A/N: [You can bet as these stories get more in depth and more detailed, they're going to take a bit longer to update as I want to be as accurate to the story, characters, places, and just accurate over all on how the story is told. Thank you all for your patience. I look forward to seeing you all in the next chapter! Enjoy! Feedback is always encouraged and welcomed!

Southern Approach of Norwich Cathedral

He hated patrols. He especially hated patrolling it with this twat.

"...'n so I says, 'bruv, it ain' a worry fo' me yeah?' and then BLAM! I jus' sho' the bastard jus' like tha'! You 'earin me bruv? Yeah?"

"Yeah yeah I's 'earin' you. Look, let's just step out, I need 'nother smoke."

The young lad with the beanie fixed his rifle sling and nodded several times as he said, "Yeah yeah, I could take a drag meself y'know? So damned fookin' cold, y'know wha' I mean?"

"Hmmm." Agreed his older partner. Maybe I shoulda volunteered with the raiders after all. What the hell...he thought to himself as they stepped outside the Courtyard corridors and to the outside of the Cathedral. Where there used to be a parking lot, there small dense bushes and trees now. There were car frames, picked clean of any and all usable parts.

"Ay bruv, I've go'a take a whiz, I'll be-"

"Jus' do your damned buizz and don' have me 'ol your damned 'and!"

The young man threw up his hands and quickly apologized, "Alrigh', alrigh'! I ge' it!" And before his partner could say another word, he was off to answer nature's desperate call.

And after what the young man would have described as "Pissing like a racehorse", he turned to walk towards his friend and called out, "Oi! Oi Marv! Bruv, I feel so..." He slowed his track as he noticed under the lamplight that Marv was hunched over on the ground, his cigarette rolled just out of arms reach on the ground. He laughed nervously for a momently as he called out, "Oi, Marvin, ay mate...if you're that knackered I could just-hurk!"

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a slight pinch on his neck, then he felt nothing at all.

Not that he liked the cold anyway.

Commander Sevs dragged the body behind the car frame and tossed it on his friend. He wiped the bottom of his neck as felt the fresh blood running down the inside of his combat uniform. This was exactly why he loved his infiltration load-out for ops like this. But, as the age-old adage went, beggars didn't have the luxury of choosing. He brought his rifle back up and grimaced. The pain was returning already, the dull ache in his wounded arm was now feeling like a searing hot knife straight up to his brain. The rifle in his hands felt heavier with each step as he crossed the doorway and listened for any more passing patrols.

His labored breathing only frustrating him more. He turned into the corridor and made his way towards the back of the courtyard which would lead him to the back of the Cathedral. He could hear a guitar playing, he could hear the soft mumbles and whispers of people inside. There were way too many people up. So going in guns blazing would be counterproductive. And he still didn't know where he should be going at any rate.

He peeked into the main Cathedral and saw candles and small lamps lighting the floor and the people that surrounded them. There was a door on the other side of the Cathedral with a single lamp that revealed a way down. To where, was the million credit question. And the real question now was how to cross the Cathedral without letting everyone know.

Sevs peeked in again and turned on his Night Vision on his visor. There didn't seem to be a way through, but maybe...he looked out his corridor. How convenient was that? A ladder up to the second-floor balcony. And no one patrolling it? His lucky day. He backed away from the Cathedral's West End entrance and hopped over the courtyard corridor's low wall. With his rifle in hand, he continued to scan the rooftops as he made his approach to the ladder. He held some paranoia at the exposed Cathedral steeple but continued his advance. Seeing as no one has spotted him yet, he worked his way up the ladder and stopped just as he was about to grab hold to the broken wall of the balcony.

He could hear snoring. Very faintly, but he could hear it. He climbed onto the balcony, then found the origins for the noise. Some damned fool of a lookout was passed out, cold and drunk, surrounded by several beer cans around him. The lookout's rifle laid next to the drunk, cold and poorly maintained. As the Commander tiptoed around the cans, he popped out the magazine from the rifle and chucked it into the tall grass of the courtyard. He contemplated giving the man a swift kick to the groin, or the head, but of course, knew that wouldn't have helped him any. He then crept in through the window of the Cathedral and gently pressed his foot on the broken stained glass that littered the floor.

He could hear the guitar player once again and the rancid smell of trash fires. Lovely. With only a few blown out windows and the open doors as ventilation in the Cathedral, the rising smoke of so many candles and the fires all throughout the main Cathedral building produced a thin haze surrounding the second floor. Seeing as to how all the movement and warmth was downstairs, the Commander stuck close to the shadows granted by the wall and moon-lit stain-glassed windows.

Making his way past the bullet-riddled Organ pipes, listened to the conversations of the men and women down below. Some complained about the weather, some complained about the food, there were talks about family and day-to-day life as they had before joining. But nothing as convenient as where they took the two prisoners. He went around to the other side of the Cathedral and found the stairway that led down to the first floor, which was then a straight shot to the stairway down. But the problem was, there were people in the way. There wasn't really a subtle way to pass under the lamplight over the doorway down below without someone seeing him.

So. A small distraction was in order. He grabbed a decently sized stone and chucked it to the window where the lookout was and ducked into the stairway going to the first floor as soon as he heard the crash. The guitarist didn't stop playing as he replied with a snarky tone for someone to check it out. Sevs peeked out of the stairway and watched as people cautiously went up the opposite stairway to investigate the noise.

For better or for worse, under the noise of shuffling feet echoing throughout the chamber of the Cathedral, Sevs slipped into the spiraling stairway leading down below. He made it halfway down the stairs then leaned against the wall of the stairwell and listened, the echoes from the chamber was slightly muffled but he could still hear that they found the sleeping lookout and they weren't raising any alarms for it. With a small victorious sigh, he moved to complete his original objective. He paused at the bottom of the stairway as the crypt gave him several pathways to choose from.

There was a mix of lamps and torches lit around the main path of the crypt. He noticed as he stepped further in that there the entire floor was covered with water. It was barely enough to cover his boots but still, sneaking around would be a lot harder...

"Oi! 'Oo's down 'eeyah? Jeb? Jeb I sweayuh, ifs its youse again..." cried out a voice as a pair of feet landed in the water to his left.

"Ah si' back down, whass'e gonna do den ey? Give the ol willy a few tugs? 'Sides, doors locked to the ol' bird any'ow." Said a different voice in the same direction. And I wonder who has the-The sound of jingling as Jeb shuffled back to his seat. Well, that made things so much easier. The Commander did his best to tread lightly through the shallow water allowing their voices to mask his approach "Yeah, 'spose so. Bu' tha' kid's got some issues."

"Yeah? An' 'Oo you 'spossin don't then ey? Look 'round you Jeb, worl's gone to shite, ain't a man or woman alive that can' see that."

"Yeah, yo' bein'?"

"My point, is that all uv' us sorry lot got a few issues 'ere'n'there innit? I say, le' the kid do what'ee can and not bust his balls for it." Said Not-Jeb. He lowered his voice after a few moments of consideration and said, " 'Sides, not like we 'ave too much longer now do we?"

A clinking of bottles, "Too right. Too damned right. Fuck..."

The two not-so-gentlemen shared their moment as they drank down their alcohol. Jeb emptied the contents of his bottle then chucked it down into the shadows of the crypt. As it crashed and splashed onto the ground, Jeb felt a small metallic prod to his temple and a rough voice whisper in the dark. "Don't you know it's bad to litter?"

"JESU-" croaked Not-Jeb as he tried to go for his holstered sidearm.

"You move," the voice mentioned in his direction, "you die." he said to Jeb.

Not-Jeb looked at Jeb who slowly shook his head. Not-Jeb took the smarter option and leaned back on his seat and slowly brought his hands forward into plain view and hovered them just above his knees. " Alrigh' Alrigh' mate! You've got us, fai'n'square now. No need to be-"

"Stop talking." The voice put an end to that conversation and left no room for negotiation. For a few moments, it was just them and the sounds of them breathing, with the occasional drops of water dripping from somewhere.

"Now," said the voice, "keys. Toss them here."

Jeb fished out the keys from his waist and tossed them in the voice's direction. The keys are heard being caught and never hitting the floor despite how low he tossed them. The keys jangle as they are slid into some unseen pouch. The voice then said, "The girls. Where are they?"

"I dun't kno-"

"Think very carefully about what you're going to say next."

The man was sweating profusely despite the freezing chill of the crypt's atmosphere. Jeb took a visible gulp and if his quickened breath was any indication, he might have had a heart on the spot. If his friend didn't save him first.

"Look mate," said Not-Jeb, "You've got the keys, if you're talkin' bout our recen' catch, the bird be right over there, swear she is, just take the key with the two forks and give a few turns." he pointed in the direction towards the lit arches.

"That's one, where's the other?"

"Other? What other? Look man, we've already tol-"

"Where's. The other."

"Shit Jeb, he's talkin' bout the damned android!"

Jeb finally snapped out of his panic attack and said "L-L-look. We could tell you, b-but are you gonna let us go?"

The voice whispered, "Really depends if you tell me something I really want to hear. Now. The android. Where is she?"

"She's with the geek a few cells over gettin' 'er damned brains pi-." Two coughs and a splash of blood.

"Jesus JE-" Two more coughs of smoke, and two bodies fall into the freezing crypt waters. The lamplight that hung above them was smashed violently on the ground and broke, and a very irate Commander back to retrieve his objectives.

As important as asset retrieval was, asset denial was a higher priority. Sevs rushed towards where Jeb had indicated where the human agent was being held. The cell was dark, he could hear slow, shallow, ragged breathing. He could hear the slight clinking of chains against the wall and a steady stream of water trickling somewhere on the back wall. With his rifle at the low ready, he proceeded down the darker side of the crypt and made a left where it expanded to a much narrower portion. In the back of the crypt, was a room to the far back right with a blue glow and sandbags piled in front of the door.

Sevs readied his rifle as he treaded through the shallow waters. The door was partially open and through it, he could hear the frantic pacing of only one individual inside. Against the wall of the cell were several cracked computer monitors with the words, "No Signal" written across all of Commander swung the door open slightly and saw as a young technician frantically trying to find the connection ports from the severely disfigured T-Doll. The Technician was cutting into the back of the T-Doll's neck with a seemingly dull knife. The T-doll's hair seemed to be shaven-if not partially scalped-with the same dull knife as fluids drained from every injury she had collected due to the technician's vain search for her data port.

Little Red was in a state of terrible disrepair, her left eye socket was hollowed out terrifyingly so, her right leg seemingly snapped in half only hanging on by the very fibers of her synthetic skin.

The Commander knocked on the door a few times before walking in front of the mumbling technician. As Sevs got closer to the technician, he waved a hand in his face but he just kept digging away. The Commander snatched the knife away and kicked the Technician in the face knocking him down as he tried to make a desperate grab for the knife.

"Down boy. Don't make me get the spray bottle." Sevs said with some smug sense of satisfaction, his boot forcing the man down to the ground, his incoherent mumbling only growing in intensity and frequency.

"You humans always find such creative acts of cruelty." said a feminine voice from behind him. Sevs felt a part of him try to jump out of his skin but reacted in the manner that he knew how. He forced a knee into the face of the technician, breaking his nose, then wrapped an arm around the dazed technician, and braced his rifle on his shoulder pointed at the doorway.

"Sorry, I don't think we've properly met! You seem to know me but I don't know your name. You are...?"

A female stepped off the sandbags and into the dim glow of the computer screen, there was a distinct click-clack of heels and the owner of the voice came walking through the doorway and what the Commander saw made his eyebrow raise by a fraction of an inch. There walked a lady, her stature was strong, proud, and very confident, especially dressed in a very formal but plain maid attire. An impressively white frilled bonnet on top of her raven black hair that was arranged in two buns and sharp long bangs running down the right side of her face. Her black dress with white trimmings at the bottom and a similar white stripe running down the center line the front of her dress.

Once she was in the limelight of the computer screens, she stopped and pierced the dark with her cold, analytical eyes and established eye contact with the Commander. The Commander slowly raised himself off the ground with his still babbling captive held tightly in his vice-like arm. Now that he was so close to the technician he could finally make sense of what he had been saying as he gritted through his teeth.

"Have to find it, have to find it, have to find it, have to-"

The maid closed her eyes, furrowed her brows, and pinched the bridge of her nose as she said, "Commander, if you could please drop the corpse, it would be most appreciated."

The technician's eyes widened in terror and his rambling only doubled in his lunacy, "Havetofindithavetofindithavetofindithaveto-"

"Corpse? This guy ain't-" and in a split-second decision, the Commander shoved the raving man forward as he barely was able to catch something snaked out from under the maiden's dress. Bright beam soared in the technician's direction, his head jerked back, the beam ricocheted off the stone ceiling, dissipated into thin air, and the technician's body hit the floor, convulsing but certainly dead.

After a few tense moments, the Sangvis T-Doll released the bridge of her nose, placed both hands in front of her as she lowered her dress and her facial expression relaxed immensely as she breathed in deeply through her nostrils. The expression she wore after could be almost be described as...elated...satisfied.

"There~...now isn't that better? So much noise, but not enough results." she said as she opened up her eyes.

The Commander, knowing he was out of defensive options in such a tiny room, kept his rifle trained on this peculiar target. Sevs knew full well that whatever model this T-Doll was, she could have killed him at any time, she still very well could in fact. The Commander tightened his grip on his rifle for a moment, then let out a frustrated breath as he lowered his rifle despite all of the voices in his head yelling at him to shoot.

"If you say so, but..." he kept a wary eye on her as he moved towards the broken T-Doll on the floor. Her tattered and mud-stained jacket laid behind her. Little Red's blouse had been torn in the back in several places with very crude squares of flesh cut out from her. Some of the blood had dried up but there looked like there were some that were freshly cut into but never completely removed. He returned his attention to the uninvited guest in the room, "You still haven't told me who you are and what you want?"

"My my, how bold," she mused as she turned herself slightly to face the Commander. The Commander looked at Red Robin's shattered face and could still see the dried tear stains on her eyes. Well, from when she had both of them at any rate. From inside her hollowed eye socket, he could tell the technician dug very deep trying to find some place to forcefully reach her memory banks. "Well, I suppose and introduction is in order. You may call me, Agent." She said with a polite curtsy.

" 'Agent'...Agent what..." Sevs said gruffly as he took his knife with one hand and severed the barely connected strands of synthetic skin and muscles to Red Robin's leg. Much to his surprise, this Sangvis "Agent" didn't immediately fire on him when he drew his knife. This one definitely had a higher processing power than the other ringleader's he had the pleasure of running into.

The woman sighed with disturbing fondness as she caught on the question and replied, "My dear Commander, as strong as you believe your humor to be, my correct title is simply. Agent."

"Well, my dear Agent. To what do I owe the pleasure of a High Functioning Ringleader to visit lil' ol me in a place like this?" He said dryly as he got to work digging out the memory chip installed in Red Robin.

"Curiosity." She replied simply.

The Commander was halfway through the process of retrieval when he stopped and his eyes moved rapidly up and down Agent looking for any indication of an attack. After several heartbeats later, he slowly resumed his unfortunate work. "Well...that's rather vague isn't it?"

"Then allow me to clarify." Agent responded without missing a beat. "We are curious in you specifically."

"Uh huh..." he finally fished out the chip, his eyes struggling against the sweat on his brow not to blink in fear of losing sight of the target barely a quick stride away from him. He placed the chip in one of his pockets then looked at the severely outdated computer server standing next to Agent. He stood up slowly and with one hand on his rifle that held low on his sling in front of him, he continued, "And why would that be?"

Agent saw the quick glance he made to the computer server, threw a slightly amused glance between both him and the server then bowed slightly as she made some space for him to reach it. Albeit there wasn't much space in the room to begin with but it would have to do. The Commander worked his jaw in ever-growing paranoia and suspicion but nodded politely all the same as he slowly worked his way over to the server. His eyes never left Agent as he silently extended a cord from his PAD and attached it to the Anti-War's server and begin its download. It was only slightly awkward not being able to find the connection port the first time without looking but he got it.

He couldn't tell what Agent was planning behind those calculating yellow eyes of hers but so long as he was still alive, he was going to do his job. Agent spoke again once the Commander started his download, "You see Commander, we have several records of a certain human being quite the nuisance dating even during the establishment of Sangvis Ferri. And now?" An eyebrow arched in amused curiosity, "Now it appears a certain human is doing the same thing in this era..." Agent walked uncomfortably closer to the Commander to where all he could do grind his teeth and lock his eyes with hers. She pushed up his visor, peeked down to his PAD which was near completion then back to his eyes with an even more uncomfortably seductive glare as she said, "Now...doesn't that sound like too much of a coincidence?"

"Hmph..." he contemplated at either throwing an insult in regards to their combat capabilities or expressing agreement with a Sang. He chose what he hoped was the safer option. "Maybe their records are missing a few files. One individual? Causing that much trouble for big bad Sangvis Ferri? They must be extremely talented or Sangs must be..." He felt a small warm metallic Prod on his right thigh. Agent felt the tip of barrel pointed at her abdomen. Admittedly, he did go a little bit farther than he intended but the message was all the same. A barely noticeable ping chimed from his PAD and the Commander smirked as he retracted the chord.

"Well. What now," the Commander asked in a slow and cautious voice, "Miss Agent

"For now?" She looked thoughtfully between the barrel pointed at her and the Commander. She smiled and gracefully stepped back and retracted her three glowing beam pipes as they simmered down. As she flattened out her dress she casually said, "You may go. I have done what was asked of me. And I see no purpose seeing you dead...yet." she finished with a playful glare in the Commander's direction

"Interesting. I was about to say the same thing." Sevs quipped.

Agent had finished straightening her dress and eyed the Commander critically before flashing the faintest of smiles. She walked towards the door and rested a hand on the stone archway and said over her shoulders, "You intrigue me, Commander, killing you should be wonderfully," she paused to inhale deeply at the very thought of the notion, "entertaining, I should think."

She laughed as she stepped onto the sandbags and said once more before she disappeared, "So please. Don't disappoint me then? Farewell, Commander." The Commander didn't hear her feet ever touch the water but heard rapid movement fleeing down the chambers of the crypt. He turned on the flashlight on his rifle and aimed his rifle down the same direction but found only a wave of rippling water in her wake.

Sevs muttered a curse under his labored breath as he lowered his rifle seeing no signs of the unknown contact. He looked back into the room and knew what had to be done. He attached two packets of low-yield explosives, one on the body of Red Robin, and one on the computer servers. He grabbed the tattered jacket of Red Robin and the black nylon jacket off the body of the technician. Once he was confident he had everything checked, he left the room and closed the door behind him.

He went back to the human cell, his visor and flashlight working tandem trying to search the darkened crypt. Sevs noticed that as she left she had taken the time to extinguish all the lights in the crypt save for the one by the only stairway back up to the surface. Seeing no immediate danger to himself, he fished the keys out his pouch and unlocked the cell where the agent was being held. As he stepped in, Sevs realized it was significantly colder in the cell than anywhere else in the crypt. The trickle of water from the back of the cell was ice-cold as it ran directly onto the woman's feet. A crude but effective way to limit her mobility. But also a good way for her to die of pneumonia or even hypothermia if left unchecked.

Seeing the cell carried a haunting memory back to life but pushed through the mental strain as he laid his rifle aside and observed the woman's injuries. Her arms chained to the wall behind her and her feet cuffed together, she was covered in copious numbers of bruises. Some minor lacerations to the face, arms, and backs but nothing that demanded immediate treatment. There were some circular burn marks on top of some of her lacerations, so it wasn't too far from imagination that they either used hot brass or even a lit cigarette to cauterize the wounds as part of her torture.

Her eyes were covered by a simple black cloth and her mouth was gagged with some other fabric. Ah...her own stockings it seemed. As he carefully removed the gag from her mouth, he whispered the words, "Passphrase, Mother Hen."

Once the gag was removed the woman's mouth she gasped for breath and coughed as she attempted to find her voice, the Commander fetched out his canteen and tried to remove her blindfold as she flinched away. "Easy, easy now, I'm taking off your blinds. I'm with GK. I need to know your passphrase."

When she heard GK she perked up slightly but was shivering uncontrollably now. The Commander grimaced and quickly found the keys to her chains and cuffed imprisonment. Once she was free of those, he moved his hands behind her head and unwrapped the blindfold around her eyes. Though she was bruised and her face slightly swollen, it was refreshing to see such wonderfully piercing blue eyes.

The Commander lifted his visor letting only the flashlight from his rifle illuminate the room. He handed her his canteen to take a few sips of water on her bluish lips. Once her trembling hands handed back the canteen, she said through her chattering teeth, "Little Boy Blue, c-come blow your h-h-horn. Gentle and sweet."

"Little Bo Peep, found at last, fast asleep. Confirmed. Now let's get the hell out of here, eh?"

The only response she could muster through the cold was a sharp nod through her clenched teeth.

Without wasting another moment, he threw over the agent's body the jacket he collected from the technician and tucked Red Robin's tattered jacket into her arms. He hefted his rifle in his left arm and lifted the agent with his right. Her legs buckled as she tried to support herself but couldn't. Sevs nodded his head once sharply to swing his visor down and established a line with Spring, "Spring, we're coming out. Start the party."

"Sir? We're already in the Cathedral." Spring replied promptly.

"You're in the-?" The Commander echoed softly. He shook his head as he tucked away his rifle and held his pistol in one hand, "Standby and keep watch, I'm coming up the stairs, East side of the Cathedral."

He cut the channel and continued to half-carry, half-drag, the agent out of the depths of the crypt. When he reached the base of the stairs, the Commander realized that there was a concerning amount of fluids dripping down the stairs. He grounded his teeth, tightened his jaw and tightened his grip around his pistol. He quickly glanced to his VIP that was leaning on him and only clothed in a jacket and was in no condition to fight. He had to trust that his team was where they said they were.

With a sharp breath, he swept the Mother Hen off her feet and slowly trudged up the stairs. When he reached the top, he was greeted to the relieving sight of his small squad establishing a perimeter around the stairway taking cover behind available pillars and various piles of rubble. Spring turned her head and walked to the Commander's side, "Spring, make some room by that trash fire, let's get her warmed up before we go." Spring turned around obediently and removed the fresh corpses from the spot the Commander indicated. Sevs rested the woman on a mattress that was brought over by Mary and Maria and the difference in comfort was showing significant results already. Sevs found a decent sized sleeping bag that wasn't as soiled and wrapped it around her legs.

All the while, he instructed for Mary and Marie to either build or find a stretcher for transport. As they went off in search through the Cathedral to complete their tasks, Sevs pulled Spring aside while keeping their VIP under a watchful eye. He looked around at the corpses surrounding them and felt completely uncomfortable with the lethal efficiency with which they were dispatched. He noticed, still closest to the altar, was the person playing guitar, hunched over his instrument, with only a still burning hole in his cranium. All the others like him were found in a similar fashion, as if Death itself had come through and wiped the place of human existence. It certainly explained one thing. All that blood that poured, oozed, and flowed from these wounds had cascaded into a terrifying waterfall on the steps as he came up.

"Spring, did you catch anyone coming in or out of the building?" Sevs asked, his eyes wandered to every flickering source of light, from flames and lamps to every shade, shadow, and crevice. His fingers tapped on the pistol grip of his rifle that he hadn't even realized he had brought back out. Seeing the Commander's agitation only worried Spring even more.

"Not that I could discern while I was positioned out front." She answered, however, she was far past her moments of doubt. "There were flashes of beam-fire from inside for a few moments then it all stopped. I tried to reach you several times but none of my calls went through."

"You're sure you saw no one else come out on your approach?" Sevs asked again seemingly ignoring Spring's explanation for entering.

"No sir." She answered insistently. She turned her self towards the main entrance of the Cathedral and gripped her own rifle a little tighter. What happened here was certainly concerning, no doubt. But something enough to rattle the Commander was cause for alarm. And yet still he would rather find the comfort of carriage for their VIP rather than leave immediately? Why? Again, none of what the Commander's behavior and actions made any sense to her!

"Okay...Okay." He breathed deeply as he repeated himself. Each response growing slower and calmer, however, the tapping on his pistol grip was still very much present. "Let's get out of here before we run into actual trouble. I'll take point."

Mary and Maria were able to secure a very shabby stretcher pieced together by a sleeping bag and two legs of an extendable ladder. The Commander shrugged stiffly at the sight of the flimsy looking stretcher but made no complaints as he transferred the VIP onto it. He then instructed the two girls to carry the stretcher and would do most of the legwork as they evacuated the area. Once they had left through the southern courtyard entrance, the Commander brought up his remote command on his PDA and said quietly enough for everyone to hear, "Fire in the hole."

Maria and Mary flinched slightly expecting to hear a loud explosion but were relieved when they felt only the faintest rumbling beneath their feet. The team exited the courtyard corridors, pass where Sevs first came through and made it to the overgrowing treeline. Sevs was the last to reach the treeline before he snapped his rifle up and spun a complete 180 in search for a target. He trusted his senses, he knew someone had an eye on them, if it was that damned Agent from before...

As he pressed his body behind a tree, scanning the environment, nothing on his HUD. Frustrated, he threw up his visor and eyed the rooftops and windows. Spring came up behind him and pointed her rifle down range. "Commander, do you have a target?"

For a few tense moments, everyone hidden behind some sort of cover, no one moved. The wind blew the dead leaves on the ground, Maria kept a hand on her beret and Mary ducked down trying to avoid the leaves that were blown her way. She had to finger comb some of the leaves and twigs out of her hair but otherwise stayed alert. Muttering a curse under his breath, the Commander made the hand signal to "Pick up" and "Move". Spring hesitated for a moment as she eyed the Commander critically before motioning to the others to continue their trek back to the rest of the team. Sevs slowly backpedaled taking in one last look at the Cathedral before withdrawing. Swearing he thought he saw something on the rooftops, he retreated to the safety of the shadows.

As the Commander and his entourage left the scene, Agent and her accompanying T-Doll analyst, Scarecrow hovered above the cathedral steeple. Agent planted her feet lightly on the overhead arch of the steeple window. Scarecrow opted to sit in the blown-out crevice of the steeple. It certainly has been an interesting night.

"Scarecrow," Agent said with curious amusement as she watched the Commander lead his team off to their "hide-out". Pitiful. Watching them scurry like mice into the night. And to bring combat liabilities into the field to split up the team? This Commander brought a whole new bag of interesting. "Did you catch everything our dear Commander said during our little...chat?" she finished with discontent.

Scarecrow stared blankly at the ground below her, the long-dead tree husks rattling in the wind. One of her beam projectors floated close to her and eyed her curiously. She lifted an open hand and the projector followed it with the same curiosity. She then directed it towards the ground and it zoomed away without hesitation. Its two other brother projectors followed its path and found its target. A single human that had acted as a runner between cells. The projectors glowed and fired one salvo before the man had a chance to scream.

And then he was gone.

Two of them returned back to her, the other lingered as it poked at the still burning corpse curiously before following suit.

"I have yet to decipher it all, but it is, as you say, curious," Scarecrow spoke at last as her projectors returned to her. She kept a hand over her face as the wind whipped her hair forward, her projectors slowly glided into their assigned places where they would form a meager wall against the wind.

"He is...isn't he?" Agent mused, by now the Commander in question would have reached his little hideout, collect his team and run off thinking they would be safe.

Well, safe for now as rats would. They would have to come out of their hole soon. And then, a cat would be waiting, just for them.

Throughout the rest of the night, it was as smooth sailing as it could have been. They were able to transport the VIP back to where Ida and the rest of the team were hiding. The rear seats were tucked under and just enough room was made just enough room for the recovered agent to rest in the back under Spring's care. Mary and Maria waited with the van as the Commander went inside the building to retrieve the others. When he peeked his head into the lounge area where he had left them, he couldn't help but crack a smile at the sight.

Wells had volunteered to stay up the duration of the time while the Commander and the rest were gone, still cradling the infant in her arms. She didn't even notice him as she stepped in through the doorway and leaned on the frame. Penny had a loose but safe enough hold on the infant she was holding. Ida had a terrible look on her face as she snored loudly on the couch. Her mouth wide open and her teeth showing every time she took a deep breath inwards. The child they had collected was wrapped up in Ida's sweater, lying on top of her with his arms hanging by his side and his face pressed deeply under her neck.

As precious as the sight was, it was time to go home. He collected the materials from the baby supply satchel and left it on the counter as he went to wake up Ida and Penny. It took a few persistent tries with Ida but that was nothing compared to the sneaky peck on the cheek Penny tried to slip in when she didn't wake the first time. It was easily thwarted by a prepared hand in her path but it was a little concerning how reckless it was as the infant was still on her lap. She had a complete hold on her the entire time but still...some habits are worth never losing, he supposed.

And the only way to wake a knocked out Ida would normally be to pinch the tip of her tail. However, with a child on top of her...so he decided the second best option would to blow into one of her pointed ears. Her ears flicked and twitched for a few moments, before she finally came to, dazed and confused. "Nya~?" Attempting to get raise her head, her chin ran into the head of the child that was sleeping on her, and seeing something else equally as comfortable she almost went back to sleep. If the Commander didn't blow into her ears again. She swiped at the Commander's face unconsciously as her face scrunched up in annoyance.

"Ida, sleep when you get back home. C'mon. At least walk to the van? I'll take the-"

"Nyope...izz fine." She interrupted quickly as she wrapped her arms gently around the child and stretched her legs. The Commander first helped Penny on to her feet then offered a hand to Ida who promptly stuck out a tongue in his direction but took his helping hand anyway. They load up into the car and drive off into the night back to the Seethful Airfield for their extraction.

Back at the airfield, two helicopters were ready and waiting for them with two teams of Medical Technicians accompanying the both of them. The VIP was loaded in first and immediately treated, the dirty stretcher was replaced with a much cleaner one, as was the blanket and jacket. The tattered jacket, however, she refused to hand over. The only thing left of Red Robin. Wells stayed by Mother Hen's side but continued to care for the infant. The Medical Technicians eyed the infant warily and made sure that it was properly wrapped up for the ride.

The same could also be said on the second helicopter, the infant and child were both given priority as they were ensured that they would be wrapped up warmly. After everyone was seated and secured, the helicopters made a staggered lift off and were back on their way to the base. The troop bay doors were closed the entire ride back but it didn't stop the wonderful glow of the moon to peek through the cockpit doors. Not that anyone but the Commander could tell as they all quietly slipped away to sleep.

There was something he could appreciate from all of this as the Med-Techs went about to patch up his crusted up wounds. What they did down there, he had to believe it was for the better. Destroying a cell of the Anti-War extremists, that had to have been for the better.

By the time they had reached the headquarters, it was already two in the morning. Barely a skeleton crew working at the GK HQ Airfield but still they were greeted by staff and quickly transferred to a medical bus that zipped them over to the Medical and Repair wing of the Headquarters. The infants and child were all kept together and transferred to the civilian Emergency / Urgent Care division, Penny refused treatment for only a scraped up knee and a few splinters, Ida wasn't seriously hurt either, Spring, Mary and Maria all were fine as they stayed the furthest away from combat.

Wells declined to answer. The Commander made a heavy mental sigh but said nothing of it. Otherwise, besides the smell and feel of dirt and grime on everyone, no one needed any serious repairs. Except for him...again.

Nothing new there.

"Spring, you lead on the girls back on home, warm showers and clean beds should be ready for all y'all. Go on then!" Sevs encouraged happily, fighting through his weariness. Spring nodded politely then lead the others off to their living quarters as instructed. Penny made a comment about seeing the Commander soon, Ida said something about showers, Mary and Maria couldn't have looked more excited at the thought of showers and beds. Wells, was torn between speaking her mind and following the group.

"C'mon then," Sevs said decisively. "Walk with me a while, I need to get myself patched up properly anyway." He decided to pick Wells' brain a bit to see how she was doing. That and he needed to drop off the memory chip to the great Dr. Percy and...get his repairs from her.

Wells didn't show it but she was ultimately relieved that her decision was made for her as she walked beside the Commander silently. Her dark navy blue overcoat was stained and ripped in several places but still, she kept it drawn over her shoulders since she no longer had the infant to wrap around.

"So. What's on your mind lil' lady?" Sevs asked curiously as they walked the long stretch of hallway down towards the medical and repair wing of the base. The moonlight peering down the skylights in the ceiling added a sleepy ambiance to the already dimly lit floors. The cold autumn wind could be heard whipping about outside but thanks to the well paid for insulation and heating systems, neither of the two would feel even the slightest breath of the cold wind.

However, it wasn't the cold of the wind that troubled Wells. "Commander," Wells said slowly, the Commander redoubled his efforts to stay conscious for such a vital moment in her development, "back there, in them tunnels, you said. That you don't think about it? What do you mean?"

Sevs looked up thoughtfully as he tried to remember all that he said to her, admittedly he was in a rush to get her back up, but most of it was truthful too. He decided to go with a tempered approach.

"Wells, before your entry into service, what were you?" Sevs asked politely. The clicking of her heels and the soft thuds of his muddied boots were the only sounds in the hallway for a few moments as he let the question hang in the air.

"Before service? Why, I was a librarian, sir." Sevs considered the answer with interest, giving it some thought as to how to connect his point with her attribute.

"And as a librarian, did you appreciate the silence?"

"Well, I s'ppose you could say that, yes sir."

"Then think of it like that. I was wrong when I said that I don't think about those things." He said pointedly. He adjusted the plate carrier on his chest and took a few dramatically deep breathes. He mouthed the word "Heavy" unconsciously and continued his train of thought, "What I mean is, there's a time to make some noise and run around and all that, but in a library, it must be quiet, yes? Just as you shouldn't run inside a library, one shouldn't run in your mind. Walk smoothly, quietly, only to your destination, retrieve what you must and then leave."

"But what do you do when you've checked out sir? What happens then?"

"What happened when your library closed?"

"We went home." Wells replied.

Sevs grinned weakly and let the silence speak for itself.

Reaching the medical wing of the base, they were greeted by a helpful nurse that was kind enough to walk them to the area where the children were being seen and treated. The Commander and Wells watched from beyond the glass into the room.

There was an A-Doll nurse that keeping the babies comforted while another kept a watchful eye on the child who could only stare beyond his bed as the A-Doll cradled his younger sister. When the child noticed the two onlookers at the window, he looked at them both, still covered in dirt, sweat and blood, then turned away on his side in bed.

The Commander stared at the boy a little longer, then at his younger sisters, then turned to leave. He got about four steps before he realized he was the only one taking those steps. He turned his head and watched as Wells pressed kept her hands at the base of the window. Her eyes looked at the children, almost as if...

"Y'know, I think I may have made another mistake." The Commander scoffed at himself as he returned to Wells' side. She was still gazing at them and it seemed as if she didn't hear him at first until she replied, "And what would that be, sir?"

"Your name. You're not a Wells, no..." he said thoughtfully as he looked between her, and the children. "No you're something much better than that. I believe that you're more...like a Willow."

The Welrod unit made a side glance in the Commander's direction then asked, "Are you changing my designation sir?"

"I am. For the better, I would think. Right, Willow?"

Willow logged the designation change in her memory banks and sighed as she said, "I s'ppose so sir."

"I hope you like it, cause that's the best one I've got for you until you think otherwise. Now," he placed two hands on her jacket covered shoulders and guided her towards the nursery door. His faux northern English accent popping up again "be a good lass, go in there, and read the good lad a story won't you? He'll appreciate it. I'm sure."

And before she knew it, she found her self in the room with the two A-Doll nurses. She turned around and realized the Commander had already left. One of the A-Doll nurses stood up and handed Willow a book and offered her a seat. Willow took the book and sat down, she never understood why this book was so popular among children but she appreciated seeing something familiar for once. She flipped the page and began reading, "Where the Wild Things Are".

As the Commander approached 16Lab, he finally took off his gloves and felt his skin breath. He stretched his fingers, clenching and releasing his fists, rolled his wrists in a circular motion and stared at the door. In all honesty, he was simply stalling for time but he knew stalling wasn't going to get the holes in his arms patched up. He straightened up his back, lifted his hand and knocked on her door. The door hissed and slid open, revealing the usual darkened room he was so accustomed to.

But this time, Persica was in her chair, facing her multiple displays, she was watching a recording of the Commander's helmet camera until it went to static, the video looped several times displaying the moment the Commander turned to meet the Sangvis Ferri unit. Sevs walked in and placed his belongings on the table to his right as he did the last time he was there, he cleared his weapons of both magazines and rounds and racked the slide and bolts several times to ensure they were clear. Once he completed his enter-the-room ritual and feeling so much better now that weight of his plate carrier was off his chest and back. He approached the good Doctor's chair and asked cautiously, "That video ain't gonna tell you much like that Doc." He noticed that the Doctor seemed to have sunk into her chair as her cushion had enveloped around her back, legs, and feet. She was still sitting in the way only she could, one leg tucked under the other.

The video paused at the very moment where a barely distinguishable character appeared on the screen. The Doctor turned in her chair with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. The Commander grimaced slightly as he took a few steps away from her station. The glow of the screens casting a very heavy shadow over her ears and face to where only the glint of her teeth and the shine of her eyes were visible. She took a sip from her coffee and leaned forward in her seat and asked, "And I suppose you do?"

"I...I mean. Some."

"Oh~? Is that right?"

"Yeah."

He couldn't properly see it but he could almost feel an arched eyebrow raised in his direction, "I mean...maybe?"

"Well, then. Would the Almighty Commander be so kind as to share such wondrous information with the rest of us, unfortunate mortals."

"Well I wouldn't put it that far-"

"Commander, your report."

"Ma'am, the individual on the screens presented herself as "Agent" from Sangvis Ferri, possibly one of the more higher ranked units in their structure. Remarkable amount of class and marksmanship. I suggest termination of the unit immediately."

"Hmmm." She said in contemplation. She couldn't find another reason to question him about something he'd already given his opinion about. So she left it at that as she turned around in her seat. Deciding to change the subject, "How is she?"

"She?"

"Your 'Best Friend'? I believe she called you?"

"Oh oh! Ri~ght. Ida. Yeah, she's doing pretty well from what I can tell. Still bummed out since her first handler but...otherwise. She's holding steady. Did you...want her back?" He asked said cautiously.

The doctor didn't take long to respond as she said, "No. As much as I adore her for her personality and admirable characteristics, I believe she would be better suited in your merry band of...Misfits...how...fitting."

"Yeah? Came up with it myself, in fact-"

"Just get on the table Commander."

"Oh thank God." He said relieved to finally get repairs done to his arm. He moved like he couldn't move fast enough as he ripped off his shirt and pants and was left wearing only his second skin suit. The other IDW model assistants hurriedly grabbed his clothes and threw them in a hamper nearby, he was strapped to the table and watched as the arms went to work repairing the fibers in his arm, an IV of blood was inserted into his veins to make up for the blood loss throughout the night.

The rush of replenishing fluids coursed wildly through his body, his heart accelerated in the thrill. He did flinch throughout the repairs as the good doctor made sure to have her bit of fun.

"Ow! Doc, c'mon! I'm trying to get better not-"

"If you think you can fix yourself then by all means, please do, Commander." She said in a tired tone as she continued tapping away at the controls to fix his synthetic limbs.

"Shutting up now." He added quickly. The arms continued to spin, whirr and buzz around as they worked on his limbs. In the time it took to get repaired, it was enough time to mentally slip away to another place at another time. Perhaps he should see someone about it, but for now...he hoped of all things to lose, he wouldn't lose this.

He had spent so many endless days and sleepless nights, thinking what it would be like to come back. Back to a place that he no longer belonged. He breathed in, breathed out, keeping a steady pace as he walked the barren road. So overgrown with thorns and mutated vegetation. Just a little while ago he saw a deer with one antler, a decent 10 points but with two mouths growing out of its neck. Not even a full face and snout, just mouthes, constantly biting at the contaminated air. It quickly darted away as the Commander made his treck, the ELID-Geiger counter continued to constantly alert him whenever the wind blew and it picked up more air contaminants. The wind whipped across his face mask splashing dust and spores but none ever got through. His tattered hood hung low over his head casting a thick and heavy shadow to shield him from the tormenting sun above him. The heatwave that washed over the land was hot enough to hear his boots sizzle with every step. Every step he took, took double the amount of effort to fight against the endless waves of doubt and fear. But he needed to know.

In and out. Left foot. Right foot. Nothing looked the same. None of it. On the map, he remembered nearly every major highway and every exit that he took to get in and out of town to see all that he knew. And now? Nothing but a barren wasteland. What a waste. The ground below him trembled for a moment, he braced himself on the frame of a heavily decayed and rusted car. The tremor lasts a whole terrifying 30 seconds before it settles down again. All the birds that got spooked in that tremor were now circling above him. Not that there were many left of them at any rate. He picked himself off the ground and pushed himself off the car frame and looked inside. There were two skeletons, their clothing, had long burned and fused into their bones, still holding each other for one final embrace. It was like this everywhere he went. Death, despair, hopelessness, and chaos. There were some tunnels he had come across that were still burning from fires that were constantly being fueled by some underground source.

His trip just making it to the mainland was harrowing enough, to think he wasn't even halfway to his destination...He cast one last look at the sky and continued on his lonely way down the highway, back to the place where he used to call, home.

It had been so long.

About 15 minutes later, the process was complete and the Commander was cleared to stand on his feet again. A new suit was issued in replacement for his tattered one. His rifle and sidearm were cleaned, freshly oiled, lubricated, and free of any carbon buildup. A new plate carrier and his uniform coat were found in replacement to the ones he came in with. Along with the second skin suit, to his surprise, he found a fresh change of GK uniform clothes. He smiled appreciatively but didn't dare relay that to the stone cold Dr. Persica. As he got changed, he noticed the four tubes in the back wall and slowly walked over. He placed a hand on one of them, hung his head, then dared to ask, "Doc..."

"Commander..." she replied evenly. She took another sip of her coffee and put away her glasses as she shut down the machine. One of her pets looked at her as it handed her another data tablet for her review, then it more-or-less bounced away.

Sevs turned around and with a brave breath he said. "They aren't ready."

Persica stopped reading the report in her hand and looked up from her work, her eyes moved as if they were picking apart every syllable the Commander just spoke before answering with confidence. "Don't be ridiculous, of course they are."

"No...they're not." The Commander insisted as he walked around the supply table with his gear and leaned back on it trying to hide the fear that was coursing through his weak legs.

"I'm telling you they are." She replied a little more tested, as she read through the few last lines of data on the tablet.

"Doc, you saw that last op. It could have gone sideways in a hurry!" Sevs crossed his arms, leaning forward as he made his emphasis. All around him Persica's little pets were stirring, watching, listening in with curiosity.

Persica put the tablet down on the table, closed her eyes as she brought her mug to her lips and said with tested patience, "It could have but it worked out exactly as-"

"You can't be serious! They barely-and only barely-got away with their lives as it was!"

"I realize that but they-" Persica managed to say, narrowly biting on the cusp of her mug as she is interrupted once more.

The Commander was now standing upright with a finger pointed in a dangerous direction "-Are. Not. Ready." He looked at the doctor as the machine behind her shut down and the lights flickered off, only half her face was now seen in the glow of the display monitors to her left but he couldn't read her expression. But if he had to guess...he watched her shoulders fall ever so slightly, the mug lowering to her waistline. Sevs softened his tone as he spoke again, "And you know this! Don't you?"

"But they have to be!" The doctor hissed as she hurled a coffee mug at the Commander. Most of the contents spilled in-transit but enough was still inside to splash small drops on Sevs' face when he caught it in mid-air. Sevs lowered the mug from his face and eyed the doctor critically. Her hair had fallen over her face and she was nearly snarling at him, baring her teeth in frustration. She her breathing was heavy and ragged, anything that was watching had long since scattered for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

"They have to be." The Doctor replied echoed softly. Whether she was trying to convince him or herself was anyone's guess. She gritted her teeth, fixed her hair and composure before wordlessly striding to and gracefully seating herself in her chair. She worked her jaw, chewing on the tip of her tongue as she fixed a hard stare at the figure on the screen identified as Agent. She pulled down the image and a flurry of active windows flared to life on every screen as she went back to work busy coding and inputting various lines of text and command functions. She took note of several instances that might have been concerning, she left alone one problem to fix the next, she needed to-

She felt a hand placed on the back of her chair. Her coffee mug was returned to her filled with her special brew coffee. "Doc. I know. Believe me. I know. Just let me know when. And I'll be there."

The Doctor tilted her head in consideration then flicked his hand off his shoulder and carefully drank her mug of coffee. Just how she liked it, disgustingly and terribly strong and bitter. Thicker than sludge but richer than dirt. "They will be ready. Damn you."

"Fine. Better me than them anyway." He said as he retracted his hand and started walking towards the door, "Besides, it'd be a waste to see your life's work thrown away for some numbers and letters. Which, by the way..." He fished out a data chip and tossed it at the open hand held above the doctor. She caught it with ease, she brought it down and looked at it with curiosity before storing it where all the other chips were held.

"Courtesy of our fallen Robin."

"Hmm. Quaint."

"Think you can do me a favor?" the Commander asked cautiously as he toed the line between stupid and crazy.

Another sip of coffee and a few tense moments later, "Not that I already have become your personal repair bay, requisitions, and overall secret-keeper. Sure. What's one more favor Commander?"

"That T-Doll model. I want to put a requisition to have another rebuilt and her memory clean-slate."

"I'll consider it."

"That's all I ask." The Commander said humbly as he hefted his jacket and rifle and tucked away his pistol back into his holster.

"Then I would leave before I reconsider."

Without another word, the Commander left with all of his gear and made his way back to the infirmary.

Persica turned her chair towards the four tubes containing members of the Anti-Rain team. She swore in spite of the annoyance of a man that she would have them ready for this threat and anything like it in the mission to come. She would not lose them. Not after they had come so far.

The pet hiding under her desk slowly made its way as it wrapped around her legs and yawned as it got comfortable on the floor beneath her.

Sevs walked back to the nursery where he last left Willow and the three kids. Turns out, she liked kids a lot more than she let on. Sevs leaned in at the doorway and watched as Willow laid in bed with the kid all cozy up against her. She had thrown her coat over her and the kid, and from the looks of it, was holding his hand too. The infants were clothed in wonderful pink and green onesies with matching mitts, boots, and hat. Their yellow infant-safe hypoallergenic blankets placed loosely under their arms. Snapping another mental photo, he leaned his head on the door frame appreciatively.

Then another thought came to mind. The paper work to keep them here would be a hassle and trying to claim them anytime during the day would bring a little bit more than a few questions...He chewed his bottom lip trying to work out a plan but the thick fog in his mind was hindering him from any bright ideas.

So he shrugged and went with the only plan he thought of.

He requisitioned two of the attending A-Dolls in the receptionist area and asked if they could do him a favor. With very little resistance or question, they agreed to do as he asked and assisted in transporting the newly accepted patients back to his living quarters. With the weight of his vest, jacket and rifle all resting at the foot of the bed, he was sure to navigate as carefully as he could. He did have a few moments where even his consciousness was coming into question. He just couldn't wait to land in his rack.

By the time he made it to his living quarters, he saw the Spring had taken a chair and waited outside for him. And, by the look on her face, had half expected this sort of scene coming in as she slid open the now installed double doors to the living quarters. With a thankful nod, Sevs rolled the hospital bed through with the two medical A-Dolls carefully following with the infant beds.

Sevs pushed the bed into the common area and noticed the changes coming in, the windowed hallway coming in now had a small walk-out area into both sides of the garden. Then walking into the common area, there was a larger-than-life banner strung out across the ceiling with the painted technicolor words "Welcome Home". There were three hand prints on the bottom left hand corner, of who, the Commander had three good guesses.

When he arrived at the second dormitory, he realized the hospital bed would be too wide wide to wheel through. Cursing his luck he opened the door and with a wave of a hand motioned for Spring to assist. Spring nodded silently as she stood on the side with the child and the Commander, opposite of her. As they moved to separate the two, they paused a moment as Willow and the child grasped each other's hands a little tighter. The Commander chewed his tongue for a moment making sure that neither of the two were woken up. After that it was a slow but fluid work to slide them apart from each other. The child was wrapped up under Williow's overcoat, and Willow under his own. Spring carried the child in wordlessly and found the only bed unoccupied closest to the door. The Commander carried Willow in his arms and set her on her bed right next to the child.

Almost instinctively, the two reached out to each other and breathed easier at the comfort of each other's touch and warmth. The Commander slid the coats off and covered them with the blankets instead. He looked around the room and counted the heads in each bed. Two in the first, Mary, in the second, Maria in the third and...two in the fourth? He cocked his head as he walked over and saw two vaguely familiar faces. They weren't attached to his roster so...but they're in there...but still...

Too tired to figure any of it out, he shook his head and simply walked out the room. As he closed the door, with a tired eye he noticed Spring handing him a tablet for him to read. He rubbed the inside of his nose and widened his eyes and blinked furiously as he tried to read it. It was a letter from Mrs. Eva from the pub, it read:

"My Dearest Commander, I thank you so very much for lending over dear Gwen to help with service last night! Her help was dearly appreciated and I could not thank you enough for all your help as always! She was so tired after work I caught her sleeping in the back corner by the fireplace! You are so fortunate to have such a dedicated Doll like her, I didn't want her to drive back to base as tired as she was so I sent two of my girls to drive her back. I hope it's too much of a bother but if you could keep them overnight that would be most appreciated! You know how it is at night nowadays.

Anyway. Thank you again so very much for you and your T-Dolls Commander, please take care! We look forward to seeing you all again!

Sincerely,

Mr. and Mrs. O'Flannigan

P.S. She seemed to take a liking to a book I had so I've sent it along with her, she can keep it!"

Holding the tablet in one hand, he folded his and Willow's coat over his arm, picked up the rest of his gear and waddled over to his office, unlocked the door and settled his belongings in a corner of the room. He picked up his desk with some effort and moved it slightly off center to make room between his cot. He waved the A-Dolls in and pointed at the foot of his cot for the infants' beds to be placed. He adjusted the temperature of the room to be a little bit warmer for his new visitors and made sure that there was room enough to pace about and for the baby supplies.

Once the beds were placed, all lights in the room turn off save for his desk lamp and the light in the restroom, he brought in the baby supplies and placed them at the foot of his desk. He then turned to the A-Dolls and asked if there was anything else, they looked hesitantly before rattling off how to nurse for a baby and some tips and tricks and...Sevs only nodded as they continued their small presentation fighting the very real temptation to nod off.

When they completed their dutiful rattling of endless ways to calm, change, and feed a baby, they both checked on the infants one last time then left, taking the hospital bed with them all the way back to the medical wing. With a tired sigh, he undid his tie hung it over his lamp, undid the collar button and sat down with a painful groan at his desk. He stared at the babies in his room for a moment before closing his eyes and leaning his head back. He could feel his mind quickly slipping away. His ears could be felt just completely shutting off the world, the fuzzy feeling of sleep as it numbs the mind of thought, his jaw slacking...

"Ahem." And a small headache formed.

Without opening his eyes, he sighed softly and lifted his eyebrows and asked as sincerely as he could, "Yes. Spring. How can I help you this fine morning?" At this point his words were slurring altogether.

"Commander, will you need some help with-" She glanced questioningly at the infants in his office, "-them, tonight?"

"Hmm? Them?" He squeezed his eyelids then reluctantly cracks one open. He sees Spring standing over him, strands of hair falling from her head and barely touching his face. He traced the hairs back to its owner and saw Spring looking at him, curious, dutiful, ready...and tired. "Mmmmm, no...no I'll be-they'll be fine. Promise. Ain't my first rodeo with kids." he waved casually, as his sentence fell off to incoherent mumbling.

"...It isn't?" Spring asked curiously. Her attention still locked on the Commander. The fuzziness in his mind quickly disappeared as it made one last mad dash back towards reality. His eyes shot back open and he slowly brought his head forward. He stood up, pushed his chair in slightly and established eye contact with Spring. "Yes! I mean uh-no-I mean..." he took a quick breath and finished with, "They'll be fine, I'll be fine, you just get some rest." He placed a guiding hand behind her back and walked her out his office and back in front of her dormitory.

"Honestly, thank you for your offer, but I've got it covered," he assured her. Whether or not the words were working didn't seem to apparent as she stood there and nodded. "Hey, you did some great work today, get some rest. Okay? We can talk about what to do with them tomorrow. Er...today. But later!" He shook his head as he corrected his mistake. What time was it anyway? Pretty late he imagined.

"I see. I understand, sir."

He tried to gauge if any of his words were working at all as he tried to reconnect eye contact with her but she refused to look back in his direction. He opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it quickly and opted to grab the door for her, "Good night Spring."

"Good night, Commander."

And then he closed the door behind her.

He returned to his office, almost dragging his feet this time, he passed through the door. Remembered to take off his boots and place them out the office, he undid his tie and hung it over his desk lamp, undid his collar button and one more after that to breath a little easier. He dragged himself over to the tall standing infant cribs by his cot, he looked in at the precious creatures and smiled. He shook his head as he dragged himself over to his desk again, he kicked up his feet, leaned back in his chair and promptly fell asleep.

Spring however, had only one troubling line repeating in her head before she too fell asleep, Why won't he trust me?