After my most ideal game plan is gone over and debated among my old friends it begins to grow late so we all decide it's around time to head off to bed or home. I say my goodbyes, as the four leave to go fulfill their parts of the plan. While I trust their abilities to pilot AMS and fight on the ground, at the end of the day they are still in their forties or late thirties. Mixed with the surgeries and mechanical implants for being an AMS pilot of our generation, their bodies are worn and they won't be able to keep up with someone much younger, they may be wiser and more skilled, but you can only do so much when you are sucking wind and your vision goes double from fatigue.

I am loaded onto the same flyer as before and zip back to the academy. Once landed I am surprised by the pilot handing me a box. It's a simple polymer lockbox with the key attached by a chain. It's a little heavy but nothing extreme. It has "From Kassandra" written on it in silver marker. I take it and head back to my room. Upon entering my room I set the box down and open it. What I see inside makes me feel almost like a child getting a puppy. Inside is a really nice carbine. I pick up the mostly polymer weapon and get a feel for it. Its barrel is just short enough to be called a carbine, but not so short as to be cumbersome at range.

The carbine is clearly of the old m-16/ar-15 bolt carrier group, with the same locked bolt system as well. The old saying, "If it ain't broke don't fix it." comes to mind when looking over it. I take the gun apart and get a feel for the really simple interior. If it wasn't for the exterior furniture and the shell extractor, this gun is absolutely just an ar-15 or m-16. The box also comes with ten fully loaded 45 round magazines, with modern technology for bullet casings, the magazines are the same size as the old 30 round ones, just a little heavier. I check the bullets and see they are the older 5.56x45mm NATO rounds from before the war, despite having been replaced with something else since then. The tips of each bullet is painted a dark green color. Armor-piercing rounds, this makes sense as I've seen what modern body armor is capable of, and I think a standard round might just bounce right off.

I insert a magazine and chamber a round before putting the gun back in the case after making sure the safety is on. There is one more thing in the box as well. Towards the bottom is an articulated shirt made of some weird material. It looks kinda like how a centipedes shell interlocks with itself. I lift up the shit and see it's more of a vest. I see a note at the bottom of the box it reads,

"Mike, I packed this so that you can be safe in the problems ahead. This vest is the best and lightest I can make. Don't be stupid and think you are invincible. It can maybe stop a few shots from a standard assault rifle with armor-piercing rounds, but that's it. It's meant to fit under a shirt and hopefully not be seen. The gun is well something I made for fun, I hope you like it.

-Kassandra.

P.S-

I can't predict your actions yet, due to your current personality, but if I'm right you are about to have trouble on your doorstep. Do me a favor and survive."

I smile at the last part as I fold the vest and set it at the foot of my bed before locking the box and stripping down to my underwear before curling up in my bed. To say I'm not nervous would be a lie. I am nervous as I don't know what's going to happen, and I don't believe I have the wisdom to really follow through with my plan, and if I do have enough, do I have the instinct to do it?

I lie curled up in bed and I feel my hands shaking and a deep pit form in my gut. I feel my breathing go ragged as I keep thinking about the future, and how there is no way to escape. As of now my only options are to either rollover and die, or to stand and fight. This nervousness comforts me though. I had worries in my mind that I'd lost myself during these hectic last few months. That unfeeling sense when I am fighting wasn't my mind becoming lost, it was just me relying on instinct to win. The fear of the future means I still am human and that I do not want to die.

As I slowly begin to drift to sleep I am awake again, I heard a sound, and this time not from outside my room. I listen to the horrible sound of my door slowly unlocking before being opened with delicate care as to not wake me up. I calm my breathing as much as I can taking deep and long breaths to sound as if I am sleeping. I am facing away from the door and I hear it latch closed. That means I am no longer alone in this room. I concentrate deeply listening for footfalls and breathing. I hear very light footsteps approach my bed careful as ever. I finally hear the breathing of my unwanted guest, it's calm and rhythmic. They aren't nervous or afraid. A trained killer if I've ever heard one. I unclench my fists in front of me, getting ready to grab my assailant when I feel weight sit down on my bed. "What the fuck?" I think to myself, as I now imagine the other person as some sadistic serial killer rather than an assassin, no assassin would ever do that, but the breathing remains calm, someone who is a killer like that would be giddy with excitement, what's the point of being a sadistic serial killer if you don't enjoy it?

They remain still for a time before I feel the weight shift and the hairs on my body all begin to stand on end. Adrenaline begins pumping through my veins as I feel the fear leave me, leaving behind only the will to survive at all costs. I feel a fingertip gently touch my back and I spin over quickly before grabbing the wrist of the other and throwing them face-first into the bed. I put their wrist behind their back in a policeman's hold and sit down on top of their hips to hold them down. They feel, oddly light, and where I am seated feels too soft to be a trained killer, who normally would be solid as a rock, especially when getting held down like this. The person feels, weak.

I give them a quick run over with my hand and feel nothing hard, or sharp so they might be unarmed. I say to them quietly,

"Listen close, tell me why you are here, and who sent you, I have a knife and I'll gut you like a damn fish"

I lie about the knife, but I won't tell and intruder I am unarmed.They speak in a muffled tone for a bit before I realise I'm smothering them in my sheets. I pull up on their arm, lifting them and causing pain in their shoulder. They cry out in a familiar voice,

"Mike you shitass! Its Liberty!"

I cuss and let go dropping her before climbing off of her. That voice was definitely her. I sit on the edge of my bed and say to her,

"Don't you know youre not supposed to sneak up on a sleeping vet right? Why are you here?"

She sits up and in the dark I cant see her well but I can tell she is rolling out her shoulder. She then replies,

"I came to talk, and you're right, I force unlocked your door with admin priveliges and did kinda creep up on you. I can only really blame myself for getting attacked. But it can't be comfortable to sleep with a knife."

I exhale sharply and say,

"I lied, always act like you have a deadly advantage over a foe, makes them fight less."

She sighs before replying in a defeated voice,

"That... makes sense. You are you, and even more so getting closer to the old version."

I snap back,

"What does that mean, and most of all, what is it you have to talk about?"

I see her head shake side to side a few times before I hear her exhale loudly. She then explains,

"It's about your actions yesterday, or atleast the night before yesterday. What you did was right, incredibly so, but you do know the can of worms you opened up right? I've got mountains of paperwork and reporters already up my ass. The prime minister of the Solar Empire wants your head, and possibly dick, along with every faculty member at this academies, on a silver plate.

The ginger is not being sent to the Solar Empire till expulsion is complete, but after that I assume shits going to get really bad, really quick.

I tell you this because... well lets just say I owe you one... so I'll do what I can to protect you."

I shake my head now, before saying back to her,

"I don't need your help here. I'm not being cocky, I got my old squad to help me, my friends who never pulled a knife out of my back. I don't know why you owe me, but it's safe to forget it..."

I see her shake her head hard before she grabs my arm in a suprisingly strong grip,

"Mike, it pains me you can't remember anything, I only barely understand the reason why! The favor I owe isn't something I can just drop, and about betrayal... I don't think there is a person you once knew who hasn't betrayed you! Mike. I don't want you to be alone against the world again, and now that you are present, you will die."

I feel frustration grow inside me and I say back sharply without rasing my voice,

"What the fuck do I know? This whole goddamned world I've woken up in has been shit on shit time and time again! I wake up, can't remember my own damn father, am missing half of my body, get roped into a wack-shit science experiment, and have to go be a gladiator, then to top it all off I get roped into a stupid fucking space political drama, and now I'm being told I can't trust anyone, and I don't know why.

So tell me Liberty... if everyone has betrayed me... How can I trust you won't again?"

She sits quietly for a moment, contemplating, or maybe just forming a sentance. My breathing is heavy and slow due to my body reacting to my anger. I just hate I don't know, or don't remember what's going on, and most of all, why I can't know.

Finally after what feels life forever Liberty speaks slowly and calmly,

"Matuity Mike... I have gained maturity. The number of times you saved my life, the number of times you gave me good advice, and the number of times you've shrugged off my mistakes, shouldering a burden of my creation... I didn't realise it back then how much you did for me, and how much I did to you... looking back I am suprised you hadn't tried to kill me sooner than what you did. Then even after that you still carried on, just like before, and even after that still saved my life.

What I owe you is embarassing for me to share, and I won't share it as well... it's to much, but at my lowest, and most wreched, you lifted me up and saved me from myself, someone who betrayed you, resulted in the death of your cherished comrades and almost yourself.

Even if you don't want it, and however much I may not want it, I owe you my life, and everything I have I owe to you. If you ask, I will do without fail, but please, don't deny help from me, I won't say I will never betray you, but I will do what I can. "

I let out a long sigh calming myself down, I don't forgive her for what she did in the past, but I don't hate her, I don't know the full story, despite wanting to, but that looks like I will never learn it, it seems. I then say back to her,

"Alright, I'll let you help. What can, and will you do?"

She hesitates for a moment, expecting a longer reply, but I'm so far up shit creek any help is appreciated, even if it might be temporary or even very limited. She collects her words and says,

"Right now I'm keeping the media vultures away of course, but aside from that, you are receiving no punishment from the academy as you defended another student. On top of that, your identity will be hidden so long as you are part of this academy, unfortunately, that's as far as my power extends."

I thank her for what she has done so far. Honestly, the media is the last thing I need on my ass right now, as for Clauss, I hope he gets nice and acquainted with cameras and microphones, I want his name dragged through the mud, especially his family name, that will make things go smoother if that faction loses power and support.

I shift slightly in my seated position and it causes my legs to hit against one another letting a surprisingly loud clang ring through the quiet room breaking my train of thought. I also realize I've just been sitting quietly for a few minutes and Liberty had been sitting quietly as well. I say quietly,

"Anything else? "

I can't see her expression in the darkness but she suddenly moves forward to touch me, but when her hand makes contact with my chest she instantly stops all motion before asking,

"Mike... be honest with me... are you naked right now?"

I make a strange choking noise before replying,

"No... I sleep in just my underwear... I hope you aren't doing anything perverse right?"

She recoils instantly and says very embarrassedly,

"Well... no, but this makes me entering your room unannounced, and especially touching you whatsoever incredibly... not okay!"

I say back,

"Isn't entering my room unannounced already not okay?"

She stammers something out before saying,

"Y-yeah, but my intentions are and were pure! I don't know what to do, or what!"

I shake my head and laugh at the absurd situation, first, the headmaster of my academy enters my room, then has a heart to heart with me, which results in some unsaid things that needed to be said, getting said, and finally, she's upset that she may seem like a pervert.

I actually fall backward off my bed and onto the ground in my fit of laughter, it's not that funny of a situation, but I feel as if my laughing will cure my anxieties. She tries to say something to me but I can't tell what it is. I start calming down, sitting up, and I can just barely see Liberty on the far side of the room and then the lights turn on and I am blinded by the sudden flash.

My dark adjusted eyes hurt from the bright white of the ceiling light and I close my eyes and slowly open them to adjust, who thought white fluorescent tubes are a good idea for a bedroom? Then something hits my face and I go into darkness again. When I open my eyes I see a blue veil. I remove the cloth from my face and look down to see it is a shirt. I don't look up because it's not one of mine. I gulp and before I speak Liberty says in a mischievous tone,

"Now look who's perving on their headmaster!"

I frown and feel my gut sink a little and I say flatly, my previous humorous mood gone,

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to disrespect you, or your looks, but with current events, I am not interested in things like that right now... you know what I walked into the night before... "

I look up at her and sure enough, she has her shirt off and now just stands there looking guilty. I throw her shirt back towards her and she says back sheepishly after putting her shirt back on,

" I'm sorry, that was bad taste, I guess I was remembering something from the past... I remember jokes like that used to be one of the few things that would make you smile... God... I remember that shitty island, can't believe co-ed showers were even allowed. I'm sorry..."

I sigh with my mood dampened and reply,

" It's okay I guess, I'm not mad, just that was a bad scene. Normally I'd probably be all flustered, but not today... Thank you though, not many men can say they get a good show like that."

I give her a half-smile and we say our goodbyes and she leaves. I sigh really feeling awkward now. That was a shit show, but also good in a way. I still don't know what's going on behind my back, but it's good to have more people on my side.

I shut off my lights and roll over in my bed and now with something else on my mind, and it being well into the AM I roll over and fall asleep quickly.

I have a strange dream though, a memory I think. I find myself lying on my back in some soft grass. I think I'm on an island overlooking a peaceful white sand beach with beautiful blue waves gently crashing after being broken on a vibrant reef. The sky is a beautiful blue with white clouds spread all about looking like cotton. There is a gentle breeze blowing across the ocean keeping the temperature at a perfect warmth without being too strong. I look down at my crossed legs and feel my calf flex and toes wiggle in the boots I'm wearing. I feel at peace lying there, with no worries, and no responsibilities at the moment.

I hear some people on the hill above me having a conversation. They can't see me due to me being on the side of the hill so I could look at the ocean easier. The people get closer but I don't mind, I don't know who they are, but they are also just enjoying the perfect weather, like me. When they get close I listen to them set up a picnic above me, can't say that's too bad of an idea. If I know them then I might ask for a bite as well. I recognize one of the voices as Liberty, younger sounding, of course, she is talking with a few other women as well, probably other soldiers, but despite not knowing who they are, I seemingly know that they are female members of my squad. I think one sounds vaguely like Helena.

They talk back and forth about random girl stuff and I just ignore it, I don't wanna eavesdrop on them when I hear names that gain my interest. I just manage to hear one of them say "Freddie" and when I listen in they seemingly fawn over him. This confuses me, but I can't remember what he used to look like, maybe he was quite dashing back in the day? Probably considering what they say about him, they even say some things about him that would make a $50 hooker blush.

I listen to them go through the other male members of the squad, and they say some really vile things, not just sexual, but also a little bit of racial stereotyping, while technically compliments, mostly about endowment, are still a stereotype.

Then I hear someone I don't recognize ask,

"What do you gals think of Lieutenant Mike?"

I want to cover my ears, but I am curious and continue to listen intently. I am confused as the whole group seems to go quiet for a moment before another one I don't remember replies,

"You mean, 'No Dick Rich" right? Yeah, Ummm no, not a million years. He's not rude or ugly, but I mean there has to be something wrong with him, I've tried flaunting to him in the shower, I've given him tasteful peeks, but nothing. He just smiles, nods, and sometimes says 'Thanks!' Nothing... I swear he has to be a eunuch or something."

This causes the girls to giggle a little before Liberty says,

"Yeah, the guy is like a brick wall, even his gaze feels as empty and blank, just right through you. He's a weirdo too, with no emotion, and the only time I see the guy smile it looks to be either fake, as you talked about, or when someone tells a really fucked up joke. "

There is a round of agreement when the last unknown woman says,

"I would be critical of the guy, and I'm going to kind of defend him here. He has been absolutely good to us. Remember, he remembers everyone's birthday, and every holiday he gets us all gifts. Plus without fail, he keeps us safe on the field even if it causes him pain, plus he'll take chores if you ask him nice enough."

The one that sounds like a younger Helena says,

"So... let's just like lead him along. What harm can it cause? I think if we keep pushing he might step up what he does for us. Maybe we can win this war and not have to break a nail?"

The one who initiated the talk about me replies,

"So... Make him our SIMP?"

There is a round of laughter as another one says,

"Wow, now that is a fucking old term. Hi. The late 2010's called they want their term back!"

They all laugh and agree with the plan. I find myself more confused than anything. Why the hell would they say that? I mean I get it if I am horrible with women, some people just aren't. Why is this my dream? As my vision begins to fade without input from me I simply stand up and walk past the picnic as all the women stare at me in horror and I simply wave with a smile on my face.

I wake up later than usual and it's already almost noon. I swear at myself for the fucked up dream, but I wonder what my subconscious wanted to tell me. I skip my workout today as I have work to do. I head over to my desk and get a pen and a stack of paper. I then begin writing. No matter what's going on I need Seraphina to denounce Claus publicly. I am writing her speech, well more like notes for her to sorta say.

When I am happy with what I wrote I get dressed and then I go and knock on her door. She answers hesitantly and I say,

"I need you to make a statement about the current situation to the news. Set up a press conference or something, I recommend doing this, of course without stating who was the victim, just denounce the family, I think that can start the chain reaction I am looking for."

She nods silently and replies,

"If you're sure this is the right plan I'll get it set up."

I simply just smile and return to my room. I take off my clothes, open the gun-box, and put on the body armor. I then put my dress suit on and get myself looking all knightly. I even shave the little wispy hairs off my chin and face. I then head over to the sporting goods store and buy an appendix carry holster from the backroom as well as a magazine carry rig that goes over my shoulders like two backpack straps.

Back in my room I put all my magazines for my carbine in the holders and put it on with the pistol holster. I get my old pistol loaded into it and have its spare magazines put in convenient pockets on the inside of the suit jacket. Getting all dressed again I check myself out in the mirror, the holders do what I wanted them to do, they hold extra ammo, and are nearly unnoticeable under the jacket.

I start to head out the door without my carbine to say something to Seraphina when I open the door she is there. She lets me know we have three hours until the conference and she will be getting ready. I nod and take my carbine, hiding it in a bag before heading to the designated auditorium. As workers and newscasters rush to get ready and into better spots I take my place on the stage with my bag which I set down in front of me with the zipper open in a way where no one but me can see it. Simply turn off safe and I'm ready to go. My honest plan is for my enemies to try and make a move, anything rash or extreme will cause everything to fall into place. I just hope they aren't in overwhelming force.

Time ticks by slowly as the auditorium fills. I keep my eyes peeled but try my best to look relaxed and lazy. I need surprise on my side. Finally, the time is here to start and I simply just stand up as Seraphina enters the spotlight looking divine, she really did most likely need all three hours to get ready, that dress and makeup work can't be easy to get around. She then begins her speech.

"To all my faithful subjects, and those who ally themselves with my great empire, I have terrible news that breaks my heart to tell to you all. As you have heard one of the nobility of my great empire has committed a heinous crime. I will not release the name of the victim for their sake, but I will have it be known it was the son of our esteemed prime minister Claus Harrington. I am announcing here today he is herby stripped of all his titles, awards, and social standing. His actions were so awful I will not say them aloud and will let you all read about them at your own discretion.

This hurts me greatly as I considered him a close friend, almost as if he were a brother to me as his father, my prime minister did his best to help raise me after the death of my own father. I don't know what to think about their family anymore, that they allow their heir to be this rotten, and cruel, and even now they try to free him from his confinement here on earth as he awaits punishment. If I had the option, I would remove the entire family from their position due to this, but I am not stupid, Instead I herby order..."

She is interrupted by the sound I was waiting for, the doors are kicked open and armed men storm the building, of course, they came in full force. Without thinking I draw my carbine and in one swift motion run and scoop Seraphina up and carry her over my shoulder off stage as gunfire erupts behind us, The armed men begin taking fire from inside the crowd, maybe things would get interesting now.

A man with a gun comes from a side door and raises it. I quickly aim and put a bullet through his skull causing him to fall limply to the ground. I run over to him and quickly untie the shoes he is wearing. I take them off and come back to Seraphina. I ask her,

"How expensive is that dress and how many do you have?"

She is stunned before replying,

"It's worth well over twenty thousand, and I have a dozen identical why?"

Without a word, I grab the glittering fabric and tear the lower half of the dress off making it only knee-length rather than the long, flowing dress that has a dragging tail, like it was before. It tore a little easier than I thought it should. Before she can say anything I knock her to the ground and yank her fancy heels off before shoving her feet into the oversized shoes, only about two sizes too large, I guess the dead man had baby feet. I tie them on tightly and put her back on her feet and say over the gunfire,

"We need to get out of here, I expected one or two gunmen, not a whole ass tactical platoon! And not to mention the other random gunmen!"

She starts to say something but I shove her behind me as two of the armored soldiers appear around the corner. I shoot once and the bullet causes their head to jerk backward, but it doesn't penetrate. I cuss and toggle to full auto. I hold the gun firm and fire an eight-round burst into the one I already shot. At least one went through and they collapse. The other fires once and I feel the wind knock from me as I fall to one knee before giving them a ten-round to the chest. They fall dead as well.

I suck wind before grabbing Seraphina by her clothing and drag her behind me towards the fire exit. I open it slightly to check outside. I see an AMS standing outside with the Imperial crest on it. I quietly close the door and try to think about what to do. The main gunfight is slowing down so I know the winner will be heading my way soon. I quickly look around the dimly lit backstage and find something odd. I find a hatch on the ground and open it up. Inside is a ladder leading to red-lit tunnels. I stick my head down and look both ways and see no one and tell Seraphina to climb. She does and I follow her. I close the hatch behind us and we hurry down the tunnel, moving blindly. I stop to read a directions sign on the wall after a few bends. I find the color of pipe that will lead to the main offices building of the academy. There is no path to the security station, but I assume that is getting raided at the moment too.

We walk quietly down the tunnels as I keep my eyes on the colored pipe. I listen intently for any sound that might be pursuers. The pipe leads to a dead end with a ladder. I climb it and peek out of the hatch. The room on the other side is blank concrete with mop buckets and the main breaker box. I exit and help Seraphina exit. I put some heavy-looking bottles of cleaner on top of the hatch as a hope it can dissuade a pursuer.

The room is silent except for our breathing. I sit down on the ground and hold my sternum right where I was shot, no blood but it hurts like a bitch and definitely cracked some ribs at the least. Seraphina looks scared and asks me,

"I knew a civil war would start, or at least begin to start with that, but I had no idea it would be so... uncivil."

I shake my head and reply,

"You have never seen war, no matter what form it takes, it's rarely civil... and anyways that was a smart plan. I think the heavily armed guys want you alive, the others I can't say. Right now we just need an exit plan. I want to try to make it to the AMS hangar, but those tunnels for some reason didn't lead there. I assume inside this building there might be an access tunnel."

She nods and sits down hugging her knees and she asks,

"Are you okay?"

I nod and reply,

"Takes more than that to kill me."

I get up with a grunt and take off the dress shoes. I take off my socks where my metal feet are the only thing on the floor, the treads on the bottom offering better traction than dress shoes, also no weird heel also for some reason quieter.

I check through the cleaners and find isopropyl alcohol. I douse a rag in it and toss it to Seraphina. I say,

"I don't want makeup in your eyes when you start sweating. Wipe it off."

She nods and does so. I get another rag and cover it in water from a tap in the corner. I hand it to her after she removes the layers of seemingly glowing makeup. I get a drink from the tap and gear up. I have 25 rounds left in this magazine.

I help Seraphina to her feet and slowly exit the janitor's closet. The basement feels empty and sounds empty, but I keep my guard up and silently stalk down the halls looking for more maintenance or janitor closets. Instead, I find a conference room with two armed men inside, not the armored one, they look to be workers in jumpsuits but they both carry submachineguns and are conversating about how boring this post is. I don't have time to check if they are friends or foe. I'll sort that out later. Two shots and two kills. I listen for a bit to see if anyone is coming to check out the gunshots. Over the ringing, in my ears, I hear multiple pairs of feet coming down the nearby stairs. I simply lie down and shove Seraphina into a corner out of sight from the stairs.

Three men rush down the stairs, all in regular clothes. I only have to use three shots, they didn't have time to react. One of my shots was off so one lies on the stairs drowning in his own blood from a punctured lung. He just stares at me with fear in his eyes, fear of dying. I look at him emphatically before the light leaves his eyes and he stops breathing. I don't hear any more movement. I stand up and swear, upset over the situation and the morbid scene before me.

I grab Seraphina who seems to have started to cry. I guess it's becoming too much for her, the sound of blood filling someone's lungs, is upsetting, to say the least. We move through the basement and find nothing of note so I go up a stairwell. I decided to check if Libertys office has a map or anything to help.

The building seems more empty than I thought, I guess the fighting is elsewhere as I hear gunfire from outside. Once on the top floor, I stalk past all the offices. I can see office workers cowering behind their desks through the windowed doors. We eventually reach the headmasters' office and I open the door slowly. The room is empty, Liberty most likely ran away. I go through her desk and find no paper maps, her computer is unlocked and I try to find anything of use. I eventually come across a security camera feed and start flicking through channels before I see one that is the room I am in. I check around options and see that there is a viewer count. I see the number two and my blood runs cold. I manage to tackle Seraphina to the ground as a grenade smashes through the window. I cover my ears and close my eyes as the flashbang goes off.

I am disoriented as the five armored soldiers rappel through the window, smashing through. I manage to take one down with a burst of fire and as I'm shooting at another my gun runs dry and I am nearly spun around by a bullet hitting the side of my chest, then I feel a sharp pain in my head, right above my right ear. I spin in the other direction as the world quickly goes black as my face meets the tile floor.

I find myself floating in darkness. I assume I got my brains blown out so I'm probably dead..............................

"Pathetic"

A distorted yet familiar voice rings out. I say back,

"And who says so? What could I do? Five men, and it takes a quarter mag to kill just one!"

The voice laughs back at me before replying,

"As I said, you need me... she will die, you will die if you don't accept me..."

I reply,

"How can I. I gather you are my inner demons, I don't have the ability to recall any of that. What should I do?"

The stag headed creature appears before saying to me,

"Just... Let go of your humanity again... just like before. That's the only way you will survive."

I smile and say,

"I see, easier said than done. Will you help me?"

The creature nods and is gone, then my vision slowly returns. As it clears and my eyes open everything seems more clear, more detailed, more vibrant. My ears are ringing badly but I can hear Seraphina screaming and I feel pain. Oh God, the pain. My head feels like it's splitting in half, but it lets me know I am alive. I can see blood pooling around my head. I try to figure out my injury and the way it feels, since I am alive I assume it was just a glancing shot that scraped along the side of my head and knocked me out.

My ears are still ringing and blood is rushing through them but I slowly get a look around the room, moving my head slowly. Two armed men are working on their dead comrade, and some others are securing Seraphina who is struggling and crying at my perceived death. They were smart and had kicked any gun far away from me but didn't pat me down. Unfortunately, I don't think 9mm can penetrate when 5.56 wasn't able to. Finally, one who is working on the dead comes over to me and flips me over wanting to get an ID.

I lock them into an armbar as they reach out with one hand. I press upwards and hear the sickening crack as their arm inverts. The pain causes them to drop the gun in the other hand and I take it and quickly shoot once. This gun fires a much hotter round than 5.56 and once is enough to bust through the helmet of one. I then switch to the ones holding Seraphina. I carefully aim and take my shots putting them down as they cannot react in time.

Blood flows down the side of my face and head as I execute the one with a broken arm. I feel everything deep inside, but what humanity did I lose? I gather the ammo from one of the armored soldiers deciding to take their guns as they seem to be a little harder hitting. I say nothing and grab Seraphina again and beeline for the basement. I clear everything off of the hatch and throw it open before jumping down into the red halls. I need to find somewhere for us to hide quickly or we won't survive.