With a subtle sigh, Ritsu watched as Sigma dragged herself to... wherever she was heading. She knew what she saw, and what Lorenzo made the poor thing do to her fellow pilot. Adjusting herself, and furrowing her brow a bit before looking back towards the hallway from whence Sigma came, Ritsu began walking down a different hall, only to pass by a crying Elora.

Without hesitation, the lieutenant made her way between Iskander, Zan, and Korie, before slapping the latter two across the face. "That's quite enough, I think we have had enough foolishness for one day, have we not?" Ritsu eyed both Korie and Zan, before glaring at Iskander, "Also, you know better to carry weapons, Iskander... we know that you are a Lemuria, there's no point in hiding it. So, I'll be confiscating them," muttered the lieutenant as Spartans- elite soldiers capable of single-handedly fighting Cruxi on their own- promptly made their way and took Iskander's blades... along with anything else he may have been hiding. "Check his room too, confiscate everything that he could use as a weapon too leave it to the bare essentials such as the bed, bathroom, and the likes, got it?"

"Copy that, ma'am," spoke two of the Spartans as they made their way to Iskander's room to begin cleaning it.

Sighing again, Ritsu glared over Iskander, Korie, and Zan, before turning towards Elora. "I don't understand why do you guys do this... Didn't your Squad Leader say not to cause anymore trouble, yet here you are, one of you crying on the floor, two of your fighting, and another one caught with weapons in the middle of the hallway... yeah, you guys are really bad at not causing trouble... if Lorenzo had caught you, I'm sure you would have all have gotten a few bullet holes by now..."

Smiling softly, Ritsu walked over to Elora, wiped her tears with a handkerchief, before helping her stand up, "Look... while I don't approve of Lorenzo's methods, I'm not going to say that he's wrong either... you guys need to get along, you are a team now after all. At least for the sake for your Squad Leader too, don't give her any trouble either, okay?"

Still smiling, Ritsu gave Elora her handerchief before walking towards Zan and Korie, patting them softly on the back before helping Takeo stand up, "Also, aren't you supposed to be like a 'Paladin' of sorts? Falling down so easily isn't like you Matsuda. Stay standing, and wipe that awful look from your face, would you? You look better with a smile."

"And Iskander... if I catch you with weapons again, I wont be lenient with just taking them away; I'm cutting off a finger! Got that?" barked Ritsu as she waved a finger, although whether she was joking about cutting off a finger or not was hard to tell.

"Spartan 338, Spartan 84, please escort them to the Cafeteria, alright? I trust them, but I don't want them fight again, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," spoke the Spartans in an oddly cheerful tone of voice.

It was strange... the Spartans that were piloting the choppers and were under the command of Lorenzo were cold and even menacing, yet these ones, who were under the command of Ritsu were cheerful and even upbeat. So, this was the difference between... what could have been if this person, this woman before you, could have been the XO instead of Lorenzo...

You can only imagine and think as you are escorted by the Spartans to the Cafeteria and as Ritsu gives you a friendly wave goodbye while smiling.

When Serah entered the mess hall, one person was there. Antwon. Nobody else. While normally she'd be dissapointed by the deserted room, Ant was more than enough for the girl right now. She practically stumbles over to the older pilot, desperation in her eyes when "W-Where's Ian?! Elora said he'd be in the medbay but he's not there!" was blurted out. Sera bit her lip. "S-Sorry... I... He's probably fine... I just don't know what happened... I wasn't with you guys..." She barely managed to hold back her tears, grabbing one of the chairs to have a seat. Her legs were starting to buckle and give way, almost causing her to collapse. "...Can you... Please tell me what happened?" The girl asks the older boy, but not bothering to make eyecontact. She didn't have the strength nor will for eyecontact right now.

Well... this is surprising, Ant thought, seeing the girl in an actually somewhat serious state for once. "Oh, wow. The guy's still alive?" was Ant's first statement... but he could see from her current state that it was only making matters worse for her. "So you're telling me Lorenzo didn't finish the job...? I'm as much in the dark as you are, it seems. I left before everyone flipped their shit." Honestly, Ant was surprised Serah wasn't among them... but he kept that thought to himself, coming to the realization that he could actually use her.

"How about we do some investigating on our own, then? You want to know what happened to Ian, and I want to know what the fuck it is they're actually planning on doing with us. And it looks like nobody here's going to be giving any of us bodybags the schedule any time soon." Ant rose to his feet, reinvigorated, and made his way toward one of the exits. He looked at the girl, awaiting a response. "Well? You want answers or not?"

Serah winced when Antwon mentioned Ian should've been dead. And then the fact Lorenzo was the one who shot him. Really Serah should've been completely broken right now. Crying her eyeballs out. But that's not what was happening. All she could think of now was that bastard Lorenzo. Again he was flaunting his power. Again he treated everyone like a sack of flesh that's only being carried round out of necessity. It angered Serah. It angered her so much the tears stopped then and there. Her body stopped shaking also... Everything else was just replaced by a few fingers curling themselves towards the palm... Forming a fist.

Serah almost forgot the older boy was still there until he said something again. They wanted to investigate this event with her... But does she really want to? It's not like she'll find Ian without a clue... No. She's best off just telling everyone that... Wherever he is, Lorenzo is probably not taking care of Ian. "I refuse." The blue haired girl spat out. "Whatever we do, it's futile anyway. As long as we're being tossed around by that guy, anyway. Fucker couldn't keep the loyalty of a dog if he tried..." She hated him so much. She hated the commander so much. But it's out of Serah's power to change anything. She shook her head, trying to shake off her true feelings. "...This is so unlike me..." The girl stood up, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry... You saw me like that. I'm... I'm going to the bathroom." With that, Serah left Ant alone again.

This can't be happening. Ian got hurt, and yet you still won't stop with the senseless violence? It's a nightmare.

Elora slid down on the floor, her legs betraying her, and started crying before Ritsu intervened along with a couple of soldiers, and put an immediate end to the brawl. Ritsu was strict, but she was actually a reasonable person, and when she helped Elora up and gave a handkerchief to her the shy girl responded: "Yes, lieutenant. I'm sorry."
Elora had to become stronger, since she couldn't let her emotions run free lest she risk the professor's wrath. But more importantly, she wanted to be someone Sigma would trust and believe in. Not because she was her superior now, but because she's her friend.

Elora blew her nose on the handkerchief, and took a quick look at the others. She didn't even realize Iskander was carrying weapons before they were confiscated from him. She didn't think he was the kind of person to use them on anyone here. Then again, she saw first-hand how aggressive he can be on the battlefield, even against a support unit like her. She didn't know what to think. Then she saw Takeo, and how he was crying. This wasn't easy to anybody, not even someone who seemed as laid back as he was. But to Elora, showing emotions was not a fault, it was a sign of being a real person with real feelings, unlike Zan who appeared to be more robot than human. Though she did wonder why he and Korie started to fight.

They were soon surrounded by two of the scary soldiers. They seemed to be in a better mood than the helicopter pilots, but Elora didn't think much on that, being too distracted by the intense situation. They were then escorted to the cafeteria, and Elora sighed in relief: she could finally get something to eat. Even if it was disgusting synthetic gruel she would take it. She then spotted Serah and Antwon sitting at a table, and she wanted to join them once she filled her tray. However, Serah left the table before she could reach it, and left the mess hall once Elora sat down. "Oh," Elora said, disappointed.

Having lost her chance at talking to her she decided to stay there. She then started eating. She didn't feel like talking to Antwon, so she just kept quiet. Her thoughts ran back to Ian, Zan and Korie's fight, and finally, to Ritsu's words. There was a lot to think about.

Of course, Ant thought. Why did I figure she would be useful in the slightest? He stood there, insulted by the refusal.

"Yeah, great fucking attitude", Ant let her know, his voice echoing in the empty room as she walked off. "Give up on your friend. But I guess you're a-okay knowing he's in good hands, right?" It was becoming clear to Antwon that nobody seemed to care that their life expectancy here was going to be short... very short, at least under this leadership; or they were too stupid or afraid to see it. No... it seemed at every turn, he was alone...

...and then, he turned around. "GRUH!" Ant let out awkwardly, genuinely startled by Elora's sudden appearance. He quickly tried regaining his cool composure, then sat himself back down. "Jesus, you really are a mouse", Ant said. Then, almost as quickly as she left, Sunshine came charging back in... unfortunately for Ant with her usual disposition, as if the rainbow switch was flipped in the back of her head.

Ant let out a moan, leaving Elora's table to find his own private corner. He could tolerate the girl when she seemed to have some thoughts going on in the little head of hers, but she would rather put on a chipper facade; who the hell could be happy with this situation? Ant put in his earbuds once more in an attempt to drone out her grating, high pitched voice, and laid on one of the other long cafeteria tables. He needed to take a short nap, regain his senses... it seemed he would need plenty of it to stay sane in this place.

Serah didn't react to Ant as she left. She just couldn't. She was going to put on that grin again, beam like a rainbow and be the Serah everyone wanted to see. Nobody would like her in this state. They'd all just prefer the cheery little fluffball, the one who goes around life without a care in the world and makes others smile as much as she does. Entering the girl's bathroom, she quickly opened the faucet to let the water flow. Serah reached out her hands, letting a bit pool up before splashing it in her face. This was repeated around three times before a grin appeared on her. "No need to stand around like that, Serah~!"

The young girl wipes her face off with a paper towel before going outside again, back to the cafeteria she left so saddened-looking. Nobody needs to see me sad right now. I'd only bring them down, too. Eventually she made it over there, seeing Elora already having started to eat. "H-Hey! No fair!" she called out, running over to her table and taking a seat. Serah's cheeks were puffed up, all the while crossing her arms. "Come oooon! I leave for a bit to go to the bathroom and you start without me, Elly? No faaaaaair... You're mean..."

Takeo felt Zan's heavy fist slug into his cheek, knocking him down, but could not will himself to lift even a finger as he was dragged back to his feet and berated by the large youth. Takeo was not the tallest boy, and his feet dangled as Zan held him there.

"Are you going to stay down there like the piece of shit you are, or are you going to get up and train so you will actually be useful in the war against the Cruxi!?" Zan tossed the mechanic to the ground once again, finishing his criticism.

Takeo was used to being pushed around by kids with bigger bodies, and kids with bigger egos. He had learned to accept it in his position, and he never held it against them. Zan was no different. Indeed, Zan's attack might have been just what he needed. Some of his words stuck.

He's right. I can't break down when we lose a fighter. There is still so much to protect. Takeo looked up at the other boy, determination in his eyes, but before he could speak, Korie stepped between them. Then, the lieutenant was there, ending the conflict and helping Takeo to his feet.

"Also, aren't you supposed to be like a 'Paladin' of sorts?" Ritsu asked when the boy was standing again. "Falling down so easily isn't like you, Matsuda. Stay standing, and wipe that awful look from your face, would you? You look better with a smile."

Takeo nodded, an automatic response, and gave a small sideways grin. But I still can't forgive you, lieutenant. Or this place. He looked to the other cadets around him. A Paladin. I'll protect all of them, or die trying. No more tears.

Sigma watched as the swirls of blood and crud went drown the drain of the shower. She arched her back, feeling a slight shiver as a breeze of cold air interrupted momentarily the relentless downpour of steaming hot water. Muscles shifted in Sigma's lithe figure, which now, bare of all garments, was displaying quite a set of underlying scars and tightly-packed muscles. The body of a child. The body of a soldier.

And tears couldn't stop flowing either. Like flashes, the ghosts of that experience flayed her mind. Ian. Fucking Ian. Why was he so interested in baring his fangs. He never stood a chance. It was like a puppy trying to face off a bear. She gritted her teeth, tensing so stained. To think It would come a day that I thought Irina was soft in her handling. She scrubbed her hands. Lorenzo had ordered her... and by God, she had obeyed. She had dived firsthand in insanity and ruthlessness.

I'm a clone. And I'm turning like the original. It shouldn't surprise me. She added, while finally closing the water, sighing. She couldn't let the team know how much the damage was. She would only tell the neccessary to not have them suspicious, but she'd hold back the truth. It would break them more than what she was. They would feel betrayed by her. But what was needed in this war, was Victory, not doing the right thing. Nor make friends and acquaintances. Forgiveness would never be asked, and even if she were to be stabbed by her own team, it was all for the fate of mankind that hung in a delicate balance.

Sigma looked herself at the mirror. Truly a ghastly expression she had. She composed a slightly better, but grouchy face. I am after all, a puppet. A doll. Let the show commence. She added as she headed to get dressed up, each step taken with determination.

Should I bring the subject of Sachertorte? After all I have to pay my dues. The clone pilot thought to herself, as she flicked her hair away, revealing a single, Σ tattoo in the back of the neck. She then let a longing stare towards the shower.

Was this how your mind was broken, Beta? Sigma pondered as she marched on to get dressed, and do a briefing. But first, the meeting with the Liutenant.

@Ammokkx & @Ariamis Collab

Elora yelped when Antwon suddenly grunted loudly at him, and put her arms forward as a reflexive measure. It turned out that he didn't even notice her sitting there, which hit a strange note with her; she played with the idea that she was actually talented at staying undetected in her mind, before she discarded it as silly. Elora's lips quivered a bit, almost causing her to smile due to the funny way he acted. A laugh would have been a nice stress relieve at this point, but Elora didn't dare even giggle in his face. She got called a mouse again. She wasn't sure if he was poor-mouthing her at this point or if he genuinely believed she was a rodent; probably the former, Elora thought.

Then she heard a familiar voice; Serah came back, and Elora was happy to see her back to her usual self. "Oh, I'm so sorry Serah," Elora responded. "I didn't know. Please forgive me."

"Mou... It's still meeeaaan." Serah kept up the pouting, putting on a little act of looking away from Elora out of anger. She couldn't keep it up though, bursting into giggling directly afterwards. "I forgive you! But now you've made me hungry..." The cheery sylph of the two got up and rushed over to get her own tray, filling it up and somehow managing to be back to the table at record speed. "So, *chomp* where's everyone else?"

"I'm not sure," Elora meekly answered. A lot has been going, and she's had trouble staying up to date on everything. "Utano's in the bathroom, and Korie, Takeo, Zan and Iskander were still in the hallway outside the briefing room. I don't know about the rest. But it's weird; Sigma should have already been back from the med-bay. I wonder if she had trouble moving Ian there..."

Serah flinched at the mention of the med-bay. "I've been there... They weren't present." Shaking her head, fluffball decided not to worry Elora. "R-Really? Maybe Ian's just, uh... Getting some rest! Yeah, that could definitely be it. And Sigma might just..." Serah paused. She had no idea what to say.

Elora did notice that there was something wrong with what she said; Serah's not the type to ever revert her smile unless it was something serious. She opened her mouth in an attempt to ask her about it, but then closed it. She started thinking about the situation, and how it could get worse if she made Serah sad again. She didn't want that, not right after how she saw her fellow pilots slugging each other in pure hatred. She just wanted to have a moment of peace, and thus kept quiet about the issue. Instead, she wanted to change the subject.

"So, umm, what do you think of the other pilots? I've only managed to talk to a few of them, but Utano's a nice girl, I think."

"Everyone else? Hmmmm..." Serah put her finger to her chin, forming a thinking pose. "Ooh! I like Sigma, she's so cool! I don't know much about Utano... I'll be honest, I actually don't know who she is... Takeo seems nice..." Serah was about to comment on Antwon, but since he's sitting over yonder... Not the best idea.

"Korie seems a bit mean... I don't know about Zan... That white-haired boy hasn't said much, either..." She only had Ian left to mention. But... Not now. "That's about everyone! I hope we're all a giant group of friends after all this~! Oh! I had an idea earlier about getting everyone together to play some cards! What do you think of this idea, Elora?"

Elora nodded in agreement to what Serah said. "Yeah, Sigma is really cool. She's so reliable. Do you mean Iskander? He's scary. He was carrying weapons on him, and Lieutenant Ritsu confiscated them from him." Then Serah mentioned a get-together for cards, and Elora smiled at the idea. "That sounds like fun. I do't know how to play, but I want to learn."

"Oh so THAT's what he's called! Now I know everyone's na-aaaame~!" Serah swung her head to side to side, humming something under her breath. She ignored Elora for a bit until she caught herself dozing off again, jumping back in surprise. "O-Oh! S-Sorry for that... Ehehe... I can teach you! But first I need to get everyone together... And find a good time for it... Mou, why is this so hard?"

The blue-haired bubble of joy puted again, then coincidentally looked down. "M-My food! It'll get cold! Nooo ;~;" Serah quickly grabbed her eating utensils, starting to stuff her face.

"O-Oh!" Elora verbally reacted to Serah. "Okay, umm...mine's getting colder too..." She awkwardly said, and focused on her own food too.

Tsk...Bnt...

Finally, the eye was done as Cedric finished implanting it into Ian's socket, twirling his Calibrator as he took a step back, staring at handiwork before nodding in satisfaction. "How does it feel? I finished calibrating it just now, and it should working perfectly. You should be able to zoom-in quite a few meters, see in night-vision, and sense heat as well... oh, and heartbeats too."

Looking at the eye, the iris was silver and very human-like, although it contained two pupils instead of one... probably for show?

"I know Lorenzo said no anesthesia... but... since he isn't here and he's out getting my pizza, I've been giving you plenty so you wouldn't feel the pain," murmured Cedric as he looked over Ian. "Although, being awake is probably not healthy for you either. I do need you awake to ask you questions to make sure the parts are working correctly after all."

"We will be getting to your legs in a bit, so, if you got any questions, you might want to ask them now before Lorenzo gets here. Oh, and are you thirsty? Got some water if you need some," muttered the blue haired man as he took a glass of water and began pouring some into Ian's mouth. "It's all you're going to get by the way, so drink up now."

"Oh, and your sister misses you, so do stay strong so you can see her again real soon," murmured Cedric as he twirled his calibrator again, before glaring straight at Ian's face.

__________________________________________________________________________________

@AtomicNut

After sending off the Spartans with the rest of the squad, Ritsu continued her way down the hall, only to meet up with Sigma a little while later.

"Ah, there you are Sigma," murmured Ritsu as she looked over the new Squad Leader, noticing that she was now clean and newly dressed. Staring at her a bit, and furrowing her brow, Ritsu folded her arms before walking towards another room. "Come with me, Sigma." Going into a room that was most likely for debriefing but with multiple couches, and a table in the middle- along with a banshee standing in the corner, fully activated and staring at both Ritsu and Sigma as they entered. For a Banshee, one of the military's most powerful A.I. units against the Cruxi to be stationed here is a bit unnerving...

"Ri-Ri! Welcome! Oh, there is a Child following behind you... Is it yours?" murmured the Banshee unit as it as it promptly began to walk towards Sigma and stare at her intently.

"Heavens no, Lauren! Do we look related to you!" roared Ritsu as she glared at the Banshee with a flustered look. "Besides, do I look that old to you!"

"Well, last time I checked you were-"

"Don't answer that!"

"Sorry Ri-Ri! Hm... Shall I prepare some tea for the two of you then?" asked Lauren as it tilted its head.

"That would be perfect... Oh, and what about Lorenzo's cameras? I think Sigma and I here have a lot to talk about," said Ritsu as she turned around and gave Sigma a small smile.

"Not a problem, Ri-Ri. Lorenzo actually is out getting something to eat at the moment... Pizza, I believe? Changing the security logs should be simple!"

"Wonderful! Alright Sigma," Ritsu walked over and took a seat on the couch, before patting the seat next to her,"let's talk. Don't worry about telling me everything either, Lorenzo wont find out."

"I'll go ahead and make the tea and some snacks as well," spoke Lauren the Banshee as they began to make their way towards the connected kitchen, making heaven's know what.

________________________________________________________

As everyone was escorted to the lunchroom by the Spartans, they would see that another Spartan was zooming down the hallway chasing... something extremely fluffy, or furry? Although, they weren't attempting to shoot it which was equally odd.

A regular soldier saw what they were chasing and out of fear almost shot what they were chasing, but with quick reflexes the Spartan immediately performed a kick and knocked the soldier to the ground... before continuing to chase the fluff ball over into the kitchen

"Is that a rat?!" shouted one of the chefs as bowls and tables in the back could be heard flipping over.

"N-No you idiot, it isn't a rat it's-!" shouted a female chef as pans started flying while the Spartan darted after the white fluff ball as it booked it out of the kitchen and out into the dining hall, startling everyone... until it finally made its way over towards where Antwon was at, and promptly laid on top of his chest as it fell asleep from exhaustion.

The Spartan walked over, and poked Antwon immediately.

"Cadet, you have a stray white kitten sleeping on you. I request you dispose of it immediately."

Sigma didn't say a thing as the lieutenant led her into her quarters. Probably a private talk. Sigma sighed, expecting as much. What she didn't expect was the freaking Banshee acting like if it was the lieutenant's flatmate. She stood there for a brief moment without answering anything, just watching the construct strut around with her mouth agape. She shook her head, obviously not really believing what she had seen.

"Am I seeing things...did that unit just-" Sigma managed to piece together in a sentence, before cutting herself short. Maybe she was just going crazy with the pressure. She decided to not pay much attention to it. Whatever it was the case, it was best for her sanity to not even dwell on that. She looked at the Lieutenant's invitation, sitting besides her. Her head then tilted abruptly, leaning on the Lieutenant's shoulder. It wasn't probably appropiate, but she craved for human contact after the ghastly incident with Lorenzo.

And then she collapsed in a blubbering mess against the liutenant's chest, crying openly as oppossed of containing her tears. She didn't care anymore if she was found out. She gripped her superior tightly, sobbing and trying to form words, only failing to do so. Sigma's meltdown went for a while, before she briskly and briefly pulled herself out of the Lieutenant's proximity, only to try and compose herself, a reddened embarrassment face forming.

And then, Sigma spoke. Her words were shaky, bereft of the gravity and seriousness of her previous statements. "What am I...? I am suppossed to be a doll made of Irina Spanova's flesh. I am suppossed to be like this. But I've hurt people. Even if I had to. I will betray people, and probably do many horrible things. And yet it's what I was created for... why does it hurt so much? Am I a failure? Am I a success? What am I?"

Ritsu sat there in silence as the little girl cried into her chest and asked her many things... and for a while she just sat there with her eyes closed with a serious expression.

Until finally, she slowly wrapped her arms around Sigma and gently pulled her close, stroking her hair as she gave off a gentle smile before speaking her answer.

"You are human."

Yes, that is what her answer was. That, is what Ritsu believed even after hearing what this little girl had to say. She had read this girl's files, and despite that, she still saw her as a human being... she saw every single one of the Cadets as a human being, despite what Lorenzo or the others might see them as.

"No one is supposed to be anything, Sigma... we were never meant to be anything from birth, not even you, no matter what anyone tells you. We cry, love, hate, fear... we have all of these emotions and feelings because we are human. You aren't a doll, Sigma, and you never were one in the first place. To be honest, I've always wanted to be either a teacher or a daycare attendant... I love taking care of and helping people, especially watching little children grow up," murmured Ritsu as she squeezed Sigma a bit, chuckling to herself. "My hands are not clean either, I will admit that to you. I've taken lives and I've had to leave and sometimes even kill my friends who would try and kill me for the sake of the mission," spoke Ritsu as she continued to stroke Sigma's hair.

"It... it never gets easy, it never does, and I can't give you all the answers... I guess that's part of being human, right?"

Giving Sigma another squeeze, Ritsu continued as Lauren placed two slices of cheesecake along with some tea on the table in front of them. "Don't stop being human Sigma, for once you do, we're no better than the Cruxi... and feel free to talk to me about anything, alright? I may be a bit strict, but I've been told I'm a good listener. It's good to let it all out every once in a while."

She sat crumpled down in front of a wall in her room, the walls smeared with blood, her hands a bloody mess.

Utano gasped, breathing heavily after her fit. She had managed to control herself until she locked herself in this room they gave her, where she threw the biggest fit of her life. She had screamed, laughed, cried, cursed god, cursed her luck, blamed the government, blamed it on herself, her producers, and other things she could barely remember.

This is it, she thought. This will be the last time I show these sort of emotions. The last time I show weakness...


"Yo Utano."

She jerked awake, the lyric sheet sticking to her face as she sat up. "Ngweh..Ah, its just you, shitty brother." Utano took the paper from her face and wiped the drool on her cheek. "What do you want? I assume it's important considering you just barged into your cute little sister's room uninvited."

The man came in her room and sat down on her bed, his wide grin widening. He was just a few years older than her, taller, with very solid frame from all his work outs. Utano thinks he's secretly obsessed with his body. Kiyokawa Hotaro gave an exaggerated sigh. "Now now, is that any way to treat your brother? Ah, but more importantly, I got that job I was gunning for. Isn't that great!? Its great, isn't it? Now I can finally treat you to things, and I can bring you to live with me forever~"

"Ugh, you freaking siscon." She gave him a disgusted look. "Please give yourself up to the police."

Laughing, he stood up and patted her head, ruffling her hair in the process. "I'll be going for a while, but I promise you I'll come back when it's your birthday."

"Okay. Don't get yourself arrested, shitty brother. I hear they like people like you in prisons."

She followed him to the front door, waving goodbye as he finally took the taxi to the spaceport.



Utano opened her eyes, wondering how long she had been out.

Searching around the room, she found a small first aid box. For now, she should focus on surviving. Whatever she had to do, even if she had to lose a part of herself, she will survive. Gritting her teeth, she finished dressing her wounded hands and started bandaging them.

"Hmm, that's right~" She put on an oddly cheerful smile. "Survive first. If I'm lucky I might just survive to go home."

Ian eased himself up slightly, feeling sick and feeble from the drugs, the torture, and the surgery. He reached over to grab one of the tools with a reflective surface, bringing it up to get a look at himself. His hair was drenched in sweat, stuck together in long, limp strands, giving him a rather haggard appearance, what could be seen of his right eye seemed glazed over. And then there was his new eye, shining and strange, much improved over what he had before if Cedric was to be believed.

But Ian could hardly stand the sight of it, wanted to pluck it out of his head right now and dash it against the ground. The way it looked, the way it felt in his head, like a cold ball of metal lodged into his brain. But more than anything, he hated it for what it symbolized: his weakness and his arrogance. I let myself get spoiled in that damned house, lost whatever sense I had when I kept seeing others turn away from what I told them. I thought I was above it all . . . in a way I should be thanking that bastard for what he did to me. I needed a reality check.

You still want him dead though, right? The boy asked knowingly, the malicious glee in his voice causing Ian to smile as he set down the tool and got himself some water.

Deep down, Ian felt disgusted with these dark thoughts and feelings, but he couldn't deny them. He would kill Lorenzo one day, in the future, but for now he would wait and be the good little soldier for the madman. All good things come to those who wait, so I shall wait for the perfect moment and when it comes, I'll repay him with all the due kindness he has shown to me today with generous interest.

"No questions." Was all he said to the man, not really feeling like anything was the matter, probably due to the anesthesia dulling his senses. His mind then turned to the last thing the man had said . . . about his sister. "Actually, I do have one . . . Does Lorenzo have my sister?"

@Gnar The Missing Link

Ant was motionless, looking practically dead in his slumber. One could probably safely assume he was, if it weren't for his snoring. His dreams were a pleasant enough escape from his current circumstance... surfing through the stars on a massive guitar, jamming death metal on another as it shot lasers at impeding asteroids. Something like that, anyway, until--

--"BLUH!" He grunted out loud enough for everyone to hear, half from shock and half from the sudden weight on his midsection. He was half-awake now... still not exactly sure what he was looking at. It was round, white, and covered in fur. If Ant hadn't known better, it looked like a living snowball had taken refuge on him.

Still laying down, perplexed and just staring at the thing, one of the resident meatbags walked over to Ant and poked him. Ant just averted his gaze slowly from the cat to the neanderthal. What in the everliving fuck is going on? "Yes, hello there. Normally, human beings use salutations."

"Cadet, you have a stray white kitten sleeping on you. I request you dispose of it immediately."

Ant then brought his gaze slowly back on the... kitten. Kit-tan? The word was foreign. Ant sat up, grabbing the cat and holding it up. He and the thing had a long stare... it seemed to be uncaring in its gaze, being half-awake itself. But there was an immediate spark in Ant's mind... if the others would be so useless in finding answers, perhaps he could form an alliance with this thing.

Ant put the cat back into his lap, now that he was sitting upright, and the thing proceeded to get comfortable once again. "You can dispose that demand up your rectum, private. I have uses for this creature."

As soon as Zan finished speaking, a black blur was all that he would see in front of his face as the back of his head made contact with the ground; Korie had kicked them with the back of their boot.

"You shouldn't have done that, Zan..." said the pilot Korie.

Korie got in front of Takeo, and glared at Zan, clicking their boot hard against the floor and ready to hit again if needed.

"Takeo... You are right, maybe I do reek of this place because I know too much, but I wish I didn't. But know that he will be fine, he wont die... I know that he wont... although, I can't say the same for Zan here if he tries something stupid again." said Korie to Takeo.

Zan got back on his feet. He gripped his chin with his right hand's thumb and index finger and cracked his neck. There a small hole in his bottom lip that was bleeding, because of one of his teeth 'punched' through it.

"I find it funny how the 'robot' is the one who is trying to act all different now... Let me guess, did a few screws go loose or did you get a reprogramming?" glaring at Zan, Korie promptly raising their hands in a defensive position, clenched their fists, readied their legs. It would seem that despite their build that they clearly knew how to fight, and they had every intention to.

Zan didn't get into a combat position at all. "Its pretty hard for a few screws to go loose when there is no screws and there is also nothing for the screws to go into. I'm just doing what I was told to do." Zan was just starting to walk away, when Elora walked in a started yelling a little.

"P-Please...stop fighting...stop...STOP FIGHTING!"

Zan was slightly confused, since he wasn't fighting anyone at all, he was actually about to walk away. "I don't know what you are talking about kid, I haven't even laid a hand on Korie," responded Zan.

Zan seen Lieutenant Ritsu coming down their hallway, out of the corner of his eye. He immediately saluted and stood at attention. Then Lieutenant Ritsu slapped him across the face, which Zan saw coming, but he remained still. He even turned his face with the slap, so to make sure his superior felt a little amount of pain, if any at all. Otherwise it probably would have felt like smacking a brick wall. "That's quite enough, I think we have had enough foolishness for one day, have we not?" Ritsu eyed both Korie and Zan, before glaring at Iskander, "Also, you know better to carry weapons, Iskander... we know that you are a Lemuria, there's no point in hiding it. So, I'll be confiscating them," muttered the lieutenant as Spartans promptly made their way and took Iskander's blades. "Check his room too, confiscate everything that he could use as a weapon too leave it to the bare essentials such as the bed, bathroom, and the likes, got it?"

"Copy that, ma'am," spoke two of the Spartans.

Lieutenant Ritsu sighed again as she glared over Iskander, Korie, and Zan, before turning towards Elora. "I don't understand why do you guys do this... Didn't your Squad Leader say not to cause anymore trouble, yet here you are, one of you crying on the floor, two of your fighting, and another one caught with weapons in the middle of the hallway... yeah, you guys are really bad at not causing trouble... if Lorenzo had caught you, I'm sure you would have all have gotten a few bullet holes by now..."

Zan now really had no idea what quite a few people were talking about. "Ma'am, I have not received any orders from Squad Leader Sigma." Which he was saying the truth since he had left before Sigma had ordered the others not to causing any trouble. "Also Lieutenant Ritsu, I was just about to take my leave of this situation, ma'am "

Lieutenant Ritsu then walked over to Elora and helped her stand up and said some more things. Then she patted Zan and Korie on their backs. She also helped Takeo up and said some things to him. After that she threatened Iskander. She had two Spartans escort them to the Cafeteria, which Zan felt was a wast of resources.

When they got to the Cafeteria, Zan grabbed some food. Which most of his fellow pilots would think that it was a lot of food, but to him it was slightly smaller than the amount he gets normally. He sat down at a table by himself, the seat creaking some becuase of his weight. Zan continued eat while the 'chaos' erupted in the Cafeteria. Well he was until Antwon's response to the Spartan's request. Zan stopped eating and got up and walked over to where Antwon was sitting. "You do not treat a superior with disrespect, if you want to live that is." said Zan in a very serious voice to Antwon. Zan wasn't threatening Antwon, he just figured XO Lorenzo would not be happy with a subordinate talking to a superior with disrespect.

Sigma just stood silent, breathing slowly, not moving an inch. What was all that about? The lieutenant gave her physical contact in return for her question. And she didn't shy from it. She was too tired to even make out anything out of it. The clone pilot only got a few words in of all the conversation, the vast majority of it was spent in a comforted hug.

This is kind of nice. I guess this is how a motherly hug feels? Never experienced it and Oh my god she's stroking my hair!Sigma briefly let out a comforted sigh upon Ritsu's prompt. Memories came back, the few sweet ones she had from her upbringing. The same face, the same body. They all cluttered together when it was time to rest and sleep, trying to find warmth in eachother. Beta, Sigma, Tau, Omega... the survivors of the first culling, which would then dwindle in numbers even more.

But, even so, nice things were bound to end. Sigma's attention was once brought when the lieutenant confessed about her share of darkness. Sigma then gently left the embrace, her head tilting slightly towards the Lieutenant. "There's never a simple answer. Isn't it? I must keep asking things, like every single human..." Sigma looked at the Lieutenant, a previously unseen expression creeping in Sigma's visage. "I appreciate your offer, Liutenant. I have no doubts you would have been an excellent teacher. I wouldn't mind having you as teacher." The young pilot said, before her eyes wandered into.

Cheesecake.

All in a sudden, sparks were lit in Sigma's eyes, and the previously tempered behaviour she had displayed was thrown out of the window, as she literally latched on her plate, and chewed on the dessert like a demented hamster on drugs. Closing her eyes with pure bliss, she kept chewing at the cake, cheeks almost at bursting capacity while she closed her eyes to enjoy the flavour. Sigma could even hear celestial music in her ears as she did so.

When she finally opened her eyes, she beamed at the Lieutenant, her serious expression quickly setting in place as she cleared her throat, a shade of fluster in her cheeks.

"The cake was good." She said in a dignified disposition as she realized something. "But, may I ask to borrow your kitchen? I have a debt to pay, Lieutenant."

@Raijinslayer

Cedric paused a bit, not at the question... but at how to answer the question without revealing to much. Despite knowing how important he was to Lorenzo, leaking too much might just get himself killed... although, giving the boy hints to get him to his own conclusion wouldn't be against protocol, now would it?

"Yes and no; I suppose the most accurate term would be that you both have her," said Cedric as he began to work on Ian's legs by adding synthetic parts. "You have seen her on a regular basis though, so saying that Lorenzo is holding her away from you would be a lie."

"Sorry, but that's all I can say. Although, Lorenzo and I have talked about many things in this room by ourselves plenty of the time," Cedric coughed aloud as he casually eyed the Cruxi... hinting that perhaps it may have overheard some things. "Although, getting anyone to talk may be a bit difficult... although, there is a saying that sometimes creatures are unable to speak without first eating intelligent cells."

"Or I could be bullshitting you too. Risk equals rewards after all," spoke Cedric as he continued his operation upon Ian, before standing up and leaning and whispering into Ian's ear before continuing his business. "Door will be unlocked... Have fun finding the truth."

______________________________________________________________________________________

@Dondude@Thanatos

The Spartan didn't seem all that indifferent towards the Cadets and their bickering, nor did he seem offended by Antwon's remark. "My rank is Sergeant, not Private by the way, Cadet. Anyway, I was planning to release that kitten into the wilds, but as long as you are planning to take care of it... I don't see a problem."

Casually walking off, the the Spartan eyed the other Cadets, before nodding at them all. "I'll leave it up to you all as to who will be in charge of Snowball," he said before continuing out of the cafeteria.

The kitten, however, simply forced its way out of Antwon's hands, before biting Zan for making such a loud ruckus and hoping down on the table once more to curl up into it's fluffy fluff ball of joyous wonder before going back sleep.

Someone has to take care of the kitten... someone. For god knows what'll happen if Lorenzo sees this.

______________________________________________________________________________________

@AtomicNut

Ritsu simply laughed as Sigma happily ate the cheesecake, before patting her softly on the head.

"Yes, that is perfectly fine Sigma, you are more than welcome to use my kitchen whenever you feel like it, just as long as Lauren or myself are here."

"Heh, she really did like it, didn't she?" spoke Lauren as she tilted her head.

"Yes, she did... mind packing up another one before she goes?"

"Of course!" spoke the Banshee as it proceeded to wrap one up for Sigma for later. After placing another slice of cheesecake in a small box and placing it on the table, Lauren promptly looked towards Sigma, and, if the robot could, it would probably be smiling right now.

"But yes, Sigma, feel free to come by here anytime... It's necessary to relax every once in a while and be ourselves, you know? If we're always being soldiers then we will eventually forget our humanity at some point. So don't be afraid to be human, alright?" Hummed Ritsu as she smiled at Sigma.

Serah finishes stuffing her face as soon as Snowball jumps on the table. Naturally she flinched. Also naturally was that she started coughing and choking on the food she was still swallowing. "OH- COUGH COUGH HELP- COUGH" She didn't notice the spartans walking over to the table considering the coughing spree, although it didn't last very long. It seemed to calm down, but then Snowball jumped out of Antwon's hands. Why? To bite Zan's hand of course! Now Serah had to laugh, and AGAIN started choking on her half-swallowed meal. "NOT COUGH COUGH COUGH AGA- COUGH -IN! COUGH" The storm calmed down just as rapidly as it came, but now the girl's eyes were all teary and her throat was soar.

"Uguuu... I should eat my food more sloooowlyyyy..." While feeling sick and out of air, Serah still got a better look at the kitten. "ohmygoshitsofluffy" She nearly jumped up from her chair to grab and snuggle it, but then the memory of Ant holding it earlier sprung into Serah's mind. She didn't really get a good look in, but she just assumed it was his cat... Somehow. "Aaaaantwoooon, not faaaair... Why do you get such a cute kitty..."

Ian tried his best to focus on what the man was saying, but the amount of drugs he had in his system were keeping hinm from thinking to clearly on the matter. As soon as the man was done and went on his way, Ian stood up and walked out the door without a word, hoping he'd be able to remember what was said to him later. He did take a second, however, to stare at the chained up Cruxi prisoner. He couldn't help but feel a small amount of pity for the creature, no matter what it had done or would continue to do if it hadn't been caught, it didn't deserve to be turned into the savage mess that laid out before him. A few more seconds of staring before he continued on his way, heading first to his room to change his shirt for one not covered in his own blood. His steps were shaky at first, and his bandaged shoulders were beginning to ache as the anesthetic wore off, but after a few more steps, he was able to mostly ignore the pain and walk reasonably well.

The new legs felt . . . strange, a lot stiffer than before, and the feeling of cold metal against the stumps just below his knees was something that would take a while to get used to. The more he walked, the clearer his head became, and the more he thought about what Cedric had told him. It sounds like total bullshit . . . but I don't get the feeling that he was lying, nor that he was telling me the whole truth. Dammit all, what the fuck have they done to my sister that it has to be such a secret. And what does he mean 'seen her on a regular basis.' He felt like the answer was just on the tip of his tongue, but he was missing the needed info to piece everything together. All in all, a very frustrating feeling

Ian arrived in his room, and pulled up a shirt to put over his uniform, effectively hiding . . . most of the bloodstains, thougg quickly finding a pair of pants took care of hiding the rest. After that, he reset the bandana he had on so that his new robotic eye was covered by his hair. The less everyone knew about that little add-on the better. If they found out how he got it, then they would almost certainly begin to doubt Sigma, and while he had his own issues on how he should feel about his squad leader, he knew that sowing distrust this early in the team was not a good idea.

Once he was sure he looked presentable, and that his head wasn't as fogged up as before, he walked down to the mess hall. Upon arrival, however, he was surprised to find that the crew had gained a new member in the form of a little white ball of fur. A ball of fur that belonged to Antwon, if Serah's whine was to be believed. Ian made sure to that his eye and legs was properly hidden, not wanting anyone to panic on his account. He also didn't want to think back to what happened, knowing that it could very likely cause him to breakdown, the last thing he wanted to do in front of his comrades. After a final check, he walked into the open with his trademark smile, though it was rather strained as his wounds began to throb in rebellion to any and all action.

"Hey everyone, what did I miss while I was getting fixed up?"

@Ammokkx
@Ariamis
@Dondude
@Thanatos
@GreenGoat
@Dead Cruiser
@Gnar The Missing Link