Unfortunately (but maybe fortunately), we climb into an empty helicopter cab. The loud propellers drown out any possible conversation between the pilot and Danny, but I still feel uncomfortable.

The pilot shoots me a suggestive wink and nods at Danny. I am so tempted to roll my eyes. So I motion to the pilot, pointing between Danny and I while shaking my head. The pilot gets the message, clear as day.

Danny slams the helicopter door shut, blocking most of the loudness from entering the cab. He takes a seat next to my side and awkwardly tries to ignore me. I sit with my bow in between my legs, playing with the string to keep myself distracted. The silence is excruciating.

Half an hour later, the helicopter touches down in the middle of a sunny wheat field. Small patches of gray rubble peek out between the waving stalks, the wheat more prominent and more beautiful. I've never seen such a gorgeous landscape before. The wheat field stretches out for miles on end.

Soon I spot a girl and three others approaching our helicopter. The four Renegades rustle through the wheat, their hair tangling in the powerful propeller wind.

Vivian, I think, relieved. Danny notices Vivian, too, and he grins at her figure in the near distance. Opening the cab door and allowing the two younger teens to hop in first, Danny and Vivian slam the door shut behind them.

"You guys can sit over there," Vivian tells the two teens. She points at a row of vacant seats, and they sit down slowly without a comment. They must be related, I think to myself. Both siblings share the same hair color and stature. Plus, with their sun-faded clothes and malnourished limbs, there's no doubt in my mind they're brother-and-sister.

"Hey, Johnny," Vivian says to the mirrored visor. The pilot nods in recognition. She continues, "I brought two more passengers along. The guards wiped out their family, and my partner and I were lucky enough to stop the stand-off before a bigger bloodbath started."

The pilot nods and repeats the new information into his headset. I watch him speak, assuming he's reporting to the ITT. Suddenly I'm reminded of Matt and how I miss him.

"Oh, hey, Ashley, Danny," Vivian says with a smirk. She takes a seat next to me so I'm sandwiched between her and Danny.

"So how did your mission go?" I ask, and Vivian launches into a detailed explanation of her entire adventure. I don't mind her rambling, though, because it's interesting to hear about what her duo experienced in comparison to Danny and me.

Vivian questions me to explain my mission, too. I tell her everything, but I omit the part about the guy on the toilet. When Danny opens his mouth to add it, I jab him hard with my elbow.

Vivian gives us a weird look, but she doesn't say anything more. I continue with the story, and Vivian gasps and awes at all the right moments. She's particularly interested in my stab wound, which she painfully pokes.

"So yeah, that's what happen," I say after I stop her hand from poking me again. For the rest of the flight, we talk about an array of topics while the helicopter stops to pick up other Renegades every once in a while.

After an additional hour or so of flying, we are high above the rubble that once was Pennsylvania. I turn in my seat to watch the land move below us. In the distance, I spot a long row of helicopters parked about fifty feet from the edge of Baltimore.

We close in on the helicopters, and the pilot lands smoothly on the end of the row. All of the helicopters are black, but some have the ISA logo covered in graffiti. The sheer number of helicopters surprises me; there's a lot more than I though there'd be. Some of them must be from the other Renegade base in Canada.

The pilot cuts the engine, and the noise subsides. Vivian's partner Renegade yanks the cab door open, and we let the other passengers file out before us.

Danny hops out of the helicopter first. He smiles at me in that puppy dog kind of way, and I give him a shrug and a half-grin. Having no idea what he's thinking, I flash a questioning expression at him.

Vivian looks at us like we're crazy and leaps out of the helicopter herself. "Weirdos," she mutters as she walks past us. Danny slams the door of the helicopter and talks to the pilot as I run to catch up with Vivian, my arrows clattering in their sheath.

"C'mon, Vivian, I'm not the weird one. Danny is."

"I heard that!" Danny yells. I twist around and taunt him with a smirk.

Vivian blinks, genuinely confused by my behavior. I watch her reaction as a light bulb illuminates over her head.

"Ohhh," she says as if something were obvious. "I get it. I know what you two are, with your weird behavior and all. Are you two, like, dating?"

I have a heart attack. "Vivian!"

"No, no." She shushes me. "I completely understand. I was in a relationship not too long ago, and I get it. Actually, I could give you some great tips for your--"

"Vivian," I interrupt. "Danny and I are not together. You have no idea how much I hate him sometimes."

She raises an eyebrow. "Whatever you say."

I roll my eyes and focus my attention on the approaching city instead. From our position in the Ruins, I watch other Renegades check in at a fold-up table. As Vivian and I head for the station, Danny jogs ahead of us and tells the man our names. He flips through a packet and crosses them off.

Once Vivian and I reach the man, Vivian asks him about the two teens she brought with her.

"They'll be put into temporary living quarters until we've assigned further notice. Since the girl is 18, she'll be responsible for her brother."

"They better be put somewhere safe," Vivian demands.

"Of course," the Renegade says.

With that, we follow Danny into the street leading to the capitol building. The first official Renegade speech is supposed to take place at the steps of there.

Vivian, being the free spirit she is, takes the lead even though she has no idea where she's going. We reach the capitol building relatively quickly, and from our position, we watch the circular area in front of the Capitol building fill with people. Most of the citizens are teens or new adults, but a lot of Baltimore residents in all age groups mix into the crowd. The scene looks like a party.

"C'mon!" Vivian calls. She waits impatiently for me to catch up to her. Just as I reach her side, I feel something papery in my palm. I look at my hand and then Danny himself. He slipped me a five-dollar bill without an explanation.

I shoot him a confused look that he answers with a wink. I roll my eyes at his vagueness, but I tuck the bill into my pocket. Abruptly, Vivian grabs my wrist and pulls me into the noisy crowd, away from Daniel and into the growing festivities.

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i'd like to personally thank vivian for being so awesome! she spices things up!