Marcus awoke to the sound of a knocking on his door. The room had no windows, so he wasn't sure what time it exactly was. He pulled himself from his bed and staggered over to the door. The door popped ajar and a hand thrust through the opening. "Wait, are you properly dressed?" Marcus recognized the voice right away. It was Lyrias. Why ask that question after she opened the door?

"Yeah, you're good to come in. Is there something you need?"

"Well, yeah. It's like 7 a.m. You're the only one that didn't come out of their room. We've got business to discuss remember?"

Marcus felt shocked. He was never the kind to sleep in or be the last to rise. He had always had too much responsibility for that. Was it because he had been so stressed from last night?

He quickly pushed the door open and was greeted by Lyria, arms crossed with a foot tapping out an impatient rhythm on the stone floor. She motioned with her finger and quickly began pacing her way down the hallway. Marcus followed suit, making their way to the operations center.

As they entered through the front entrance, they were greeted by the rest of Generation as well as Dr. Sukomoto. Briggs quipped at Marcus, "Rise and shine hey sleepyhead? About time." Marcus waved him off as Dr. Sukomoto approached them.

"As you all now, we here at the W.R.A. aim to stage a revolution at Helix. By gaining public favor since our institution, we have strived to bring the population over to our side as well as amass enough weapons and tech to dive straight into the heart of their operations. I believe that with the help of Generation, we will be able to accomplish that."

Marcus and the others sported a look of confusion. They had only barely been here longer than a day and they already had plans that aimed this high? He wasn't sure what they were up to specifically, and the lack of information made everyone feel nervous. It seemed foolhardy to jump in with such few resources.

"I can see some of you are worried. Allow me to crush those for you." Lyria pointed to a large wraparound display to their left. On the screen, there were five displays set up around it. Each one was roughly the same size as the others, all flashing the phrase, "awaiting approval." Lyria stepped over to the console next to the screen and pressed a few keys followed by a prompt stamp on what Marcus assumed was the enter key.

The screens suddenly flashed, followed by the apperance of a visual and audio feed from each. On the top left screen, a grim looking man stood at rest. He wore a half face mask, a military beret promptly placed on his head. Only his chest up remained showing, and Marcus recognized the uniform right away. He had been an initial Alpha force member like Marcus had been. The black and grey uniform had lost its luster that it had first possessed when issued, but it still remained iconic.

On the top right, a woman was positioned in a similar fashion. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, leaving her narrow face to be the main focus. Her left eye was covered by an eyepatch, the W.R.A. acronym sewn into it. Her shoulders were narrow, a blue sweater mocking the serious tone of her face.

For the third, it was filled with the view of a tall man with white hair, slicked back across the entirety of his head. His mouth was hidden behind a well groomed mustache, the strong face of a veteran warrior completing his look. Like the others, only from the shoulders up was showing. Metal plates laid across the length of his shoudlers, a large black trench coat encompassing the rest of his body.

On the fourth screen was the final person in view. A short woman with surprisingly bright green hair struggled to make it to neck level on the camera. A pair of goggles were strapped across her head, the lenses also having a shade of green tint. Her face looked young, just barely that of an adult.

Finally, on the fifth monitor, there was four panel split with a view of a city on each. Judging from the appearance of each panel, they were of different cities. In the background of each, a dome similar to the appearance of the one covering Celestia could be seen. Marcus wasn't quite sure at who or what he was looking at. He felt that he knew where they were going from here though.

"On the top left, we have Kane Rogers, leader of the Silver Rouges. When we came across his organization, they took up arms with the W.R.A. and have fought for us since. The dome you see on the top left is the one covering their settlement, Apex." Lyria graced Generation with a smile. She was happy to see them so surprised.

"What, you didn't think that Celestia was actually the only place to have a dome like this? War was worldwide, so of course there would be other cities that had the same defense strategy. They were built by the same engineers after all." Marcus looked at Dr. Sukomoto, who was also grinning from ear to ear.

"On the top right we have Amelia Barnett, leader of the Beholders. Much like the Silver Rouges, they joined the W.R.A. under the pretense to help us take the fight to Helix. They stand guard over the city of Noire. In the bottom left, we have former general David Kelcher, leader of Blitzkrieg. They were an instrumental force in providing us with weapons and supplies and have since become a crucial part of the W.R.A., standing guard over the city of Bastion. Finally, we have Ms. Mint Evergreen. I can't promise you that it's her real name, but it's what she goes by." The girl on the bottom right gave a hushed giggle and a slight wave.

"Evergreen commands the Sages, a group responsible for causing all kinds of issues for Helix. They joined up with us shortly after the Silver Rouges and stand guard in Astral city. With the introductions out of the way, I'd like you all to meet your new comrades." With Lyria's statement, each person on the screens took a bow. Marcus felt overwhelmed. He looked at the rest of his crew, who were also as surprised as he was. They had no idea that such an organized resistance existed. How long had they lived in the dark about this?

"I have a question." Akatsuya had stepped forward, possibly troubled by something. "You claim to be an organized faction, consisting of the multiple groups before us. Yet, how have you managed to stay organized under the thumb of Helix. Surely they would have taken notice by now." He raised a valid point. Marcus had scrambled over the years just to organize a group like his without drawing an all out assault from the corporation.

"Again, you assume things. Helix is very well aware of our presence. However, thanks to the domes and our considerable force, they can't risk an all out attack on our own turf. Therefore, they have mostly left us be, save for the occasional skirmishes outside the domes of the cities."

"What she says is true Marcus." Kane had spoken up across the monitor. Marcus and Briggs instantly picked up on the voice. While the mask had hid his face, there was no denying that tone. It was the same Kane that had originally served in the unit Marcus and Briggs were in long ago. It was comforting to see he had been able to live this whole time. When the exile of the original Alphas had began, most had went their separate ways. It was only by change that Marcus and Briggs had been reunited after fleeing to Marlow.

"Kane, it's good to hear your voice. Nothing more uplifting than hearing an old friend after a long time." Kane gave Marcus a nod, sharing the comraderie. Lyria quickly grabbed everyone's attention, not waiting for the others to speak up.

"Moving on, I'd like to discuss our plans of action. First, as I had made you all previously aware, we uncovered the Omega Project. While we were unsure as to what its intentions were, we have now disabled that strategy as we hold the subject in question in our care. Maple Wright was recovered along with Marcus and his team, Generation. With the project no longer a prospect, I feel that we now have an upper hand."

Everyone saw a side of Lyria that they were unaware of. Her snarkiness had dissipated, replaced instead by the presence of a commander well experienced in the field of strategy. The others stood by patiently listening, captains listening to their general.

"With the acquisition of Generation, I feel the time is ready to reveal our intentions to the rest of the world. It will, without a doubt, trigger an armed response from Helix but if we don't strike now we may come to blows with another obstacle like Project Omega. If we show that we can make a stand, we may inspire others to do so and target other outlets of Helix wordwide."

Something still wasn't making sense to Marcus or the others. How were they going to inspire the world? There was no way for their actions to reach out across the areas controlled by Helix, and even the word did spready Helix would have a failsafe to shut down such an uprising. They didn't rule over everyone just by pure luck.

"Um, Lyria. This applies to the doctor as well. How are we supposed to inspire the world exactly? We have no way of showing our actions. We'll be as easily forgotten as yesterday unless we topple Helix completely."

Lyria and the doctor both grinned at each other. "So you're telling me it still hasn't set in? Look back at how we're communicating right now. While we're running on signals sent between the dome cities, you think I didn't leave a hole in the system when I worked for Helix?" Marcus slowly began to realize what the magnitude of their plan truly was. Had she left some way for them to manipulate Helix themselves?

"I can establish a direct communication network across any cities and areas controller by Helix. This includes their bases, prisons, internment camps, protected establishments, slums, etc. We can be a voice that will be simultaneously heard across the world all at once."

The brashness of the statement shocked Generation. Above on the screen, the man that had been addressed as David Kelcher left forth a chuckle. "So, I see that the aptitude of our little organization has actually rattled you Amanda." The mans voice suddenly became familiar in Amandas mind. It was her former commander back in her anti-terrorism days. His name had changed, but his way of speaking to her had not.

"Commander, is that actually you?" He had aged quite a bit since she had last saw him, his jet black hair turning white, the moustache sheltering what was once a clean shaven face. She was aware he had underwent the Alpha process as well, but had left the task force shortly afterwards. It was the last time she remembered seeing him.

"In the flesh. Although I have looked a little worse for wear since I was last in charge of your forces." It was odd that Generation had so much common ground with the captains, but Marcus felt it only meant they were truly destined to be here.

"So Marcus, before we continue. I heard you had a daughter. I suppose Helen had talked you into that huh. Where is she now by the way?" While the mask hid his mouth, Marcus could see the outline of his smile behind it. How was he supposed to answer that?

"She...she uh, didn't make it. As for my daughter...she's not doing so well right now. Lyria was kind enough to allow us to admit her to the hospital." Kane felt a sting of regret at his question. Marcus and Helen had been inseperable since they were assigned to one anothers unit. He couldn't imagine what Marcus had went through trying to raise Maple on his own.

"I'm sorry for asking. Shall we continue Lyria?" Kane felt it was best to get off the subject right away. He was glad to see his friend once more, and didn't want to bring back painful reminders.

"The plan stands as follows. We'll ready all our soldiers and march on Helix Tower. With the transports that we have all acquired, we should have no issues being able to take up a front in the town of Loredo, just south of the Helix central complex. Before we begin our march, we'll make a worldwide broadcast announcing our intentions. With luck, we'll draw a large majority of Helix forces into an armed conflict. Using the Red Wings firepower, we should have no problem decimating their initial forces."

"Wait, you're saying that thing actually flies?" Everyone was shocked. They had simply assumed it was a prototype that had long been unfinished due to the breakdown of the world. When Helix had took control, all weapons manufacturing that wasn't approved had presumably been shut down. The city of Celestia had been an exception to that.

"Yes, it actually does. Continuing on, if we can broadcast that conflict, and show that we can gain an upper hand, it should cause the people to break into an uprising. If that occurs, it should scatter the Helix forces even further. This will give us a clear line on Loredo. Our forces will rally there and we'll stage an assault on the brains of Helix. Their beloved tower. Once there, we'll throw everything we have at them."

Marcus pondered on their plans. Would it really be that simple? What if their plans failed to inspire the people? Would they still be able to fufill their goal? The questions swirled through his mind. Suddenly, he found his thoughts focusing on Maple. What would he do about her? He couldn't just leave her here, but it was too dangerous to bring her on the front lines.

"If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to bring them up now." Lyria kept her posture stiff, awaiting the flurry of questions she knew that were going to assault her ears. To her surprise, she only heard one come forth from the silence.

"What about my daughter? What about Alyssa?" The question hovered in the air, as if it was reluctant to be heard. Lyria turned to face Marcus. She knew he wouldn't like what she was going to say about Maple, but there was no other choice.

"When we set out, Maple will remain here. Dr. Sukomoto will look after her as well as the rest of the hospital staff. She may just be an egineer, but she has had experience prior in a medical setting. Hopefully, she will be able to help Maple recover. As for Alyssa, I already told you. She has a burial spot here for her. We only need you give the word to move forward with a service."

To her surprise, Marcus simply nodded his head. He knew that it was going to be impossible to bring Maple with him. It was best that she would be able to stay here and be provided with care. He thought of how much it would mean to her if they returned victorious. It would avenge Helen, avenge Alyssa and hopefully give Maple peace to carry on with her usual self. Even if the changes would be odd to get accustomed to.

Silence persisted past her statement, leaving Lyria to carry on. "Since there are no further questions, we'll carry on. At the later hours of today, I would like to make the broadcast that we discussed. The Red Wing is already ready for flight, leaving only the time needed to gather our forces. By the time we make the broadcast, I expect that Helix will mobilize their forces within three days. At this point, we will set out to meet them, ground forces first engaging their units followed by an attack from above."

With their plans finalized, each member on the screen gave a nod, their feeds cutting out one by one along with the view of their cities. Lyria turned around to face the team. "I know you guys haven't had any time to settle in here at Celestia, but I hope you understand that time is of the essence. For all we know, they've already figured out that we fled to Helix. While I estimated three days for their largest forces to arrive, they may have already sent out a dispatch to track Maple down. If we don't do this now, we may not get the chance."

Marcus and the rest nodded in agreement. Dr. Sukomoto gave them a quick and casual wave, leaving for the hangar. No doubt to make final checks on the Red Wing. The rest of Generation began to disperse, heading back to the barracks. As Marcus went to join them, Lyria grabbed his attention for a moment, "Before you go to discuss things with your teams you should head to the hospital. None of us our sure how, but your daughters injuries are gone. The nurse checked on her in the middle of the night to find that she had pulled her IV out yet her arms had fully healed. I'm not sure what's happening with her, but I feel you should keep her in check."

Marcus felt that same sense of dread return from yesterday. How had she healed up so quickly? Before it always took around five days for even the smallest injuries from her powers. With a sense of worry in his heart, he set off for the hospital...