~~~

Rory pushed herself off the bed, trying her best to balance herself. Her body still felt sore, but with enough effort, she could walk.

The generals that were guarding the door weren't there anymore. That relieved Rory. It was late in the night, probably around 1 AM. She couldn't sleep because of her new environment. The room was beautifully decorated, but the constant thought of understanding she was expected to stay to receive medication didn't sit well with her.

With the guards gone, she felt a sense of freedom. The entire day, Kristy kept checking on her. Rory was annoyed, and even more irritated every time she was offered a pill. Even when she was staying at home with her father, she never had been so closely watched.

The only thing that was missing from her hospital bed was a chain around her neck. That would've given the full effect of being locked in a dungeon.

Rory wanted to go outside. She felt stuffy. It wasn't unfamiliar for Rory to have that feeling. After all, with her sickness, she had been used to staying locked away in a room with a monitor keeping her awake through many sleepless nights.

Rory wobbled on her feet while trying to move forward. The floor was cold. Freezing even. "They could've at least given me socks," Rory grumbled and took a deep breath.

Focus. She needed to focus on the door. Her legs felt weak, but with enough willpower and determination, she would reach the door. She had to go to the bathroom, and she wasn't planning on asking any of the staff for help.

With careful steps, Rory made it to the door without falling. "I'm here," A soft sigh escaped her lips. Calm washed over her. She opened the door and poked her head out of the doorway.

The room she was staying in was placed in the middle of a long hallway. "What the heck?" Her jaw dropped.

There were only a few doors in the entire hall. Rory figured that one of them lead to a bathroom. But she was still vexed that she had so much more distance to walk.

Using the wall as her support, Rory made her way down the hall begrudgingly. The icy jolts of pain shocked her toes, but Rory pushed through. At one point, she felt dizzy.

"Almost there." Rory moaned and pressed on. Her fingers grazed the doorframe slowly, and when she saw the toilet inside she almost leaped for joy. It was the first time in the day that she actually felt so happy.

Rory did her business as quickly as possible and washed her hands. She didn't want Generals to hear her making commotion or the staff to try and check on her as if she was a child.

Rory left the bathroom and walked back toward her room, but a creepy aura stopped her. She stood in front of her door, noticing a detail that she didn't remember leaving there. Something was off.

"Was this door closed when I left?" Rory thought. She reached for the knob and opened it. Before she could react, a black glove covered her mouth, and a strong being slammed her against the wall.

A shriek escaped her as the person who held her against her will glared at her. The person was dressed in all black, and his face was covered by a scarf. He had piercing gray eyes that stared into her soul.

The man looked her up and down, and smiled. "I'm sorry, but there's something I need from you. I'll borrow it for a while."

Rory didn't dare speak. She felt that one wrong move would trigger an event she wasn't ready to face. Something about the man was familiar, but she couldn't put a pin on it.

"However, you being alive sort of makes my job a bit harder." That voice. Where had she heard it before? She was sure that this man was someone she knew.

"Take what you want..." Rory huffed. "Just let me live."

The man raised his arm and backhanded her as hard as he could. Rory fell to the ground instantly and went unconscious. "That was easy." He snorted and ran off down the hall, leaving her body for someone else to find.

~~~

"The border wall was destroyed due to YOUR Negligence!"

"How DARE you? You're blaming ME for the catastrophe? Do you know how hard I work? I force myself to sleep because of the heavy load! If anything, you should've kept a close watch!"

Decha's head began to ache. The council members were all arguing with each other. It had already gone on for at least an hour, and he wanted nothing more than to tape their mouths shut and tie them to the seats.

The council had called for 3 of Astell's best warriors, representatives who've gone to the Outside. Decha was one among them. The council was having trouble dealing with the horrific event. The citizens of both Sectors were livid.

Decha had come to find out that there were more Bracketers stuck on the Astellian side of the border, and many of them had been displaced. It complicated things. But instead of the Council reasoning with each other logically, they were all barking out childish insults at one another.

"May I offer a suggestion?" Jax Strout, the son of Jarvis Strout and council member cleared his throat.

Jax was also one of the three generals who explored beyond the walls of the Sectors. He was a tall man, taller than Decha with brunette hair, and green eyes. The two were dressed in similar uniforms, but only 14 pins covered the strip on Jax's cap.

"What is it?" One of the council members spat.

"Why don't we temporarily place the Bracket strays in a secluded shelter near the uptown wall?"

"Heavens, no! We can't put them anywhere near uptown! They'll tarnish the streets with their filth!"

"The Astellian people will riot."

"As they should, the Bracketers have caused enough trouble. If it's true that Bracketers are responsible for all the crazy damage, it would be preposterous for us to put them near any of our people." Jarvis Strout swore.

"Then what about in highly secured camps right outside the entrance of downtown?" Decha finally spoke, catching the ears of all 7 council members. "If we don't place them somewhere, then Sector B City Hall will start fighting. The last thing we need is another civil war. What is more important is rebuilding the walls and finding the culprits. Once we place the Bracketers in a secluded but safe place, we can finally move on."

"He's right, men." Jarvis sighed. "We need to find a location and work on placing tents."

"We need to send in a request to Sector B's Head Office, asking for permission to put all those misplaced under the temporary guardianship of the council." Decha looked at an older man on the far right of the room. He was a Bracket man. "You are a representative,"

"We can't do that N96! The Bracketers are—"

"Law 45, Section 9C states that we should help those in need, it doesn't matter the Sector. Bracketers are people in need. We may not like them, but it is the council's job to uphold these rules for the greater good." Decha spat.

"You are biased because you've taken a Bracket woman in under you." Jax snickered.

"Call me biased, I don't care." Decha snapped. "It doesn't change the law. The law that was put in place 20 years before, your predecessors."

"He's right." Jarvis nodded, gaining a look of jealousy from his son. "N96 has always been exceptional at doing his job. You there, send in the request. This means we need to have full access to their records so we know how to handle them."

"Jarvis, you can't be taking the boy's side...?"

"That 'boy' witnessed war on the outside and has fought in many battles far stronger than the small fights we face inside the Walls. N96 is a living legend, one of Astell's greatest heroes. We shouldn't underestimate him."

"Your flattery doesn't work on me, Strout," Decha smirked briefly and masked it with a stern expression. "Before we start drafting a plan for the Walls to be rebuilt, we have to try and understand our enemy better. The bombs have lost their pattern, but they're not impossible to keep track of."

"You pointed out before that there were suspects that would blow up the safes of higher income earning businesses across Astell."

"That was before we caught a glimpse of the technology used to set off the explosives. Strout, what information can you give me about Kilos?"

"Kilos?"

"The technology company in Midtown."

"They're a privately owned business. However, there have been many investors who bought shares from that company. We don't know who's in charge of what."

"Privately owned, but Public partnerships." Decha cursed through his teeth. "If I find the owners of those shares, I'll be able to crack down on the bomb smuggling. We need to stop our shuttles from transporting any of our weaponry into Sector B until the walls are rebuilt. We have more than enough blasters in the Patrol Centers in the Brackets. We also need to look into their natural resources."

Since the street full of houses where all the Bracketers lived near the border was gone, Decha thought of this new plan. Find where the Rusty iron and metal came from.

"You can't do that. Weaponry is how Astellians survive in the Brackets." Jax spat.

"The Astellians stuck in Sector B will be okay." Decha dismissed him.

"How do you know that we have enough blasters to hold off those filthy whackos?"

"Are you stupid?" Decha snickered, aggravating Jax to his core. "I've been on PLENTY of Night Patrols in Sector B, longer than you have N9899," Decha called out his number, reminding the young General of his place. Decha was 8 years Jax's senior. "You may have fought off a few predators, but don't underestimate my IQ. Not if you don't want to be embarrassed."

"N96 has Photographic memory." Strout eased the tension as best he could. "Since you know the inventory well, I nominate that we put your suggestions into place. Are we all on the same page?" Strout looked to the rest of the council members and they all nodded their heads.

"Great."

"I'll take my leave." Decha sighed and began making his way out of the doors.

"Decha, please wait a moment. Before you leave, I want to offer my sincerest apologies. About the... state of your friend." Strout frowned.

"Amir," Decha balled his fists.

"When we find the culprit, believe me, I will punish him according to the highest degree within Astellian law."

"No need." Decha raised a hand, ceasing Strout's talking. "When I find the culprit, I'm going to kill him." There was no joke in Decha's tone. Those ice-cold words pricked Strout's skin uncomfortable.

"N96, we have laws in place—"

"I know we do. And based on my rank," Decha pointed to the 15 pins on his cap, "I'm doing what the law requires of me. Eye for an eye. Life for a life."

"Well, if that's the case, do what you have to stop the bombs. But I wanted to let you know that you'll be working with my son, Jax. Chen thought of it, and I've agreed it would be a good idea. He is very resourceful and good at aim."

"He's a marksman?" Decha slid his eyes slightly to the left and examined Jax's frame with a wretched scowl.

"Indeed."

"As long as he stays in his place I have no problem with it."

"One more thing."

"Yes?"

"We received a call from Border Patrol Center 5. General Haze was trying to contact you."

"Was he?"

"Right now, their systems are down. I'll set up a time for you to voice call with him directly."

"Alright."

"You may leave."

Decha nodded and sidestepped Strout.

On his way back to the hospital to check on Rory, Decha felt strange. Occasionally, he'd glance over his shoulder or side-eye everything around him.

Something was off. Very off.

Decha turned the corner, deciding that it was just his imagination.

Instant regret surged within Decha the moment he saw a bright light and heard the sound of heavy tires screeching at him. In a cloud of smoke, the car raced toward him.

Decha barely had any time to react. He jumped up, and the car smacked into him. He rolled across the top and tried to control the way he fell. "Agh!" Decha howled as he hit the ground. His wrist was still sprained from several days before.

But now he had a bruised rib to worry about. Decha swore repeatedly, wondering who in the world was driving their car like a maniac.

Instead of stopping to see if he was okay, the car sped off down the city street and disappeared down the road. Decha groaned, and pushed himself off the concrete, keeping a close eye on the license plate that faded with the car in the distance.

Fortunately, several nurses saw the incident and rushed to his aid.

"I'm fine," Decha stopped them and began rolling his shoulders. "Don't touch me,"

"Are you sure?"

"Very. Are there any updates Kristy has to give me?"

"... I think you should come upstairs and see for yourself, N96."

That wasn't a good sign. He hoped Rory wasn't throwing another fit again. Decha made his way up to the top floor of the hospital. When he got to her hospital room, he froze at the scene before him.

One of the two generals that were supposed to be outside the door keeping watch had Rory pinned down on the bed, and another doctor, who wasn't Kristy was attempting to examine her with their scanners. Rory was crying and screaming, and shoving her hand at the Doctor to prevent the device from doing its job.

"Get off of her." Decha's command boomed loudly and maliciously. "I assigned you to watch her, to make sure no one else would come in."

"She tried to run—" The general started, but he turned to face the doctor with the scanner in his hand, and snatched it away.

"Where is N8788? She is her assigned Physician. You have no business being here." Decha hissed.

"I am only examining her mental state—"

"You have no right. Get out. Both of you." Decha was slightly more concerned about Rory's body reacting harshly to their brute force. "Call N8788 back in. You stay outside of this room. If I catch you crossing the line where that doorframe ends, it won't end well for you."

"Yes, N96." The general saluted respectfully and left the room. The Doctor remained shortly after before deciding not to test Decha. He left, but not before turning around and examining Decha's movements and expressions. The doctor couldn't tell if there was a sign of true concern or whether he was just enforcing commands for show.

"Are you okay?"

Rory slapped Decha's hand away from her and turned away. But he spotted a large blue bruise forming on the side of her head. Without realizing it, he grabbed her chin and turned her face to study it closely. "Who did this to you?"

"Let me go—"

"Did they put their hands on you? What happened?"

"You should know." Rory pushed Decha away from her face. "I was only trying to go to the restroom. I wasn't going to leave!"

"Rory, what are you talking about?" Decha scoffed, growing annoyed with her rambling.

"You sent in one of those brutes after me!" She spat. Tears began to form in her eyes as she remembered the man who entered the room hours earlier.

Decha was trying to understand what she meant. What Brute was she talking about? Was it the general stationed at the door who hit her?

"I'm trying so hard... to adapt. But I'm exhausted," Rory sobbed. "My father may be dead, the borders collapsed, and you're forcing me to stay here to get treatment that I don't want. My mind is already going crazy. The least you could've done was left me with my only will to live."

Rory hunched over and massaged her forehead. She had a massive migraine. The entirety of her situation was overwhelming.

"I'm keeping you here because there is no one else here who'd be willing to offer the necessary care you need," Decha admitted but remained stoic.

"Then why? Why did you take POYO away from me?" She hiccuped.

"What?" Decha snatched his hand away and looked at Rory's phone, which was sitting on top of a stool. Sure enough, the flash disk that usually was attached was gone. "I didn't take it away."

"You liar."

"I didn't." Decha looked up as the doors opened and Kristy walked in with a tray full of food. She looked at Decha apologetically. "Where the heck were you? I didn't tell you to leave your station, N8788."

"I only went to go grab food for her. I didn't know another staff member would intrude. Please excuse it."

"Did anyone come into this room?" Decha asked her because she was in charge of the cameras.

"I thought it was you." Kristy raised a brow and placed the tray of food on the small table in front of Rory.

"I just got here." Decha snapped. Whoever came in before him must've taken POYO. That may have been why Rory was accusing him. He was going to have to review the footage some other time.

Kristy smiled at Rory before leaving first. When the two were alone again, Decha's hard sigh caught Rory's attention. Even though his eyes remained dull, Rory could tell that he was stressed out about something. He was purposely hiding it.

"You should eat." Decha tried directing her eyes away from him and toward the plate with roasted fish and veggies.

"I can't eat this." Rory shook her head wanting to take caution. Her father's words drummed in the back of her mind.

"It's not poisoned if that's what you're thinking." Decha shrugged. "Eat it or don't. I don't care. But I'm not going to allow you to starve yourself. At least drink some water." Decha grabbed a bottle out of a nearby mini fridge and popped open the cap.

"Have the Generals finished clearing the debris from the walls?" Rory frowned. She wanted to find her father's body. Any type of closure was all she wanted.

"Eat, Rory."

"I will if you tell me."

Decha groaned. "It's not completely clean, but just about for both sides. In the next month, they should start the rebuilding process."

"Could you do me a favor?"

"For a certain price." Decha placed the water bottle down on the tray.

"I don't have much to offer." Rory frowned and looked at her cell phone. "I'm not sure how much Tekels this will sell for. But you can keep the money."

"I'm not going to take your cell phone. Tell me what the favor is. And later we can work out an agreement of payment." Decha twirled his sprained wrist around, slightly groaning as the pain started to ache.

"I want you to find a man named Jamison Clarke. My father. I have to know that he's alive."

"We've already identified all the bodies." Decha huffed.

"And...?"

"There's no one by that name that came up."

"How can you tell?"

Decha smirked but masked it away before Rory could read his expression. "I have a great memory."

"A great memory?" Rory hissed. "You want me to trust your memory?"

"Your father's body wasn't found or identified. I don't know what else you want me to tell you."

"I can't trust anything you have to say!"

"I'm going to have you transported tomorrow." Decha changed the subject before she'd piss him off.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Rory pushed herself off the bed but almost fell on her face. Decha caught onto her waist. He could feel her heart pounding against him, meaning she was nervous.

"I'm doing what I can to make sure you and other Bracketers that have been misplaced are taken care of."