's murderer is found, the better for us. Go that way. You'll see a giant of a man. That's Herman, Sophie's bodyguard. She won't be far. But just to be clear... I'd be surprised if she knows anything about it. Sophie is a fighter. Not an assassin." He explained.

"Yeah, thanks for the heads up. I'll see you around, Carl." He said. Raegan gave one final withering look to Carl, before they made their way over to a small shack near the entrance to the church, seeing two people standing there.

"Sophie, can we talk?" He asked, before letting out a choked grunt as he was lifted up by the neck while the other man let out a menacing growl. 

"Shit, Sophie, what the hell?! Put him down, Herman!" Raegan gasped.

"Don't hurt him, Herman. Let him talk." Sophie said, placing a hand on Herman's shoulder. Aiden gasped as he was set down, one hand flying to his throat as he struggled to catch his breath. Raegan leaned in, handing him her water bottle as she rubbed his back some. He took it gratefully, gulping some of the water down before handing it back to her. 

"My name's--" He started to say.

"Aiden. You're that Pilgrim that came to town recently. And, if I recall, Raegan's long lost friend?" Sophie stated.

"Yeah. You're sure we'll informed." He said, tossing an amused glance at Raegan.

"Oh, shut up. So I talked about my best friend a lot." She grumbled, feeling her face heat up a bit as she turned to look away from him with her arms crossed.

"Don't have much of a choice. I'm in charge of safety here. Besides, you made quite the entrance a few days ago." She said.

"I'm looking for a job. Would you happen to know of any?" He asked.

"Go to one of the craftmasters, Alberto or Vincenzo. Both know the location of the purest crystals. I need a few for... a certain transaction." She informed him.

"A certain transaction. Hmm. Anything I need to know about?" He asked.

"Curiosity is the first step on the road to Hell, Carl says." She shrugged. Raegan snorted a bit, getting a look from Sophie before she grinned herself.

"Do you believe that?" He enquired.

"I believe in not trusting strangers. And that's what you are. So far at least. Bring me the location of the crystals, first. We'll see where we go from there." She stated.

"Those crystals... What's the deal with them?" He asked.

"They were created by the chemical bombings of the city, a by-product of some sort. People believe the infection spreads slower if you wear them. Honestly, I don't think it does, but there's no harm in trying." She sighed.

"And that's why they're so important to you guys?" He mused.

"That and many other reasons. They're hard to get, difficult to destroy, and easy to get obsessed with... 'cause they're 'so pretty', right? But most importantly... they're real, tangible things. Way more real that a piece of paper and old money. That's why they're so bloody expensive." She explained, with Raegan nodding her head in agreement.

"Right up there with biomarkers price wise." Raegan added. 

"Makes sense. So, you said you were in charge of safety at the Bazaar. What does that mean exactly?" He asked.

"It means any PK who threaten our community of free people can count on me breaking his skull." She stated.

"From the way Carl talked, you sounded more like pacifists." He mused.

"We're trying to overturn the old ways and usher in a new era for humanity. It's a true revolution. And every revolution needs to things to succeed: ideology and an armed faction to enforce it." She said.

"That's true. So, Alberto and Vincenzo? Tell me more about them." He said.

"A father and son duo. Alberto, the father, tends to yammer on. Before 0-hour he had a workshop and piles of cash. Vincenzo, his son, is kinda shy. They both are craftsmen. Clever, too. The kind that could make a watch outta old gum and a piece of string." She explained.

"Fine. I'll go talk to one of those craftmasters." He said.

"They're in the Bazaar. Do well and we can think about giving you bigger jobs." She said, leaning back against the shack, waving at Raegan as she and Aiden walked towards the entrance to the church.

"Just a little thing about Alberto, he has a hard time finding the right words at times, so... be patient." Raegan explained.

"I will be, don't worry. I've got plenty of patience, I mean, I was looking for you and Mia the past fifteen years." He said, nudging her shoulder and grinning. She let out a short chuckle at that, relaxing some.

"True. Just...some people aren't so kind to the two of them, and I worry." She sighed, walking over to where Alberto and Vincenzo were. Alberto was busy talking to a man leaning against a shelf.

"Back in the day, I had a huge... a massive... a, well... an..." Alberto said, lightly smacking at his head as he paced around. 

"A workshop, dad." Vincenzo supplied.

"Yes! A workshop." Alberto said, nodding his head enthusiastically.

"So where is it? You're not in one now, Alberto." The man said, before holding his hands up as he noticed Raegan scowling at him, he walked off after a bit. Aiden moved closer, nodding briefly at Vincenzo and Alberto.

"Sophie sent me. She says you know where they can find some crystals." He explained.

"Oh, for fuck's...! They've already sent one of their fu-" Alberto said, pacing around and waving his arms a bit, trying to find the word he was looking for.

"Fuckwits? Who?" Aiden asked.

"That fellow, her... Sophie's brother...ehh... what was the asshole's name?" He said, getting a bit agitated as he kept pacing.

"Barney. The asshole's name's Barney. And he asked the same question. About a darkzone with crystals." Vincenzo explained.

"That's news to me. So where is that darkzone?" Aiden enquired.

"It's a hundred... a hundred and twenty... a hundred..." Alberto said, hand shaking as he looked around.

"Dad, can I tell him?" Vincenzo asked softly.

"Please." Aiden said gently. Raegan smiled softly and reached over, patting Alberto's arm before giving it a gentle squeeze, getting a fond smile back from him as he patted her hand.

"A hundred meters from the Metro. There's a big sign, "Fashion Store". And a windmill on the other side of the street." He explained.

"Thanks." Aiden said, nodding once to the both of them before he and Raegan made their way back to Sophie.

"Well? What did you find?" Sophie asked.

"I know the location, but I was told your brother asked about it already." He said.

Sophie frowned and walked into the small shack.

"Herman! See if Barney turned on his radio." She ordered, walking back out to them. Herman grabbed the radio, holding it close to his ear before walking over and tapping Sophie's shoulder with it, shaming his head with a frown.

"Barney? Answer me. Barney...? Damn! So thats why he's gone offline... He's looking for the crystals on his own. And throwing a wrench in the works yet again." She sighed.

"This isn't the first time, I gather?" He asked.

"Nope." Raegan said, shaking her head.

"No. He's always trying to prove himself. Last time, he got wounded. Wasn't that long ago, either. Fucking kid! I'll kill him. I'll just kill him." She cursed.

"Why blame yourself? We all make our own beds." He said.

"Listen... you said it yourself, you're new here. So you don't know much. I'm responsible for security here. And he's my brother. I promised I'd look after him." She said.

"You promised...? Promised who?" He enquired.

"Never mind. I'll kick Barney's ass when he gets back." She promised.

"How'd Barney get wounded, anyways?" He asked.

"He didn't want to tell me. My guess is the PKs got ahold of him." She said.

"Your brother keeps secrets from you?" He asked.

"That's none of your business! Barney answer me...! Damnit all to hell... If he went into a darkzone in his condition, he's a goner." She said.

"I can try to track him down." Aiden offered.

"You?" Sophie scoffed, an incredulous look on her face.

"I've been in a darkzone before. In the GRE hospital." He explained.

"Saint Joseph's Hospital? Really? If you save him... you won't regret it. We still have some time. Barney will likely wait 'til dusk. Going into a darkzone during the day is suicide. Just bring him back home safe." She pleaded.

"I'll do my best." He promised.

"Good luck." She said.

Raegan sighed as she looked at Aiden, walking with him towards the entrance to the church. 

"Think you can handle this on your own? I've gotta babysit Nerys's boys, she's got a date. If you need any help, just give me a shout and I can have someone take over for me." She said, chuckling weakly.

"Yeah, I can take care of myself. But, if I need to, I will call for help. Good luck babysitting." He said, voice taking a teasing tone as he headed for the main gate to the Bazaar.

"Good luck babysitting Barney, he's a handful and then some!" She called out, walking into the Bazaar. 

*Oak Windmill, Quarry End, Old Villedor* 

*Aiden's POV* 

Aiden sighed as he woke up from a bit of a nap at the Oak Windmill outpost. He stood up and groaned as he stretched his limbs, grabbing his gear before leaving the small shack he'd been given to sleep in. He adjusted his pack before climbing onto a nearby roof, glancing at the store he needed to go to. He scanned the ground, checking for Howlers before making his way to the ground. Once on the ground he quickly sprinted across the street, moving to duck into the darkzone before a mam jumped down near him with a pained grunt.

"Help, please! We need help..." He gasped out.

"What happened?" Aiden asked.

"Some infected attacked us. Tore our windmill apart. All our UVs are down!" He panted.

"I'm not sure how I I help..." He replied.

"If we don't get our lamps back on, we won't survive the night." The man said breathlessly.

"All right. I'll do what I can." He said, before quickly scaling up the fashion store to the roof. He darted across the bridge connecting two buildings, coming up right under a windmill. 

*Larch Windmill, Trinity, Old Villedor*

"Oh...good. You're here. See up there? Way up top? Gotta climb up there." The man said. Aiden grunted as he leapt up onto the first platform, walking across two narrow metal beams before waiting for a pulley to lower to him, quickly jumping and grabbing onto it. Once it reached the next platform he leapt and pulled himself onto it, quickly jumping and grabbing another weighted pulley, repeating the process of jumping to another platform. He walked forward and crouched through a small opening, scaling a ladder to the top of the windmill. Once there he opened a fuse box, quickly replacing the faulty fuse before closing the box up again. He used the zip line to get down, letting out a small grunt as he landed. Once he was back down, he quickly made his way back across the bridge and scaled back down the store to the ground. 

*Fashion store Darkzone, Quarry End, Old Villedor* 

He took a breath before ducking into the darkzone, immediately crouching down low and looking around. He quickly dispatched the infected that were on the bottom floor before grabbing his radio.

"Sophie? I'm inside. No sign of Barney yet." He said.

"You have to find him! He has to be in there sonewhere." She exclaimed.

"I'm looking..." He sighed.

"Hurry!" She pleaded.

He made his way over to a body sitting slump on the ground, hearing Sophie's voice coming from the radio sitting nearby. 

"Barney, answer me... now! Barney? Do you hear me? Report in, damnit!" Sophie ordered.

Aiden picked up the radio, pushing a button before speaking into it.

"Sophie... it's Aiden. I found a radio... and a body. Male. White, bald man. I'm sorry, Sophie." He said softly.

"That's not Barney. That's Kojak, one of ours. Barney can't be far." She said, before the radio clicked off. Aiden turned the radio off completely before slipping it into his pack. He left the small room, turning right and heading into a stairwell. 

"Sophie? I found blood. It's fresh." He said quietly.

"Hurry, Aiden." She said.

He slowly ascended the stairs, keeping qn ear out in case there were more infected up top, hopping over a small barricade into an upstairs balcony. He frowned as he saw an infected slamming itself against the door while someone muttered to themselves inside the room.

"For fuck's sake... How much does this shit weigh?!" The man gripped.

Aiden quickly moved over, dispatching the infected easily. He walked over to the door, hearing a thud.

"Fuck... now what am I supposed to do?" The man sighed.

He lifted his arm, knocking on the door.

"Barney? That you?" He called out.

"Who the fuck're you?" Barney asked.

"Sophie sent me." He sighed.

"Yeah, right, and I'm a PK general... Whoever you are... fuck off! These are OUR crystals. You get it? You won't get 'em!" He snapped, before the sound of a metal clang could be heard.

Aiden scowled, slamming his shoulder into the door once.

"Barney - open up." He ordered.

"Fuck off." Came the response, before the clanging continued.

"Sophie... I found Barney. But he's locked himself in a room." He sighed.

"He's alive. Good... the stubborn fucker. Just... try and talk to him." She said.

"I'll try." He agreed, glancing back at the door.

"Barney! " He called.

"Go back to where you came from!" Barney shouted.

"Your sister is worried about you." He said.

"Don't you even...! Keep Sophie out of it!" He snapped.

"But it's true!" Aiden tried.

"You're damn luck I'm busy here, dipshit..." He growled out.

"Barney... I'll count to three - one..." He sighed.

"Two, three! Go the fuck away! You ain't getting a thing from me! Fucking shit..." He said as something metallic broke. Aiden groaned as he heard an infected croak. "Great..." He grit out. Just what he needed right now. He grabbed a weapon as he slowly dispatched the infected crawling out of seemingly nowhere, occasionally having to deal with a viral or two. He panted after he'd taken care of the last one, listening to make sure there really weren't anymore infected coming. After he was certain no more were coming he went back to the door.

"Barney! Okay that's it." He said, shoving his weight against the door before ir finally swung open. Barney stood up and stumbled back as he glanced at him.

"They gone?" He asked.

"Yeah... went out for some air. Your sister mentioned you're stubborn. But she didn't say you're an idiot." He said.

"Hey! I should beat you down for that." He warned. Aiden sighed and handed the radio over to Barney.

"Here. Take your radio. We're leaving." He ordered.

"No... Birdie! We gotta find Birdie!" He said.

"Who?" Aiden asked.

"He lured away the infected. When they were about to get me down there. If not for him, I'd have ended up like Kojak." He explained.

"You're in no condition to look for anyone." He tried reasoning.

"He's just a kid, man. I promised his old lady I'd bring him back. Understand?! He drew those bastards to himself, you get it? So I could grab the crystals for the Bazaar! I have to find him." He explained.

"You're in no condition to search for anyone, Barney." He stated.

"I'm not going back without him." He said stubbornly. 

"Where can I find him?" Aiden sighed.

"He was on the ground floor when those assholes surrounded me... they ran out after him through the side door." He stated.

"Okay. You stay here and wait for my signal. I'll find your friend and then come back for you, got it?" He ordered.

"Hurry." He said, closing the door behind him as he left. Aiden sighed and went down to the ground floor, noticing bloody handprints on the side door as he moved closer.

"Blood. Must be Birdie's. Trail should lead me to him." He muttered, opening the door and crossing the street, seeing blood on the ground and another bloody handprint on a windowsill. 

*Abandoned building, Trinity, Old Villedor*

"Aiden? You find Birdie?" Barney asked over the radio.

"Not yet, but he was bleeding badly. I'm following the trail." He said, hoisting himself into the building and seeing a freshly killed infected.

"Wasn't going down without a fight." He muttered to himself, before glancing up and seeing bloody hand and footprints on a piece of floor hanging down. He crawled up it, looking around for any sign of the kid. He heard coughing coming from nearby and the sound of someone signing softly.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Birdie..." The voice sang.

Aiden quickly went up a staircase, coming to a room that was halfway barricaded. He slid inside, walking over to a boy slumped against the wall.

"I did it...I took out all those fuckers!" He said to himself, before weakly glancing up at Aiden as he approached.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I'm Aiden. Can you move? Barney sent me." He said.

"Barney... course. Good old Barney... he made it out, right? He got the crystals?" He asked, before coughing and groaning in pain.

"Yeah, he did. Thanks to you, kid." He praised him.

"I pulled it off... killed three infected, didja see? Well, two were wounded already, but... Listen... it's my birthday today... and... Can I ask a favor? You see... over there? My radio. I have to call someone." He ggroaned. Aiden picked it up, handing it to him.

"Here. But we gotta hurry." He said.

"Course, course, I just gotta-- Hello? Mom... you there? Mom?" He said, fighting back coughs.

"Nathan? That you? Where are you? What happened?" A woman's voice asked, sounding concerned.

"It's all good, Mom. We're almost... Barney and me are just finishing up here..." He said.

"Barney?! He promised me that he'd keep you safe!" The woman said, voice getting a bit hysterical.

"Don't freak out, Mom... listen... we got them... the crystals... we got 'em! And I killed three... three infected... I beat them, Mom." Nathan said.

"We really need to get going." Aiden told him.

"Then get the hell out and get back here safe. Barney promised!" The woman said.

"Sure... soon... we'll be back soon, Mom." He said weakly, before his body leaned forward, succumbing to his wounds.

"Nathan? What's going on...? Nathan? Nathan?" The woman asked. Aiden laid Nathan down, closing his eyes as he sighed.

"Barney...you there? Barney...?" Aiden asked over the radio.

"Aiden? You there?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah... just trying to reach your brother." He stated.

"Barney's here already. Just arrived." She said.

"He... what? He was supposed to..." He trailed off.

"Didn't trust you. He thought you wanted to take the crystals..." She sighed.

"He sent me to check on his friend so he could sneak away?" He asked incredulously.

"It's not like that. Come back to the Bazaar. I'll explain everything." She said.

Aiden sighed as he left the abandoned building, climbing onto the roof before making his way quickly and quietly to the Bazaar. 

*Bazaar, Trinity, Old Villedor* 

Aiden sighed a she walked through the main gate, making his way to the small shack set up near the church. He paused as he heard Barney's voice, gently pushing the door open and crack.

"Things are better for us now, right?" Barney asked.

"Depends, doesn't it?" A woman replied.

"Veronika! The guy was a prick. The PK were a pain in the ass with him in charge. Conclusion's pretty straightforward. Lucas is gone, things are better for us. Amen." He said.

"It's be better if you just shut up, Barney." The woman, Veronika, said. Aiden pushed the door open and walked in.

"Where's Sophie?" He demanded.

"You again? What're you doing, spying on me?" Barney asked.

"You were supposed to wait for me!" Aiden snapped.

"Supposed, shmo'sed... plans changed." He shrugged.

"Afraid I was after your crystals, huh?" He asked.

"Afraid? Of you? Gimme a break. We've got our own interests to look after, Pilgrim. And they're none of your business." He said.

"Two of your men died for 'your' interests. And, I'd say they do if they concern Raegan. Seeing as she's my concern. You used Birdie to distract me, that it?" He seethed. 

"You don't know shit about me and my people, jackass! Birdie was like a brother to me! And what concern is Raegan to some Pilgrim, anyways?" Barney snapped.

"Not that it's any of your business but she's a very old and dear friend I've been looking for for the past fifteen years." Aiden growled out, watching the look of shock and recognition go across Barney's face.

"Yeah, the friend she talked about constantly. That's me." He added. Barney scoffed and looked away.

"For some reason my sister wants to see you, so go bother her." He said. Aiden rolled his eyes and left the shack, letting a small satisfied smirk cross his face as Barney yelped in pain.

"Aggghhh!! Not again, you piece of..." He shouted.

"Think you're in pain now, keep talking..." Veronika warned.

"Of nice.... handy and clever Veronika." Barney said.

Aiden chuckled softly to himself as he walked into the church. He wandered over to where Herman stood, listening as Sophie spoke.

"We have to kill them, Carl." Sophie said.

"The used to be family. We must negotiate." Carl stated.

"You don't negotiate with extortionists." She reasoned.

"You're nothing like your mother. Besides, I'm in charge here. Prepare your men. And we're giving Joe those goddamned crystals!" He said before stalking off. 

"Fucking coward. I know what you think. But we have to listen to him, Herman. It'sfor the Bazaar. Only for the Bazaar." Sophie said, shaking her head as Herman walked around her with a scowl on his face.

"Sophie." Aiden said, getting a warning growl from Herman.

"Relax, Herman. He saved Barney, remember?" She said, getting a softer growl in response.

"Interesting guy, your little brother." Aiden said.

"You two didn't get along, I take it?" She asked.

"Let's just say it wasn't love at first sight." He stated.

"Barney has his downsides. But on the upside, he is unshakeably loyal. And with so many problems plaguing Old Villedor... I just need people I trust." She explained.

"What are your problems?" He enquired.

"You're the curious sort, aren't you, Aiden...? Just ask... what do you want to know?" She asked him.

"That spat with Carl... what was that about?" He asked.

"Let's just say the PK commander's death only made our problems worse. Look around, Aiden. What do you see?" She enquired.

"Something people outside the walls could only dream of." He answered honestly.

"All these people will be dead by the end of the month." She said grimly.

"Why?" He asked incredulously.

"Because in short order, our water supplies will run dry. Two weeks ago a local thug and his pal Jack took over the only water tower in the area with their gang. Not long ago they lived in the Bazaar. But Carl threw them out for pulling scams. And now, they're taking their revenge. They mined the tower and are threatening to blow it up if they don't get a weekly tribute in the form if medicines, food... and crystals." She grimaced.

"What are you going to do?" He asked.

"What I have to do. I promised to help Carl. So while he's in charge, we're going to pay off Jack and Joe... and they're going to keep squeezing more and more out of us." She said with a disgusted tone.

"And so on and so on..." Aiden said.

"The most important thing is for my people to be safe. You've proven that you can be trusted. I want to ask you for help. Carl believes Joe will live up to his side of the bargain and that he'll give us access to the water. But I'm skeptical. I have to send people to negotiate with bandits, and I don't want any surprises. Carl and our people have already set out for the spot where the deal will go down. Make sure everything goes smoothly." She said.

"So I should guard them?" He asked.

"Yes. From a discreet distance." She nodded before walking off with Herman.

Chapter Text

*Rooftops near Bazaar, Trinity, Old Villedor* 

"Aiden? Something's up... Suzie...? You there...?" Sophie's voice came over the radio. 

"...Sophie... we're under attack!" Suzie cried out.

"What? Suzie?! What's going on?" She demanded.

"It was a trap! Run!!!" Suzie shouted. 

"Fuck. Suzie?? Ralf? Aiden... Hurry! They've got all the crystals... Everything we have!" She shouted.

Aiden cursed as he picked up the pace, rushing to where Soohie had indicated the meeting turned ambush was. He launched himself to another rooftop before glancing down.

"I see bandits... and a lot of bodies. Sophie, I'm sorry." He said.

"I knew it. I knew those motherfuckers would betray us. Fuck them, Aiden. Kill them all." She cursed.

Aiden climbed down from the roof, managing to stealthily kill a few bandits before their friends noticed and came at him. He dodged as one lunged at him, grabbing the guy and using his momentum to fling him into a wall. The guy slumped down in a heap as his neck snapped on impact. He turned to the others, blocking a swipe from one bandits weapon while kicking another back, dispatching the one who'd swung at him before having the rest. Once they were all taken care of he stood there for a moment and panted as he caught his breath. He winced at a few bruises and cuts they'd managed to land on him, bandaging the cuts up before looking around.

"Made it. There're no survivors." He said into the radio.

"Fucking animals...! Find the crystals. Suzie had them." She ordered.

Aiden wandered over to a woman sitting slumped near a chest, kneeling down and placing a hand on her shoulder. 

"Suzie?" He asked.

"Carl... they took Carl." She gasped out.

"What? Where...?" He asked her.

"To their camp... We must..." She trailed off, body shaking before going limp.

"Suzie? Suzie, where are the crystals? Suzie? Sophie. I found Suzie... She's dead." He informed her.

"I can't believe it. First Birdie, now her... damn, damn... DAMN!!!!" She yelled.

"There's nothing you could've done." He said sadly.

"No... except that I sent them there." She said bitterly.

"Joe's men have kidnapped Carl. And I don't see these crystals." He said agitatedly, not paying attention to the metallic clanging coming from nearby. He glanced up as something broke through a barricade, seeing a Goon turn towards him. He scrambled put of the way right as it swung its weapon down, just narrowly missing him.

"Oh fuck! Oh, shit... Fucking..." He cursed.

"What?" Sophie asked worriedly.

"Goon. A huge, ugly motherfucker..." He said.

"He's slow. Just be careful! Search the bodies, Aiden. Maybe the crystals are still there." She said.

Aiden cursed as he moved away from the Goon, seeing infected swarming into the courtyard.

"Oh, this is just fucking perfect..." He griped, taking out a few nearby infected, before having to dodge away from the Goon. He panted once he'd taken care of not only the infected, but the Goon as well. And fuck if that hadn't been a whole ordeal in and of itself. He even had a few more bruises to show for his troubles. He hissed a but as he went around around checked all of the bodies, cursing softly as he came up with nothing.

"Sophie... everything's been taken." He informed her..

"Probably took them before you got there. Everything's gone wrong. All right. Enough of this playing defense. Let's meet by Jack and Joe's camp, on the roof near the overpass. We're gonna go after Carl. And our crystals. Jack and Joe will pay for this shitshow." She snarled.

Aiden grunted as he got back up on the rooftops, making his way to where Sophie said to meet up.

"Aiden... How's it going? You alive, man? Fuck... I'm getting sentimental. Haven't said that to anyone since my third divorce..." Hakon asked over the radio.

"I appreciate it. But don't get your hopes up. Not the marrying kind..." He said jokingly.

"Ah, that just means you haven't met the right lady yet." Hakon said.

Aiden sputtered a bit and froze as his thoughts went to Raegan, shaking his head as his face turned red. Where the fuck had that thought come from, and why was he oddly hopeful about that potential possibility? 

"Learn anything about the commander's murder?" Hakon asked, suddenly serious.

"I heard Sophie's brother mention something about Lucas's death. That's all, so far. Now they have a bigger problem. The bandits you mentioned, they took Carl hostage." He stated.

"Oh, shit." Hakon cursed.

"Exactly. I'm helping Sophie to get him back." He explained.

"Good. Gain her trust. That might also help us find out what they know. Just watch out. They might be suspicious. But if you can do it, Aitor will let us into the Center." He said.

*Sophie's Camp, Horseshoe, Old Villedor* 

Aiden darted across the rooftops as he made his way to the meeting spot, climbing up onto the roof and spotting Raegan sitting there. She let out a breath before getting up and darting over, throwing her arms around him before pulling back when he hissed. She frowned as she looked him over, relaxing as the injuries didn't look life threatening.

"You look like shit." She said, giving him a small smirk.

"Gee, thanks. You should see the other guys, and infected." He laughed.

"Not walking after that, I assume?" She asked, smiling faintly. 

"Nope. Dead and double dead." He chuckled.

"Good. Otherwise I'd have to go back there and kick some asses for hurting my best friend." She said seriously.

"I don't doubt that..." He said, shaking his head with a small grin on his face. He patted her shoulder before walking over to Herman. 

"Hey, Herman." He greeted him.

"Grrrr?" Came the response.

"Where's Sophie?" He asked.

"Grr." Herman said, lifting his shoulder a bit in a shrug.

"Why weren't you on the mission? Your friends could've used you." He mused.

"Grrr." Herman shrugged again. 

"Okay. I guess that means I should wait here." He said, going and sitting down on a log. He glanced over as Raegan sat next to him.

"Made a new friend?" She asked, nodding over at Herman.

"I... uh, I don't know?" He blinked.

"I think he thinks you're alright, now. You're friends with me, and you saved Barney. And you're helping Sophie and the Bazaar. That makes you okay in his book." She smiled.

"Oh, really now?" He asked.

"Yeah, really. Plus I'm friends with him, so... any friends of mine he tends to think are okay." She grinned.

"Alright." He chuckled.

After it got dark Aiden blinked, having dozed off. He glanced down and smiled softly at the sight of Raegan asleep against his shoulder with one hand clutching his shirt tightly in her fist. He looked up as he saw Sophie pacing around angrily. 

"Jack and fucking Joe will pay for what they did." She muttered.

He glanced back down at Raegan, gently shaking her and biting down a chuckled as she groaned weakly and buried her face against his chest, gripping his shirt until her knuckles went white.

"Ray, c'mon...wake up. Hey, Ray... Sophie's here. We gotta get up and moving." He whispered. 

Raegan sighed as she opened her eyes, gulping a bit as she realized just how close they were. She moved back a bit, letting go of his shirt and turning her head away, hoping the heat on her face wasn't noticeable in the dark. Aiden got up after patting her on the back, walking over to Sophie. 

"I had a bad feeling about it from the start. I had a feeling Carl's plan sucked, and yet I let him lead." She said, glancing at Aiden as she spoke.

"Don't beat yourself up. Things could've been worse, too." He said.

"If I had listened to myself, we'd have water and more of our people would still be alive." She sighed.

"You were just doing your job. You were following Carl's lead." He said.

"Yeah, but I won't let him lead the Bazaar to its doom." She said.

"I see. Why didn't you send Herman on the mission? They wouldn't have stood a chance against that beast." He asked.

"Him? He's strong. But as helpless as a child." She said.

"That's one damn big child..." He said.

"You don't understand... Herman's almost deaf. He used to be my mother's bodyguard. Has been around for as long as I can remember. And after she died, he stayed close to us. One time, the lights in my shelter went out. The infected broke through a window. Herman blocked the path and tossed a grenade into a nearby infected. He survived the explosion but lost his hearing. In a face-to-face battle, he's nearly unstoppable. But if he's caught from behind, he's as defenseless as a child. A killer combination, especially for him. That's why I prefer to keep an eye on him. Sometimes, I wonder if he's watching over me or I'm watching him." She sighed.

"You think Jack and Joe could've had something to do with Lucas's murder?" He asked.

"Joe, perhaps. He's a total psycho. And a thief. He knew the Peacekeeperswould hang him if they caught him. But Jack wouldn't let him. He's a coward, he thinks rationally." She said.

"Alright, so what's the plan now?" He asked.

"From now on, I'm following my gut. Last time something like this happens on my watch." She promised. Barney got up from where he was sitting, walking over and jabbing a finger in Aiden's direction.

"If you'd have hurried back there, maybe some of our guys would have made it. I thought a Pilgrim like you was supposed to run like a fucking gazelle." He accused. Raegan shot up from where she was sitting, putting herself between Aiden and Barney as her eyes flashed angrily.

"Barney, shut up...!" Sophie said, smacking his chest.

"What...? If he'd made it in time to help, we'd be having a party, not a wake." He said.

"Don't you fucking dare pin this on him, you think he wasn't running as fast as he could?" Raegan snapped.

"Oh, and what're you gonna do about it, Ray?" Barney snapped, before staggering back as Raegan hauled back and punched him in the jaw. There was already a bruise forming as he placed his hand there, eyes narrowing as he looked at it and saw blood.

"Next time it'll be your nose. Now go sit down and shut the fuck up." Raegan snarled. Barney scoffed and set a bottle down by Sophie, glancing at her.

"In case you change your mind." He muttered before stalking off angrily, giving a glare to them both. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up and taking a drag.

"I'm sorry, Sophie, he is my friend and I love him dearly, but... fuck. I'd had about enough of that." Raegan sighed, leaning against Aiden as he rubbed her back some.

"I'm sorry, too, but... that was fucking awesome, Ray." Aiden said, a faint grin on his face.

"No, it's fine, both of you. He was out of line there... I'm sorry he took it out on you, Aiden. He can be a real pain in the ass. But we'll do something good for this city one day." Sophie shook her head. She glanced over as Barney raised a bottle up.

"Birdie! To your health!" He said, before taking a huge swig of the bottle.

"I gather you were close with Birdie?" Aiden asked.

"He tried to be a poet. Kept showing me his work and said all the other guys were too stupid to understand. I never told him how bad it was. He was a good kid. I took him into the group when he lost his father in a darkzone. He was ten years old." She said softly. 

"That's pretty young!" Aiden gasped.

"Too young. But he had no one else. So... I took him in." She mentioned.

"If you manage to catch those bandits--" He said.

"Jack Cock and Joe Cunt." She said.

"Think killing Monsieurs Cock and Cunt will change something?" He asked.

"Death usually changes a lot in a person's life. Carl was wrong. We should've gone after them right away. But right or wrong, we have to help him. He's one of us. We'll rescue him and retrieve the crystals from Jack and Joe. Besides I won't let them get away with killing my people. Ralf, Suzie, Logan, Birdie... They deserve revenge. And Jack and Joe sentenced them to death. So they'll die." She said, before blinking as Aiden's radio crackled.

"Your radio." She said.

"Picks up static sometimes..." He explained patting it a few times.

"Go see Alberto. He can fix stuff like that on the spot." She said, turning and walking away.

"Thanks." He muttered, before walking away from the fire, making sure he was far enough from prying ears before putting the radio to his ear.

"Aitor here. Leave, but make sure no one sees you. You and Raegan make a pretty pair, Aiden. I'm on the roof nearby. We have to talk." He said.

"Now?" He asked.

"It's about saving your life, and Raegan's life." He stated.

Aiden sighed as he quietly slipped away, making his way to where Aitor was. He grunted as he pulled himself up near the outpost Aitor was at, walking over to him. 

"What do you want?" Aiden asked.

"I don't like what's going on here, Aiden. First Jack and Joe's bandits killed Carl's people. Now Sophie's getting ready to retaliate. You're not a part of that, are you?" He questioned.

"And what if Ray and I are a part of it? You wanted me to get close to them and find out who's responsible for Lucas's murder. That's what I'm doing." He said.

"I'm going to search Sophie's camp. That's why I came to warn you... Rumors have started. You found the Lazarus for me. They may suspect you of being a PK spy." He warned.

"Doesn't seem like it. They seem happy to take whatever help is offered." He stated.

"So they say. But those people hate us, Aiden... along with anyone who works with us, with the exception of Raegan because she helps everyone regardless of if they're PK or otherwise. So if they suspect... especially someone like Sophie--" He said.

"I can handle them, as can Ray." He responded.

"Lucas thought so, too. And look how he ended up. It would be a pity if I found you in a ditch somewhere, with a piece of your hide cut out." He stated.

"You came here just to warn me?" He questioned.

"You helped me with the Lazarus. And I take care of my allies." He explained.

"Sophie's just fighting for water, that's all. I don't think she suspects anything." He said.

"Heh... you think so? She hates the Peacekeepers. She blames us for not helping the Bazaar, and for her mother's death. So when we start questioning her people... you'd better be careful." He warned.

"Thanks for the warning." He said.

"You gain any intel for out investigation?" He asked.

"Sophie's also wondering who killed Lucas." He informed him. 

"What else would she say? They know if we can prove they killed Lucas, it'll be a bloodbath. Find out from Sophie when she's planning the attack. Keep me informed of where you abs Raegan are. Be careful." He ordered.

Aiden sighed before making his way back over to the temporary camp Sophie had set up, managing to sneak back unnoticed.

"Hmm, looks like Sophie's not here. Better look for her." He muttered, walking over to where Nerys was sitting.

"I'm looking for Sophie. Where'd she go?" He asked her.

"Said she had important business to attend to. But you can wait here with us. You and Ray looked sweet, earlier. Don't hurt her, the poor girl's been through so much already." She said, chuckling as Aiden's face went red and he sputtered.

"She's... she's just an old childhood friend. We used to fall asleep against each other as kids..." He stammered.

"Doesn't mean I can't find the sight of you two adorable, now, does it? Whatever your relationship with her is, she looks happier than I've seen her in a while. I'm glad she has you back. She talked about you constantly, and it's clear she missed you desperately and is relieved to have you back. Look after her, she may be tough but that doesn't mean she doesn't need someone watching her back." She informed him.

"She... she really did talk about me a lot, didn't she? I figured, Hakon and Cillian... and maybe Sophie, that they were just teasing her. But she really did, didn't she? I mean, I kind of did, too. Been looking for her, and for my younger sister, Mia, for the past fifteen years... I still can't believe I finally found Ray after all this time. Don't worry, I'll look after her, she's one of the most important people to me and I'm not going to lose her a second time." He admitted, keeping his voice low so Raegan didn't overhear him.

"Good. Now, what brings you?" She asked, smiling kindly at him.

"Take care of Barney today. That guy is like a neon sign that reads "Big Trouble"." He stated.

"Right. I'll look after him, you look after her. Deal?" She said.

"Deal." He agreed, before wandering over to Barney.

"Have you seen Sophie? I'm looking for her." He asked.

"Oh, it's our brave fucking Pilgrim! Been looking for you. Drink up! Cheers!" He said, handing Aiden a bottle of some sort of alcohol.

"Sorry, but I don't like drinking straight from the bottle." He stated. Barney took a swig from it before shaking his head.

"Oooh...! The Exalted Count asks for a glass." He snarled. Raegan glanced up from where she was sitting, grimacing at Barney before shaking her head.

"Keep it up and I'm cutting you off, smartass!" She said, rolling her eyes when he flipped her off.

"Wanna broken finger?" She warned, snickering when his hand shot out of view.

"Didja get your radio checked by that dumbass, Alberto?" Ahab asked.

"That kook. Can't ever finish a sentence he starts. Must have a brain made of Swiss Cheese." Hunphrey laughed, before he and Ahab yelped and glanced around, seeing Raegan holding up a rock and glaring at them.

"Ah... I mean... Craftmaster Alberto..." "I mean... uh... " They both said, glancing nervously as Raegan dropped the rock she was holding and turned away with a scoff. Aiden placed a hand over his mouth as he shook a bit with silent laughter. He caught Raegan's gaze and gave her a thumbs up, causing her to give him a grin before she looked away.

"Show some respect, Humphrey! Alberto's a genius with weapons and armor. What's your big skill? Farting into a harmonica and calling it music?" Barney drunkenly scolded.

"Hey, you mangy pricks! Say your prayers! Barney's coming! And he's gonna kick your derrieres!" He sang, swaying a bit. Raegan let out a snort at that as she groaned, grinning in amusement at Aiden as he let out a soft chuckle.

"Nice song, Barney." He complimented him.

"Fuck yeah it is!" Barney cheered, taking another swig from the bottle.

"Don't encourage him!" Raegan laughed, shaking her head some.

Aiden wandered over to where Alberto and Vincenzo were standing, nodding his head in greeting and smiling faintly at them both.

"Hey. Have you seen Sophie?" He asked them.

"Sophie... uh, yes. She went... she said...ah..." Alberto said, shaking a bit as he glanced around. 

"She went that way." Vincenzo said, pointing behind Aiden while he patted his father's arm soothingly.

"Exactly!" Alberto beamed.

"Thanks." Aiden said, turning to walk away.

"Wait! There's more... one more thing... something's wrong with... not working with... it's broken, that... ah, oh..." He sighed.

"Dad's asking if there's something wrong with your radio?" Vincenzo asked. 

"Oh, uh. It hisses sometimes, but as long as it works, no point messing with it." He shrugged.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asked.

"Sure. Call me Aiden." He said.

"Vincenzo..." He started.

"Yeah, Ray and Sophie mentioned you, and your father, Alberto. She's very fond of him." He smiled.

"Yeah, dad adores her. She's kind of like the little sister I never had, and the daughter he never had. He dotes on her, and she's fiercely protective of him." He chuckled.

"I've noticed, you see her pelt those two for talking bad about him? It was awesome." He grinned.

"It was. Anyways, Aiden? How do you become a Pilgrim? Does that mean you're a murderer? I, ah... don't mean any offense, I've not really interacted much with Pilgrims aside from making weapons or gear for them." He said sheepishly.

"Vincenzo... why... what're you... why would you..." Alberto asked, tone a bit concerned.

"Dad, I'm only asking because I'm curious. Will you tell me, Aiden?" He sighed.

"It's okay, I'm not offended. I'm not that exciting. I've had to kill people... but I'm not a murderer, it was done either to protect myself, or to protect others, but... I don't lose sleep over it. I can't. It's sad another life is lost, but if they choose to try and kill me or others? They're better off dead. It's harsh, but it's the truth and I'm not ashamed of thinking that way, and I try to avoid killing unless there's really no other options. All being a Pilgrim is to me now is a means to an end." He said.

"To what end?" Vincenzo asked.

"Vincenzo! Leave him... alone!" Alberto scolded.

"Well, to find Ray, which... I have. And to find the only family I've ever known." He stated.

"Did you? Find your family?" He asked him.

"Not yet. But I might be close." He said softly.

"I hope you succeed. I never found Federico." He sighed.

"Who?" He questioned.

"Federico. He was my best friend. We were like brothers; we'd known each other forever. He disappeared like those other kids... because of those fucking tests." He said bitterly.

"Tests...? You mean GRE tests?!" He asked, eyes widening.

"Yes, when they built the wall here, they were trying to create a vaccine. But it all fell apart in under a year, I'm not sure how long exactly. But, yes, the very same tests Ray, and I've heard also you, were subjected to... One day, Federico vanished into thin air. We'd been playing football. I went to my house after that. He went home, too. And I never saw him again. I'm sure they took him. And that's not all. You see, he wasn't the only child that went missing that winter." He said, looking down.

"There were others?" He enquired.

"Two girls disappeared from the building next door at the same time. And more, all across the city." He explained.

"And none of them have ever been found?" He asked. 

"None except for Ray, this one other girl a bit older than you two, and now you. But based on what Federico's mother said, I have a feeling I know what happened. Federico had been in the hospital a month earlier, with pneumonia. His mother was told that some GRE doctor had ordered blood tests. But they wouldn't tell her why. A week after he was released from the hospital - he was gone." He stated.

"Do you remember this doctor's name?" He asked.

"At the time, no one knew. And no one at the hospital would say. Only that he was on classified GRE business. Then everything went to hell... the GRE collapsed. After that, some of the kids were sighted in the Central Loop, but not Federico. Every day I wonder what happened to him. Not many of the kids survived outside of Ray and this other girl. Of course, later, thanks to Ray, and rumors circling around, we found out his name. Waltz. Vincent Waltz." He explained.

"I hope he's alive. And that you find him someday." He said softly.

"Thank you, Aiden. I hope you find your sister alive and well. Good luck." He smiled weakly.

Aiden nodded before walking off in search of Sophie, seeing her standing behind Nerys and Herman. He walked over to her, stopping just a few feet shy of her.

"I'm here." He said. 

"How's your radio? Working now?" She asked, turning to face him.

"Sometimes it works, sometimes... no. Roll of the dice." He said.

"Suzie! Logan! I swear, I'll tear them apart and eat the pieces! Birdie! Ralf! To your health! I love you!" Barney said loudly, voice just a bit slurred.

"What now?" He asked Sophie.

"Do you remember the beginning of the Fall, Aiden?" She asked.

"Vaguely... but... Ray and I were in that hospital, so, I don't recall much other than when the fire started at the hospital. Just that it was very tense and even the adults seemed frightened, but tried keeping a brave face for us kids." He stated.

"I remember it as if it were yesterday. We'd been defending the church against infected for some time. My mother was in charge. She was losing dozens of people everyday... She was keeping everyone alive while I was keeping an eye on Barney. She begged the Peacekeepers for help, but they ignored her. Eventually, she was injured. It was dawn... They led me to her, to the roof of the sacristy. She saw me... and made me promise to look after my brother. She said it as if she was lending me a car and asking to have it returned intact. After that, she appointed Carl as her successor, with me at his side. "You'll grow up to be a far better leader than Carl," She said. "But while the world is burning people won't listen to someone so young."" She scoffed.

"She was wrong." He said.

"I've been thinking like that all my life... But not anymore. Now I understand my mother. You have to be ruthless to be a leader. I wasn't ready then. I am now." She stated.

"I think I know what you're talking about... And I know what loss is like." He said.

"Talking about someone in particular?" She asked.

"About my sister..." He said softly.

"Mia, right? Ray mentioned her. I'm sorry." She said softly.

"Maybe you don't have to be. We'll find out." He stated.

"That's why you came to town, for her?" She questioned.

"Yeah. And for Ray." He admitted.

"Sophie! We have to talk!" Hunphrey called out.

"Time to act. The quicker we do this, the less prepared Jack and Joe will be." She said before walking off.

"Aiden, Aiden... we started off on the wrong foot. A sip of courage...?" Barney slurred. 

"Should you be drinking this much before the mission, Barney?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Me? I got the strongest liver in Villedor. Worry more about yourself, Pilgrim." He said, snorting a bit as he laughed.

"Wrong! Strongest liver would be Frank, Barney. He'd drink your scrawny ass under the table a few times over and you know it!" Raegan called out.

"Tomato, tomahto..." Barney grumbled, rolling his eyes and snickering.

"Where's Sophie?" Aiden asked.

"There. On the rooftop. I'm watching you, Pilgrim!" He said, lifting his glass up before walking off.

Aiden nodded with an amused look on his face before he made his way over to Sophie, glancing as Raegan got up and followed him.

"Apparently the Peacekeepers are watching us... Well, let them see what happens to Jack and Joe - and what we can do to them, too." She stated.

"Well, you said it was time to act." He sighed.

"We're acting. I've sent three scouts towards the camp. Carl and the crystals must be somewhere inside the building." She said.

Aiden nodded, grabbing his binoculars and scanning the bandits' camp, looking for potential points of entry and where there were guards.

"Not many guards. Most are probably asleep. There are a few entrances to the camp. The front one's suicide. It's got the most guards. You two go in first. We'll move in from the other side. We'll catch them in a pincer movement. If anything goes wrong, we retreat to our base." She explained.

"Where?" He asked.

"The Tango Motel. Ray knows where it is." She said, before walking off.

*Jack and Joe's Camp, Horseshoe, Old Villedor*

Aiden turned to ask Raegan if she was ready, before cursing as he noticed she was already halfway down the building and to the ground. He moved forward before leaping down to the ground, giving her a withering look. 

"Let's try and stick together." He sighed, before they quietly made their way to the right side of the bandits' camp. He hoisted himself up first, staying low before leaning back down and motioning for her to follow. He moved to the side and helped her up, scanning around for guards before pointing two out, nodding to one as he crept up behind him. She did the same with the other, both of them putting the men into chokeholds until they stopped moving, gently lowering them to the ground as the three scouts Sophie'd sent took out three more guards one level up. They quickly dispersed and took out two guards who wandered close by, working a few steps ahead of them as they cleared over half of the guards. One guard rounded the corner, freezing as he spotted them before shouting in alarm before he was taken down.

"Shit..." Aiden cursed as he heard footsteps hurrying to their location. He straightened up and drew his weapon, widening his stance before swinging at the first guard that rounded the corner. Raegan ducked around him and caught another off guard. Aiden paused as he watched Raegan practically dancing and dodging away from two of the guards, easily holding her own and taking both down, barely seeming to break a sweat. He flinched as a guard came almost out of nowhere, ducking and kicking his legs out from under him before slamming the man's head into the wall. After some time they managed to get rid of all of the bandits, making sure all of them were gone before he and Raegan made their way unto the building. He pushed open a set of double doors, seeing Carl kneeling on the ground with his arms behind his back. He quickly walked over, cutting the rope binding his wrists.

"Pilgrim. Where's everyone else?" Carl asked.

"They were attacked. Where are the crystals?" Aiden questioned.

"Over there." He said, watching as Raegan went and looked, before accepting Aiden's help in standing up.

"Radio Sophie. Fast." He ordered, walking over to sit on a couch.

"Sophie? We have Carl. He's okay. What about you guys? Sophie? Sophie? You there...?" He frowned.

"You have to help them, Aiden, Ray." Carl said.

"Where's Jack and Joe?" Aiden asked.

"They fled the camp as soon as they heard the sound of fighting. I don't know what they're planning. They said they were waiting on backup." He said.

"What backup?" He questioned.

"I don't know. Joe was talking about the Renegades... remnants of the old army, stationed on the dam across town. Lately, they've been spotted at the Bazaar." He explained.

"Alright, we need to get to the Tango Motel, Ai." Raegan said, gathering her gear up and walking out the door. He nodded to Carl before following after her, leaping down to the ground.

"Which way?" He asked her.

*Tango Motel, Horseshoe, Old Villedor*

"This way, it's not far." She said, darting across the ground, occasionally dodging infected as she practically flew towards Sophie's hideout. She oanted as they stopped in front of the door, reaching out to open the door.

"Aiden? I heard some noises coming from Jack and Joe's little village." Hakon said over the radio.

"That's not all, Hakon. Sophie and Barney's hideout was attacked. It could be Peacekeepers." He informed him.

"Fuck. Remember what you're here for, Aiden! We were supposed to get to the Central Loop and not get involved in local conflicts. Don't get involved in this. We will share what we have with Aitor. And maybe he will let us pass." He said.

Raegan frowned and grabbed the radio. "Fuck you, Hakon. You used to be a Nightrunner! You used to help people! Go ahead and be a coward if you want, but we're helping them! They're friends, they need us and we are not abandoning them." She snapped, before opening the door and heading inside with Aiden. 

"I have to go, Hakon. I promised to help Sophie. Besides, that's the only way to get to the truth." He said.

"...Okay. I'll be in touch. And keep her safe." He replied.

Raegan scoffed as she glared at the radio, shaming her head.

"I love him dearly but he infuriates me sometimes..." She muttered as she walked further into the motel.

Aiden walked forward and pushed another set of doors open, having his weapon ready just in case. Raegan gasped behind him as she saw the dead bodies.

"Shit... we're too late. Sophie?! Barney?! You there? Sophie! God, Sophie! Report in! He called out. He slowly moved towards a door, opening it and walking into a stairwell, keeping Raegan behind him as they ascended the stairs. Raegan kept glancing back, having drawn her weapon on case anyone came in behind them. They eventually reached another set of double doors, pushing them open and walking into the room. Aiden wandered over to a door, knocking on it before glancing around.

"Sophie! What the hell is going on? Report in!" He called, before shaking his head at Raegan. He sighed and walked out a busted window and out onto a balcony, crossing a makeshift bridge before climbing some scaffolding. He used the zipline to cross the another set of scaffolding, stepping aside as Raegan came across. They crossed another makeshift bridge, entering a door into another part of the motel. He frowned as he heard a voice over the radio, walking out onto a rooftop courtyard and crouching down near a dead Peacekeeper. 

"This is Aitor. Does anyone hear me? Corporal Kaminsky. Are you there?" Came Aitor's voice from over the radio. Aiden frowned as he glanced at Raegan, picking the radio up. 

"This is Aiden. Your men are dead." He informed him, before glancing up at Raegan's startled gasp, seeing Barney walking out the door.

"Oh shit..." He groaned. 

"Oh, damnit, Aiden... I was actually starting to like you. You brought the Peacekeepers here! And dragged Ray into your mess!" He stated.

"I helped you..." He said weakly.

"You betrayed us. And now we have to kill you. Helped Aitor. And yourself. Helping us was just a by-product. What're you waiting for? Don't know what to do?" He said, nodding to several men who advanced menacingly on Aiden. Barney's arms shot out, grabbing Raegan before she could rush down the stairs.

"Oh, no. You're not meddling this time. He's a traitor and we repay traitors by killing them. You know the rules, Ray." He admonished.

"God damnit, Barney! Listen to me! We ran straight here from Jack and Joe's camp to help you and Sophie! The Peacekeepers were already long dead by the time we got here! Stop it! AIDEN! NO!!" She shouted, trying to twist out of his grip before yelling as he shoved her back into the motel, slamming the door behind them. 

"Barney! Barney wait! Let her go, damnit!" He growled, before fixing a furious look on the men as he readied his weapon. 

"C'mon, then, assholes." He snarled.

Back in the motel Raegan glared as Barney marched her into a room with Sophie. As soon as he let her go she turned around and decked him, making a dash for the door before being shoved roughly to the ground. She sat up, glowering at him before turning to look at Sophie.

"We came straight here from Jack and Joe's camp to help you, Sophie! Stop them!! He didn't betray you, he was with me the entire time, ask Carl or anyone else from the camp! Please... you have to believe me." She pleaded, voice cracking as she sobbed. Sophie frowned as she grabbed her radio.

"Carl? How long ago did Aiden and Raegan leave the camp to head here?" She asked.

"No later than ten minutes ago. Is everything alright?" He asked, sounding concerned.

"It will be. I'll be in touch." She said, setting the radio before marching toward the door and out into the courtyard, seeing Aiden dodging the men and trying not to actually kill them.

"Enough!! Stand down, now." She ordered.

"Sophie, what the hell?!" Barney shouted as he walked out next to her, flinching back as she glared at him.

"I'll deal with you in a moment." She said. Raegan scowled and shoved Barney aside roughly as she walked outside, leaping over the railing and darting over to Aiden. She threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest as she hiccuped, tears soaking into his shirt. He froze briefly before a concerned look crossed his face, arms wrapping tightly around her as he rubbed her back.

"Hey... hey, shhh... I'm okay. We're okay." He soothed, feeling her squeeze him a bit tighter. He glared daggers at Barney, gently rocking her until she calmed down and stepped back a bit.

"You good?" He asked her, giving her a weak smile when she nodded.

"Sophie, I need to ask you if you know who killed Lucas. We did talk to Aitor, but that was only to ask to get to the Center to look for Aiden's sister Mia. If he doesn't find the killer and soon, PK Command will give orders to burn the Bazaar to the ground! I know you hate the PK, but Aitor really is trying to prevent a war and innocent lives lost! If you know anything, please... just say something." Raegan pleaded.

"Ray, we really don't know anything. If we did we'd tell you. But... we'll help try and get to the bottom of this." Sophie promised.

"Hopefully soon. I don't want to see any of you hurt, or worse, killed. You've been like family to me. If you hear anything, let us know. The sooner we find out the better, for everyone involved." She sighed.

"Also, just to let you know,Jack and Joe escaped. We have a chance to take the tower and reclaim the water." Sophie said.

"How do I get up the tower?" Aiden asked.

"It's almost impossible without a winch. And Joe's men sealed off access. That's why I'm asking you." She explained.

"So you want me to climb it?" He questioned.

"If you do, you'll save a great many people, Aiden... We won't forget this." She said.

Chapter Text

*Water Tower, Horseshoe, Old Villedor*

Raegan crouched on a rooftop near the water tower, using her binoculars to scan the area around the water tower.

"Looks pretty deserted... some infected in the courtyard, but none of Jack and Joe's men. I guarantee you the two conniving bastards are somewhere inside the tower, though. They wouldn't leave it unguarded." She muttered, putting the binoculars away.

"Aiden... Ray... What's the status? Everything alright?" Hakon asked from over the radio.

"Looks like most of the bandits fled the water tower, seems unoccupied. Ray's certain it's not entirely empty, and I'm inclined to agree." He said.

"Those two wouldn't leave it unattended, either they're up there themselves, or they've got someone else. All in all it doesn't look like it'll be too difficult. Worst parts'll be climbing and dealing with anyone inside." Raegan added.

"Right. Just be careful... Jack's more cowardly, but Joe... he's dangerous. Do not underestimate him. He can be downright savage if he has the mind to be." He warned.

"We will be. Hopefully we can resolve this in a less violent matter, but, if not... we'll deal with that then. Heading down there now, we'll keep you posted." He stated.

"Alright. Good luck, you two." He said, before the radio clicked off.

Raegan stood up, stretching her limbs out after having crouched for a while, before she made her way down to the ground. She waited for him to follow suit before they crouched and made their way to the water tower, scaling the fence before taking out the two closest biters. Once all the infected had been cleared she stood watch while he crouched down in front of the door, having already found it to be locked. She glanced back once she heard a distinct click, following him inside the tower and closing the door behind them. She clicked her flashlight on and sucked in a breath as she saw a bunch of gas tanks sitting near the central pillar, along with some explosives taped to it nearby.

"Sophie? Jack and Joe are in the water tower! They're gonna blow it up!" He hissed into his radio.

"Dear God... if they do, we'll have no water source. Come on, Aiden! The tower is mined. Try to disarm the charges." Sophie said, voice tinged with worry.

Raegan chewed on her lower lip nervously as Aiden carefully disarmed the first of the explosives, double checking it was inert before placing it in his pack.

"One down..." He muttered.

"That won't be the only one, let's keep climbing." She said softly, hoisting herself up onto some stacked crates before going out a window onto a small walkway. She climbed two more stacked crates, before turning and jumping onto the roof of the lowest section of the tower, moving aside so Aiden could join her. She frowned as she gauged the distance to another ledge, taking a practice jump and cursing as she couldn't quite reach. Her shoulders went up at the amused snort Aiden gave, turning and flipping him off.

"Okay, geeze... here." He said. He moved so his back was to the ledge before he steepled his fingers, giving her a boost up onto the ledge. She backed up as far as the ledge would allow, before launching forward and using a metal bar to swing up and onto the next ledge, before taking a running leap to the next smaller ledge, glancing back to see Aiden was on the ledge she'd previously occupied. She then leapt down a bit onto another ledge, leaping to another ledge before jumping onto a small walkway. She heard Aiden a bit behind her, kicking a ladder down and huffing out a noise that was halfway between a groan and a laugh. 

"Oh, that would have come in handy. Fuckers probably pulled it back up." She sighed. She moved out of the way as Aiden jumped onto the walkway, watching him kick in some rotting boards blocking the next doorway. He quickly disarmed the second charge, repeating the process of making sure it was truly inert before slipping it into his pack with the other charge. He glanced at the yellow pieces of metal circling the pipe, glancing up at the next ledge before climbing up. Once Raegan had followed him he grabbed her arm and helped her across, watching her leap up onto another ledge and then some scaffolding before kicking a ladder down. He climbed after her and frowned as he heard voices.

"Joe! You're gonna kill us!" The voice, Jack, said.

"We won't leave here alive. No one will! Give me the detonator, Jack!" Joe replied. 

"No... we were supposed to take tribute! Just collect money!" Jack protested.

"Jack, give it back! They'll get what they deserve. They will die!" Joe commanded.

Raegan frowned as she leapt up to the next ledge, opening the door and stepping inside, followed closely by Aiden. He quickly disarmed the third charge, checking it was inert before placing it with the others. 

"Got it! And the water is safe." He whispered.

"Now to deal with those two clowns... and from the sound of it, it's trouble in paradise." She muttered.

They climbed up some metal sticking from the wall before jumping to a ledge, leaping to another ledge leading outside again. Aiden went first, leaping onto a metal cage hanging from a small crane, before leaping up onto the ledge above them. He braced himself and leaned down once he was near where Raegan was, pulling her up onto the ledge with him.

"Ha! Made it after all." He whispered, grinning at her. She rolled her eyes, unable to help grinning back as she nodded. 

"Gonna give you a fireworks show you'll never forget! Screw you! No water for nobody!" Joe's voice drifted out.

"We can negotiate." Jack tried reasoning.

"Don't fuck around, Jack!" Joe snarled.

Aiden knelt down and slowly lifted the plywood blocking the window up, letting Raegan in before he crawled in after her. He slowly eased it back down, going slowly so it didn't make much noise.

"...Of course they'll fuck us up! Either the Bazaar jagholes or the PK. They'll be on us the moment we come down from here, buddy!" Joe stated.

"Fuck! We lost it, man. We lost it! We can't fight everyone!" Jack muttered.

"That's why it's time for fireworks! Nobody's getting out alive!" Joe growled out.

"Joe, I don't want to die, you asshole!" Jack protested.

Aiden winced as the board suddenly slammed the last bit down, drawing Jack ans Joe's attention.

"Hey! Who's there?!" Joe demanded, rushing over with a weapon while Jack trailed behind with the detonator. 

"Stop! Or we'll blow the goddamn tower! I swear!" Joe threatened.

"We found the bombs. Let's talk." Aiden said, holding his weapon pointed down, clearly ready to strike at a moment's notice. Raegan stood off to his side with her weapon down but in front of her, glancing between Jack and Joe.

"The time for talking is over. We're gonna fuck this place up!" Joe said.

"You're not listening... it's over!" Aiden stated.

"I want it to be over. And to leave the city safely!" Jack muttered.

"Alright. Help us and we'll help you." Aiden bargained.

"You're foolin' yourself, Jack! Nobody's letting us out of here alive." Joe scoffed.

"Look. I am a Pilgrim." Aiden stated.

"Let's just blow it up already!" Joe snarled.

"I dare you. I know you won't do it." Aiden said.

"Don't listen to him, Jack! It's over. Fuck it up!" Joe ordered.

"I don't know... I'm scared... Joe. Wait. Joe... Hey. Isn't that the Pilgrim that showed up at the Bazaar recently?" Jack asked. 

"Maybe. Pilgrim or Pope. So what?" Joe scoffed.

"Don't you get it? If he's a Pilgrim, he can get us out... lead us out of the city to someplace safe." Jack pointed out.

"I don't trust that fucker. Or her, for that matter." He said, pointing to Raegan.

"Feelings mutual, Joe. Trust me." She frowned.

"You don't trust anyone! I told you to play nice with Barney when we had the chance! Fucking listen to me for once..." Jack snapped.

"'Play nice' with Barney? What for?" Aiden asked.

"To make him get the fuck out of the Bazaar... after what we found out from the Peacekeepers." Jack explained.

"We tipped off the fucker, gave him a chance to run. But he thought he was too clever for that." Joe added.

"Clever ain't a word I'd use to describe Barney... pig headed, sure." Raegan snorted.

"Warned Barney...? About what?" Aiden questioned.

"Well, about Lucas wanting to take him in for weapons charges, among others. Had been setting a trap for him for weeks. And instead of politely getting the fuck out of here, he trued to play cute instead." Jack said.

"So... Barney knew Lucas was after him?" Aiden asked.

"The moron wanted to start a war in Old Villedor!" Joe grumbled.

"And if ya ask me, war's the last thing we need! Money, crystals... that's another story." Jack added.

"That's why I tried to put an end to that rabid dog and his sister... So, Pilgrim? Will you get us out of the city or what?!" Joe demanded.

"Calm down, Joe!" Jack scolded him.

"I won't fucking calm down!" Joe snapped.

"Get us out of the city, Pilgrim. To the nearest safe settlement. And no one will die here." Jack warned, brandishing the detonator.

"I can get you out of town. But first I have my own business to take care of. You need to hide somewhere and wait." Aiden stated.

"Sounds like a huge risk." Joe mused.

"No risk, no gain." Aiden said.

"He's lying, Jack." Joe muttered, pacing a bit.

"There's no other way." Jack reasoned. 

"Fuck! I don't like it. I fucking don't... But okay. We'll be waiting for you in the tunnels near the Tango Motel. We'll give you a signal when we get there." Joe said.

"Good choice. Now, give us the detonator, Jack." Aiden ordered, taking it once it was handed to him.

"Wise choice, fellas. We won't tell the PK, or Sophie and her men, that we saw you. The rest is on you." Raegan stated. She watched as Jack and Joe left the water tower, shaking her head. She sighed as they walked over to where the valve for the water supply was, sitting on a crate nearby. Aiden grunted a bit as he turned the handle for the water until it was back on.

"Sophie, we got the water back on, and took care of the explosives. Feel free to send some men to the water tower. It's clear." He said into the radio.

"Thank you, Aiden. This means more than you realize. I'm sending some men ahead, they'll be there in five minutes, so hang tight til then. Barney and I'll be joining them after a bit." She replied.

Raegan got up and walked over to the workbench, grabbing a few parts. 

"Hey, help me get the winch fixed, all we need to do is attach this part and it'll be in working order." She said, walking outside.

"Bossy, aren't we?" He teased, following her and helping secure the missing part to the winch.

"Always! Alright, that should do it. Hey, Sophie? Tell your guys the winch is working again. They won't have as hard a time getting up here." She said.

"I'll pass the message on, thanks again you two." She said. Once Sophie's men arrived, they took the winch down and headed up onto the nearby rooftops. 

"Hey, Hakon? Aiden asked, having grabbed his radio.

"Aiden, where the fuck are you two? You both alright?" He questioned, sounding worried.

"Yeah, we're fine. No new cuts or bruises. Barney knew Lucas was trying to capture him. Jack and Joe warned him. He could have avoided the trap. But he went into it anyway. That's when Lucas was killed." He stated.

"Maybe we should check out Barney's hideout at the Tango Motel? I'll make sure the place is safe." He suggested.

"You can go search Barney's stuff. The coast is clear." He came back on the radio. 

*Tango Motel, Horseshoe, Old Villedor *

"Aiden. I saw Sophie and her men near the water tower. So the place should be empty now. But I don't know when they'll be back." Hakon said, before the radio clicked off.

"Have I mentioned I have a really bad feeling about this, Ai?" Raegan asked him.

"No. But I'm not feeling too good about this either, but we've gotta check. Hopefully we find nothing." He replied, climbing up the ladder before trying the door.

"Damn. Locked..." He muttered.

"Move over." She said, nudging him to the side as she pulled out a lockpick, getting to work on the door. After a few minutes she swung the door open, smirking faintly at the slightly dumbstruck look on his face.

"I was raised by Nightrunners, remember? You think they didn't teach me all of their tricks?" She teased, walking past him into the motel. She turned left and walked towards a door, pushing it open and walking inside. Aiden shook his head before following after her, pushing the barred iron door open and walking into the room. He glanced around, looking for anything that would either prove Barney killed Lucas, or prove he had nothing to do with it. Raegan walked further into the room, glancing at some plywood pressed up against the far wall. She crouched down by it before looking over at him.

"Hey, gimme a hand with this..." She said, pushing at it. He walked over and helped her move it aside, clicking his flashlight on as he crouched down and moved into the hole they uncovered. He glanced over into a corner and grimaced.

"Fuck... This is seriously fucked up, and I've seen some fucked up shit out there..." He muttered.

He grabbed a rag from his pack, before pocketing up the piece of skin and wrapping it up, tucking it into a separate pocket of his pack and crawling back out of the hole, face a bit pale.

"Ai...? What is it? Did you find something?" Raegan asked, placing a hand on his arm.

"Yeah... Remember how Aitor said whoever killed Lucas cut off his tattoo?" He asked. 

"Fucking hell..." She shuddered.

"Hakon?! I found the tattoo the cut out of Lucas!! Damn freaks!!" He said into the radio.

"What?" Hakon asked, sounding incredulous.

"Yeah... Whoever did this... is seriously fucked up..." He said.

"Get the hell out of there! We'll tell Aitor and--" Aiden clicked the radio off as he heard footsteps.

"Why are you going through my sister's stuff? Didn't know they were hiring Pilgrims as housekeepers in this hole. And Ray, I thought you knew better than to snoop through things that don't belong to you." Barney stated, walking into the room. Raegan backed up, moving closer to Aiden as she gripped her weapon.

"Are you shedding skin, Barney?" Aiden asked, showing him the piece of skin. Raegan quickly glanced away and shuddered as she gagged slightly.

"What the fuck is...? We didn't--" He stammered.

"A little piece of Lucas to remember him by, you sicko?" He accused.

"Fuck you. Nice try! But that ain't mine. I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!" Barney snarled, taking a swing and decking Aiden hard. Aiden grunted and put a hand up to his mouth and nose, looking down as his hand came back bloody. Raegan glared, stepping towards Barney and shoving his chest hard, causing him to stagger a few steps back. He regained his footing before hitting her and shoving her off to the side, causing her to hit the ground hard.

"Stay the fuck outta this, or you're next!" He warned. Aiden seethed at that, not paying any mind the the blue tinge to his vision as he let out a snarl, grabbing Barney's shirt and slamming him into the wall hard enough to nearly knock the breath out of him. He grabbed a knife with one hand, pressing it to Barney's neck hard enough to draw blood as he glared murderously at him.

"Are you alright, Ray?" He called over his shoulder, eyes not leaving Barney as he spoke.

"Yeah, asshole hits like a little bitch. Just a split lip and bloody nose." She said, slowly getting up.

"If you ever lay a finger on her or hurt her again, I'll fucking kill you, you bastard." He snarled out. 

"Stop it!!! What's going on here, for fuck's sake?! Are you nuts?" Sophie shouted, barging into the room, taking in the sight of Raegan before glancing at Aiden and Barney. Aiden moved back, putting the knife away before pulling Raegan close, keeping her slightly behind him.

"He... He's setting us up. This fuckin' Pilgrim is framing us. And she's helping him." Barney said, glaring at Raegan and Aiden.

"What is he talking about, you two?!" She demanded.

"I found the proof. Hidden among your things." Aiden accused.

"Proof? Of what?" She asked, frowning in confusion.

"You cut the tattoo from Commander Lucas's arm. After his death... or when he was still alive?!" He questioned.

"You're outta your mind. I didn't do it!" She said, shaking her head.

"Maybe you didn't... but your crazy brother--" He said.

"He's not a psycho! We have nothing to do with Lucas's death!" She stated, pacing around.

"I'm going to Aitor. I've got the proof he's looking for." He warned.

"Aiden, it's not us! Nobody at the Bazaar will believe you!" She pleaded.

"No, but they'll believe me. Throw in the fact Barney hit me and threw me down to the ground? Yeah. They'll believe me." Raegan spat out angrily.

"He did what?! Barney, when I'm through with you--!" Sophie seethed, glaring daggers at her brother.

"Then where did this piece of skin come from, Sophie?" Aiden demanded.

"Could've been planted to set us up. Ever think of that?" She stated. 

"Who would do that? And why?" He questioned.

"To distract everyone from the real killer. Who gained the most from killing Lucas?" She asked.

"Who had the most to gain...?" Barney repeated. 

"If it was that easy for you to get in here, then someone else coulda came before you and planted that." She explained.

"Doesn't matter. This is between you and Aitor now." He said, walking towards the door with Raegan in front of him.

"Wait! Please! Aitor doesn't care about the truth. He doesn't care about finding the real killer. He's only looking for a reason to raid the Bazaar." Sophie stated.

"It's not my war, Sophie." Aiden said, voice flat and loooking disinterested. Raegan scowled at him.

"No. But you'll have blood on your hands... Blood of innocents. Her blood." She said, pointing to Raegan. Aiden's expression changed at that, looking horrified at the idea.

"No, but it's mine and theirs." She pointed out, before turning to Sophie.

"Bullshit! I've known Aitor for years, he wants to avoid a raid and a war! He's not sold on anyone from the Bazaar killing Lucas. He has doubts. But command is piling pressure on him and demanding results yesterday or they'll send the order to just burn it all down. He doesn't want that. Never has." She explained. 

"Someone is setting us up. Someone clever. We're not sadists who would skin Lucas, Aiden. And you know it!" Sophie stated.

"I know that you want to get rid of the PKs." He pointed out.

"Yes. And we will get rid of them. But not like psychos and assassins, Aiden! Believe me, this is a setup." She said.

"Okay, then... you said you'd help us find out about the killer, Sophie. Aitor wants to find out who did it and prevent a massacre. You guys don't want a massacre. We have to take the tattoo to him, but we'll say we found it in an abandoned house." Raegan paused, taking a breath before continuing. 

"If I talk to Aitor and he agrees, would you be willing to talk with him? Somewhere neutral for both parties. Aiden and I will be there. You and Aitor bring two men each. We put our heads together and figure this out, yeah?" She suggested. Sophie frowned as she thought it over, before sighing.

"Alright... If he agrees, we'll talk. This madness needs to end and soon, and preferably without any more lives lost." She said.

"You really think Carl's going to agree to sit down with that prick?" Barney sneered.

"Then maybe it's time he stepped down. He's done a piss poor job of leading thus far. I think it's time for a new leader, you said it yourself, Sophie. You're ready. We'll back back up. And I guarantee after this latest fuck up of Carl's most if not all of the Bazaar will back you up, too." Raegan stated.

"Are we seriously plotting to take over control of the Bazaar?" Barney asked gleefully.

"Plotting and carrying said plot out, yes. I don't think Carl will have much of a choice once faced with the fact he has no sway anymore." Raegan pointed out.

"We'll go talk with Aitor about the meeting. Don't do anything until we get back to the Bazaar, please." She added, going to walk out the door with Aiden.

"We'll meet you back at the Bazaar. Good luck, Ray, Aiden." Sophie said.

Chapter Text

*Trigger Warning: Chapter contains violence against a minor*

*PK Metro Base, Quarry End, Old Villedor*

Aitor frowned as he looked at the piece of skin sitting in his desk, face pale and looking a little green.

"So you found this...?" He started.

"In an abandoned house, yeah. Whoever killed Lucas apparently was smart enough to try and cover their tracks. Only reason we found it was a biter was trying to get at a piece of plywood covering the hole. Obviously smelt a snack and got all excited at the prospect." Aiden explained.

"So... about meeting up with Sophie. She agrees if you do. She wants this resolved peacefully, Aitor. It'll be myself, Aiden, you and two men of your choice, and Sophie and two men of her choice; likely Barney and Herman." Raegan said.

"And Carl agrees to this?" Aitor questioned.

"Carl will no longer be in charge of the Bazaar. As soon as we're done here, we're going to back Sophie in taking control from him. He's fucked up one too many times, it's time for new leadership." Raegan stated.

"I see... Well, name a time and place and I'll meet with her. Hopefully we can resolve this swiftly and peacefully. I'd rather not have the Bazaar burnt down or a war on our hands." He sighed.

"They don't want a war, either. That's why Sophie was so quick to agree to the idea. I can tell they still don't particularly like or trust you guys, but... It's a start, yeah?" She said.

"Of course. Well, thank you for getting this much done at least. I owe you both a great deal, and likely will owe Sophie and the Bazaar when this is over. Keep me posted." He said before dismissing them.

"We'll be in touch." Aiden said, opening the door for Raegan before they slipped out.

"Well, that went better than expected." Raegan sighed, leaning against Aiden as they walked out of the metro.

"Yeah, let's hope this next part goes well..." Aiden muttered.

"Mm, if it doesn't I'll just deck Carl. Kinda been wanting to for a few days now." She mused.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with him having me strung up, would it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow with an amused smirk on his face.

"What? Me? I would never!" She said, before laughing softly.

"Okay, maybe a little. He's had it coming, though, even before that!" She added, grinning as Aiden laughed.

"What am I going to do with you, hmm?" He asked, shaking his head and grinning.

"Don't piss me off?" She suggested.

"Well, that's a given. You're terrifying when you're angry, even when we were little! You and Mia both were." He chuckled as they set off towards the Bazaar.

*Bazaar, Trinity, Old Villedor*

Raegan slipped into the Bazaar with Aiden, nodding to Barney and Sophie as they walked over to them.

"How'd it go?" Sophie asked.

"He said name a time and place, he'll be there. You and him, two men each, plus Aiden and myself." She said.

"The windmill near where Barney went after the crystals, PK and Survivors both use it. It's about as neutral as we'll get. We'll see how this goes before deciding on a time or day." Sophie stated.

"Yeah, that works. Now... let's do this." She said, noticing Carl walk in from outside. 

"Carl, we need to talk. Your leadership has gotten enough people killed, it's time someone else lead the Bazaar." She called out.

Carl frowned at that, crossing his arms as he glanced around, hearing murmurs agreeing with what was said.

"And who, pray tell, would that be? Who else is qualified to lead?" He demanded.

"Sophie is more than qualified to lead, far more than you as of late. This latest incident with Jack and Joe proves it. You're no longer fit to lead. I'm sure anyone here would agree with that, would they not?" She asked, seeing people nodding or murmuring in agreement.

"You're done, Carl. You've done nothing to help try and find a murderer, you nearly hung an innocent man, and you've gotten people killed trying to negotiate with con artists. I think it best you leave the Bazaar, I don't think you're very welcome anymore." She pointed out.

"We're going to meet with Aitor and solve this murder once and for all, and establish a better relationship between the Peacekeepers and the Bazaar. One that will be beneficial for all parties involved." She added.

Carl seethed as he stood there, glancing at the guards.

"Roger! Humphrey! Arrest them." He ordered, before looking bewildered as nobody moved a muscle. 

"What're you doing?! They want to betray the Bazaar! Roger!" He said, voice a bit desperate.

"You have no power anymore, Carl." Sophie stated.

"You want to be like you mother? You'll have blood on your hands, Sophie! A lot of blood. The Peacekeepers cannot be trusted." He warned.

"No, the only one who cannot be trusted is you, Carl. You've lied about the Peacekeepers and Aitor. I've known him for years. He wants a peaceful resolution to all of this. He is being pressured by command to find the killer or they will send the order to burn the Bazaar to the ground, along with anyone they deem having had anything to do with Lucas's murder. He wants to avoid a massacre. However You've refused to work with him from the start, and put lives at risk!" Raegan snapped. There were shocked gasps as people talked amongst themselves.

Carl shook his head with a disgusted look before storming out.

"Fuck yes! Sophie is in charge!" Ahab suddenly shouted, spurring people to start cheering and clapping, with some of the nearer ones patting Sophie on the shoulder.

"Alright, Raegan, tell Aitor we'll meet tomorrow at noon, at Larch Windmill. I'll have Barney and Herman with me." Sophie said once the cheering had died down.

"Aitor? It's Raegan. I've got the location for the meeting. Tomorrow at noon, Larch Windmill. She'll have Barney and Herman with her." She informed him.

"Alright. I'll have Anderson and Berislav with me. I'm assuming Sophie can hear me?" He asked.

"Yeah, and half or more of the Bazaar, nosy buggers." She said, voice a bit teasing and chuckling as some had the decent to look halfway guilty.

"Well, thank you for agreeing to meet with us. I hope we can resolve this quickly, and maybe repair the relationship between the Bazaar and the Peacekeepers while we're at it. We should be helping each other, not trying to kill one another." He stated.

"I agree, we still don't fully trust you, but resolving this peacefully and stopping harassing us so much would be a good start, as would more assistance if we ask for it." Sophie replied, having taken the radio from Raegan.

"Of course, is there anything you need before tomorrow? I can have some men deliver it." He offered.

"We're running low on some medical supplies, if you could spare some, we'd be grateful. Mainly bandages and disinfectant." She said.

"I'll have someone there within the hour. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask. We're supposed to be here to help, not just investigate a murder." He said, before the radio went silent. Sophie handed the radio back to Raegan, who clipped it back onto her belt.

"Now do you believe me that he wants to help?" She asked her.

"Yes... I'm starting to see that. It'll still be some time before I, and probably others here, fully trust then again. But this is a very good start. I owe you thanks for making this possible, Ray." She said.

"Well, hold off on the thanks until after the meeting. We've still got that to take care of. I'm confident it will go well, though." She said, smiling softly at Sophie.

*Larch Windmill, Trinity, Old Villedor*

The next day Raegan sat perched on a crate while they waited for Aitor and his men to arrive. Those who had been at the windmill had vacated the area to give them privacy for the meeting. Close to noon Aitor made his way over, flanked by Anderson and Berislav, the latter of which was panting just a bit and complaining of them moving too fast.

"No, you just need to shed a few pounds, there, Berislav!" Raegan teased, hopping off the crate and rushing over to hug him. He put a hand over his heart, faking a wounded look.

"You wound me, Ray. How've you been?" He asked, chuckling as he hugged her.

"I've been good." She replied.

"Pfff, good as in feeling good, right? Cus you rarely behave. Ow! Hey, prove my point right there!" He laughed, rubbing his arm where she'd hit him.

"By the way I wanna introduce you to someone, Aiden, this is Berislav. Berislav, this is Aiden." She said.

"Wait... this is the infamous Aiden? The one you gush about non-stop? Boy, I must be dreaming! I get to help solve a murder, establish peace with the Bazaar, and I get to meet your Aiden? Could this day get any better?!" He said excitedly.

"Just how many people have you told about me, Ray?" Aiden laughed, mentally filing the fact he'd been called *Ray's* Aiden away, and unable to help feeling rather pleased at the thought, before shaking Berislav's hand when he offered it.

"Probably near everyone in Villedor. More than once." He responded, chuckling as Raegan's face went a bit red. She sighed in relief as Aitor cleared his throat.

"If we can get back on track, here..." He said, chuckling softly.

"Right, sorry, boss. Good meeting you, Aiden." Berislav said, walking back over to where Aitor and Sophie were sitting. They'd set up some crates and had a makeshift table between them. 

"Alright, so... we still don't have the killer, and they were smart enough to hide the, ah, trophy, instead of taking it back to their place, or having it on their person. Now we just need to figure out who did it, and why." Aitor mused.

"I highly doubt it was someone from the Bazaar, and... if it was then we'll deal with that. Together. It also could have been one of my men, though I hope not on either front, but, again, we'll deal with that together." He added.

"So far we've not had anyone complaining of wounds that would have come from the Lazarus, Veronika would have spoken up. Unless they decided to patch their wounds up themselves, but, you'd think it would be obvious if they were injured. It just doesn't make any sense..." Sophie stated, frowning as she thought.

"Have we considered that maybe the killer and the person who took the trophy might not be the same person?" Aiden suggested.

"That's a possibility, yes. If thats the case we've got two people to deal with. I'm honestly hoping it's just one person, because two is just..." Aitor shook his head.

Raegan frowned as she thought, before her eyes widened as she realized who it potentially could be. She pushed the thought back, refusing to believe it. There was no way he was capable of something like that... But what if he was? 

"What would be the punishment if someone had killed Lucas in self defense? I know you guys loved him like a father, but, I'm sorry... He wasn't the greatest person. The amount of times he would taunt someone or get in their face is shocking. He was a good leader, I'm not arguing that fact. But he wasn't a great man by any means, at least not to most outside of the Peacekeepers." Raegan pointed out.

"If it was a legitimate case of self defense, there would be consequences, but it wouldn't be as severe as if it were murder. It also depends on if they mutilated the corpse or not. If they did, then they'd be locked up, possibly for a long time. If they didn't do that, they'd serve time by way of some sort of community service or being locked up for a time. It just depends." Aitor explained.

"And I'm aware Lucas was not well liked, I've heard some rather stating things of late. Men coming forward saying either he himself was cruel to others, or forced them to be, of course some were also willing to be cruel, and they'll be dealt with accordingly. Things are going to be much different under my command. I won't tolerate such behavior from my men, and if they have issues they can be relived of duty." He added.

"About fuckin' time!" Barney said, grunting as Sophie elbowed him.

"And, ah... thank you." He said, rubbing his side and scowling at his sister.

"I'll be asking people at the Bazaar if they've seen anything or know something to please come forward, maybe offer a reward for information. They can remain anonymous if they wish as well. Hopefully we'll know something soon. And hopefully with what you've gotten so far command is satisfied. Please inform them we are cooperating from this point on and are actively working to find out who's done this." Sophie said.

"Perhaps we should also offer a reward? Might incentivise people to come forward with information." Anderson suggested, glancing at Aitor.

"It's worth a shot. I'll let command know the Bazaar is working with us. They seemed satisfied with the intel gathered thus far, but I know they want the killer found sooner rather than later. Hopefully it won't be much longer." Aitor sighed.

"Ah! By the way, Aitor... Sophie... these are the charges we got from the water tower. We'd like to keep one third of them, but you and Aitor each can have the other two thirds. They may come in handy?" Raegan stated.

"They would, yes. If either you or Aitor needs them turned into bombs, I could ask Alberto and Vincenzo to do that." Sophie said, glancing between them.

"Of course. We can pick them up whenever they're ready. Thank you." Aitor responded.

"Yeah, just give us a call when they're ready, Sophie." She said, smiling at her.

"It is getting a bit late, though. We should get back to base before dark. Keep us informed of what you find on the killer, we'll be in touch." Aitor stated, shaking Sophie's hand as he stood up.

"Of course, as soon as we find out anything, you'll be the first to know." She promised.

*Larch Windmill, Trinity, Old Villedor*

*Nighttime*

Raegan yawned as she stood up from around the campfire some of the survivors, and Peacekeepers, had built. She waved to them before slipping into a small shack she and Aiden had been given use of to sleep in, closing the door behind her. Glancing up she blinked as she noticed Aiden was still awake, walking over and sitting down by him, getting a tired smile directed her way. She smiled back and leaned against the wall.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked softly.

"No... I keep thinking about Mia. She's so *close*, Ray..." He sighed and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

"We're gonna find her, Ai. She's alive, and she's here somewhere, and we will find her." She said, reaching over and giving his hand a squeeze. 

"Yeah. So... why did you not want me using too many inhibitors?" He questioned. Raegan closed her eyes and grimaced a bit, taking in a shaky breath before letting it out.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to..." He added.

"No... no. It's not that. It's just... It's a really messed up story, just warning you now." She said.

"Okay, I think I can handle whatever you're about to tell me. If not I'll speak up. Deal?" He stated.

"Deal." She said, before starting to speak.

*Trigger Warning: This part of the story contains violence against a minor.*

*Nightrunners Headquarters, New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor, Mid-July 2023*

A small girl of about six years of age laid on her stomach on the floor, humming happily to herself as she scribbled drawings onto pieces of paper. She bobbed her head side to side as she inspected her latest drawing, light reddish brown ponytail swishing with each movement of her head. She pursed her lips, hazel eyes scanning the assortment of crayons and colorful pencils she had laid out before selecting a new one to use. 

In another room several Nightrunners kept periodically glancing into the room. They smiled fondly at the little girl before turning their attention back to their leader, Frank, while he discussed the latest mission they'd be going on. After a while he dismissed them, some of them taking off to the kitchen to start preparing supper. Hakon got up and wandered into the next room, sitting down next to the girl and smiling as he looked at her.

"Hey, Raegan. What're you drawing, kiddo?" He asked, patting her on the head. Raegan looked up at him and beamed as she sat up, handing him her drawings before cuddling up to his side.

"Hakon! You're done working!" She exclaimed.

"I drew Ai, and Mia... I miss them." She said, looking down sadly. 

"I know you do, sweetheart. I wish we knew where they were, we'd bring them to you in a heartbeat." He said, hugging her close and rubbing her back. Frank shared a sad look with Hakon as he walked into the room, before looking at Raegan and smiling gently.

"Hey, Ray, I've got an important mission for you. Could you take these up to Tyler and ask him if he wants supper?" He asked, holding a water bottle and a bottle of painkillers.

Raegan stood up at that, tilting her head as she walked over and took the bottles from him, nodding her head.

"Okay!" She replied, before dashing up the stairs.

"Man, I wish we could bottle her energy... make those long missions that much easier." Hakon chuckled.

"Tell me about it, she's a literal ball of energy." Frank laughed.

"And ray of sunshine, can't forget that!" Hakon added.

"Where was Ray off to in such a hurry? Nearly ran right into me." Cillian asked as he walked into the room, shaking his head with a fond smile on his face.

"Gave her a super important mission. Take painkillers and water to Tyler and ask him if he's hungry." Frank explained, earning a laugh from Cillian.

"That'd do it, then." He smiled.

Upstairs Raegan walked over to Tyler's room, opening the door and slipping in before closing it behind her. She squinted in the dim room, seeing a silhouette in the corner of the room. She blinked as she noticed him clutching something. A concerned look crossed her face at the heavy breathing, wondering if he was in pain. 

"Tyler? Are you okay...?" She called out, voice trembling a bit as she took a hesitant step forward.

Tyler whipped his head around at the sound of her voice, letting out a snarl as he lunged for her. He struck out at her with the object in her hand, just grazing her as she ducked out of the way. He crashed into the wardrobe, knocking it down so it rested near the door. Raegan whimpered as the knife scratched her skin, before letting out a scream as he was on her. She sobbed and tried getting away as he slashed and stabbed at her, crying out as the knife cut from just above her right hipbone to just under her left collarbone. She tried backing up, losing her footing and collapsing to the floor with a pained gasp. She kicked out blindly as she heard Tyler lunge for her again, hearing him grunt before she rolled onto her stomach. Tears formed in her eyes as she dragged herself away, vision swimming as she wedged herself between the desk and his bed before she faded in and out of consciousness. The last thing she heard before everything went black was the door slamming open.

*Minutes earlier, downstairs*

Hakon, Frank, and Cillian startled as they heard a scream, looking at each other in horror before rushing up the stairs, having grabbed their weapons from the other room. Hakon grunted as he pushed at the door.

"It's blocked..." He muttered, letting out a curse before backing up and proceeding to slam his body weight into it. He did that a few more times before the door slammed open. He flicked the lights on, staring in horror at the sight of blood on the floor and Tyler holding a knife and please, God, no, don't let her be... his gaze trailed along the floor, seeing blood streaked on the floor going towards the bed. Tyler snarled and lunged for him. He dodged before swinging his hatchet, wincing as it connected and Tyler let out an almost inhuman howl of pain. He glanced at his biomarker, frowning as it was still mostly green. He grunted and yanked his hatchet free before swinging again, this time causing Tyler to slump to the floor, dead. He panted as he crouched down, tugging the hatchet free. 

"Where is she?!" Frank shouted, eyes wild with panic.

"The bed... smart girl must have crawled away. He had a bloody nose, think she got him somehow and got away." Hakon panted.

Frank and Cillian rushed over, cursing as they worked on getting Raegan out from the corner she was in, taking care not to aggravate her wounds.

"Fuck he got her good..." Cillian hissed, handing her to Hakon. He frowned and rushed downstairs to the infirmary, ignoring the startled shout trailing after him. He managed to open the door, not caring that it banged open before he gently set Raegan down on the table.

"Hakon? What the fuck happened?! Oh, God, Raegan..." Their main medic, Mathilde, said. She rushed and grabbed medical supplies, handing gauze to Hakon while she cut the shirt Raegan was wearing off.

"Tyler went mad or something, his biomarker was green. It doesn't make any sense. Frank sent her up with painkillers and water and the instructions to ask him if he was hungry. Few minutes later we hear her screaming and things crashing around in his room." He said, pressing gauze onto part of the wound while she did the same to the other part, trying to stop the bleeding.

"There was so much fucking blood, Mathilde... I thought she was--" He choked out.

"She's not, she won't be. You got to her in time." She said, grabbing the disinfectant and smiling grimly.

"Hold her down, this may or may not wake her up." She warned, dousing clean gauze in the disinfectant before dabbing all of the wounds. Raegan moaned weakly in pain until she got to the large gash, eyes opening as she screamed in pain, before it became too much and she passed out again. After a while Mathilde had all the wounds cleaned and dressed up, having had to stitch up the gash along Raegan's front.

The next day Raegan gasped awake, choking on a terrified cry as her eyes darted wildly around the room. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes as hee brow furrowed in confusion. She hurt in several places, the worst traveling from her almost to the opposite shoulder. 

"Hey, hey... shhh... it's okay, Ray. You're safe." Frank soothed, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. He gently placed another pillow behind her to prop her up, muttering soothing words when she hissed in pain. He grabbed a water bottle and brought it to her lips, helping her drink.

"It... it hurts... why...?" She hiccuped, starting to cry.

"Tyler... he, uh, you know those injections we take?" He asked her.

"Inhi... inhibitors?" She asked.

"Yes, those. He took too many of them. Remember I said that was not good? He went crazy, and he attacked you, sweetheart. I'm so sorry..." He choked out.

"He... he wasn't himself though, right?" She asked weakly.

"No, no he wasn't." He said softly.

"Is he... is he dead?" She asked.

"Yes, honey... we had to kill him. He was dangerous. I wish we hadn't had to. He was a good man, he just didn't make some smart decisions." He explained.

"I forgive him... he didn't mean it. I know he didn't." She said, voice trembling as tears went down her cheeks.

"You're such a good kid... you rest now, okay? Mathilde had to give you stitches, so try and not move too much." He said.

"Okay..." She said, eyes drooping closed as she yawned.

*End Trigger Warning*

*Present Day*

"And... that's why I don't want you using inhibitors, Ai... they... they mess you up. I don't want that happening to you. I wouldn't be able to handle it." She said weakly.

"Awww, you do care about me." He teased, chuckling as she flipped him off.

"So... can I see the scar?" He asked.

"Are you crazy? No!" She sputtered, face heating up as she looked at him wide eyed.

He chuckled and watched as her face got redder, unable to help the small smirk on his face.

"I didn't mean take your shirt off, Ray. Just lift it a bit so I can see?" He asked.

"You're horrible..." She groaned, letting out a weak laugh as she hiked her shirt up a bit, showing some of the scar.

"Damn..." He said, wincing a bit as he looked at her.

"Yeah. Hurt like fucking hell for a while." She said softly.

Chapter Text

*Rooftops near PK Metro Base, Quarry End, Old Villedor*

*Late Afternoon*

"Aiden, Ray. You there? Meet me at Jana and Sarah's. I found a way to the Center, but we need to hurry." Hakon called over the radio.

Aiden startled a bit as his radio went off, glancing at Raegan with a frown.

"Well... let's go see what that's all about." She sighed.

"Yeah. Sounded pretty urgent. You really think he found a way to the Center?" He asked.

"I don't know, I mean there's the main way, and then a smuggler's tunnel, but I'm not sure if that way is clear or not. Those are the only two routes to or from the Central Loop." She said, frowning as she thought. 

"So one way is blocked and the other may or may not be crawling with who knows what kind of infected?" He questioned.

"Pretty much, yeah." She said.

"Great. Sounds fun." He muttered.

"Between me, you, and Hakon it hopefully won't be too bad. It's not dark enough during the day for any volatiles." She explained.

"Good. I really don't wanna run into one of those fuckers again." He said.

"Yeah, let's not get you bitten again. How did that happen anyways? I never asked..." She enquired.

"I, ah... was trying to block it attacking me, and I guess my hand was farther up than I thought. It slipped into its mouth and the fucker got me." He stated, rubbing the wound a bit absentmindedly.

"You're lucky you didn't lose your fingers... or your hand." She said, wincing a bit.

"Yeah. Lucky..." He mused.

"You're alive. That's what matters. Now, let's go before Hakon has a fit." She said, taking off for Jana and Sarah's.

*Jana and Sarah's workshop, Old Villedor*

"Hakon?" Aiden called out as he pushed the door open, holding his weapon up as he glanced around the workshop. It was eerily quiet and almost seemed as if it was deserted. Raegan followed him into the workshop, frowning as she listened for signs of anyone or anything. She whipped around as a floorboard creaked, sighing in relief as she saw Hakon with his hands raised.

"You're finally here! Let's go. Jana and Sarah are at the Bazaar, they send their best and their love." He said, walking towards the door and opening it. There was a whistling sound before Hakon grunted and collapsed to the ground, clutching at a bolt in his shoulder.

"Waltz, fucking hell..." He muttered under his breath, hissing as he assessed the damage. Aiden rushed forward and yanked the door shut as another bolt smacked into the doorframe. Raegan frowned as she looked at the door, watching as Aiden knelt down next to Hakon, who'd slowly inched towards his bed while clutching at his shoulder.

"Calm down. Let me see. Lemme see, I'll help." He said, moving closer to him and reaching out.

"Fuck... Wait..." Hakon gasped out, trying to squirm away.

"I'll help, show me. Relax, you're gonna pull through." He said, moving Hakon's chin to the side to see better, before frowning as he noticed a wound poking up from under his collar.

"What's that? The wound from the Lazarus?! So you killed Lucas." He said incredulously, moving back from him and standing up. 

"Bastard came at me... woulda only taken a few seconds... if not for those brass knuckles."

Raegan's eyes widened at that as she shook her head.

"No... no, no, no... Hakon, please tell me you didn't--" She pleaded, collapsing to her knees as she choked on a sob.

"No point denying it, especially with this wound. I killed him, but only because he attacked me." He muttered.

"So you carved out his tattoo and planted it on Barney?!" Aiden shouted.

"Waltz... he ordered the kill." He stated.

Raegan felt her blood run cold at that, leaning heavily against the wall as her face paled.

"You're working with Waltz and you didn't tell us?! You piece of shit..." Aiden seethed.

"You don't get it, kid... Waltz would've killed me, you see, like he killed Dylan. And anyone... who defies him. I have to get out of here, get it? I couldn't have... told you." 

"Why? You know he's the one who tortured us in the past!" He cried out, voice cracking with emotion.

"I didn't tell you in order to protect you. Both of you. So what if you find out something... about your sister... Waltz will kill both of you!" He explained.

"Where is he?" Aiden growled out. He leaned down and gripped the bolt, tugging it the slightest bit.

"OWW, FUCK!" Hakon yelled, trying to grab Aiden's wrist before his hands were smacked away.

"Where is Waltz?!" He demanded, twisting his wrist a bit.

"Supposed to meet him under the electric car factory. In the GRE tunnel..." He panted and slumped to the side.

"Aiden, I'm fucking dead here, understand? They're gonna kill me. You'd leave me? You'd leave me now? Ray?" He asked, glancing in her direction. She bit back a sob, rubbing at the tears going down her cheeks.

"Ai... please... don't leave him like this." She cried.

"He's working with Waltz! He betrayed--" He said.

"I know. I'm pissed as hell at him for that. But he doesn't deserve to fucking die like that! He may be a piece of shit, but he did raise me, Ai... he's still family. Please. If not for his sake then for mine." She pleaded.

"I should, for all intents and purposes leave you to die for what you did. I'm only doing this for her." He said, bracing his hand against Hakon and yanking the bolt out of his shoulder.

"Aaaaagh!!!!!" Hakon shouted, panting as he clamped his hand down over the wound.

"Ray, stay here and patch him up. I'm gonna take care of that sniper, or we're not going to be able to leave." He ordered, tossing the bolt aside and standing up. Raegan nodded, grabbing the first aid kit and crouching down by Hakon.

"Be careful, Ai... please." She said softly.

"I will be. Hakon, I swear if you physically hurt her I will slowly and painfully kill you." He warned, before ducking out the door.

*Aiden's POV, outside* 

Aiden cursed and ducked to the ground as he heard a bolt whistling through the air, glancing where it hit. He crept over to a sign sticking up on the building, using it as cover while he looked through his binoculars, seeing another bolt whizzing towards Jana and Sarah's place.

"Got you..." He muttered, moving to a circular vent going down the side of the building and using it to get to the ground before rushing to find cover. He slowly made his way to where the sniper was, attempting to go one way before leaping back as they tossed a molotov onto a bunch of propane tanks. He cursed loudly as he moved back more, before darting to the right and going around the blaze. He dashed up a yellow pipe sitting at an incline before leaping up onto a bit of metal hanging from a crane.

"Fuck, I'm a sitting duck out here..." He muttered, before cursing as the sniper darted across the rooftops.

"Oh no you don't..." He muttered, darting into a building and rushing up the stairs, before leaping from the balcony and using a rope to swing onto some scaffolding. He scaled up to the roof of the building, using a zipline over to the electrical substation's roof, before running and leaping to a ladder going up the wall across from him. He gave a startled shout as the sniper peered down, pushing the ladder free from the building and sending him falling to the ground.

"Oh, shit... fuck, that hurt..." He groaned, scrambling to his feet as he noticed infected moving closer. He ran to the left and through a doorway, finding a rounded section of the building. He looked at the ladder leading up, before climbing up it and making his way onto the roof. He moved along some planks of wood before leaping to a small ledge, hopping to a second one nearby before jumping to a metal cage hanging from a small crane. He let it swing him back and forth before he jumped up onto a ledge, pulling himself into a hallway. He walked down it slowly before opening the door at the end of it, easing it open as he crouched down. He crept towards where the sniper was, moving closer before wincing as a board on the roof creaked loudly. He glanced up as the sniper whipped around, noticing they had a white mask covering their face, before rushing towards them as they grabbed their crossbow. He knocked it from their hands before wrapping his hands around their throat.

"Got you, fucker...!" He muttered. The mask slid off as the sniper struggled against him, revealing them to be a woman.

"What?" Aiden said, freezing a bit in shock.

"Stay back!" The sniper bit out, shoving him back as she brought a knee up to his crotch. He let out a pained gasp and fell back, hands cupping himself as he rolled onto his side.

"Why're you protecting that asshole?" She demanded, grabbing her crossbow and walking over to him. 

"Who sent you?" He asked.

She pushed his arm to the side and moved him on his back, pointing it right at his face as she stood over him. He raised one arm up over his face, breathing heavily and grunting in pain.

"Fuckin' Santa Clause. This has nothing to do with you." She said, knocking his arm out of the way with the crossbow, firing a bolt into the roof near his shoulder and head. He flinched away at that, breath coming out shakily as he turned to look back at her, hands shaking a bit.

"You gotta pick your friends better." She said, leaning down and grabbing his shoulder before shoving him to the side roughly, causing him to let out a startled grunt. She walked over and grabbed something, slinging it onto her back.

"Why are you hunting Hakon? Is this about killing Lucas?" He asked, slowly sitting up. He watched her walk to the edge of the roof.

"Tell Hakon that it's not over yet." She said, leaning backwards and falling off the roof.

"Wait! Hey, hey... Wait... Hey, hey, hey! Wait, wait, wait, wait!" He said, darting forward before watching as she drifted off, having used a paraglider to get away. He hissed out in pain again, grabbing his radio.

"Ray, you guys okay over there?" He asked.

"Yeah... wound wasn't as bad as it looked. Are you okay? You sound winded. What happened?" She asked.

"Yeah, I will be. Nothing serious. That sniper wasn't a "he", it was a "she". And apparently it's personal. She said to tell Hakon that "it's not over yet"." He stated.

"Fuck... I know exactly who it was and you are damn lucky she didn't kill you. I'd have had to kill her if she did." She said.

"Wait you know her??" He questioned.

"Yes. Quite well, in fact. I'll explain properly later, I promise. For now just get back here. I got some news from Aitor and I'd rather tell you in person." She explained. 

"I'm on my way." He said, making his way back to Jana and Sarah's.

*Raegan's POV, inside*

"Ray, you have to understand... I did this to--" Hakon said.

"I don't want to hear your excuses, Hakon. First the VNC tower, where half, count it, half of my family died because you were a coward and convinced people not to show. And now this? Working with the person who did those experiments on me. On Aiden and Mia. And on Lawan! After I've patched you up and Aiden and I head out, I don't want to hear from you again. I don't want to see you again. I don't hate you, fuck, I wish I could hate you... but I want nothing to do with you after this." She said bitterly, working on patching his shoulder up.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry... for all of this. I know you probably don't accept that right now, but I want you to know that." He said softly.

"I can't forgive you yet. Maybe not ever. I do still love you, you're family... that's never going to change." She said as she finished bandaging his shoulder.

"I do love you, too, Ray... please look after yourself. I know I've got no right, but I am going to worry. I always do." He stated.

"I'm gonna worry about you, too... but like I said--" She sighed.

"I know. I'll leave you both alone. However I will be one radio call away, should you ever change your mind. I don't care where I am, if you need me I will be there." He promised.

"...thank you. I don't know if I'll change my mind, but... thank you." She said.

"Raegan? Aiden? Come in." Aitor called over the radio.

"Yeah, Aitor? Is everything alright?" She asked.

"Well, two things... First, Sophie informed me some people from the Bazaar killed Carl after he threatened to come to us about them having explosive charges, not realizing we'd already split them amongst ourselves. Second, there were rumors of Renegades spotted near the smuggler's tunnel. I sent a squad there to investigate, but... they never reported in. I hate to ask, but could you and Aiden check it out?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll let him know when he gets back. Listen, we found out who killed Lucas. It was Hakon. Lucas attacked him, and he defended himself." She informed him.

"Fuck... those two never did see eye to eye. Can't believe Lucas had the nerve to attack a former Nightrunner like that. He... he wasn't the one who--?" He questioned. 

"I don't know, he told me over the radio, but... I haven't seen him and I can't get ahold of him. He just wanted it to be known that that's what happened. Didn't want someone winding up blamed for it. If I hear more I'll let you know." She stated.

"I see... thank you. I'm sorry it came to that with him. If he said it was self defense, then I believe him." He said, before the radio went silent.

"You could have told him where I was. Why didn't you?" Hakon asked her.

"You're injured. You need to heal and rest. After that they can arrest you. They're not gonna kill you for killing him, but you might sit in a cell for a while for it." She said.

*Jana and Sarah's workshop, Old Villedor*

*Late Afternoon/Early Evening*

Raegan hurried to her feet as Aiden stepped into the workshop, rushing over and throwing her arms around him. He let out a weak smile, hugging her close and rubbing her back soothingly. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, feeling her briefly tense up before relaxing against him again.

"You doin' okay?" He asked softly.

"Sort of..." She said, the sound muffled by her face being pressed into his shoulder. She pulled back after a bit, looking up at him. 

"Carl's dead. He thought he was going to betray the Bazaar to the Peacekeepers by telling them we had explosives. Some people from the Bazaar heard him threatening it and they killed him." She stated.

"Fuck..." He muttered.

"Yeah, well, good riddance. Also... Aitor said there was rumors of Renegades near the smuggler's tunnel. He sent a squad there, but... they never reported in. He wants us to go investigate." She informed him.

"Well, let's get going, then." He stated, walking towards the door.

"Aiden. Keep her safe. I know I've got no right to--" Hakon started to say.

"No. You don't have any right. But I will keep her safe. Especially from you." He said, voice hard as he led Raegan out the door.

Chapter Text

*Smuggler's Tunnel, Old Villedor*

*Nighttime*

Raegan glanced around after she and Aiden ducked into the smuggler's tunnel, frowning a bit as she looked for any sign of the Peacekeepers squad, or Renegades.

"The generators are going. Someone's definitely been in here." She whispered as they moved further into the tunnel. She let out a quiet, startled gasp as she noticed some bodies on the ground. She cursed as she grabbed her radio.

"Aitor? It's Raegan. We found the missing squad, I'm sorry, there are no survivors..." She said, collecting the dogtags and pocketing them.

"Fuck... Thank you for investigating. Did you collect their dogtags?" He asked.

"Yes, I'll deliver them to command once we reach the Center." She said, hooking her radio to her belt.

"Fuck... Infected didn't do this. That means--" He whispered, cutting off as the power suddenly went off.

"Oh, shit...!" He hissed, hearing the massive doors on either side of the tunnel slam down. Cackling laughter echoed off the walls as five Renegades circled them. Raegan tensed as she grabbed her weapon, seeing Aiden do the same out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, well, well... looks like more entertainment showed up, boys! Wonder if they'll hold up better than those chumps?" The ringleader crowed, sending a other chorus of laughter echoing around them.

"You're gonna pay for what you did to those men." Aiden snapped.

"Oh, don't worry~ You'll be joining your little friends soon enough!" One of the men spoke up. Aiden growled as he lunged for him, getting a hit in before another hit him over the head with a bat, sending him sprawling to the ground. Raegan glared and made to go after one of the men, dodging a swing of his weapon before another landed a hit to her side. She gasped out in pain and whirled around, before the ringleader of the group picked her up, tossing her against the wall harshly. She landed in a heap on her side, slumped over as her weapon rolled out of her hand. 

"Pity. They hardly put up a fight. Let's finish this and report back to the boss." One of the Renegades said.

Aiden groaned as he opened his eyes, seeing Raegan's limp form against the wall. He snarled as blue tinged his vision, gasping out in pain as his body spasmed.

"Fuck, this one's still moving." One of the men said, stepping closer. He suddenly backed away as he noticed blue veins spreading up the younger man's neck and along his arms.

"Fuck, he's turning!" He shouted.

Aiden pulled himself up, panting harshly and grunting in pain as spasms racked his body. He glanced up at the Renegades, eyes glowing an icy blue-white in the darkness as he advanced on the Renegades, swiping one away when they lunged at him. He quickly pounced on another, hands going around the man's throat. He slammed the man's head into the concrete, easily crushing his skull and killing him instantly. His eyes flicked up as another Renegade lunged for him, rolling out of the way as he grabbed the man, sending him flying into the wall with a sickening crunch of bones. He advanced on the next one, hand going to the man's neck and squeezing until the bones cracked and the man stopped breathing. His gaze snapped to the man he'd swipes away, seeing him crawling slowly away from the area. He got up and walked over, pouncing on him and grabbing the man's machete, sending it through his heart before pulling it free and facing the two remaining Renegades.

"Oh, fuck... he didn't turn, this is just like the boss when he gets angry!" One of the men said, backing away with wide eyes. Aiden advanced on them, dodging a knife thrown by one as he rushed behind the man backing away, slicing the machete across his throat before fixing his gaze on the ringleader. He let out a vicious snarl as he slashed at the man's leg, causing him to drop to his knees. He roughly shoved him onto his back, getting over him and stabbing him repeatedly. He panted harshly as he stopped, growls coming from him as he rolled off the man. His gaze snapped over to the wall as he heard rustling, locking onto Raegan as she shakily sat up and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Ai...?" She hesitantly called out to him, doing her best not to flinch as he snarled.

"Aiden... it's me. It's Raegan. They're dead. It's safe now..." She soothed, very slowly reaching into her pack as he got up and stalked over to her. Her hand found the UV flare as he got closer. He crouched down near her, growling a bit as he looked her, brows furrowed in confusion as a worried expression crossed his face. She sighed as the veins in his neck and arms started receding, watching as his eyes returned to their normal blue-gray color. He groaned as he moved to lean against the wall, gripping his head with one hand. She frowned and sat up, rubbing his back when he leaned forward.

"Fuck... are they... are they dead?" He asked, peering up at her.

"Yeah, Ai. They are. They can rot in hell." She said softly.

"I... what the hell was that?" He groaned.

"Um... I don't know, Ai. I've never seen anything like that. It's like you turned, but... not fully?" She explained.

"My head is killing me..." He groaned, closing his eyes.

"Are you good to go, or do you need to wait a bit?" She asked.

"I'm good..." He mumbled.

"Alright then, let's go. And, thank you for protecting me, by the way." She said softly.

"Well, I promised I would." He said, standing up and holding a hand out to her. Once she took his hand he helped her up, steadying her and smiling softly at her.

"Let's go get the generators running so we can get the hell out of here." She suggested, walking over to a small door and trying it, sighing as it opened easily. She glanced over her shoulder, smirking at him.

"You coming or are you just gonna stand there?" She teased.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He laughed, following her into what appeared to be a maintenance tunnel. He closed the door behind them, just in case anyone, or anything, decided to follow them. They walked a bit before coming to an unplugged cable. He sighed and knelt down, plugging it back in.

"Fuckers unplugged it, smart. Easier to ambush someone in the dark." He muttered, before frowning.

"Okay so why aren't the lights coming back on?" He asked.

"We gotta go turn the generator on again, Ai. C'mon." She said, walking back out into the main tunnel. They walked back towards the way they came in, seeing the generator sitting outside of a metal structure the military had place inside the tunnel, likely having used it as a small command center. He reached to flick the switch for the generator, frowning as he heard something repeatedly slamming into the door next to them. He glanced up before jumping backwards as the door floor off its hinges.

"Fuck, Charger..." Raegan said, tugging him so he moved out of the way as it charged past them and into a wall.

"Oh, great... and it's got armor, too. Perfect." Aiden grumbled, before dodging as it lunged for them again. It staggered as it hit another wall. Raegan drew her weapon, getting a few hits in before it recovered and tried charging, ducking and rolling away. It hit another wall, this time near Aiden, who swung at it a few times. After a while of that, the Charger fell to the ground in a heap as they both panted.

"I fuckin' hate those things... pain in the ass to kill." Raegan groaned.

"Yeah... I can see that." He said, walking over to the generator and switching it on. Raegan sighed in relief as the UV lamps flickered on, watching her biomarker switch back to green.

"That was almost cutting it too close." She sighed, getting a hum of agreement in response.

"You need to go on ahead to the Center, I'll catch up with you." He said.

"You're going after him... Aiden, he'll kill you!" She cried, looking at him with wide eyes.

"I have to find out what he did to Mia... this might be the only chance I've got. This is the closest I've been in fifteen years." He said, pacing a bit and groaning in frustration. 

"Then I'm going with you." She stated.

"Wh- No, absolutely not! It's too dangerous, Ray!" He protested.

"I'm going and that's final, Ai. Where you go, I go." She said, walking towards the other end of the tunnel, hearing him rushing after her.

"I promised I'd keep you safe, not drag you into something dangerous!" He said.

"Thanks for the concern, but, in case you hadn't noticed... the entire world is dangerous. I can handle myself, and you need backup." She stated, raising an eyebrow as she glanced at him. 

"Fucking hell, I forgot just how stubborn you are... Fine, then." He sighed, shaking his head as they walked out of the tunnel.

"Knew you'd see reason eventually. Car factory's this way, c'mon." She said, walking over makeshift bridges that'd been constructed between broken chunks of the freeway. 

*Dynamo Electric Car Factory, Central Loop, Villedor*

They eventually came upon an abandoned PK outpost with a winch set up, overlooking large solar panels that were mostly covered in bright yellow chemicals. Further down from the solar panels was the car factory. They took the winch down, crouching low and moving to the edge of the solar panels. He pulled his binoculars out and scanned the car factory below, seeing several Renegades wandering around outside the factory.

"Damn... more Renegades, probably some inside as well." He muttered.

"I really wish I'd brought my bow with me when I visited Old Villedor... would really come in handy right now." She grumbled, getting an amused snort from Aiden.

"Well, that's what you get for not planning better. Ow, hey!" He teased, rubbing his arm where she'd punched him. He grinned as she tried and failed to hide a small smile.

"You're such a dork." She teased, voice taking on an affectionate tone as she spoke.

"Hmm, so are you, but that's why we always got along so well. Now... we'll try and take as many of them out as quietly as we can. Ready?" He asked.

"Not really, but we gotta do this." She said, taking a breath before nodding to him.

"Let's go." She added, sliding down the part of the solar panels that wasn't covered in chemicals, before crouching in some tall grass, glancing at Aiden as he moved up next to her.

"I see at least three inside, plus the ones outside." She whispered.

"So, seven total. Yeah... that's manageable. Right?" He whispered back to her.

"Yeah... Should be. Turn your radio off, dont need someone trying to conract us and alerting them." She said, grabbing a decoy from her pack and switching her radio off. She watched as Aiden switched his radio off, before lighting the fuse on the decoy and tossing it the opposite direction they were. As soon as the Renegades moved to investigate they snuck up on the nearest two, putting them in chokeholds until they stopped breathing. They repeated the process, managing to down four out of the seven Renegades before one turned around and took notice of them. Aiden darted forward, stabbing him in the neck and letting him drop as the other two Renegades turned to investigate the sound. He quickly drew his weapon, giving them a challenging look as he backed up. Raegan crouched down out of sight in front of a tank that had been parked in front of the factory. Drawing her weapon she crept ong the side of the tank opposite the Renegades, moving behind one and striking him as Aiden lunged and struck the other. She leapt back as the man spun around and swung his weapon at her, ducking under his arms and striking him again, slashing at his leg with her machete. As he went down she sliced the machete across his neck. Wiping it off on his clothes as she glanced over at Aiden, seeing the Renegade he was fighting crumple to the ground. They both glanced up as a door inside the factory slammed open, seeing another Renegade come out. Aiden leaned down and grabbed a long spear one Renegade had, standing back up before throwing it at the Renegade as he advanced on them. The man let out a choked gurgle as he fell to the ground.

"Fuck, Ai... Nice throw." Raegan said, walking into the factory and climbing onto a car mounted on the wall. She leapt to a light fixture hanging from the ceiling before turning her body and jumping to another fixture, and then finally a ledge. She rested for a minute before jumping to another fixture before leaping to a ledge. She went down on her stomach, reaching both arms down so Aiden could climb up. Once he was up he held a finger to his lips, pointing to the ledge above them, holding up two fingers. She nodded and quietly climbed up, going behind one Renegade and putting him in a chokehold while Aiden took care of the second one. She paled a little as she heard a familiar voice coming from a room down the hallway, glancing over to Aiden.

"It's gonna be okay... breathe, Ray." He whispered, squeezing her shoulder. She took in a shaky breath, nodding her head and following him down the hallway. The double doors were blocked, so they doubled back into a room and dropped down a hole in the floor. They went outside to a balcony before climbing up on the other side of the double doors. Waltz's voice drifted down the hallway, clearer now that there was only a door separating them. Aiden glanced over at Raegan, and, seeing her nod, he pushed the door open. He rushed over to Waltz, slamming his head into the console he was standing in front of before throwing him to the ground on his back. He immediately got over him, hands going to his throat.

"Where is she?" He demanded. Waltz reached up and grabbed him by the wrists, forcing his hands off his throat before headbutting him in the head, sending Aiden sprawling backwards. He landed hard on his back, moving to get up before grunting as Waltz put a foot on his chest. Raegan darted over, grabbing a broken table leg and taking a swing at Waltz. He batted it out of her hands, grabbing her wrists with one hand while he grabbed Aiden's arm with the other. He frowned as he looked at the marks on their arms, before a look of realization crossed his features.

"These marks... You're two of my... Curious..." He mused, flinging Raegan to the side. She coughed and curled up a bit as she clutched her side. He searched Aiden's pockets, pulling the GRE key out before flinging him into a piece of equipment. He walked over to the console, slotting the key into it with a small electrical beep, before typing furiously on the keyboard.

"You're going to get the chance to witness something spectacular. Everything comes full circle... we return to the beginning. And now you will witness history in the making." He said, pacing to the middle of the room. Aiden slowly sat up, noticing the table leg sitting nearby.

"History? We were kids! You tortured young kids!" He cried, grabbing the table leg and taking a swing at Waltz, stumbling forward as he dodged the attack. Waltz frowned, headbutting him and causing him to sprawl on his back again.

"You were part of something greater. You owe it to me that you are still alive. That you are stronger than the others. Special. That you are stronger than I could have imagined. Stronger even than her. Yet, not as strong as me." He said, nodding to Raegan as he lifted Aiden up by the collar of his shirt. Aiden clawed at his arms as struggled to get free.

"What have you done to my sister?" Aiden demanded.

"Sister?" Waltz questioned.

"What have you done to Mia?" He asked.

"Ai... Aiden! Let him go!!" Raegan shouted.

Waltz's eyes widened as he suddenly dropped Aiden, taking a step back. 

"Aiden...! Raegan...! You're both alive... I thought you'd... the fire..." He said as he took a step closer.

"Where's Mia?!" Aiden shouted, pointing his machete at him, causing Waltz to stop in his tracks.

"I'll explain everything, if you just let me--" Waltz stammered.

"Stay back! Where. Is. Mia?!" He snarled.

"She's safe. She's alive, but very sick. If you come with me, I can--" He said.

Aiden glared as he got up, helping Raegan up and shoving her towards the exit. He laughed bitterly.

"We're not going anywhere with you!" He shouted, pushing Raegan forward.

"Run, go!" He said, hitting Waltz in the side of the head with the handle of his machete, snatching up the GRE key as he moved past the console. He ran after Raegan, towards an old metro station. He heard Waltz taking off after them with an enraged howl and cursed, shoving a crowbar between the handles of the double doors before rushing up the stairs after Raegan.

"Don't look back, just keep moving!" He shouted after her. He followed her into an abandoned subway car, running through several of them as enraged shrieks echoed around them. He darted left into another one, coming out on top of more subway cars. He picked up the pace at a particularly close howl, panting as he pushed himself to run even faster as he leapt onto a derailed car. He leapt to another derailed car, climbing another one sitting higher than the other before leaping to yet another car, hearing Waltz advancing on them. Raegan panted as she ran slightly ahead of him, fighting the urge to look back as Waltz let out a shriek of anger. She leapt at some rope hanging over a river, swinging into a subway car on the other side before darting forward. She heard Aiden grunt as he landed behind her, darting into the tunnel and towards a door that had a UV flare.

"This way, hurry!!" She shouted, using metal rods to cross to another part of the hallway, before taking off down it. She flinched as Aiden cursed, hearing a door slam open.

"Rrrrrrrun you two..." Came the pained growl from Waltz.

"Faster, Ai!!" She yelled as she scaled up a ledge, hearing Aiden scrambling behind her. 

"I'll get you!" Waltz snarled.

She vaulted across another gap using the metal rods coming from the wall, hearing Aiden right behind her. She ran up to another higher ledge, quickly scaling it as Aiden climbed up next to her, hauling her up and pushing her ahead of him as they took off running through another door. He quickly locked it before running after her down the hallway, hearing Waltz slam into it and howl angrily. He followed Raegan down the hallway, eyes widening as she leapt down, jumping after her and landing in water. They both gasped as they surfaced, scrambling out of the water and through another door. She cursed as she nearly ran into an infected, shoving it away as she darted into another subway car. Aiden startled as another door flew open, racing after her.

"I almost have you! Face me!!!" Waltz snarled.

Aiden leapt through a gap halfway down the subway car, tucking into a toll before springing to his feet. He darted out of the subway car, dodging infected as he ran through another subway car. He followed Raegan into a hallway, vaulting across a gap using some metal rods, before sprinting down the rest of the hallway. Raegan launched across a deep gap using more metal rods and a rope, clambering up a ladder before darting through a doorway. Aiden sped up at the sound of Waltz behind him, launching himself across the bars. He slid down the rope a bit before flinging himself onto the ladder, climbing it and slamming the door shut behind himself, locking it before he raced after Raegan. He slipped through a gap in some plywood, leaping over a pipe before darting left as a door slammed open. He ducked as Waltz swung at him, leaping onto the metal bars and quickly crossing the gap. He leapt over a railing, sliding down a steep incline, racing down a hallway and watching as Raegan leapt across a gap, clambering up a ladder. He frowned as she was yanked through the doorway.

"No, wait-- Aiden's right behind me!" She protested. He ran faster at that, leaping across the gap, crashing into the ladder. He glanced back and flinched as Waltz leapt for him, before watching as two crossbow bolts hit him in rapid succession, causing Waltz to howl in pain as he dropped down the gap. Aiden panted as he climbed up the ladder, glancing at the sniper and nodding his head.

"Thanks..." He said, grunting as Raegan flung her arms around him.

"Hey, easy... I'm okay." He soothed, rubbing a hand up and down her back.

"That was close..." Raegan muttered, before burying her face in Aiden's chest and squeezing him tighter.

"A little too close. But I highly doubt that put a stop to him. We need to keep moving." The sniper said, walking through the doorway and glancing back at them.

"Raegan, we need to move... c'mon." Aiden murmured, prying Raegan from him and feeling his heart clench at the look on her face, it was a mixture of heartbreak and despondency. He held a hand out to her, feeling her grasp it tightly as they started walking.

"So this is Aiden? He's cute, I can see why you talk about him all the time." The sniper said teasingly. Raegan sputtered a bit and avoided eye contact with Aiden, chewing at her lower lip nervously as he chuckled softly. She jumped slightly as he gave her hand a squeeze, yet still kept his hand clasped in hers.

"Yeah. Been looking for her for the past fifteen years." He said. After they walked through a doorway he gently pried his hand from hers, tugging her against his side as they walked.

"She's been looking for you, too. God help anyone who even implied you weren't alive out there. Somewhere. She never stopped believing." The sniper stated.

"Same here. I knew she was alive. It just... took longer than I'd have liked to get back to her. Only was able to start searching actively four years ago." He said, noticing the inquisitive look thrown his way.

"I'm a Pilgrim. Was... I'm not sure if I still can be, being infected and all. Tried becoming one when I was... oh, about... thirteen? Fourteen? Wasn't allowed to start the trials until I was about sixteen or seventeen. Plus I couldn't remember the name of the city we'd been in for the longest time." He said, glancing at Raegan and getting a weak smile.

"But... I found her. Now I just need to find my sister." He sighed.

"Right, Mia. Ray mentioned her. She said she was sick...?" The sniper asked.

"Yeah... but she was tough. And... Waltz has her. Or knows where she is. He confirmed she was alive." He stated.

"Show me your arm..." She said, grabbing his wrist suddenly and holding his arm up.

"Wha-- hey!" He protested, before his eyes widened as she held her arm up, showing some of the same marks on her arm.

"You were-- I don't remember you..." He said, glancing at her.

"Yeah. I was one of that crazy fucker's subjects, too. Probably a good thing. Those that do remember me don't have fond memories. Well, except for Raegan here." She stated.

"Wait... You remember her, Ray?" He asked.

"Mostly. I only interacted with her a bit. She wasn't there long, two weeks, tops. She took off from there after that, and it wasn't until I'd been with Frank and the others for a year that they found her and took her in." She explained.

"Yeah, this one was moping because you and Mia weren't feeling good. So, she looks at me, sitting off by myself and clearly giving a "Don't fuck with me" glare to everyone, and decides she's going to come chat my ear off. Honestly she was so adorable, and I was impressed by how bold she was, that I didn't have the heart to tell her to go away." She chuckled.

"Yeah, not like I'd have listened." Raegan shrugged. The sniper laughed as she pushed a door open, revealing UV light as they stepped onto a platform. Aiden came to a stop as his thoughts drifted back to when he'd been separated from Raegan and Mia.

"... Waltz... the military... they're here!" A guard said.

"Bring him in!" Waltz demanded.

"No, Mia, Ray, no!" A younger Aiden cried out as the guard dragged him into another room.

"Aideeeeen!" "Ai, no!!" Mia and Raegan sobbed, reaching out desperately for him.

"Uh, Earth to Aiden. Man, you were a million miles away!" The sniper said. Raegan looked up at him with a worried expression.

"Are you alright, Ai?" She asked softly. He nodded to her before sighing and glancing at the sniper.

"Do you have any nightmares about what he did to us?" He enquired.

"All the time. That's why I want to kill the fucker. Waltz is number three on my list." She stated.

"You got a hit list? Seriously?" He asked, tone incredulous.

"Do I look like I'm kidding? The city's got a lot of trash. And I'm the maid who's gonna make it the Capital of Cleanliness." She announced.

"Who else is on it?" He queried.

"Besides Waltz... Butcher, Hakon, and... you know what? It's a very long list. There's a few small fries that deserve a bolt between the eyes as well." She said.

"...I wish Hakon wasn't on the list. I get why, but... I don't have to like it." Raegan pouted.

"I know. You've made your stance very clear. I promise to let him say goodbye before I end him, if I ever catch up to him." She said.

"And by whose authority are you doing all of this?" Aiden asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You kiddin' me? The highest court of justice in the land! My own noble authority, your honor. And you? What were you doing with that bastard, Hakon?" She said, crossing her arms as she looked at him.

"You'll have a hard time believing this, but he helped save my life. When I came to town, I was infected. No biomarker. People at the Bazaar wanted to hang me. But Raegan, and Hakon, saved me. Got me a biomarker. I cant believe he duped us..." He said.

"They didn't put you under UVs? And, I can. He's a smooth talker. He can easily con people. I trusted him once, too." She explained.

"No, too damned stupid to take him outside in the sunlight or put him under UVs." Raegan grumbled.

"Really? Tell me about it." Aiden enquired.

"Maybe someday. But my story's similar to yours. He tricked me. Better forget about him. Or do like me: when you see him next, make sure you have a crossbow and a bunch of bolts handy." She muttered bitterly.

"What about the rest of the kids who were in the hospital?" He enquired.

"Oh man... someday someone will write a book about it. And it ain't gonna be a bedtime story. Most of them are gone. I ran across a guy, though. He'll sleep with a knife in his hand for the rest of his life... in the refrigerator he converted into a shelter for himself. That he'll never leave. We didn't organize a therapy group, if that's what you're asking. Anyways, we should get going." She said, leaping down off the platform and walking off. Aiden took a step forward, before his vision swam and he collapsed to the ground woth a pained groan. He barely heard Raegan's concerned voice before everything went black.

"Ai...? Aiden?! What's wrong??" She asked, kneeling down next to him with wide eyes. Her hands hovered over him a bit before she gently shook him, letting out a small whimper when he didn't react to it. She grabbed his wrist, checking his biomarker and sighing at all the green on it, before placing two fingers against his neck and checking his pulse. She relaxed once she was sure he was merely unconscious, settling on the floor near him. She glanced around, grabbing her weapon just in case someone tried sneaking up on them. A while later she glanced over as he groaned weakly, helping him slowly sit up. He glanced over at her, frowning at the concern on her face, before trying to give her a weak smile.

"Hey... I'm alright, Ray. Sorry for scaring you like that." He said softly.

"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked, feeling tears start to form. She scrubbed at her eyes a bit before leaning against him, pressing her face into his shoulder and sucking in a breath. She let it out shakily before moving back and standing up, offering her hand to him as he stood up.

"I will be. Are you okay? You look... well, you look like shit, to put it mildly." He asked, voice tinged with concern.

"No... I'm not. I will be, and right now I either want to scream or cry or both. Mainly because these past six months, all the shit that was going on. And then finding out Hakon was essentially the cause of it all. And he's working for Waltz. I just... I'm fucking tired, Ai." She sighed.

"I'm tired, too, Ray... I promise I'm gonna get you somewhere you can scream and cry or whatever else you need to do. Just hold on a bit longer for me, yeah?" He asked, smiling weakly when she nodded.

"I can manage that. The Fisheye. I wanna go home, to my room." She mumbled.

"That's where we'll go, then. C'mon, before your friend sends out a search party." He said, nudging her and winking. She laughed as she hopped down off the platform.

"Ray? Aiden? You there?" The sniper asked over Raegan's radio.

"Yeah. We're coming." Raegan responded.

"I thought he was gone..." The sniper said.

"No, he just... fainted? We have had a rough few days..." She sighed.

"Sounds like it. Hurry on up, I'll be waiting." The sniper replied. They made their way through a subway car, having to vault through a half blocked opening in the middle of it.

"Apparently, Waltz was doing these experiments on the sly. Fucking psycho." The sniper muttered over the radio.

"And no one in the GRE noticed?" Aiden asked.

"At some point they did. I heard that's why they kicked him out. Too bad it was too late." She said bitterly.

Raegan walked with him down the tunnel, waving as the sniper came into view, before hopping up onto the platform.

"And Hakon...? Why is he on the list? Because he killed Lucas?" Aiden demanded as he walked up to them.

"Nooo... I like those blue puppets, the PKs... but no. I don't give a shir about Lucas's death." She said, wandering into a hallway as they followed her.

"Why then?" He asked.

"That, my dear Aiden, is a long story for another day. Let's just say everyone on that list deserves a headshot, and Hakon deserves something worse." She explained, before turning to look at the door. She smacked her hands against it as Raegan froze.

"Fuck! This was always open! We're locked out. Fucking great." She groaned, putting her hands on her head as she walked away from the door. Aiden walked over, placing his hand on it as he looked at the lock.

"This is a GRE facility, isn't it?" He mused, half to himself. He pulled the key out, sticking it in the lock and turning it, pushing the door open once the lock clicked.

"Oh, man, it worked!" The sniper said, walking past him into the hallway.

"Where did you get that? You know Dylan?!" She asked.

"How do you know Dylan?" He asked, looking at her with a skeptical expression.

"'Know' is an overstatement. He contacted me because he wanted to escape the city. And Waltz. He was frightened. Something must've happened. Or he found something." She said, pacing around.

"What could he have found?" Aiden asked.

"I don't know. He knew I was in contact with Frank, but then Dylan just disappeared, stopped making contact." She sighed.

"Dylan gave me this before he died. Waltz killed him. He asked me to get him out of the city in exchange for information on my sister." He explained.

"Fucking-- so he got him after all." She muttered.

"Also, Dylan told me to find someone named Lawan. You know who that is?" He asked. Raegan groaned and weakly slapped her forehead.

"I forgot to mention..." She laughed weakly.

"Maybe we were meant to run into each other. The universe brought us together for some fuckedup reason." The sniper chuckled bitterly.

"What? One of you wanna explain?" He asked, glancing between them.

"I am Lawan. Seems that fact slipped Ray's mind, considering all the shit you've been through." Lawan said, raising an eyebrow at Raegan.

"Sorry... shoulda mentioned that sooner." Raegan mumbled.

"Dylan wanted to contact Frank. He said the PK commander, Lucas... found something. Something Waltz had been looking for for a long time. He wanted to escapethe city so that Waltz wouldn't get it." She said as they walked down the hallway.

"The GRE key? I have it now. Waltz... almost made off with it, but... I got it back." He muttered.

"Probably. Lucas died because of this gizmo. Dylan, too. Watch out... or you'll be next. Its valuable. For Waltz... invaluable i suppose. So you better not lose it." She warned, pushing a door open.

"I won't lose it." Aiden promised.

"They'll have to get through me, first." Raegan muttered darkly, getting a smirk from Lawan.

"I'd pay to see that. You'd win that fight." She laughed. 

"Yeah. Considering she nearly attacked half of the Bazaar for hanging me? She'd win alright." Aiden grinned.

"Oh, my God. She didn't!" Lawan said, eyes going wide as she grinned back.

"I did, and I'd do it again. Fuckers woulda deserved it." Raegan smirked.

"Can't leave you alone for a minute, Ray, damn..." Lawan shook her head, smiling affectionately at her. She blinked as electricity arced on the tracks below.

"Look out!" She said, putting an arm out to stop them going further. 

"What's going on?" Aiden asked, peering down at the tracks.

"Impossible. Waltz must have switched on the generators." She said incredulously.

"Waltz? But why?" He questioned. 

"Don't have a clue. Who knows what's in that fucker's head. C'mon! Hurry, before they go off again." She said, hopping down onto the tracks.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the train is delayed. The Metro Service is sorry for any inconvenience. Please mind the gap. Thank you for your attention." An automated voice said over the speakers. 

"You're fucking welcome." Lawan stated, causing Raegan to burst out laughing as she darted after her.

"Lawan, you're insane!" She giggled.

"You love it." She retorted.

"Oh, hell yes, I do. I missed you." She grinned, before glancing back at Aiden.

"C'mon, Ai! Hurry!!" She said, bouncing excitedly. He huffed out a laugh as he followed her.

"Yeah, hurry, Aiden. Seems we have a clear path to the Central Loop!" Lawan said, racing ahead of them.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." He shook his head and smiled.

Chapter Text

*Metro Tunnels, Downtown, Central Loop, Villedor*

*30 minutes til Dawn*

Raegan let out a relieved sigh as they walked out of the subway car and through a doorway to another subway platform. She quickly raced across the tracks and through a barred gate.

"C'mon, Ai! Hurry!!" She shouted after him. He chuckled as he jogged after her, watching her turn in a circle as she took in everything lit up with wide eyes. She glanced up the stairs and let out a gasp before dashing up them.

"Whoa! Slow down, Ray!" Lawan laughed, pushing part of a barricade open before walking into a courtyard.

"Ah, shit, look! Lights here too! Its fucking unbelievable!" She exclaimed.

"Look! It's all lit up!" Someone said excitedly, their eyes wide as they looked around.

"Look! Look at it glow! Come here! Bring the kids." Another one said, smiling as they looked at the lights.

"Do you think...?" Raegan asked her, eyes wide as she glanced upwards.

"One way to find out. Come up to the roof, Aiden! We'll check it out from above! See you at the top." Lawan laughed, darting towards a building.

"It's a sign! The Savior is coming to lead us to Heaven!" A survivor exclaimed.

"C'mon, Ai!" Raegan said, following after her and laughing breathlessly. 

Aiden glanced around for another moment, before going after them, pulling the winch back down to him before heading up to the roof. Once on the roof he walked to a barred door, noticing lantern lights lining the walls as he walked through the door and onto a rooftop terrace. He glanced around as he walked over to Lawan and Raegan, the early dawn light making it easy enough to see where he was going.

"Damn it. I was wrong. Can't see shit. I really thought it'd work. We were fucking duped!" Lawan sighed, going and sitting on the bench. 

Raegan frowned as she peered around, shoulders slumping downwards as she sat down next to Lawan with a sigh.

"I was sure we'd be able to see more of the lights from up here..." She said softly, looking down at the ground. 

Aiden felt his heart squeeze painfully at the look on her face, moving and sitting next to Raegan. She leaned against him and sighed again, staring wistfully out at the skyscrapers.

"Ah well... um... At least it's peaceful." He said softly.

"Yep. That's why I come here when I'm pissed off..." Lawan muttered, standing up and walking a ways away before kicking at the ground angrily. 

"So, a lot. Believe me." She sighed, before her eyes widened as there was a faint click and hum as the lights came on around them. 

Raegan let out a surprised gasp as she slowly stood up.

"Look! Aiden! They're back on! They're fucking coming back on!" Lawan said excitedly, walking towards the railing.

Raegan glanced down at Aiden with wide eyes as a grin worked it's way onto her face as she climbed up onto a gap between the railing, where a section had fallen. 

"Holy shit... they're actually back on! Aiden, its beautiful!" She shouted, stumbling back against Aiden when he stood up and grabbed at her. 

He let out a delighted laugh as he wrapped one arm loosely around Raegan's waist, holding her close and watching her face light up as she took in the lights.

"Yeah... really beautiful." He breathed out, still looking at Raegan as he spoke. 

"You see that, Aiden? Ray? You see that? It's beautiful! Oh, I cant believe it. No, I just cant believe it." Lawan laughed, turning to look at them before a fond smile formed on her face at the sight of them, turning to look back at the lights after a moment.

"Lawaaaaan! You seein' this?!" A voice asked over her radio.

Raegan rested her head back against Aiden's chest as she glanced over at Lawan.

"Oh, we see it, Danior. We're at a lookout point. And it's quite the show." Lawan said happily.

"How'd this happen?! Dark as hell for fifteen years and suddenly... this?!" Danior questioned.

"I don't know. Don't know. But we need to find out." She stated, carefully stepping onto a ledge and peering at all of the buildings.

"Then drop by the canteen and let's talk! Been missin' you like last year's snow, loca!" He said.

"While shotgunning beers and screwing bartenders?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Raegan, causing her to huff out a laugh.

"You know me... it's a gift!" Danior laughed.

"We'll meet you there! Dumbass." She said affectionately, before glancing up as the lights suddenly all went out, car and security alarms echoing throughout the city.

"Something's wrong..." Aiden frowned, grip tightening on Raegan as he looked around.

"Oh, no. Oh no, no, no no... Fuck! What the hell's going on?" Lawan groaned.

"Aw, damn it..." Raegan huffed, pouting a bit as she leaned into Aiden, giving him a weak smile when he squeezed her hip gently, squeezing his hand in a silent 'I'm okay' gesture.

"So that's the Fish Eye. Okay, how do we get there?" He asked, pointing to a small fish shaped blimp floating in the distance.

"The Fish Eye's gotta wait." Lawan stated, rushing around behind them. 

"Gotta wait? But why?" He questioned, removing his arm from Raegan's waist. 

He noticed the pout she gave out of the corner of his eye, mentally making note of that. There was rustling from behind a wall as Lawan came out wearing her glider, holding two more in her hands. Aiden noticed how Raegan's eyes lit up a bit at the sight of the gliders, frowning himself as he looked them over.

"We need to check the substations. One's over there, level with the PK tower..." She explained.

"But what about the Fish Eye?" He demanded.

"Listen, I want to help you. And I will. We'll all do this together. But you have to understand. It's the first... It's been the same situation for over ten years. Ten years of this fucking darkness. We got to check this out." She said, handing Raegan her glider before handing him a mostly white and grey glider with red stitching. 

Raegan adjusted her pack before slipping her glider on, making sure it was securely in place.

"How do we get to the substation?" Aiden sighed, holding onto the glider and frowning at it.

"It's an old paraglider. It'll help you get to places you normally can't reach. Just... follow our lead." She explained, before darting and jumping off the roof.

"What? But... Lawan, wait! Oh, fuck." He groaned, securing the glider to his back as Raegan leapt off the roof, watching them glide to a nearby rooftop. 

He took a running start and leapt off the roof, pulling the cord and grunting as the chute deployed. He tugged at it a bit as he drifted down to the roof, stumbling some when he touched down. He walked over to Lawan and Raegan, seeing a grin plastered on Raegan's face.

"It's a rush, isn't it?" She asked him.

"Yeah... and also slightly terrifying." He said, a bit out of breath. 

"Ah, you get used to it, Ai. We'll have you traversing the city like a pro in no time!" She grinned.

"Yeah, for now, though... not bad for a rookie." Lawan said.

"Well, it's easier than it looks." He replied.

"I still can't believe this is happening." She muttered, shaking her head.

"I think Waltz turned the power on somehow." He mused.

"But why would he do that? He's never helped anyone... why would he give people power back? Are you sure it was him?" She questioned.

"He used the GRE key in the car factory. Think that's when everything lit up." He said.

"He plugged it into a console, and started typing on the keyboard. Then everything started lighting up." Raegan added.

"That makes sense. Years ago, the military took over the plant to secure the energy cells on the hills. But I had no idea they could still be made to work... and power half the city. Keep an eye on that key, Aiden. Hell knows what else can be done with it. We better hurry to the substation..." Lawan said, leaping off the roof and gliding several buildings away. 

Aiden stared out at the small silhouette as he gauged the distance.

"See those vents? Just try and steer towards them, it'll give you a boost up higher. Just watch what I do." Raegan said, smiling before jumping and deploying her glider. 

She turned it towards the first vent, getting lifted up before turning so she drifted over the next one, getting lifted higher until she could land on the roof next to Lawan.

"See? Nothing to it, Ai. Just keep a firm grip on the handles and lean in the direction you wanna go." Raegan's voice explained over the radio. 

Aiden sighed as he backed up, taking a running jump off the roof as he deployed the glider. He strained a bit as he leaned his body, just barely catching the first vent as it lifted him up. He moved to drift over the second vent, managing to glide nearly right over it as it sent him up higher. Once he was nearer the rooftop he dropped down, letting out a short, breathless chuckle as he glanced over at Lawan and Raegan.

"Nice. But you better keep practicing if you want to beat me or Ray." Lawan teased.

"I didn't know it was a race." Aiden said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"It's always a race, Aiden!" She chuckled.

"It is, Ai... she will turn anything, and I mean anything into a competition or a race." Raegan sighed, voice light and affectionate as she spoke.

"I see. So, who usually wins?" He asked, glancing between them.

"It depends, sometimes Ray wins, sometimes I win, and sometimes it's a tie. I think the total score is somewhere around a tie right now." Lawan smiled.

"So, how do you think he did for his second time using a glider, Lawan?" Raegan questioned.

"Wayyyy better, Aiden. But you have to control the wind. Otherwise, it controls you." She stated.

"Control the wind...? How do you control a force of nature?" Aiden frowned as he glanced at Raegan.

"Just... you need to keep control of the glider. Keep a firm but slightly flexible grip on the handles, and use your body to steer where you wanna go. Sometimes that means fighting against the wind, but usually it's much easier to feel where the wind is blowing and use that to your advantage. Otherwise you'll get thrown around, or worse, fall down." She explained.

"Okay, so... not as simple as I thought." He sighed.

"It is, Ai. It's just a full body workout. Neither of us used to be that good at it, it takes practice, and sometimes even we screw up. You're doing pretty damn good for not having used a glider, though, I'm impressed!" She said, patting his arm and smiling at him.

"Okay, so from here, it's not too far to the substation. Go there and activate it." Lawan stated.

"On our own?" Aiden questioned.

"On your own, Ray looks about ready to drop. Besides, you're a big boy. You can figure it out. There's another one, near the metro. I'll check that one." She said.

"I'm fine, Lawan." Raegan protested.

"No, she's right... You go on ahead to the Fish Eye. I can handle the substation. You've had a rough few days, months even, from the sound of it. Go, rest in your own bed." He said, smiling gently at her.

"Fine, but I'm leaving my radio on. If either of you need me, give me a shout." She sighed, making her way to the Fish Eye.

Aiden frowned as he watched her leave, before blinking as he caught Lawan staring at him.

"What...?" He asked, fidgeting a bit under the intense look she had.

"Nothing. Just... You're good for her, and to her. She needs that. Whether you're dating or not, just... I can tell you care about her. Take care of her, yeah? She's like a sister, and I worry about her." She said, smiling faintly at him.

"She's good for me, too... Being on the road, alone... I didn't have much contact with people. It messes with you. But being around her again? It's like I'm remembering how to be human. I'll look after her." He promised, smiling back at her.

"Good. If we can get one or both of the substations working... means we can activate all of them." She explained.

"But... How do I activate it?" He asked.

"It's not rocket science, Aiden. Those are old systems. I guess we need to make sure the fuses and cables are still working. Good luck. I'll meet you back at the canteen when you're finished." She said, leaping off the building and gliding away. Aiden sighed as he glanced in the direction he was supposed to go.

*Downtown Electrical Substation, Downtown, Central Loop, Villedor*

*Mid Morning*

Aiden grunted as he landed in the courtyard of the substation, getting his weapon ready as he walked up to the doors. He tried them, on the naive hope they'd be unlocked. Nope, locked. He slammed his shoulder against it, before slamming against it again, harder this time. He stepped back, glancing at the door and trying to figure out a way he could get it open. He turned around as he heard footsteps approaching, one hand gripping the weapon at his hip. He loosened his grip on the weapon as he noticed three Peacekeepers approaching. One of the men stepped forward, nodding towards Aiden. 

"Hey! You! Seen any signs of Renegades around here?" 

"No."

"See, Private? Now calm down and let Agalot think." 

"What's there to think about? Why not head back to base?" 

"Who the heck are you, anyway?" 

"Someone offering to help. I'll check what happened to the power... Know anything else about it?" 

"That's top secret military information!" 

"We're trying to figure out how to get to there." The man who'd first spoken said, pointing up at the building.

"Just go ahead and tell him everything, why don't ya! Every last detail!" The Private protested, stepping forward and shaking his head before walking off.

"What's the big secret? Huh? We need to get this piece of shit working, that's what."

"My colleague is vastly oversimplifying things, but his gist is correct. There are obvious signs of the electricity having returned. This, here, appears to be a substation. It and others like it are capable of transmitting electricity throughout the city. We have orders to get this building functioning once more." Agalot explained.  

"Meaning, turn it back on." Nitaf added.

"Unfortunately, without climbing equipment, access to it is severely limited." Agalot sighed.

Aiden nodded as he listened, glancing up and frowning as it started raining. This was already going to be a whole ordeal trying to climb it without proper equipment. He could definitely manage the climb, it might be a bit tricky in normal circumstances, but the rain added certain risks. Not that he had much choice, the substation needed to be turned back on, the benefits of restoring power to even a small portion of the city far outweighing any potential risk.

"You want the electricity for Peacekeepers? What would you do with it?" Aiden asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced between them. 

"Plug shit in. What do you think?" Nitaf asked, shrugging his shoulders as he leaned against the door of the substation.

"The gentleman here must be asking how it would effect other people if control of the power is in the hands of Peacekeepers. The answer is relatively simple as well. Whoever controls the power, controls the city."

"Got it. In any case, I don't need equipment to get up there."

"You'd be willing to do that? You'd be doing a great favor for the Peacekee--" 

Aiden frowned as he heard tires screeching nearby, glancing over as a group of men jumped put of a van and slowly made their way towards them. More assholes like the ones from the tunnel, where he'd found Dylan. He scanned each of them, trying to find any weak points he could take advantage of if things went south. Given his past encounter with these guys, he knew it was going to end in a fight, they clearly weren't there with good intentions.

"Hey! Uniformed dickwads! Electricity brings all the moths out, just rarin' to get flamed by us!" 

"What was that he said?" Agalot asked, glancing at Nitaf.

"Think it was something about his mother... and a goat?" Nitaf shrugged.

Aiden snorted a bit, an amused grin tugging at his lips, before it fell away as the lead asshole spoke again. He grimaced, the man's voice was grating and strained, and was starting to get on his last nerve. Hell, he thought virals shrieking were annoying, but these guys' voices were somehow much worse.

"PK morons. We'll be taking that electricity, thank you very much. Kill 'em!" 

Aiden sighed, drawing his weapon and pulling out a throwing knife, quickly tossing it and smirking as it hit one of the Renegades in the neck. He rushed forward, knocking the man's feet from under him as he pounced, taking the knife out and slashing it across the man's neck. He rolled as another swung his weapon down, jumping up to his feet with a chuckle before hissing as a blade sliced along his side. He let out a growl as he spun around, hitting the Renegade who'd attacked him with the blunt end of his weapon. While the man staggered back, he dropped down, slicing his blade along the back of his legs before bringing it down across the man's neck several times. He panted as he glanced up, seeing the other Renegades lying motionless on the ground. He groaned as he stood up, hand coming to his side and grimacing at the sticky feeling. He reached into his pack, unwinding some gauze and taking a small container of chamomile and honey out, putting a generous amount over the wound before wrapping the gauze around it and tying it off. He knew he'd need to get it properly treated, but for the time being it'd have to do. He just hoped it held during the climb into the substation. He walked over to where the Peacekeepers were standing, nodding once as Nitaf glanced over at him.

"What about you, bud? Where'd you learn to fight like that?" He questioned.

"Name's Aiden. On the road, mainly. I'm a Pilgrim."

"Well, helped save our asses, that's for sure, so... Thank you. You gonna be good to climb? That fucker got you good..."

"I've had worse, I'll be fine. Dont mention it, dealt with these clowns a few times. I'm already sick of them."

"Yeah, they're a pain in the ass. More so recently. It's weird, they normally aren't so brazen..." Agalot mused.

"Hey, you guys hear this joke? What'd the bullet say to the man that got shot?" Nitaf asked, ignoring the groans of his companions as he grinned.

"Just passing through?" Aiden asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked over at Nitaf.

"Yeah! Ha ha ha!"

"You severed his limbs with a machete, Nitaf. Technically speaking, that's a melee weapon, while bullets are reserved for..." Agalot mused.

"I'm glad you're fine, too." Nitaf chuckled, turning and shaking his head.

"Your friend over there almost wasn't so lucky..." Aiden frowned.

"Yeah. Lately they've been sending 'em fresh out of a real shortened boot camp." Nitaf sighed.

"Or without any at all. Good thing you showed up, evened the odds a bit." Agalot added.

"Yeah, don't mention it. Luckily I needed to come here, and like you said, good thing I did." 

"Recruits. Cannon fodder in central command's eyes."

"That's enough, Nitaf. Watch your words."

"Right, 'course. So how about it, bud? Still wanna climb up there? Not for free, of course."

"We reward specialists fittingly." 

"No time like now." Aiden shrugged.

"If you need any help up there, give us a holler over the radio. Agalot's good with electronics."

"However, from here, I can't estimate the level of damage to the apparatus." Agalot explained.

Aiden nodded as he glanced up, trying to figure out the best way to climb up the building. He glanced to his left, seeing a possible route and climbing up onto a metal transformer box, before jumping onto a thing metal structure nearby. He climbed up it, balancing carefully as he walked along the top of it until he got close to a wooden platform. He leapt up onto it, before climbing up onto a metal pipe, slowly walking along it until he could jump down onto a second platform. He then grabbed a vertical pipe, carefully inching around it until he could jump onto a platform next to an open window. Once inside, he grabbed his radio, glancing around the room he was in.

"I'm inside."

"How's it look?" Agalot asked.

"Somebody was in a big hurry when they took it offline."

"I would surmise the main circuit suffered a break. Find a cable and connect the source of power to the transmitter. That should restore the circuit."

"Alright, sounds simple enough. If I hit any snags, I'll let you know."

"As long as the cables are intact and the transmitters aren't busted, it should be smooth sailing. Good luck."

Aiden groaned as he finally got to the control room, silently cursing whoever thought it was a good idea to have the cables and their corresponding connections in weird ass spots. He'd love to punch that person, seriously, having to hold a cable and somehow make it across a gap was just... not his idea of a good time, let alone with a fresh wound, which he'd have to change the bandage as he felt blood soak into his shirt, which was probably trashed at this point. He'd just repourpose it into rags and bandages, at least it wouldn't be a total loss. He switched the controls on, informing the Peacekeepers down below he was giving the station to the survivors, but with the instructions the electricity is to benefit everyone.

He felt a bit shaky on his feet when he finally got down to ground level, grateful when they handed him some fresh bandages, assuring Nitaf and the other two he'll be fine. After asking for the quickest, safest route to the Fish Eye, he blinked when he was handed payment, being told he earned it even if he didn't give control of the station to Peacekeepers, saying after all his help it's the least they could do.

*Fish Eye Canteen, New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor*

*Mid Morning*

Raegan let out a shuddering breath as she closed the door to her room behind her, having had a rather lengthy reunion with Frank, Nikolas, and even Danior. She set her gear down, kicking her boots off before draping her jacket over a chair, all but collapsing onto the bed. She was exhausted, but despite that she felt restless, tossing and turning on the bed until she sat up, scowling and reaching for her radio. She glared at it like it had personally offended her as she dialed in a frequency she could recite by heart, pressing the button and exhaling.

"Hakon...? I know I said I never wanted to speak to, or hear from you again, but... Fuck- I don't know what to think, as far as what you did. I can't sleep worth shit, I feel like shit. If you're there, could you possibly sing that lullaby you always sang to me? Please...?" She said, hating how her voice cracked as she wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks. 

She honestly wasn't expecting an answer, nearly dropping the radio as Hakon's voice came through, voice tinged with concern and hating how she might actually believe he truly cared.

"Ray...? Thank God you're alright... I'm-"

"I don't want to hear any excuses, or fake apologies, Hakon. Just, please sing to me. As much as I dislike you right now, that's the one thing that ever truly calmed me down when I was this upset." She snapped, feeling just the slightest tinge of guilt for how she was acting. 

But he had caused all of this, and she figured the least he could do was calm her down, even though she was furious with him, feeling like her heart had been shattered. She'd stood up for him when practically everyone else had nothing good to say about him, and then she found out they were right all along.

"I- Of course, Ray... I'll leave you alone after, like you requested." He murmured, before she heard him clear his throat and start singing, rubbing at her eyes as she smiled bitterly while listening. 

Once he was finished, she pressed the button again, bringing the radio up as she spoke.

"Thank you, Hakon. Take care of yourself, I guess." She said softly, before turning to the frequency she, Lawan, and Aiden had been using, setting the radio by the bed as she laid back. 

*Fish Eye Canteen, New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor*

*Late Morning; Aiden*

Aiden glanced around as he walked into the Fish Eye, a bit surprised to see Survivors and Peacekeepers mingling about, and not at each other's throats. He felt relief at the fact that, aside from a few curious glances and murmurs, nobody really looked twice at him, nor was anyone trying to string him up like at the Bazaar. He'd mostly forgiven them for that, mostly... but he'd definitely not forgotten the incident, and Ray seemed to be having issues forgiving those directly involved still. He glanced around, trying to catch a glimpse of Lawan, figuring Ray was probably still out cold in her room. He pulled his radio out, pushing the button as he kept an eye out. 

"Lawan? Lawan, you there? Lawan? I guess I'll look around. " He sighed as he put the radio away. 

He glanced around again before heading up to the bar, leaning against the bar and nodding once the bartender glanced up at him.

"Hey. Looking for Lawan. Know where I can find her?"

"She was just here..." The guy said, frowning as he glanced around.

"Booo! Still didn't break your neck? Good." Lawan nodded, patting him on the shoulder as she leaned against the bar. 

He raised an eyebrow as an older guy on the other side of Lawan leaned around to scrutinize him, nodding to Lawan as he looked him over.

"This him? The gadjo you and Raegan were talking about? Danior. I've heard a lot about you." Danior said, holding his hand out.

"Really? I'm sensing a bit of a theme here. Let me guess... Ray wouldnt shut up about me?" He asked, as he glanced at Lawan, who was hiding a smirk with her drink. 

He chuckled faintly as Danior grinned and shrugged, before tilting his head in confusion when he started to ramble in a language he wasn't familiar with.

"I'm... sorry, what was that?"

"Danior! It's not like that between them." Lawan snapped, shaking her head as she shot him an apologetic look.

"Ah... Wait, what's not like what between who?" He asked, frowning as he glanced between them.

"You and Ray. Danior seems to think you might not have good intentions for our dear Raegan. Or that you might not be a good influence. Overprotective, this one." She sighed.

"Uh, we're just... we're just childhood friends. Haven't seen each other in years. Also, believe me... she was the bad influence as kids, her and my sister. Always dragging me into stuff." He said, chuckling and shaking his head.

"Oh, trust me, we know. That girl has given several of the so-called "old timers" a fair amount of gray hairs. Then again, so have I." She chuckled.

"By the way, good job getting the substation up and running. Danior says that to get the power flowing, we have to reactivate the other substations." She added. 

He watched as she poured another glass of something that smelled strong, even from where he was standing, holding it out and leaning back against the bar. He sniffed it curiously after grabbing it, before shrugging and taking a sip, finding it a bit bitter for his tastes, but at least it went down smoothly enough. He noticed the approving nod Lawan exchanged with Danior as he finished it off in another gulp before handing the empty glass back.

"The power plant's on... but the cables couldn't take it. Fifteen years took a toll. 'Atrofili musculare neinstruite...'" Danior muttered.

"Untrained muscles wither. C'mon, Frank's room is over there! Let's figure out why Waltz turned it on in the first place." Lawan said, slipping past him and heading towards a closed door across the bar.

"Good talk, gadjo. Better watch your back!" Danior called, nodding once to him and lifting his glass before turning back to the bar. 

He glanced around briefly before joining Lawan outside what he was assuming was Frank's room.

"Shouldn't we wake Ray up for this...?" He asked, frowning as Lawan shook her head.

"Nah, let her rest some more. She's been through a lot, I think she's earned a few more minutes of sleep. Before we go in, you see all of these people? Anywhere else they'd be savages, at each other's throats. But not here. Here, they stay calm, cool, and collected... 'cause of Frank. They respect him because he was a Nightrunner. Everyone here owes him something. Including me... if it wasn't for Frank, I wouldn't be here." She explained, nodding towards the people scattered throughout the bar.

"And where would you be?"

"In a dark zone, as a Biter... Or in some den, high and about to get higher."

"And Ray? Does she owe him something, too?"

"Yeah. He's one of the ones that saved her, that night you got separated. It's not really my story to tell, so if you want the full thing, ask her. Frank will help us. You can rely on him, too. Trust me. Ready? Let's go." She asked. 

He nodded when she glanced at him, gesturing for her to go ahead and slipping in behind her. Immediately aware of the way Frank's eyes narrowed a bit when he walked in behind Lawan, looking him over and clearly trying to figure out what business he had being there. He cleared his throat as he took a cautious half step forward, stopping and holding his hands up when he took note of the scowl now present on Frank's face.

"Easy, Frank. This is Aiden." Lawan explained, biting back a chuckle as Frank's eyes widened.

"Yeah, before you ask. That Aiden, the one Ray hasn't stooped talking about. I, we... need your help, Frank." He said, sitting down when Frank gestured at a chair.

He tried hiding the wince as he got settled in the chair, shrugging off the worried looks thrown his way.

"Ran into some red clad assholes at the substation. I'm fine, just a bit sore, and winded." 

"Alright, well... What exactly did you need help with? And why the hell did Ray look so spooked before she took off to her room? Last time she was that rattled was ten years ago, after... well, we won't get started on that. Don't feel like losing my temper right now." Frank sighed.

"Hakon, he... helped me when I first arrived in the city. Well, more like he assisted Ray in helping me. He betrayed us, duped us... Ray took it really hard."

"That bastard... He was always one of her favorite people among us, he adored her. I know he likely still does, wouldn't have helped her save someone otherwise. Hakon never could say no to Raegan, for anything. No wonder she looks so torn up."

"Yeah, I just hope this didn't shake her up too badly. It's why she got sent back here, instead of helping with the substation. She looked ready to drop, and yet she still wanted to help." Lawan explained, sharing an amused glance with Frank.

"As for why we need help... Waltz turned the power on, with this." Aiden said, holding the GRE key out for Frank to inspect.

"A man named Dylan gave this to me, right before Waltz eviscerated him. I need to know why this is so important to him, why he turned the power on. I also want to find out just what the fuck he was doing to me, Raegan, my sister, and apparently also Lawan." 

"Your sister... Mia, right? Raegan always mentioned the two of you, and that she was sick. How certain are you she's even alive after fifteen years? No offense but if she was truly that sick... I've no idea why he'd turn the power on, but I assure you it can't be for anything good." Frank sighed.

"She's alive. Dylan even said he'd seen her, alive and well, but sick. Waltz took her from me, I don't know for what purpose, I just know I plan on finding her and taking her away from the sick fuck." 

"You'll wind up dead, kid. The man is a psychopath, what he did to you, and those other children? I don't buy the looking for a cure thing, not with the rumors that they were conducting all manner of unethical experiments. Go rest, there's a spare rooms around here, and you look dead on your feet. We'll talk later, I've gotta get ahold of someone who may have a better idea of what's going on." 

Aiden nodded as he slowly stood up, biting back another pained noise and following Lawan out of the room, scowling a bit as he glanced around the bar.

"Well, that was helpful..." He muttered darkly.

"Easy. It's been hectic, with the Renegades attacking more frequently. Plus with Ray and I both stuck in Old Villedor he's been a bit of a nervous wreck, worrying over our safety."

"Renegades?"

"Those red clad assholes. They used to stick close to their base, near the dam, but lately... They've gotten bolder, taking over territories, attacking whoever crosses their path. It doesn't make any sense." 

Aiden opened his mouth to respond to that, before his head whipped around at the sound of a horn blowing, followed closely by screaming.

"Oh my god, it's not possible!"

"Just run, for god's sake! I've seen them!"

"Bring help! Where are the Peacekeepers, for Christ's sake?"

He glanced back towards the bar as he heard a woman speaking behind him, taking note of the blue uniform she was wearing.

"To all units... Renegades are in the Central Loop... I repeat: Renegades are in the Center. They're surrounding the Fish Eye. Can anyone hear me? Over?" She sighed, glancing at him as she paced back and forth.

He felt his whole body tense as he heard cackling outside the door, and yet another one of those asshole's grating voices.

"Come out, rats! Come out or we'll torch that fucking shack." Came an angry snarl.

"Hey! One got away! Grab the bastard and kill him!" Another shouted.

He seethed a bit as he listened to them, managing to slip behind the closest one and slit his throat before the others took note of his presence. He glared as one narrowly missed him with a throwing knife, reaching behind himself and grabbing it from the wooden beam and flicking it back at his would be attacker. He ducked as yet another Renegade swung at him, kicking out to knock the man's legs from under him and stabbing down with his machete. A grunt left his lips as he barely had time to bring it up and block a swing from another, hissing as a second managed to get his non injured side with a blade. He glanced over as the man suddenly fell down, nodding in thanks to Lawan as she shot a few more with her crossbow. His head whipped around when he heard another explosion, trying to locate where it had come from.

"Aiden, one more hit'll destroy the Fish Eye! Hurry!" Lawan shouted.

He let out a curse as he heard a horn sound from a nearby rooftop, quickly making his way over and taking care of the Renegades surrounding the cannon, grateful the idiots hadn't yet lit the fuse as he yanked the explosives from it.

"Well, that was close..." He muttered, glancing around to make sure there weren't any more Renegades nearby.

He quickly made his way back over to the Fish Eye, slamming his weight into a Renegade that was about to bring an axe down onto a survivor, nodding to them as they got up and drew their weapon. Once all the Renegades outside were dealt with, he glanced around, certain he'd seen Lawan, and Raegan, not too long ago.

"Aiden, they're inside the Fish Eye! They have Frank! They blocked the door, we can't get in!" Lawan shouted over the radio.

"Shit. I'm on my way!" He said, turning and running inside the building.

He backed up once he got close to the door, glancing briefly at Lawan and Raegan as hebstarted kicking the door. He rushed in after them once it was open, eyes narrowing atthe Renegade holding a knife to Frank's neck.

"Drop him." "Now." Lawan and Raegan growled out, pointing their weapons as they crept closer.

"One move and he dies." 

"Drop him!" Lawan snapped, pulling the trigger on her crossbow right as Raegan rushed over to Frank. 

He relaxed a bit as Raegan glanced up at him with a relieved look, before blinking when her eyes widened as she tensed up.

"Aiden, watch out!" 

He spun around, grunting as the Renegade behind him punched him hard enough to send him sprawling to the ground. He hissed as he brought a hand up to his nose, wiping blood away and watching him snatch the crossbow from Lawan and shoving her away, causing her to drop it. He let out a pained yell at the kick to his chest when he went to lunge for the Renegade, not having expected him to whip back to face him. He scrambled backwards as the man lifted his axe over his head, preparing to slam it down.

"Greetings from Wal..." The man snarled, cut off as a figure darted into the room and stabbed him repeatedly in the abdomen with a machete.

*Fish Eye Canteen, New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor*

*Late Morning; Raegan*

Raegan shot up in bed at the sound of an explosion, and a horn sounding out. She snatched her jacket, shoving it on followed by her boots, pack, and gear, snagging her bow as she raced out of her room. She cursed as someone shouted the Renegades were outside, shoving her way past people trying to seek cover as she got her bow ready. As soon as she stepped outside she let an arrow loose, catching the first Renegade off guard, killing him instantly as she notched another arrow, dispatching another just as he noticed his fallen comrade. She focused on the archers first, snatching arrows from them and occasionally switching to her machete, or thrown weapons, sticking to her knives as she didn't want to risk burning anything down.

She was vaguely aware of Aiden fighting some Renegades, before seeing him rush to the rooftops to handle the canon, a sense of dread hitting her as Lawan shouted Renegades had Frank. She shot one Renegade blocking the doorway back into the bar in the neck, yanking the arrow out before slitting his throat. She cursed as, despite her and Lawan's best efforts, Frank's door refused to budge, kicking at it and feeling panic spreading as the man inside threatened to slit Frank's throat. She backed up as Aiden came back in, a bit concerned at the blood soaking his shirt in various places, watching as he placed a few well aimed kicks before the door swung open. She seethed as the man holding a knife to Frank's neck threatened them not to come closer, or he'd kill Frank, rushing to his side with Lawan after she shot a bolt between the man's eyes. She glanced up after she was certain Frank wasn't injured, smiling and about to tell Aiden he was okay, before her eyes widened as she saw a Renegade sneaking up behind him. 

"Aiden, watch out!" She gasped as the man struck out, leaving Aiden sprawled on the ground before the man roughly shoved Lawan to the ground. 

She moved in front of Frank, watching helplessly as the Renegade raised his weapon, being held back when she tried moving forward and struggling against Frank's hold.

"Greetings from Wal..." The man snarled, cut off as a figure darted into the room and stabbed him repeatedly in the abdomen with a machete.

*A few minutes later, Frank's room, Fish Eye Canteen, New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor*

Aiden stared at the woman as she wiped the blood off on the Renegade's clothes, taking the hand she held out and letting out a small grunt as he was lifted to his feet.

"Uh, thanks..." He said, raising an eyebrow when Raegan launched herself at the woman with a startled laugh.

"Lydia!!"

"Ray? I thought you were in Old Villedor? When'd you get back?" The woman, Lydia, asked, glancing curiously over at Aiden before smiling warmly at Raegan when she moved away from her.

"A few hours ago, actually. Aiden and I- Oh, shit... Lydia, this is Aiden. Aiden, this is Lydia. She's, um, sort of the closest thing to a mother I have. And yes, Lydia. That Aiden, I swear he's gonna get a complex with how many people keep recognizing him." Raegan said, rolling her eyes when Aiden let out an amused snort.

"Yeah, I'm that Aiden, the one Ray apparently hasn't ever shut up about. Thanks for saving my ass, by the way. However she didn't mention you earlier..." He said, enjoying the way Raegan's face went a bit red at his teasing.

"No, she certainly didn't stop talking about you, or Mia. It's good to finally get to meet you. Don't mention it, asshole had it coming." Lydia chuckled, before shrugging as she sat down.

"Ah, well from the look of things, and from what I've heard from people trickling back into the Center... It's been one hell of a year. Can't fault her for not bringing everything up all at once, yeah?"

"No, wouldn't dream of it anyways. She'd probably punch me. Ah! Prove my point, Ray!" He yelped, rubbing his arm and frowning as Raegan stuck her tongue out.

Chapter Text

*Frank's room, Fish Eye Canteen, New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor*

*Late Morning*

"So, what brings the infamous Aiden all the way to Villedor? Aside from your sister and Ray, obviously." Lydia asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing in amusement at Frank at the twin looks of embarrassment crossing Aiden and Raegan's faces.

"I'm looking for Waltz. He... took Mia from me, hurt us as kids. I want to know why. I think we deserve to know just why those sick fucks were doing, well, God knows what to us." Aiden said, eyes darkening a bit as he spoke.

"Well, aside from Waltz himself being, let's just say... less than sane, I really don't know. They snatched children up left and right at least one or two years prior to the Fall. Counting you, I know of at least five that are still living. Out of who even knows how many more who were taken, never to be seen or heard from again. Or who died shortly after, for various reasons." Lydia sighed, shaking her head.

"Fuck, that's..."

"Yeah. So desperate for a cure, they didn't care who they potentially hurt. I mean, what was going to be the consolation for those parents and families of kids who maybe didn't make it? 'Oh, sorry your kid died in search of a cure, but hey, we cured the virus. Again.'? That would hardly be a confort to anyone." She scoffed.

"No, it wouldn't be. I can't even properly remember the hospital we were at, let alone anything of my life before age six. All I remember is Waltz, other doctors, fear, pain... along with Ray and Mia."

"You don't remember your parents? Where you lived?"

"No. I know I had parents, I know I lived somewhere before all of this. But... I draw a total blank whenever I try and think of them. It's utterly terrifying, like I don't know who I truly am, where I came from. If Mia wasn't there with me, I probably would have forgotten her as well." Aiden sighed, glancing at Raegan when she moved closer.

"I don't remember my parents either... I remember the hospital, those awful injections and not feeling well after. I remember you and Mia, then later the fire, and being found by Frank, Hakon, and Cillian... not being able to find you or Mia and crying for days, weeks probably. Then Lydia, and later Lawan came into my life." She smiled weakly.

"Wait, so you said Lydia was sort of a mother figure, and Frank said Hakon treated you like you were his kid...?" Aiden asked, glancing between Raegan and Lydia.

"Well, that question was bound to come up sooner or later. Hakon and I... have a complicated history. We got together not long after the Fall, after they'd rescued Ray. He saved me from being devoured by some freshly turned infected when the Fall happened." Lydia chuckled.

"Never would have guessed. He sorta helped Ray save my life, when I first arrived back in the city. The people of the Bazaar wanted to hang me for being infected with no biomarker. He never mentioned you, though."

"He wouldn't, unless asked. I'm aware of who he's working with, and why he's doing so." Lydia explained

"Were you two... married?"

"No. He asked, but... I felt I was too young. Wasn't ready for that yet, and he understood."

"How old were you? I mean, you don't look that much older than me. And Hakon, well, he looks..."

"I'm thirty-two. Only five years younger than Hakon. Beard makes him look older, trust me. Otherwise he's a bit baby faced."

"Oh. I'd have guessed maybe... late twenties for you, but Hakon is about how old I'd have guessed." 

"Well, aren't you sweet. No wonder Ray adores you. She always said you had a kind heart, world needs more people like that. Now, seeing as all the excitement has died down... How about you go rest up? Ray can show you a spare room. We can talk more later." 

"Yeah. Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Aiden said, chuckling weakly when he yawned.

"C'mon, Ai. There's an open room next to mine. Figure you might be more comfortable having someone familiar nearby." Raegan smiled, leading the way out of the room and nodding to Lawan as she walked over to the bar.

*Raegan's room, Fish Eye Canteen, New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor*

*Late Morning*

Raegan froze briefly as Aiden brushed past her and pushed the door to her room open, instead of the door she'd indicated would be his room.

"Uh, Ai...? That's my room. Yours is right here. We're, uh, kinda too old to share anymore."

"I'm aware, though it's not like we didn't share back in Old Villedor. Figured maybe we could chat for a bit, just until I'm ready to pass out? I want to check in on you. You looked... really rattled, before you headed over here. Been worried about you." Aiden shrugged, leaning against the doorframe.

"I'm... well, I'm not fine. Not yet. But I'm doing better. What sleep I did get, I apparently needed more than I'd realized." She sighed, pushing the door open and walking in.

"Make yourself comfortable. It's not much, but this... this is home." 

"It's pretty amazing to me. How long has the Fish Eye been home?"

"Hmm... Since I was probably around nine or ten years old? So, about ten years now, give or take." She said, before frowning as she took in the slightly paler than normal look to his skin.

"You alright, Ai? You're sweating, and you look a bit pale..."

"I-... Okay, one of the Renegades I encountered at the substation got me, and I got hit a few times defending the Fish Eye. But it's nothing serious, Ray. I've had worse. I'll take care of it properly in a little bit." 

"Nope. You're getting that taken care of now, Aiden. How bad is it, really? And don't you dare say it's not that bad. Even small wounds can become serious, very quickly." 

"Shit. Full name, huh? Okay, then. You, ah, have a medic handy?" He asked, holding his hands up and chuckling weakly.

"They're busy right now. I can manage, unless you think you can take care of it yourself?" She asked, walking over and grabbing a first aid kit from the closet.

She froze when she turned back around, nearly dropping the first aid kit when she saw Aiden in the process of carefully peeling his shirt off.

"What... What do you think you're doing? I didn't mean take your shirt off right here!"

"You offered to help take care of my injuries, remember? Plus it's not like I'm stripping, just making it easier to treat them. Shirt is absolutely ruined anyways, I'll put a new one on when you're done." He laughed, unable to help the amusement he felt at seeing how flustered Raegan was.

"You're an ass, you know that? Lucky you're my best friend or I'd kick you out, pulling shit like that..." She grumbled, pulling out what she needed and wincing when she saw a rather nasty gash.

"This is gonna sting, fair warning. Sorry." She said softly, pouring some disinfectant on a clean rag and carefully dabbing it on the various cuts and scrapes she found.

Aiden hissed at the first touch of the rag to a particularly nasty cut, trying to give Raegan a reassuring smile when she froze.

"I'm fine, keep going. Just burns a bit is all."

"Alright... Just hate seeing anyone I care about hurt, or sick." She sighed, starting to put some salve on the wounds and blinking when Aiden handed her a small container.

She sniffed curiously at it, chuckling in amusement as she raised an eyebrow at him, shaking her head and going to hand it back.

"Ai, this smells like something you'd use to make tea with... This salve will work better than whatever this is." She teased.

"Hey, now. I've used this for years. It's a recipe I learned from an herbalist. All it is is honey and chamomile, works perfectly fine. I mean, yes, you can also consume it, but it has medicinal properties as well." He huffed, pushing it back into her hands.

"Alright, alright. I'll use some of this, too. Although now it makes sense why you always smell so good, if you use this. Far better than most of the people living here at any rate." She chuckled, pulling a face and grinning when that earned a laugh from Aiden.

"I can teach you how to make this, if you'd like? It's pretty simple."

"Yeah. I mean it's not like we don't have an abundance of rooftop groves with beehives and flowers. Why not utilize them? Okay... all done. You'll probably want to change them after you wake up, and maybe clean up a bit too, get rid of all that grime."

"Hey, I thought you said I smelled good? Now you're saying I smell?"

"Hm, a bit. Plus you're covered in several days worth of blood, sweat, and dirt. A good wash and clean clothes wouldn't hurt, Ai. Now shoo. Go rest up some, you have more than earned a few hours of sleep. I'll wake you up of anything urgent comes up, yeah?" She smiled.

Aiden chuckled and tugged his jacket back on, pulling Raegan into a hug and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He smiled faintly when he felt her relax and return the hug, rubbing her back before stepping away.

"What was that for?" Raegan asked, raising an eyebrow despite the smile on her face.

"Just... Glad I found you again, after all these years. It's a relief having someone familiar around. Someone I know I can trust." He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I get it. I mean, I trust my surrogate family, and I love them. But you and Mia... that's, well, it's different. That bond is even deeper. Now, go rest. You seriously look about ready to drop, Ai. I'll be somewhere in the Fish Eye." She chuckled, watching as he walked out of the room.

*Aiden's room, Fish Eye Canteen, New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor*

*Evening*

Aiden gasped as he sat up in bed, looking around the room with wide eyes before huffing out a frustrated groan as he laid back on the bed. He could still vividly recall the dream he'd had, the hospital on fire, him frantically yelling for Mia and Raegan between coughs. He could still hear both of them, so close and yet so far, screaming for him, before he passed out and woke up already outside of the city. He shook his head as he sat up again, reminding himself Raegan was nearby, he'd found her against all odds, and Mia was somewhere in the city, alive. He slowly rose from the bed and grabbed a fresh shirt, tugging it over his head as he walked out of the room in search of Raegan.

*Frank's room, Fish Eye Canteen, New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor*

*Evening*

Raegan glanced up when she heard the door open, smiling faintly and motioning Aiden inside when he glanced in the room.

"Perfect timing, I was about to come get you. Lydia said she has some information that might help us find Mia. No guarantees, but... Anything helps, right?" 

"Yeah, anything helps. I miss anything else?" Aiden asked, yawning and sitting down on the couch next to Raegan.

"Hmm, nothing too exciting. Just someone getting a bit too drunk and unruly, but they settled down. How are your injuries? You did change the bandages, right, Ai?"

"...Shit. I'll do that after we're done here. Promise." He chuckled softly, holding his hands up at the exasperated look Raegan threw him.

"You better. Okay, Lydia... What'd you find out?"

"Well, admittedly not much. I've asked Rowe for a favor, so I'm hoping he's able to dig up more information. I'm sorry, I know that's not what you probably wanted to hear."

"No, it isn't. But... thank you, for at least trying to find something out." Aiden sighed.

"I'll let you know as soon as I've heard anything. For now, why don't you get settled? Go try and relax, working yourself into the ground won't do you, or your sister any favors, Aiden." Lydia said, patting Raegan's arm as she walked past her.

"Alright, stubborn. If you're not gonna change the bandages, I will. Move it." Raegan teased, lightly pushing Aiden towards the door.

"Yeah, yeah. Bossy tonight, aren't we?" He laughed, ruffling her hair.

"Always am. Later, Frank." She waved, closing the door behind them and sighing.

"So, what do you usually do for entertainment around here?" 

"Besides hang out around here? Not much you're gonna be able to do until you've healed some. No arguments. You're not ripping a stitch open, Ai." She warned.

"I've had worse, Ray... I'll be fine."

"You had worse when you didn't have someone constantly worried about your well-being. I lost you once, I'm not losing you permanently. So you're gonna have to get used to the fact someone gives a shit whether or not you're in one piece." 

"I know, trust me. I'm not going anywhere, okay? I know my limits. But if it puts you at ease, I'll take it easy for a bit." Aiden sighed, giving Raegan a small smile before walking towards the stairs.

"Go on up, I'm gonna grab us something to eat and then get the first aid kit from my room."

*Aiden's Room, Fish Eye Canteen, New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor*

*Evening*

Aiden hissed as he eased his jacket and shirts off, draping them over the chair in the corner of the room. He sighed in relief when he noticed the bandages didn't appear bloody, glad at least the bleeding had stopped, and hopefully the wounds were on their way to being healed. He wasn't particularly pleased he had to sit and not do anything, wanting to hurry up and find Mia. He wasn't sure what his plan was past find Mia and kill Waltz, if he'd stay in the city with Raegan and his sister, or maybe talk them both into leaving with him. He instinctively grabbed his weapon at the knock to the door, before relaxing at the voice on the other end.

He let out an amused huff when Raegan stiffened upon entering the room, noting the way her cheeks tinged red, and the way she quickly averted her gaze. His amusement growing as Raegan kept trying to stealthily take quick peeks at him, seeing the way her shoulders tensed when he wandered over, snagging one of the cups of booze and taking a gulp of it.

"So, good news is the bleeding finally stopped. Still hurts like hell, but I think I'll live."

"Well, that's good, but you're still taking it easy, at least for a few days. I'll even keep you company so you don't go stir crazy."

"Sounds fair. I don't particularly like it, but you are the boss." He teased.

"Don't you forget it, either. Now, let's see how deep that gash is. If you don't need stitches, I'll only make you rest a day or two, tops. But if you need stitches, closer to a week." She said, grabbing the first aid kit and dragging the chair over to the bed.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's hope I don't, though. They're a bitch to keep clean."

"Oh, I know. Especially when you have a lot of them."

He let out a barely audible hiss as Raegan slowly peeled the bandages off, focusing on the look of concentration as she alternated between cleaning the wounds and dabbing some sort of salve on them. 

"Well, you don't need stitches, and it doesn't look too deep. You got lucky, Ai. If it had gone deeper, fuck..."

"I know. But it didn't, and the asshole is very, very dead now."

"Good. One less nuisance in this city."

"Yeah. I met some Peacekeepers who have me tips on how to get the substation up and running. If it weren't for them, I'd probably have been royally screwed."

"Sounds like I need to extend my thanks to them. They were seriously fine with you not giving control of the substation to them, though? That's pretty rare, even for the more decent Peacekeepers..."

"Yeah, told them it was for everyone to use and benefit from. I guess they appreciated the help dealing with the Renegades?" He shrugged, raising an eyebrow when Raegan seemed lost in thought mid inspection of a wound.

"You about done ogling me so we can bandage these up?" He teased.

"I wasn't-...! Oh, you asshole..." 

"Suuuuure you weren't. You were practically staring holes into my chest, Ray."

He let out a yelp at the sharp pinch to his arm, pleased when, despite her best attempts not to, Raegan was sporting a small grin, and a rather adorable flush to her cheeks. He decided he rather liked flustered Raegan, it was too easy to get her going. He watched as she frowned after winding the bandage around the worst of the gashes, seeing her brows furrow as the hesitantly touched an old scar on his side.

"You should see the other guy, Ray. Looks bad, but he's no longer breathing. Like I said, I've had worse than what you just bandaged up. Too stubborn to be killed."

"Yeah, I just... I don't like the fact you were hurt like that. Too many close calls from what I can see. I know shit happens, but please try being more careful. I don't want to lose you so soon after I found you again."

"I can make any promises, but I'll try. Besides we've gotta find Mia. I don't intend on being killed until long after that's happened."

"I mean, I've got a lot of scars myself. Close calls. But..."

"It's different when it's someone close to you. I get it, Ray. So, since I don't need stitches, exactly how long are you gonna keep me hostage in here for?" He teased.

"Depends on how well you behave yourself. Two days, at the least? I know it's boring being cooped up, and you want to hurry and find Mia. I can also safely say she wouldn't want you being reckless just to find her, and I don't want that either." 

"I can manage a few days. I know I'm stubborn, and I push myself too far, but I also know I'm no use to you or her if I can't even function."

"Exactly. Lydia and I can ask around, see if anyone has heard anything. Just because you're not out there flipping the city inside out doesn't mean the search stops. I want to find her just as badly, Ai. I've missed both of you." She smiled, patting his arm before putting things back in the medkit.

*Main Bar, Fish Eye Canteen, New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor*

*Evening*

Aiden glanced around the bar as he stepped down from one of the staircases leading up to the rooms, eyes scanning the area before settling on a figure sitting off from everyone else. He gave a small wave in greeting as he walked over to the bar, grabbing a drink from Nikolas and chatting with him for a moment before wandering over to the table.

"Hey, Lydia. Mind if I join you? I can't sleep, and I don't want to wake Ray up. She needs all the sleep she can get after..." He trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence.

"Go ahead. I get it, she... Well, she adores all of us, but Hakon and myself? She was closest to us. He's always wanted kids someday, but was worried about bringing one into this world. So when they rescued Raegan, he took on a parental role for her. Then I showed up, got together properly with him, and we just became a little family." She smiled weakly at the memory, shaking her head and sighing.

"I'm glad she had both of you... I know it's not my fault, there's nothing I could have done being so little, but I feel so guilty I didn't do more for her or Mia."

"You were children, Aiden. What you went through wasn't fair. The adults around you kids should have been a comforting presence, not a source of fear and pain."

"Yeah... I'm just wondering how we all even ended up there. I can't remember, and I'm sure Ray doesn't, she was so small when they brought her in. Barely four years old. Mia latched onto her almost immediately. I tried comforting both of them, holding them after the testing and injections. After any nightmares. Pushed my own fears down to try and be brave for them." He chuckled bitterly as he shook his head.

"Then the fire happened, and I feel like I failed them, not getting to either of them and getting them out."

"You're here now, though. You never gave up, never stopped searching for them. That's rare in this world. Most people would have given up a long time ago, but you didn't. That will mean so much to your sister, and I know it means so much to Raegan. They are both very lucky to have you in their lives."

"Yeah... I had so many people saying they were likely dead, to give up. I needed to know, one way or another. Either I'd find them alive and well, or I'd find out what happened and could have closure."

"I hope you don't get offended by this, but you remind me of Hakon when he was younger. Before everything truly went to shit. He, and honestly a lot of the Nightrunners, myself included... We had that stubbornness and hopefulness, the desire to help. It's nice seeing that again. Most people after the Nightrunners disbanded just... lost hope."

"Can... Do you mind telling me how you and Hakon met? I'm furious for what he did, shattering Ray's trust like that... but I'm also grateful for his help saving me. And for the fact he took care of one of the most important people to me."

"Well, the details are a bit fuzzy, it has been fifteen years after all. But I'll try and remember the best I can."

*October 2021; New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor*

*Early Evening*

Loud footsteps followed by inhuman shrieks echo through the air as a young woman races up to a building with UV lights along the front door. She quickly glances behind her as she bangs on the door.

"Help! Please, open up! Hurry, they're getting closer..." She whimpered, shrinking against the doorway as the shrieking steadily got louder.

"They'll get inside if we open up! I'm sorry, we can't help you. Get out of here before you draw their attention, we've got young children in here!" A young man's voice called out.

"Please! If you don't let me in, I'm dead! They're far enough away-..."

"I said we can't help you! Leave. Now!!"

The young woman glares, flipping the door off before taking off into the gradually darkening streets once again, frantically looking for somewhere, anywhere she could seek shelter. She feels a surge of hope at the sight of a building, with multiple windows lit up both in oranges and purples. It was a bit of a sprint, but she felt confident she could make it. Halfway to the building she barely manages to avoid the few infected that come racing from a nearby building, drawn by the shrieks of the infect rapidly closing in on her from behind.

She grits her teeth as she glances towards the building, deciding the risk of making noise to hopefully draw attention from anyone nearby is worth it. Figuring she's already screwed one way or another, she grabs the bat fixed to her belt, swinging at the closest infected and sending it backwards before sucking in a lung full of air.

"HELP! Please, anyone! I'm surrounded by infected!" 

She ducks as another infected lunges towards her, letting out a shaky exhale as she manages to hit it as it whips around, relieved when it doesn't get back up. She gets a little too over confident after she manages to down another, letting out a shriek of terror when one tackles her from the side. She hisses in pain as the force of the impact sends her sliding across the concrete, with her bat rolling in an entirely different direction, kicking the infected off and struggling to get up. She let's out a startled yell when it lunges at her again, throwing her arms up as she's knocked down, staring in horror as the infected's teeth sink into her arm.

She watches as a bolt from a crossbow sinks into the side of the infected's head, knocking it off her body from the impact before it slumps to the ground. She barely registers when someone lifts her off the ground, eyes already sliding shut both from exhaustion and pain.

"Shit, Frank... I'm getting her inside. She just fainted, and I don't know if it's shock or something else."

"Go. We'll be right behind you. Gonna pick her bag and weapon up and make sure these fuckers are dead for good."

*2036, Main Bar, Fish Eye Canteen, New Dawn Park, Central Loop, Villedor*

*Evening*

"Next thing I knew I was waking up in the infirmary, with a very tiny Raegan peeking at me from behind a partition. And a snoring Hakon passed out in a chair next to me." Lydia chuckled softly, smiling fondly at the memory.

"Damn... Those people wouldn't let you in? That's... that's fucked up. I mean I get it, but still."

"I mean, I was a bit pissed off initially. But I get why they didn't open the door. They didn't know me, didn't know if I had anyone else with me that was a threat. I could've been bitten, or the infected could have gotten in. It was a no win situation. Luckily I was very close to the former HQ for the Nightrunners, and had my own knight in shining armor rescue me."

"So, Hakon's not all that bad, I guess..."

"No. He's made some bad decisions but... he's a good man. Really, he is. And I still love him He was my first love, and he's likely gonna be my only love."

"I'm just... furious he broke Ray's heart. She was gutted finding out he works for Waltz."

"Yeah. I am too, but... Aiden, he was spying on him. Got caught. Waltz threatened not only my life, but everyone else's if he didn't comply. He... distanced himself after that. Waltz also threatened he'd take Raegan, start where he left off with her. Hakon knew I'd die before letting that happen, and... he'd also die before letting Waltz ever lay a finger on her again. Not that she needs protecting, obviously. But we both consider her ours, and we'd fight tooth and nail to keep her safe."

"I'm... I'm really glad she's had all of you. I was so worried for so long, fought like hell to get here. She's thrived because of you, Hakon, and everyone else around her."

"You love her. I can tell, Aiden. Whether it's romantic or not, well... That's between the two of you. All I know is you'd do anything for her, and apparently already have some so much."

"I-... I don't know myself, honestly. I know I want to be around her as much as possible, it's adorable when she's flustered, especially over me, and I just want her happy."

"Very possible you're falling in love, or already are. Just... be gentle with her. She's tried being in relationships and it never ended well. She's had her heart shattered several times."

"Believe me, I'd die before willingly hurting her. Even if she doesn't feel the same way, I want her in my life. She and Mia are everything to me, as long as they're both alive and happy, I can live with that."

"You've got a kind heart, Aiden. The world doesn't have many like that anymore. It's not a weakness, like some seem to believe. Try and not lose that. Now, I think I'm going to go try and sleep some more. You should try and do the same."

"Yeah, in a bit. Goodnight, Lydia. And... thank you. For everything."

"You're welcome. I'm just glad I can actively help someone, hopefully this lead pans out. Goodnight."

Chapter Text

Hey, I’m really sorry I’ve not been updating this! I got an idea that deviates from the original outline for this story, and while I will keep this one up because I adore it, I will not be updating this any further. Thank you to all who have read, left kudos, and commented on this story! I love and appreciate you all!