Emryn followed Alex and Zaiden through the maze of hallways. Each step was another weight on her shoulders, each turn was another spike of nerves. What happened? She’d been asking herself that same question over and over again.

As they turned the corner she was hit with a familiar feeling. It was like anguish took a tangible form and choked the life out of anyone nearby. Her nerves skyrocketed. The bare hallways were starting to remind her of the labs. Everything was too familiar.

Rounding an unfamiliar corner, Emryn’s heart pounded loud against her chest. There was commotion up ahead and she wanted nothing more than to rush past Zaiden and Alex, but she continued to follow their lead. They entered a room full of soldiers. Emryn could smell blood in the air. There were so many people in the large corridor, most of which looked injured and exhausted. Her eyes desperately searched for her friends. If something happened to them the little control she still had would vanish.

They had to be okay.

A soldier started screaming across the room. The others looked as though it was normal. Hearing someone scream out in pain while doctors desperately tried to save them was like an everyday occurrence.

Alex broke through the crowd with surprising resolve until he found Simone. He practically ran to her and the two embraced tightly. Relief flooded over Emryn when she saw Simone was uninjured. She was okay.

Simone and Alex held each other close, as if they were afraid to let go of one another. Emryn stood frozen watching them. The others in the crowd didn’t notice her as they frantically moved from place to place, busy tending to wounds or going through what little supplies the party had managed to bring back. The couple smiled and lightly cried in each other’s arms, so full of happiness that Emryn wondered what it felt like to be so wholeheartedly loved by someone. That if something were to happen to one the other would not only lose a loved one, but a part of themselves. Over the years she had heard others throw the word “love” around but had never seen what it could truly mean before meeting them. The two pulled back just far enough to look at one another and then connected their lips, causing more tears of relief to fall from their eyes.

Emryn had been watching Simone and Alex for so long she hadn’t noticed Zaiden disappear. She didn’t have time to think about where he ran off to. She needed to find Malcolm. Needed to see if he was okay too.

Taking steps towards Simone and Alex, eyes still searching, Emryn tried her best to calm down. Something happened to him, she thought, nerves spiking once again. Things like this always happened to people who got too close to her. Emryn was a jinx.

“Emryn,” she barely heard Simone say before being pulled into a hug. Strong arms went around her shoulder and waist. Emryn now knew why Alex hugged her so much. Simone was a good hugger.

“You okay?” Simone asked as if Emryn had been the one in danger and not the other way around.

“Fine,” she mumbled into Simone’s shoulder. “What happened?”

Simone pulled away and took Alex’s hand, fumbling with his fingers as she struggled to formulate the words. “It all happened so fast,” she whispered. Her dark hair fell over her eyes. Emryn was surprised to see it in a state of such disarray. Simone was usually so put together. “It was night and we were transporting goods we had found in one of the ruined cities. Our unit had come to a stop, we were going to make camp soon. “ Simone’s heartbeat was erratic. “Then I heard a scream nearby. I went to check it out and found Mary’s throat slit. More yells came from far away, back near the supplies. It didn’t take long to figure out it was Mallax.” Simone ran a hand over her face, rubbing the exhaustion from her eyes. “More of their men emerged from the shadows and a fight broke out. It was hard to see what exactly went down but I could hear them. At first it was gunfire then I heard the hissing of wolf-spiders.”

“Wolf-spiders?” Alex faltered. “But they shouldn’t have been anywhere near you guys. I mapped the route in accordance with their migration patterns.”

“Mallax led them to us.” Simone clenched her fist. “I don’t know how, but they led them to us.”

“That’s-”

“Impossible?” Simone said, cutting him off. “I know what I saw. The monsters appeared with them, and then when they got what they wanted, they left with ‘em. I wanted to go after them but Malcolm ordered us to retreat.”

“Where is Malcolm?” Emryn asked. She had yet to see him anywhere and she was getting worried.

Simone pointed across the room. He was alone, leaning against the wall with his head down. It was the most defeated Emryn had ever seen Malcolm look. The general seemed as though his soul had been ripped from his body.

Emryn excused herself from Simone and Alex, walking towards Malcolm. She weaved through the crowd but before she was close enough to grab him, an older man with a highly decorated military uniform stood in front of him, shielding him from her line of sight. Right away the man started questioning Malcolm. Emryn froze. Whoever this guy was, he made Malcolm nervous. She could see the way his brow sweated and how his movements had suddenly become mechanical and shaky. Who was this guy?

Emryn listened in. Any normal person wouldn’t have been able to hear their conversation from this distance, so neither party suspected her to be eavesdropping.

“You had a job, General. I will not stand for your excuses.” The older man’s voice sent an unwanted chill down Emryn’s spine. It was so cold. Each word he spoke was laced with threats.

“Forgive me, Supreme Commander Amin. I know I have disappointed you,” Malcolm said cautiously, as if he was pleading with him.

So this was Zaiden’s father. Seeing him made her think of the way Zaiden would act after their meetings. The strange way he’d hold his stomach and the weary smile Zaiden wore to mask his pain. He was the source of Zaiden’s behavior. Emryn didn’t know exactly what he did to him, but she wasn’t naive enough to believe he was just a loving father looking after his kid. She really wanted to break this man’s jaw. And she might’ve if Malcolm’s next words hadn’t brought her out of the trance.

“Mallax won’t get away again, I swear to you.” Malcolm’s heartbeat faltered. He was lying. Or at least saying something he didn’t believe to be true.

“I do not care if a few mongrels escaped your grasp.” The Supreme Commander took a menacing step forward. “You had O’Connor in the palm of your hand and he got away.”

“He’s more tricky than you give him credit for,” Malcolm stated rather calmly.

“I’ll make sure to take that into account in the near future,” he seethed. “Now tell me what happened.”

“They ambushed us at night. Under the cloak of darkness they were able to get the drop on us. We might have been able to take them if the wolf-spiders hadn’t chosen that time to attack as well.” His heart was steady so far and his story matched Simone’s. “They managed to take around half of our supplies. Many of our soldiers were injured but only one was killed. I had us retreat.” Malcolm breathed deeply. “There wasn’t any point in going after them. There was nothing we could do.” His heartbeat skipped. He was lying again.

The Supreme Commander rubbed his chin. He had a little bit of facial hair covering his dark skin. With the scowl now off his features Emryn could see the physical resemblance he had to Zaiden.

“Gather your men, General, and find my son. I have a new job for you.” The Supreme Commander walked away, not looking any happier compared to how he arrived. Malcolm visibly relaxed at his dismissal. With Zaiden’s father finally out of the way, Emryn approached him.

Malcolm must not have seen her because he began walking away towards the hall. Quietly, Emryn followed. She needed to get her own answers. Even though she was arguably grateful Malcolm wasn’t severely injured, she was worried about why he lied to the Supreme Commander.

“Malcolm,” she called out, making his head turn in her direction. It was just the two of them in the hall. His stoic expression gave little away about how he felt about being cornered by her. She met his gaze, searching for something she couldn’t quite describe. Emryn had hoped the trust he had placed in her before he left was a sign he was warming up to her, but the way he was looking at Emryn now made her question everything. He regarded her with stone eyes, and when Emryn failed to say anything, he started walking away again.

“Wait,” she called out again, this time with more conviction. “Why did you lie to the Supreme Commander?”

Malcolm froze. “I didn’t lie,” he argued, heart beating faster.

“You just lied again.”

Malcolm turned towards her fully. His eyebrows were pinched together as he watched her cautiously. Then his expression changed into something more challenging. “And how, exactly, would you know that?” He stepped towards her until they were just a few feet apart. As he got closer, her heart would beat faster. Emryn stood her ground. She wouldn’t let him see how nervous his actions made her.

“Your heartbeat becomes irregular when you lie,” she answered.

Malcolm glared at her, probably just now coming to the realization about her advanced senses. She kept her voice even as she dared him to argue more, “You’re a liar, Malcolm. Admit it.” He closed the distance between them even more and slammed a hand against the wall behind her, caging her in. Malcolm was taller than her, the closeness was supposed to make her feel small. But Emryn didn’t move so much as a hair.

“A heartbeat doesn’t make someone a liar,” he rebuked, staring her down.

She grinned up at him. “No,” she mocked. “But the way you just reacted does.”

Malcolm laughed humorlessly. “You think you are so smart, don’t you. What exactly do you think I lied about?” he inquired.

“You said Mallax wouldn’t get away again but you were lying. You also said there was nothing you could do which was why you ordered a retreat, but that wasn’t true either.” Malcolm clenched his jaw and backed away. Finally allowing her to breathe.

Running a hand through his blonde hair, Malcolm sighed. “Not everything is so black and white, Emryn.” He didn’t sound angry anymore. He sounded tired. “Those were lies,” he admitted. “But it was better for him to hear those lies than to hear the truth.”

“What do you mean?” Dr.Willow had always taught her that those who lied, always had something to hide.

Malcolm stared at the floor when he answered. “It’s true that we could have gone after then but that would have only endangered more lives. I want to keep the death count to a minimum but Zaiden’s father doesn’t care about that.”

“Why would people follow a leader that doesn’t care if they die?”

“I don’t know,” he huffed, his calm demeanor gone again. “Humans are very stupid creatures.”

Malcolm rubbed at his eyes again. He was worn out and hadn’t properly slept in days. Emryn wanted to scold herself for being so inconsiderate– asking him questions instead of letting him get some rest. But she still needed confirmation on one more thing.

“What you said about not being able to catch Mallax and stop O’Connor,” she paused. “Do you really believe that?”

Malcolm held his head up, features surprisingly soft. “I don’t think we should even try.”

Emryn faltered. He didn’t even want to try. Malcolm had to be out of his mind. “Why?” she demanded.

Malcolm took a deep breath before facing her fully. “I need to protect my home.” Emryn wanted to argue with him, maybe even yell at him for being so naive, but the solemn look on his face made her stay quiet.

“Emryn, Malcolm,” Simone called out, entering the hall. “Go to the Command’s office, we’re getting new orders.”

Malcolm and Emryn exchanged one last glance before following Simone to Zaiden’s office. Emryn had never been inside it before. Almost every wall was accompanied with a bookshelf and a few desks were placed throughout the room. It was much tidier than the monitor room Alex spent his days in. Inside it wasn’t very bright, the only light came from a table in the center of the room. A 3D map was being projected onto its smooth surface, so detailed it made Emryn’s eyes hurt. Surrounding the table was a small but intimidating group of people. Some Emryn recognized, like Zaiden’s father, but there were also a lot of faces she hadn’t seen before. Faces that were staring directly at her as she entered.

Emryn decided to stay close to Malcolm and Simone, using them as a divider between her and the strange men. She could feel their heated gazes as she followed Simone to the table. She spotted Zaiden amongst the crowd. His face was drawn in a hard line as he stared at the map. Elias was also by his side with an uncharacteristic frown on his face. He had also gone on Malcolm’s failed expedition. Emryn wondered if he had seen Mary’s dead body after Simone found it.

“Now that everyone is here we can finally get started,” the Supreme Commander said as if he was directing the blame at Emryn. As if it was her fault they hadn’t gotten started sooner. “We still have a way of getting the supplies back and simultaneously trapping O’Connor and the rest of his merry band of misfits.”

“How?” Malcolm asked calmly.

Zaiden motioned to the map in front of them, pointing out a bridge. “This is the only thing connecting them to what we believe to be their main base of operations. That’s also where they’re probably heading now. If we can destroy the bridge we can cut them off from any outside help and prevent them from leaving our territory. With our vehicles we’ll be able to move faster than them and effectively cut them off.” Malcolm’s eyes widened slightly in surprise but he composed himself quickly.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Malcolm who argued against it. “Are you sure we should do this?” Simone challenged. “If we blow up that bridge, it won’t just be Mallax that suffers. Taylen is on the other side. We’ll be cutting ourselves off from an ally.” Simone’s stare bore into Zaiden. If he was bothered, he didn’t show it.

“Major Bales,” Zaiden’s father spoke as if she were a child. “I am well aware of that, but even if we are cut off from Taylen we can survive just fine. Do not argue with me about this. I don;t have the time or patience to deal with your insubordination.”

Simone stood straighter. From where Emryn was, she could see Simone dig her nails into her palms. “Understood, Sir.”

“How are we planning on destroying the bridge?” Malcolm asked, arms crossed over his chest as he observed the digital map.

“We’ll be using a batch of Sonic bombs to blow it a part. It is very crucial that the explosives make it there without incident so Alex Derante will be traveling with them. The rest of us are to make sure nothing happens to them,” Zaiden instructed. “That's why Emryn will be joining us on this mission. She is our back up if something were to go wrong,” Emryn looked up when her name was spoken. She understood what he was insinuating. If the bombs were to detinate or malfunction before reaching the bridge, she would have to be the one to do it.

But lately, the usage of her powers had caused her excruciating pain. Her arms and back ached immensely whenever she activated her ability. Her power was never meant for her body. Dr.Willow had told her that was the reason for the implants in her arms and back. They were there to help her body bond to the sallice, but without the doctors to make adjustments to them, her power would eventually consume her.

“I don’t know if I can do that,” she whispered a little too loud.

“What do you mean you can’t do it,” seethed the Supreme Commander. Emryn looked up, started by the harshness of his voice. She briefly glanced at Zaiden to find he wore an alarmingly anxious expression.

“You have been biding your time here 636.” Emryn almost flinched at the number. Had Zaiden told him about her old name? She looked to him again but their eyes didn’t meet. Of course Zaiden had to tell his father about her. She was a foreign weapon designed for destruction and it was no secret what she did to the land just outside their base.

“I let you stay here for one reason and one reason only,” he continued. “To put you to use, if you can not be useful, you have no place here.”

Emryn swallowed the lump in her throat. She shouldn’t have expected anything else. This wasn’t her home and she wasn’t like the rest of the people here. She was never meant to be anything but a weapon.

Saddened by the revelation, Emryn held her head down and clutched her hands together. Something warm touched the small of her back. Simone’s small gesture made her feel slightly better. Glancing up again she saw the way Zaiden’s forearms were strained tightly by the table’s ledge, making her believe he was clutching it tightly to suppress anger. Even Malcolm looked put off by the Supreme Commander’s words. At least not everyone saw her as a weapon.

“She’ll be fine,” Zaiden leered. “She has a place here just like everyone else. It’s not just you here who is allowing her to stay. I brought her here, not you.” His father did not look happy to be disrespected by his own son in front of everyone. He was looking at Zaiden as if he might hit him right then and there. “But as you said, we do not have a lot of time to discuss this, so my team and I will be leaving now. Afterall, we’ll need to get there before Mallax and O’Connor slip away.” His eyes found Emryn’s and then Simone and Malcolm. When he walked out the door, the three of them followed.

Once they were out of the threshold, Zaiden’s confidence wavered. He let out a deep breath but looked as though he was about to have a panic attack. He held his hand flat against the wall and let out more labored breaths. Malcolm moved to his side quickly, any later and Zaiden might have collapsed. After a few moments, Zaiden was able to compose himself again, putting his mask back in place. “We need to get out now. My father’s short temper is not something I wish to deal with today.” He turned to Simone. “Get Alex and the rest of your squad. We need the bombs too.” Simone left, following Zaiden’s orders.

“You’re an idiot,” Malcolm said, letting Zaiden go so he could properly hit his shoulder. “What was that in there!”

“We can discuss it later,” he offered. “We have a job to focus on.”

Malcolm looked like he might explode, but thankfully, he held whatever reprimands he was thinking to himself and instead went off to help prepare the rest of their crew.

“Why did you do that?” Emryn pleaded. She knew the old commander was far from reasonable, she had only met him once and was already able to gather that. Zaiden’s relationship with him was already strained as is, and his outburst would only further the wedge between them.

Zaiden smiled softly. Sadly.

“I didn’t like how he was speaking to you and I guess I just lost it.”

Emryn’s face flushed red. Why did he always manage to do that?

Emryn coughed uncomfortably, trying to hide her blush. She lightly hit his arm. “Don’t put yourself in danger for me.”

“I promise,” he lied. Emryn swallowed harshly. One day that lie would get him killed. He should be smarter than that.

“Don’t lie to me,” she ordered.

Zaiden smiled again. “Okay,” he whispered, heartbeat still calming down. “I promise.”