Dr. Sukomoto looked at the group before here. They seemed like a ragtag band of heroes you would see in a comic book. She stepped forward, passing by Lyria, "Hello everyone, my name is Maria Sukomoto. I'm the head engineer here at Celestia."

Each member of Generation nodded their heads in respect and stepped forward to introduce themselves.

"Name's Briggs. I specialize in heavy suppression tactics."

"Hello m'lady. You may address me as Germaine. Much like Briggs I also help with the heavy lifting."

"Call me Amanda. Let's just say I'm a sharpshooter."

"Akatsuya. Reconnaisance and stealth."

The four stood before her with the poise of veterans. Maria couldn't tell just who had been through what, but it was obvious they had their hardships. She turned to the last one left, "And I suppose you are the infamous Marcus Wright, correct?"

Marcus wasn't sure how to take her address. He wasn't infamous as far as he knew, but considering how much information Lyria had dug up it was hard telling what kind of reputation preceeded him. He gave her a nod and pointed to the airship, "So, what's the story with that thing?"

"That, Mr. Wright, is the pride and joy of my previous research. It is called the Red Wing, an airhsip that was ahead of its time. Capable of rapid transit, stealth engagements and heavy firepower that could level a city."

Marcus wasn't sure how to take her enthusiasm. He understood that it had to have taken alot of work to create, but he didn't feel like she should be so proud of creating something so destructive. It was, after all, the reason that the world had ended up in the shape that it was today.

"So, if it's housed inside this hangar and under this dome, how exactly do you plan to ever use it?"

"Patience Mr.Wright. We have a way. First, I think it's neccessary that you take time to familiarize yourself with the city and its people. From what Lyria has told me your group lived in the ruins of a city that had long been forgotten. It may take time for you to adjust back to a normal life."

Marcus felt insulted at her words. Who was she to make a judement on them? It must have been nice to have a dome protecting them and their people. They couldn't understand what the world was truly like on the outside, no matter what they called themselves. Before he could say anything, he heard Amanda speak up from behind him.

"So what you're trying to say is that we're too out of place for this place?" It was clear that Amanda was pissed at the doctor's statement. The others seemed to share her feelings as well.

"Oh no, I didn't mean it that way at all. I just know you must have been through so much for so long. I only wanted you to feel like you're welcome here not just as soldiers but as citizens as well."

Marcus appreciated her apology, but being a citizen wasn't something they were interested in. While they lived their lives inside this dome, there were lives all around the world that were suffering at the hands of Helix. He felt it was his duty to change that. It had been the only reason he had placed trust in Lyria. She had the means to assist them in that goal, even if it meant being indebted to them.

"I'm sorry doctor, but we came here to do one thing and one thing only. We appreciate that you're welcoming us with such open arms, but we didn't come to live here. We left thos refugees back in Marlow to come here and fight. You said it yourself. We're soldiers, but that's all we will be."

"I understand. I'm sorry if I offended the rest of you. I guess we just have our different views of how to correct what is wrong. We too have an unmatched desire to bring down Helix, but we also would like to try and restore a little of what a normal life is to the people. They've become so used to living from day to day that they've never had time to think about what it's like to sit back with their families and enjoy their lives."

Marcus could understand where she was coming from, but for him, his hatred of Helix ran deeper. He had also never had been able to live thinking of the future with his family, nor would he ever get that chance. Maple was all he had left and would be all he would ever have left.

"I understand your point doc, but I think I speak for the rest of us when I say that it's just not for us. We've all lost stuff along the way. Family, friends, comrades, everything. We're going to lay down our lives if we have to in order to bring Helix to its knees."

Maria nodded, motioning to Lyria that she had said everything that needed to be said. The doctor returned to the Red Wing and took a seat at a panel that was wired into the machine, most likely diagnostics and fine tune settings. Lyria motioned for the rest to walk outside, and they all left the hangar.

Back outside, there were now multiple vehicles lined up where Lyria had parked. "Figured you guys could use a lift. I went ahead and called so you wouldn't have to walk."

In addition to Lyria's vehicle, there were two more of the SUVs lined up. At the driver side of the other two were soldiers, black balaclavas covering their faces. They were dressed in black battle dress uniforms and had a standard kevlar helmet. On the right shoulder of their uniforms was a red patch that read W.R.A. outlined in yellow. For an armed resistance movement, they appeared to be very professional.

"Two to a vehicle. I wouldn't suggest putting Briggs and Germaine in the same vehicle either. I'm not sure that the car could take the weight." Lyria gave a small chuckle at the statement. While she meant it as a joke it could have very possibly been the truth.

The convoy pulled up in front of a large, multi level building that had been placed across the street from the operations center. As they came to a halt, the soldiers hopped out and opened the doors for everyone. "Professional and well mannered huh?" Marcus was slowly beginning to see potential in the idea of joining forces with the W.R.A.

As Lyria hopped out, she motioned to the building behind her, "This here is the barracks. It's where you guys will be staying and where our forces stay as well. It houses our weaponized vehicles, armory and ration supply for our men and women."

"About that. Who trained your soldiers? You don't generally get that kind of conduct from a civilian you just hand a gun to." Marcus had a right to show concern. This went beyond the general aspect of simple organization. This seemed more like paramiltary than anything else.

"That, is a very good question. One that I'm not sure if you will necessarily like." Marcus raised his eyebrow in hesitation. Just when he was beginning to trust her, Lyria pulled her truth in the shadows trick again.

"Listen, I'm not sure that you're getting it. If we're supposed to work with you then you need to be fully upfront and honest with us."

"Well...just don't go on a rampage or anything."

Marcus was definitely cautious now. What reason would she have to say that?

"The truth is, most of our soldiers here are former Helix soldiers. Before you freak out at that, I can explain." Marcus didn't know what to say. While it explained the organized structure the W.R.A. seemed to have, he definitely was no longer onboard the idea of working with them. He suddenly felt a sense of danger. Had they been lured into a trap? HIs mind suddenly raced to the thought of Maple being alone at the hospital.

"Before you go barging off thinking you've walked into some kind of ambush, I promise you, that is not the case. It is as I said, they are former soldiers. Emphasis on the former. They're more or less renegades, failures you might say. That or we disabled the control chips placed in their brains. We gave them the ability of autonomy and in return, the majority of them wanted to return the favor through their service."

"You said majority of them. What about the others?"

"Well, not all of them are going to have the same ill feelings toward their creator. They're still human after all. They chose not to come with us. I assume that they wandered off in search of a purpose or some probably tried to go back to Helix. With the chip disabled however, they wouldn't be able to return. The other soldiers would be unable to identify them as friendly and would shoot them on site."

Marcus and the rest of Generation still felt on guard. The idea sounded absurd. They all knew that the soldiers of Helix were cloned an modified to follow all their orders, like drones to a queen. They had always seen them as enemies. The thought of them now being allies didn't settle too well.

"So you expect us to trust these soldiers, who turned on their own forces in the first place? How do you know that they won't suddenly change their minds?"

"Well, we trusted them, and thanks to them, we've managed to keep Celestia safe and allow people to live here. As far as changing their minds go, you trusted me did you not? How did you know that I wouldn't change my mind and decided to leave you back in the Underground?"

"We didn't have a choice. We had to trust that you would show or we would die."

Lyria gave a smirk at Marcus' response, "There you go. We didn't have a choice either. People couldn't simply protect this town. We needed something more to protect us. It was thanks to Dr.Sukomoto that we were able to come up with such a plan. Otherwise, Celestia wouldn't be standing where it is now."

Marcus felt his own words come back on him. He now understood their point. Even though their surroundings were much more pleasant, it seemed the people of Celestia had faced the same fears that the refugees of Marlow had. Celestia just had more luck when it came to who their saviors were. He felt a tinge of disappointment in the way he had handled the people of Marlow over the years.

"Fine, I see you're point. I can't promise that everyone else will agree though. We may be a team, but they each have their own feelings on the matter." Marcus turned to face his team behind him.

Briggs was the first to speak up, "I see her point. I don't neccesarily like it, but she came through for us back at Marlow. If she says we can trust them, then what choice do we have? We know that we can't change anythings by just doing things on our own."

Amanda was the next to offer her thoughts, "Briggs has a point. I can't say that I will put my life in danger to rescue one of them, but if they're able to do their tasks and fight for the same reason as us, they're allies to me."

"I agree with the lady. It's not very sporting to judge one negatively from the actions of others. As she said, they are human beings after all." Germaine's sense of mannerisms was almost overbearing for the situation they were discussing.

"I'll be honest Marcus. I don't trust the idea. Nonetheless, I was never one to voice my thoughts that much. As long as you can promise me that you feel this is what we should do, I'll continue to provide my services."

Marcus felt a warmth come to his heart. All the years he had took to organize Generation had paid off. Sure, there were only a few of them but he knew that based on what they all felt, they had been the right people to reach out to. He felt that now he could finally accomplish what he had set out to do. He turned back to face Lyria and gave a determined nod, "Alright, we're in. It's going to take us time to get used to them, but we'll learn to work with them."

"Good. On the bright side you won't have to take time to learn alot of names. We mostly just went down the alphabet giving them a name. Also, I hope you don't expect alot of personality out of them. They really haven't had a life like ours. Some of them are still a little...odd. Well, when it comes to being social at least."

Lyria gave a smile much like the operator of a roller coaster would just before they send their customers off on a wild ride.

Maple began to slowly come to again. How long had she been asleep this time? Everything around her seemed the same, aside from the light that had been coming through her window. Outside, it had grown dark and the dome that was once shining a vibrant blue was now a deep purple. Scattered across its surface, there were glowing orbs, shining like little stars in a night sky. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

The domes color cast a haze over the city, drowing the buildings and streets in a purplish aura. It looked like something out of a fantasy novel. Maple tried to bring herself up out of her bed to look out the window. She gently eased herself up, placing her arms under her with an uneasy tension. She wasn't sure if they would give out again.

To her surprise, she managed to lift herself up. She sat upright in her bed, and looked at her arms. She suddenly noticed something protruding from underneath the bandage on her arm. It was a long clear tube and clear liquid was flowing from a pouch that had been hooked up to the bed. How had she not noticed it before?

She reached down and felt of the tube. It felt like plastic, and she ran her fingers down it, tracing the extent of its length. Inch by inch, she came closer to her arm. As she approached the site where it led under the bandage, she felt a sting when she bumped it. Was it running into her skin? As she started to pull on the tube, something suddenly crossed her mind? Was this something the hospital had placed?

She looked over at the button her father had pointed out to her. She reach out and thumbed it down. Within seconds a voice crackled forth from the speaker, "One moment, we'll be right with you." Maple leaned back and waited patiently.

The door to her room eased open and a woman stepped inside, dressed in all white clothes. She walked over to Maple, a smile on her face. "Yes dear, what do you need?"

"Um, there's this thing in my arm. It kind of hurts, so does it need to be there?" Maple felt a little dumb after she heard what she had asked. She sounded like a little kid who was just learning for the first time.

The nurse gave a small chuckle at Maples ignorance and offered an explanation, "That dear is what's called an IV. It puts fluid and nutrients back into your body as well as medicine. It helps you heal quicker. It wouldn't be very good if you tried to pull it out."

IV? Maple wasn't familiar with the term but she knew what medicine was. Most Alphas never required it due to the mutations in their body, but her father had told her before that sometimes an Alphas abilities could cause injuries bad enough that their natural healing wasn't enough at times. "I must have had some pretty bad injuries then."

"Yes dear, that's correct. Your arms were in pretty rough shape when they brought you in. Is that all you're needing?"

Maple gave the woman a nod, but a thought suddenly crossed her mind, "Um, I forgot. There is one more thing. My friend was also hurt. I remember carrying her onto our transport, but I don't know what happened after that. My dad said she was here in the hospital."

The woman felt a weight bear down on her chest. Had they not told her yet? "Um, well yes. She is in this hospital."

Maple felt her heart jump. She couldn't keep her mind off the thought that Alyssa was seriously hurt, "Um, can you tell me where to go so I can see her? I'd like to check on her."

"Dear, I don't think that that would really be a good idea. I mean, she is here in the hospital, but...well her body is. She was gone before they brought you in."

Maple felt her heart sink. Surely the woman was mistaken. Alyssa had just closed her eyes when she had lain her on the table. Maple suddenly felt a pain shoot through her head, her memories beginning to flood back to her. She looked at her arms. She had remembered what had happened to them, what she had done. She thought back to Alyssa, but instead of anger this time, she felt pain. Her chest hurt, her mind swirled. She felt a hot tear roll down her cheek.

"Dear, are you alright? Do you need me to do anything?" The woman was concerend about Maple. She had been warned to keep her calm considering her condition. It wasn't fair though to let her go on thinking that her friend was alright. It was cruel.

"No. I don't think I'll need anything. That's all." Maple heard her own words. They were shockingly calm, the anger she had first felt fading into despair. Alyssa was gone, and she now realized that. It didn't mean it hurt any less though.

As the woman left the room, she could hear Maples sobbing from outside the closed door...