Sweat stung her eyes, making Claire grab a towel hung on the rack of the treadmill. Wiping away the sweat, she tossed the towel back where she stored it.

As she made sure to maintain her breathing, she kept thinking about the information she learned about the modified humans. "I guess if firearms no longer work, then I'll need to focus on building up my stamina. At least I've improved bursts of speed."

Picking up the pace, as the treadmill increased the speed, Claire enjoyed the rhythmic sound of her feet striking the treadmill. Soon, she was breathing faster, trying to pull in as much oxygen into her body as her muscles began to protest. When she thought she couldn't go any longer, the machine started to slow down.

Huffing and puffing, Claire reached for the military canteen. Claire quickly undid the lid and moved the opening to her mouth. Refreshing water soon poured down her throat as she tried to regain her stamina.

"That was a good workout," Chelsea tossed a fresh towel towards her.

Still drinking the water, she used her other hand to grab the towel in the air. Setting the canteen down, her face soon felt the soft sensation of the towel as she wiped away the pouring sweat.

"Make sure not to ignore cooling your body down," Chelsea advised the girl.

Nodding, Claire pushed the button to begin the cool-down mode.

Claire's eyes couldn't help but glance over to Chelsea.

"What's up?" Chelsea asked when she noticed Claire looking at her.

Feeling body beginning to feel better at the slower pace, Claire pressed her lips together, unsure how to ask her questions.

Nodding, Chelsea asked, "You're worried about the news that firearms are no longer effective against those things?"

Feeling sheepish, she looked away.

"It's understandable, though it was never in the plans to have either you or Hannah use weapons to fight those things," Chelsea said in a comforting voice, being able to empathize with Claire. However, she made sure to drive in the point of Claire not being trained for combat.

"Why not? We can help." Claire whined at the woman. Her cheeks reddened by how childish her complaint sounded to her ears.

Chelsea merely stared at the girl.

"You're expecting us to just run away when everyone else is probably getting killed?" Claire threw the towel away in anger.

"Yes," Chelsea didn't elaborate.

Slamming her hand on the emergency stop button on the machine, she whirled to face Chelsea. "Why?! Why won't you let us fight?!" She screamed at the woman. The moment she shouted at Chelsea, she felt herself becoming embarrassed by the outburst, regretting the wave of anger she threw at the woman. A part of her wondered whether it was the training regiment that made her blood feel hotter.

Chelsea didn't flinch from the wave of anger. "You know why, I can't let you fight those things." Her words were calm. "Even I can't go up against those things, and I spent years being trained for this moment. Do you honestly think you'll be able to just jump in and save the day?"

Though she didn't want to admit it, Claire understood that Chelsea was right. It was silly to believe that she could do anything with what little preparation she did. Even those who escorted her weren't able to kill the monsters before they ran off, and they were using advanced weapons used by Star and Moon. "I just hate the fact that I'm useless." She felt tears beginning to form out of her frustration.

"I know," Chelsea simply said.

"I couldn't even warn Han about the Modified Humans coming into the city. He's probably...," Claire gripped the machine, her fingers turning white from the effort.

"There was nothing you could do," Chelsea comforted the girl. "And you don't know if he was able to make it out. We've received reports that there are signs of survivors still out there when we patrol the area around the Fort. That's not even including the occasional report through The Wire, letting us piece together what's happening out there."

Using her t-shirt to wipe away her tears, Claire tried to be comforted by Chelsea's encouragement.

Getting off of the treadmill, Claire looked over at Hannah, who was still in the process of completing her running for the day.

Drinking the remainder of the water inside of the canteen, she sighed. "I thought I would've gotten over crying and getting emotional." Claire headed over to the water fountain.

As she walked over to the water fountain, she observed the soldiers training, either using firearms or hand-to-hand combat. With how much dedication they showed to the process of getting stronger and improving their skills, it made her think about her own passions.

Reaching the water fountain, she undid the cap and tilted the canteen. Pressing on the pedal on the base of the fountain, water began pouring into the container. The sound of the water filling up the container was therapeutic to the stress she was feeling as she tried not to think about what they were training for.

"What am I going to do with my life?" Claire thought to herself, removing her foot from the pedal and taking a quick sip of water before closing the cap. "Is there any purpose that humans can aim for in a world where we are no longer the masters?"

During the entire time she was going through school, it was understood that she'd eventually attend medical school and follow after the footsteps of her parents. The problem now lay in how society effectively didn't exist outside of the few pockets remaining outside of the Fort.

"At least inside of the Fort, I don't have to worry about my safety compared to the survivors struggling out there." Moving to the wall where the fountain was up against, she leaned against the fortified cement. "When we have to move to the emergency shelters designed by Star and Moon, will it be the same as our lives as they currently are where there isn't any meaning outside of survival?" She asked herself, not really expecting an answer to her thoughts.

Her eyes moved to look at a woman with brunette hair, firing a pistol at a target. Her arms held out in front as she gripped the weapon with both hands. Though it wasn't anything special, it helped Claire to sort through her thoughts.

"Penny for your thoughts?" A voice interrupted Claire's thinking.

Startled, she looked at the voice, talking to her. Just like the woman she was observing, the person conversing with her had the standard military uniform. However, this woman's hair was blonde.

Realizing she was staring at the woman, Claire looked away. "Sorry. I was just lost in thought."

The sound of water coming out of the fountain was heard in addition to the slurping noise of the woman as she drank the water. When the woman was finished, she wiped the excess water from her mouth with her sleeve.

Looking back at the woman, Claire said, "I was just thinking about what the future has in store for me."

Nodding, the woman made her way to lean against the wall next to Claire. "I can understand that sentiment."

"You can?" Claire's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting such a response.

Chuckling, the woman said, "Of course." Pausing for a moment, she continued, "Being inside of this place, I often wonder for what reason we're training, especially after learning what those things out there are like."

"Are you talking about how the Modified Humans are likely immune to firearms?" Claire asked in a small voice, not sure whether she should admit to knowing information that she may not be allowed to know.

"I see that someone is looking out for you?" The woman laughed.

Turning to look at the woman, Claire was confused by the reaction.

The woman nodded, "That information is relatively new. It was only after one of the patrols had encountered those things outside of the Fort that we learned about the likelihood of guns no longer being effective to stop those things."

"What does that mean for us?" Claire felt a desire to know more about what was happening but felt hesitant about knowing more.

Shrugging, the woman said, "I'm not sure. For some reason, the Modified Humans aren't approaching the Fort. They only seem to be attacking patrols that get too far away from this place."

Trying to understand the significance of the woman's words, Claire quietly digested the information.