Clarity

Clarity is one of HDMaster's Projects, the third one in the New Generation.

## Really Short Prologue

The Nyman smiled as his finger hovered over the button. He lowered his finger, then hesitated. Was what he was doing right? Did that even matter? He didn't know, and neither did he really care. He shoved away his hesitation and pressed his finger down.

## Another Random prologue because Why Not

Lightning struck the earth, sending light across the face of a dark-skinned man wearing a trenchcoat, making him look very old fashioned, yet imposing. He spoke into a walkie-talkie. "I confirm, Mike," he said in a deep voice, "It's happening." He hesitated. "Again." An indistinct voice replies over the device in the man's hand. "Of course." The man releases the button and walks away, keeping an eye on the peculiar storm. The storm was extraordinary. Tendrils of grey cloud extended from a black center. Lightning struck all around, and little rain fell at all. The man frowned, and got into a car. He left the scene.

## Chapter One

Steven sighed as he switched off his holographic computer screen. He got up from his swivel chair, and stood up to full height. Steven was a respectable man, and had quite good looks. He walked from his office and continued down the long hallway that was just one of many in the Crux Sciences Complex. He passed many other workers, each doing different things, some simply monitoring computer programs, others creating complex graphs. Steven walked out into a main room, then a front door. As he did this, he didn't show any emotion, as he was very deep in thought. He got into his car and drove to his house. Something moved out of the corner of his eye, something that he almost missed. He turned to the sight. "Oh my God!" he yelled, as he slammed on the brakes and exited his car. A large mass, akin to a meteor, was in the sky, rapidly descending. As it descended, Steven suddenly realized was its final destination was. His house! He set off at a run. But when he reached his house, the mass was gone. He shook his head. *What was it? A vision? And his car was abandoned at the side of the road... maybe Crux would pay for it...,* he thought as he entered his house and looked around, incredibly confused. He was so distracted as he entered his house that he didn't notice that his front door was unlocked. His cat weaved around his legs, not affectionately but urgently. "What is it, Tom?" Steven asked the tabby. It meowed and walked into the kitchen. Steven followed. "What the hell..." Steven said as he noticed that his back door was ajar. He walked out to the backyard, where an African-American man in a trenchcoat was holding a weapon up to a pale girl of around twenty. The girl had long brown hair and green eyes. The man had his back turned to Steven, and was talking to the girl.

"I know it was you. That meteorite-thing, that was the visual representation of the energy of you traveling from your own dimension," he said.

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about," replied the girl. Steven began to sneak up behind the man, and prepared to tackle him.

"Don't lie to me, I know you're a Nyman."

"I still don't know what you're talking about.."

"You're coming with me."

"Aaaagh!" said Steven as he tackled the man and wrenched his gun from him. "What are you doing in my yard!?"

"You can ask the same thing to *her*," he said, pointing at the girl.

"And that I will. But it seems to me that you're harassing this young lady, and I can't have that, *especially not in my backyard!*"

"You're making a mistake." The man removed his trenchcoat, revealing a jacket with a logo, a large metallic 'V' being held out by an extended hand, and the words "Vector Organization" under it.

"Oh my God..." Steven gasped, "You work for the Vector Organization.."

"I told you, you're making a mistake." Through this exchange, the girl had been quietly observing the situation.

"Look, I don't know why you're here, but I didn't see anything in the sky," Steven lied. "And I recognize this girl from around town. This is just another botched case."

"Okay, fine. But I'll be watching you..."

"I'm sure." Steven unloaded the gun and handed it to the man. The man then left. Steven turned to the girl.

"Thank you, Sir" the girl said.

"No problem, but call me Steven."

"I'm Claritia."

"Oh, what are you doing here, Claritia?"

"I don't know... I was hoping you could help." She stood, and Steven gasped. There was a long vertical scrape across her side.

"You're injured!"

"I am?" Claritia said questioningly, looking down at the scrape. "Oh, I am..." Then she collapsed.

## Chapter Two

Claritia had been moved to a guest bedroom, and Steven had already cleaned and applied medicine to her wound before she awoke. Steven walked into the room as she did so.

"Claritia," Steven said,"Can you explain this?" He handed her a piece of paper on which was written; *hi h dive i o fr zen wav s the pa co es b ck fe.* The paper appeared to be torn at the bottom, as if it was ripped apart. Claritia reads over the paper. "I'm sorry, I can't explain it," she said, handing the paper back to Steven. As she did so, Steven noticed something very odd. Claritia had no fingerprints. 'What the hell..," he said in surprise.

"What?"

"Your hands, they're markless. No fingerprints at all. What happened to you?"

"I... don't know. I remember nothing."

"You mean, nothing at all?"

"I... yes."

He strokes his chin in thought. "I don't get it. Do you remember how you got here? Like, here exactly?"

"No, not at all. You do know that they're coming, right?"

"Who?"

"The Vector Organization."

"I didn't think that they'd come back so soon. What makes you so sure that they will?"

"I just know."

"Well, we already knew that it wasn't safe to stay here. But where could we go...?"

"I don't know enough to answer that question."

"I wonder if we could get your DNA tested, see who you really are... ...but who has access to the DNA reference files besides the government and the Vector Organization?" Then it clicks. "Mavis' lab!"

"Who?"

"Not enough time to explain. We should go."

"So I've healed enough to move?"

Steven smiled. "Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you. It's been a week. You slept the whole way through it. I thought that the injuries were worse than they looked at first, but then the fever disappeared completely yesterday, and now you're up."

"A week? Really?"

"Yes. Oh, and I managed to retrieve my car. It took some help from Crux to get it out of the police station."

"Huh?"

"Oh, nevermind. Just put on a jacket and meet me outside."

"What about your cat?"

"He'll be fine here. I usually let him roam free anyway."

"Alright. I'm getting up." Claritia sits up, then stands. She stops, as if waiting to collapse. However, it never comes. "It still hurts, but I feel much better."

## Chapter Three

"Tensions are arising within the Nyman Council. What we've done hasn't worked," said a black-haired Nyman male.

"Just wait. They'll arise against Earth sooner or later," an older Nyman assured him.

"But what if the opposite happens?"

"Then we'll enlist the Black Zephyrs."

"And what of the resistance?"

"I'm not worried. Losing one girl won't do much. But they could be on the opposite side once the war starts."

"And we'll crush them?"

"Yes. Even Realia stands no chance once our plan is complete."

"Will the Council condone our actions?"

"Does it matter?"

"I.... guess not."

"Now, the only one that matters is the Clarity girl. Try to ignore Realia and the other resistance members."

"They're practically at our doorstep, that's a hard thing to do."

"But we cannot risk a mistake. If one of the resistance goes missing, we'll be found out."

"I'm worried that the Clarity girl's power will awaken."

"It will only escalate the tension."

"Are you sure?"

"Certain."

## Chapter Four

Steven and Claritia had arrived at the lab, and they went inside. A brunette woman sits at a desk with her back turned.

"Ahem," says Steven. The woman jumps, spreading papers all around the room, which looked a lot like a doctor's office waiting room.

"Uh, we don't get visitors much, and you scared me, I'm sorry," said the woman.

"O...kay then. Anyway, we were wondering if we could see Mavis."

"W-why would y-you ask t-to see M-m-mavis?" the woman said, surprisingly nervous.

"Uh, we uh, want to test this girl's DNA to ID her."

"I-ID her? Uh, I guess it would be okay.... Head through that door, and go in the second door on the right. Make sure to knock before you enter."

"Thanks." Steven walked with Claritia down the hall, and into the aforementioned door. He did knock, and there were some loud thumping noises, as a woman's voice called out, "Who is it!?"

"It's me, Steven."

"Steven? Oh, ok, fine, come in." She unlocks the door, and Steven and Claritia walk in.

"Who's this, someone else?" she says, seeing Claritia.

"This is Claritia. She's, well, I don't know exactly what she is, but I want you to ID her with a DNA test."

"DNA test, you say? And this'll pay off my debt to you, once and for all?"

Steven rolls his eyes. "Sure."

"Okay then." She rips a hair from Claritia's scalp.

"Ouch!" Claritia complained. Mavis puts the hair into some sort of device that whirrs, then the hair comes out the other end, looking distinctly grey.

"Let's see your DNA, shall we?" Mavis says as she switches on a microscope attached to the machine, and a large boxy minisupercomputer attached to *it.* She looks into the microscope and gasps, just as the holographic screen displays the message: *Scanner set to Human DNA Scanning mode. The DNA that you are trying to scan is non-human. Please switch to animal, plant, fungi, or bacterial classification mode.*

"What?" said Steven.

"I don't know! I'd tell you that it was a glitch, but looking at it, her DNA is definitely *not* human," said Mavis, "Can I...get a blood sample?"

"If it's okay with her."

"Uuh, sure. But I don't know what's going on," said Claritia. Mavis assembled a syringe and drew Claritia's blood. She holds the syringe up to the light.

"I can tell that this blood isn't human. It almost looks like a deficiency, but I know better." She inserts the syringe into a receptacle at the back of the microscope and looks into the lenses. "Whoa! That's incredible! It's streamlined blood cells!"

"What exactly is she?" asked Steven.

"I don't know. I'll request similar patterns found in mutations," she said, pressing a button. There was a brief silence, then a warning appeared on the screen. CLASSIFIED DNA PATTERNS DETECTED. REQUESTING HELP FROM VECTOR. WILL ARRIVE SHORTLY."

"Ohhhh, God.... C'mon, Claritia," said Steven, grabbing Claritia's hand and pulling her out of the room. They ran quickly, in order to not be caught by Vector. After they had escaped, they saw a helicopter landing in the front lawn of the laboratory.

## Chapter Five

A tall man entered the Mavis' personal lab.

"We understand that you have acquired classified DNA patterns."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't *looking* for them," replied Mavis, her glasses askew.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't matter." he signaled to the guards behind him. "Destroy the computers. Destroy everything." The two guards smashed every object in the facility, as Mavis looked on in horror.

"B-but, m-m-my research.... M-my entire l-life's work......"

"Nothing is required of her. Kill the girl, she cannot be allowed to spread news of this," said the man to his guards.

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"I hope Mavis made it out okay...." said Steven, looking towards the lab. Claritia sat quietly. Then she tenses up.

"Something's coming."

"Vector?"

"No. Something else."

"What?"

"I....I don't know. But I think they're looking for me."

"Let's not let them find you."

"Yes." Claritia and Steven were ill-prepared for running from Vector and whatever was coming, but they would run nonetheless.

"I suggest that we find someone against Vector. Maybe even someone like you," Steven said.

"I won't argue with that."

## Chapter Six

A Nyman stood in the middle of an Earth street, having just appeared. Several others appeared behind him, mostly men, but there were a few women. They all had the hardened faces of someone going to war. Curious humans peeked out of their windows, but none of them grasped the importance of the situation. One of the other Nymans walked up to the head Nyman.

"We are prepared to attack the leader," he said.

The other Nyman crossed his arms. "Earth will certainly fall. They are weak, the lot of them. Humans, I mean," he said.

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A girl, maybe 19 years of age, with odd green hair, watches the assembly of soldiers.

"Damn. There'll be no preparation here. They're already just a few miles from the capitol," she says.

"You're completely right, Realia. In fact, there'll be no fighting at all, it's hopeless," replied another girl, this one sixteen, also with obviously dyed hair, but red.

Realia crosses her arms. "Don't say that, Scarlet."

"But it's true. Even Crimson admits it."

"But Crimson's a dick."

"He's an optimistic dick. He's also my brother, so I know what he would say."

"What're we gonna do, Scarlet......"

"I don't know. Maybe we can destroy them *after* they kill the President."

"That's ludicrous."

"That's the Resistance."

Realia paused. "Good point."

"That's what I'm here for. Also, have we managed to locate Claritia?"

"No...."

"Of course not. Y'know, we can't win this without her."

"I know."

"Good. But what if Claritia has *Eqes Chaitei*?"

"I've always thought that that would be better named as *Deconigueg Chaldias*, but whatever. I hope she doesn't have it. If she does, we'll have to travel back to our dimension."

"There are worse disorders, though."

"Most of which she could have gotten from what happened to her."

"Oh, that reminds me. What *did* happen to her?"

"She was ejected from the dimension by Revlis, of course."

"No, I mean, how?"

"We don't know yet. We're thinking that she was implanted with a paradigm shift tab, but if that's true is something we're unsure of."

"Hmm. Why would Revlis do that, besides starting a feud against Earth?"

"Does he even need another reason?"

"Crimson told me that they were lovers before they reached age. Maybe Revlis's still mad about the breakup."

"Scarlet, you are too romance-minded sometimes."

"Sorry."

There is a moment of silence, then, out of curiosity, Scarlet asks, "You don't like Claritia, do you?"

"I... There was a... misunderstanding before. Something that.... I did... You know what, nevermind."

## Chapter Seven

It was getting dark in the forest where Steven and Claritia were hiding, and Steven was starting to worry. They had nowhere to sleep, nothing to eat. And it was getting dark.

"There's nowhere to sleep..." said Steven despairingly.

"What about that?" said Claritia, pointing to something that Steven couldn't see in the distance.

"What?"

"That building there. At least, i think it's a building. It just looks like a wall from here."

"Huh?"

"You can't see it?"

"No. Maybe you simply have better eyesight." Steven examines Claritia's eyes. They did seem different. There was a certain silveriness or something in them.

"That could be it. We need to head there though."

"Okay." They walk towards the building, casting long shadows in the fading light. Once the two had reached the building, for it indeed was a building, Steven surveyed the area. It was a strange, very out-of-place looking building. It would've looked in place on a city block, but not in the middle of the woods. It also had a peculiar feel of loneliness to it. Steven knew it had been abandoned for a long time.

"This doesn't make any sense," he says, "It looks like 2020 architecture, but 2020 *city* architecture. Why the hell would it be here? I know there was no development back then here, but even if there was there'd be more buildings."

"It is strange, isn't it?" They enter through a broken computerized door with the bulky themes of 2020 technology, and then through a similar automatic sliding door. A lobby-like area, frighteningly similar to Mavis' lab, is the next room. Then Steven spots something that makes him freeze.

"Ohh, God..." A logo is displayed prominently across the wall. The logo of Vector. And next to that is an active security camera. With a radio broadcaster on it.

## Chapter Eight

"Oh God!", yelled Steven, "Get out!" They ran for the exit, but someone had already come in. A young woman of around 20 with raven-black hair is in the hallway. Steven immediately noticed that she wasn't Vector.

"Oh no..." said Claritia, pulling Steven back. The woman pulls out a small pistol and points it, not threateningly in their direction, but definitely at Claritia. There is a gunshot.

"NO!" Steven screams and tries to push Claritia aside. But something had happened. Something that was not the event of a bullet piercing through Claritia's brain. Claritia's eyes glowed white.

"Vega," Claritia said in a voice not her own, "You have come foolishly." A *pulse* moved out of Claritia, pushing Vega into the wall. Along with that effect, there was a vague sound of tinkling glass.

Vega turned and ran, yelling, "They told me you had *Eqes Chaitai*!"

"W-w-what was th-th-that?" Steven asked, as Claritia's eyes stopped glowing, and a strange *coldness* that Steven hadn't noticed before left the room.

"I-I don't know....."

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I... just don't know. I remember.... what.... I am, but...... I don't..."

"That makes no sense. I want some answers."

"I felt like I was changing..... S-something *awakened* in me..... I don't know what it was....."

"Claritia." Steven spoke with sternness in his voice. "Tell me what the *hell* is going on."

"I-I'm sorry... I c-can't..." Claritia trailed off.

"....fine. We need to get out of here, before Vector does. I'd expect them to have showed up by now. Remember how quickly they responded to the microscope signal?"

They walk out and away from the strange Vector compound, and continue the conversation."B-but, where c-can we g-go?"

"I have an idea. My cousin's house isn't far. I believe he may know something about the p- the Nyman race."

"H-how?"

"He knew a- he once told me.... Well, I'm remembering something he told me, a long time ago."

Claritia's voice quavers more than ever, then stops completely. "How would he know anything about the Nyman race?"

"I don't know. But we're about to find out, aren't we?"

## Chapter Nine

A couple of hours later....
Vega stands in a warehouse, speaking to someone.

"Y-yes. She does not have *Eqes Chaitai*"

The other one spoke, in a masculine voice, very deep, and resonating with malicious intent. "Unfortunately, I cannot confirm this. *Revlis...*," he pronounced this name as if it was an expletive, "...he took my position after my, *ahem* slip-up. My *Nal Nucere*, it was called. But I was just following orders. Orders given to me by someone who'd rather have Revlis as the head. I had to work slowly, agonizingly, back to my old position, and I'm still not even halfway there."

Vega had heard this before. "Yes, sir."

"Ah, you grow tired of my monologue.... I am sorry. But you must understand that I have a mission here. No offense, but frankly, you do not have such."

Vega frowned. "I'd disagree with that..."

"But I know it's true. You're just an orphan trying to find a home."

Vega winces, thinking harsh thoughts. "Is that not a mission in itself?"

"No, it is not. But that is far beside the point. I have given you a mission, not for yourself but for me, and you have failed. I know what you are, Vega.... I can reveal it at any time. I suggest that you do not fail. Or I'll give you a reason to use your powers."

"But, won't that kill you?"

"Ohhh, yes. But it'll kill you in time too."

"I-I don't understand..."

"You don't need to. Just refrain from failure. I'd've fired you already, but you still need punishment. And it's my own fault that I'm stuck with a powerless *Neoalli Seld*, or at least someone who can't use their powers because of a certain defect, that of which must be eradicated. That of which will be driven from society. By way of your death. *To techa*."

"Don't call me that."

The man laughs. "Or what? Of course you were one, and I'm not using that as an expletive." Vega silently contemplates murder. "Remember, I know what you did, so tread carefully. Oh, and if you see anyone working for Vector, kill them please, they're causing some trouble with the Nymans in the field."

Vega walks away, turning a salute into an obscene gesture, prompting only cold laughter from the man.

## Chapter Ten

Steven knocks upon the door of his cousin's house, waiting for the reply. Soon later, the door opens, and a sandy-haired man that looked like a re-colored Steven, with a beard.

"Ah, Steve!" said the cousin happily. "It's been too long."

"Indeed it has, indeed it has. And please don't call me Steve, AJ..."

AJ laughs. "Oh, is it Steven, now? Well then, I guess you can call me Arnold then. No, don't actually do that."

Steven smiles. "Okay."

AJ looks towards Claritia. "Who's this - your girlfriend?" Claritia only looks confused.

"What? No, this is a Nyman girl."

All kindness vanished from AJ's face in one frown. "Nyman? Where'd you hear that... Please, refrain from using that word."

Steven likewise frowns. "This isn't a joke, this is the truth. She's an actual Nyman."

AJ pauses. "Part of me wants to send you away, but... I'm a kind soul. Come inside, please." The inside of the house was nice, obviously decorated by someone other than a man in his mid-twenties who didn't know what he was doing. AJ leads them to the kitchen, where they all sit around a table.

"Nyman, you say?" AJ asks.

"Yes, but I don't know what exactly that means."

AJ mutters under his breath, "Funny, I thought they all had pink hair..."

Steven catches the comment. "What?"

"Nothing, just a joke. Anyway, if you've picked up a Nyman girl, I have no clue what sorta dating site you were using, but you need to watch out." Steven looks stern, and Claritia becomes increasingly confused.

"I want some answers," Claritia says to both of the men.

"Well, I met two Nyman females, one a teen and one elderly, as well as a Nyman male. This was years and years back, I was maybe 14. I was being a typical teen, hanging around a C-mart, when a weird group walks by, the previously mentioned Nymans. I thought it was some kinda eccentric family, a man going out to treat his elderly mother to dinner, and dragging his teenage daughter along with him. But I needed a laugh, and what better to laugh at than a crazy family. So I followed them, noting the way that the girl seemed very reluctant to go with the adults. I had thought that it must've been a rich family, from the females' pinkish hair dye, but their clothing didn't match that. I didn't understand why a 13-year old would have dyed hair if they weren't a rich family. I mean, back then you only saw that in independent 16 year-olds. Anyway, I tried to pick up their conversation, under the misguided notion that it was going to be hilariously asinine. It was far from such. The adults seemed to be speaking of a murderous relative or something, that had killed off most of the other family members. I gasped, giving myself away. The adults seemed bent on hurting me, but I think the young girl liked me. She managed to stop their wrath, and they left. I went back home, not quite sure what to think. But a month later, the girl reappeared. She told me what she was. Frankly, it scared my ass, but the girl was kind of cute."

"What did the girl say?" asked a curious Steven.

"Well, she had some freakish powers. She said they weren't developed yet, and they probably would never do so completely, because of the strange power of what she called 'your world', Earth. I didn't argue much, because I was hoping to get her number." He laughs. "I probably should've asked more questions in retrospect, but hey, I was fourteen."

"What all did she say?"

"Oh, I really don't remember most of it, and I told you why." Here, Steven scoffs at AJ's words. "She said something or other about a Council and things. She mentioned things like *Toalcha* and *Eqes Chaitai*. It was all nonsense to me. I really should've listened, shouldn't I've?"

"Of course you should've. But now I know that Nymans are the "prosecutors" that the Vector Corporation is after. I just really wanted to know more."

"That war that's going on should have something to do with them."

"War? What war?"

"The war with the Nymans in it, of course."

"WHAT!?" Steven stands up immediately. "Explain this."

## Chapter Eleven

"Well, the general public doesn't know that they're Nymans, of course, but it's obvious. The powers, the attack styles..." says AJ.

"SINCE WHEN HAS THIS GONE ON!?" Steven yelled.

"Maybe six hours? Where've you been?"

Steven didn't reply. "Maybe that's why Vector lackeys never showed up..." he muttered.

"Look, it entirely looks like the Nymans are going to win. I don't know their purpose, but.... ....It's not going to be good for us."

"We need to do something about this..."

"Oh, and what do you suggest?"

"I'm thinking."
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"Shit," Realia said bitterly, "We're losing."

"That's because the Vector Corporation is making it hard for us to come out of the woodwork," said a tall man of around twenty with bloodred hair that looked improfessionally dyed.

"Yeah, every time we've tried to help, Vector's treated us like the enemy," said Scarlet.

"But Vector's given up, it seems." replied Realia, "It's only the soldiers now."

"Then why the hell aren't we out there?" replied the tall man, gesturing out at the battlefield from their skyscraper vantage point.

"I'd like to ask the same thing, Crimson," said Scarlet.

"We won't help. The Resistance is small. There's nothing we can do..." Realia said, trailing off.

"Can't we at least try?" asked Scarlet.

"I said there's nothing we can do..." Realia answered, watching the other two glance down in despair. "....yet."

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Almost in the midst of the battle, a 17 year old boy watches from a building. He is worried, for he can tell that the soldiers are losing. He, unlike the rest of the world, saw *four* sides of this battle rather than two. Others saw the soldiers and the Nymans. He saw those, but he knew that the people were on a completely different side, and the same went for the Vector Corporation. He also suspected that there was a fifth side, the side of the mysterious figures that camped out at the skyscraper near his apartment.

*Speaking of those mysterious figures, was that them walking up the abandoned road?*  Sure enough, several people were walking down the road on a curious path, one that, by all probability, would lead to his house. Panicking, the boy jumped off the edge of the apartment building. If someone were watching, it would look as if he had dropped to his death, but he landed on the fire escape, which perhaps hurt, but it obviously didn't break his legs. He proceeded to climb quickly and not cautiously down. When he finally reached the bottom, he slipped inside and walked to his apartment. The boy was alone in his apartment, as the apartment wasn't legitimately his. He had been a homeless orphan until yesterday, when the government evacuated the city, save for an unfortunate few. The government had of course received a notice from the Vector Corporation telling them of what would happen, and had evacuated the city accordingly, as New Tamson was the closest city to the capitol. Therefore, the boy was not only alone in his apartment, but was alone in the building, and nearly alone in the city. The boy knew that the mysterious figures were coming to his apartment building, so he retreated to a closet. The boy would've bolted the door, but he realized that whoever was coming would immediately know someone was in the room.

Around thirty minutes later, the boy heard voices, coming from the hall outside. He heard them stop at his apartment, it being one of the first in the building that you'd reach. He heard them opening cabinets and closets, taking what they could find, and talking in grave voices all the time. The boy had hoped his hiding place was going to be overlooked, but to no avail. A voice drew closer and closer. The person who it belonged to swung open the door. They swung it open, and came face to face with the boy.

"Holy..." said Scarlet, "Who're you?"

"B-but, you're not... a soldier.." replied the boy, "I'm Sam."

"Oh, and what makes you think I'm not a soldier? I'm Scarlet by the way."

"Look, I'm sorry that I'm still here." Sam had no clue what to think, having the entire city get evacuated, then hiding and being stumbled upon by a beautiful girl who thinks she's a soldier.

"Meh, we're not going to hurt you," said Scarlet. Steven almost replied 'I wasn't worried about that,' but that might've hurt the delusional girl's feelings.

"Good."

"But you do need to, well, leave." She said this almost as if she wished otherwise, but that was probably wishful thinking on Sam's part.

"But I've got nowhere to go."

"I realize that. Lemme ask Realia." Now Sam started to worry. Was Realia Scarlet's boss? An actual soldier? They walked to the living room, where the other two were camped. "Realia, I found this guy in the closet."

"What?" She laughs. Sam almost laughed as well, laughed at this pitiful girl. But he was nicer than that. "Just get him out of here."

"But..." says Scarlet.

"Oh, no. You don't *like* him, do you?"

"No, it's just..." Scarlet sighs. "Fine. I'll find somewhere else for him."

"Scarlet, if he can help, I'm not against his staying." Scarlet looks sideways at Sam.

"He could probably help.." She smiles.

## Chapter Twelve

"I've got to do something. From what you've said, the country's under siege," said Steven angrily.

"Sorry, nothing that I can do. I'm not stepping into this massive war," replied AJ.