Calix hit the punching bag repeatedly, muscles flexing and sweat rolling down his face. The room was silent aside from the dull thumps from his punches, the steady rhythm oddly calming to him. They were leaving for the mission tonight, and his stomach was already tight with anticipation of actually going out in the field for the first time in a while. His job wasn't complicated—just find Julia and protect her at all costs. It seemed pretty straightforward, but it was much easier said than done. If even just one group of Sentinels found them, the chances of all of them making it out alive were slim to none. Sure, they had escaped Sentinels before, but the stakes would probably be much higher with Julia involved. If it came down to it, would he be willing to die to ensure her survival? He shook his head, stopping the punching bag with his hand and leaning his forehead against it. Thinking like that would do him no good. If he had doubts, he should've just let someone else go.

Luckily, the sound of the door opening pulled him out of his dark thoughts and back into the present moment. Looking over, his eyes fell on a familiar stocky, blue-eyed girl entering the room. Her tough arms were crossed over her chest with her sleeveless top revealing the crude tattoos marking her fair skin.

"Hey, Akilah," he greeted, offering her a slight smile.

She nodded in return, stepping deeper into the room and shutting the door behind her. "Training?"

"Yeah," he replied, backing away from the punching bag and grabbing a towel from the bench. "It's not like I need it though since we're basically just taking an extended road trip."

Akilah let out a soft chuckle. "It never hurts to prepare."

Calix ran the towel over his skin, clearing some of the sweat off. "Did you need to talk to me about something?"

"Kind of. But also I just thought I'd check up on you."

He hummed in response, picking up his water bottle to take a drink. "Are you worried about today?"

She frowned, settling down on one of the benches. "Are you?"

"Maybe a little. I mean, it's not like we're the most skilled Insurgents out there."

"Very true. But I'm more concerned about the person we're picking up to be honest."

Calix paused, glancing over at her. "What do you mean?"

"You heard Clovis. She's supposedly 'difficult to work with.' I don't know what the hell that's supposed to mean, but it can't be anything good."

"I mean, I don't think she'll be that bad. Maybe just a little curt or something."

She shrugged. "I do hope so."

Running a hand through his hair, he took a seat next to her on the bench. "I wouldn't worry if I were you. Clovis tends to make things a bigger deal than they actually are," he assured.

"Yeah, I don't even know why that of all things is the one to get to me. Something just feels a bit off, I guess, but I'm probably overreacting."

Calix shrugged. "You're usually very level headed, so I wouldn't totally write it off."

"Maybe. For all of our sakes though, I hope I'm wrong."

"You're not thinking of backing out are you?"

"Oh, definitely not. It's probably too late for that now anyway."

Calix laughed slightly. "Good. 'Cause I don't know what I'd do if you abandoned me like that."

Akilah snorted. "If you're going, I'm going. We just have to watch each other's backs, you know? In case anything happens."

"Yeah, I know. That's what teammates are for."

The corner of her lips curled up slightly into a small smile. "For what it's worth, I'm glad that you're the one coming too. Out of everyone else, I mean."

He chuckled. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you're the least likely to drive me crazy," she teased, nudging him with her elbow. "I mean, let's be honest, I don't think I could tolerate Kairo for that long."

Calix hooted. "Imma tell him that."

Akilah shrugged. "Hey, it's true." Standing up, she wandered absentmindedly for a few moments before delivering a solid hit to the punching bag, sending it swinging back. "I think I just need to ease my nerves a little bit and I'll feel better. Wanna spar?"

"Well, I don't want to, you know, get super injured right before we have to go."

Akilah snickered. "Don't worry, I'll take it easy on you."

Calix stood up and raised his arms, locking his eyes with her. "Just watch the face."

"Alright, pretty boy. Let's see what you're made of."

***

"Who's that for?" Calix asked, eyeing the tray of food Kairo was meticulously putting together. One of his last stops before leaving was to grab himself a snack—it was too hard to resist—but he was not expecting to see his best friend there too, basically hiding in the back of the kitchen.

"Uh...the girl..." Kairo mumbled, his eyes shifting away in embarrassment.

Calix raised an eyebrow. "You're hitting on a new girl that you haven't told me about?"

"No, dumbass. The Blank girl."

"You have a thing for the Blank girl?!"

"No!" Kairo retorted defensively, shooting the other boy a sharp glare. "I'm just bringing her food."

"That seems like quite a lot for a prisoner, not to mention it being the good stuff. Why can't I have some?"

"It's for both of us, alright? And haven't you noticed she's warming up to me? I told you I'd be able to work it all out."

"So you're wooing her over with food?"

"Kind of, but not really. That's just one factor."

Calix sighed. "Fine, fine. But gimme at least one sandwich before you go."

Laughing slightly, Kairo held out the tray to his friend. "When do you leave, exactly?"

"Soon," Calix replied, munching on his snack. "Are you gonna see me off or are you gonna be too busy with your little date?"

Kairo rolled his eyes playfully. "Obviously I'd rather hang out with the Blank girl. I'm sick of you already."

Calix covered his mouth, feigning disappointment. "I see how it is. Well, goodbye cheater."

Kairo snickered, sliding the tray of food on a shelf and covering it up. "C'mon, let's not keep them waiting."

Calix nodded, stuffing the remaining part of the sandwich in his mouth and dusting the crumbs off of his hands. The two made their way out of the kitchen and through the halls, going with the flow of people—at least, the ones that cared—up above ground. Neither said a word, not knowing what to talk about in their final moments together. Calix's fingers tingled with anticipation and he absentmindedly adjusted the rifle hanging on his shoulder as they drew nearer and nearer to the top. Kairo glanced over, noticing the slight unease that was rare in his usually carefree friend, and he patted Calix's back in a comforting way. Once they had climbed through the trapdoor on the floor of the cottage, they hurried out to meet the rest of the rescue team and a handful of others gathered at the jeep. Noticing them arrive, Akilah waved them over, helping Calix load his stuff into the back.

"Well, this is it," Akilah declared, trying to somewhat ease the mood. "I hope you packed light."

"Only the essentials like my entire comic book collection," Calix joked with a half smile.

"Mm, I guess we can't have you getting too bored."

Kairo smiled a little. He offered his hand out to Akilah, but he was caught off guard when she wrapped her strong arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. Though he hated to admit it out loud, there was something comforting about being engulfed by a big hug, and getting one from Akilah felt particularly special since they seemed to be at odds most of the time.

"Stay out of trouble," she instructed, her voice laced with both sternness and concern.

"No promises."

"Kairo."

He sighed. "I'll try my best."

She nodded. "Take care, alright?"

"Same to you. I'll see you again soon, I hope."

"I hope so too."

Yves was already waiting by the jeep by the time two guys came over and she immediately went to give Calix a hug while Kairo was talking to Akilah. "Stay safe, please."

"I will, I promise."

She sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes. "Look, I know you all are super capable—that's why you were picked in the first place—but..."

Calix rubbed her back in a comforting way. "I know. We'll be okay, Yves."

She nodded, holding him as close as possible before finally pulling away. She tried her best to put on a smile, but she could hardly muster one. It was clear that everyone was trying to be optimistic, but at the same time trying to cover up the gnawing feeling that everything could go horribly wrong. It was no secret that the Eastern Sector held some of the least trained, least experienced of all the rebel bases, and the only reason they were actually going out in the field was because there were no other options. Coupled with Sentinels likely in hot pursuit of the rebel leader, their odds were truly looking grim. Even in the best case scenario that all five of the team members along with Julia made it back safe and sound, it only increased the danger for the rest of them. Yves knew that they could not stay safe and secluded in their little bunker forever, hiding behind their walls and shutting out the world, but for the first time in her life, the ongoing conflict felt real. It wasn't just something she merely heard about, whether that was circulating gossip or from the higher ups themselves. The fight was real and it was coming to them, whether they were ready for it or not. And the thought of that was nothing short of terrifying.

Kairo's feelings mirrored Yves's, but he covered them up with so many layers of denial that they were unrecognizable, even to him. Even considering the fact that he could never see his best friend again felt like a betrayal, as if he didn't trust Calix to be able to handle himself. He knew Calix would fight tooth and nail to stay alive, but in the end, there was only so much he could do if things got really bad. But for Calix's sake and his own, he stuffed these feelings down into the deepest depths of his soul and plastered on the most genuine smile he could muster.

"If you die, I'm gonna kill you," Kairo joked with half seriousness.

Calix chuckled, giving him a hug. "I could say the same to you. Don't have too much fun without me."

"I could say the same to you."

Calix smirked. "I'll see you soon, buddy."

Breaking apart from their hug, Kairo gave a reassuring nod to Calix as he headed toward the jeep. Yves was still crying, so he wrapped an arm around her and allowed her to lean on him. Slade had been slinking around in the background after saying his goodbyes, trying to hide his emotions out of fear of furthering himself as the baby of the sector, but Kairo knew better. Motioning to the younger boy to come over, Kairo wrapped his other arm around Slade, pulling him to his side. As much as they bickered and had disagreements, it felt like he was losing half of his family, and all he could do was hang onto the ones he had left.

Clovis exchanged a few parting words with Mar before wishing the rest of the team good luck. She and Akilah had taken the front seats while Luka, Caris, and Calix were crammed in the back. Leaning his arm over the window, Calix raised his arm in farewell as the jeep began to trundle into the vast plains of grass and beyond. Kairo watched as the black vehicle holding all his care and hope grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the dark night. The crowd had mostly dispersed at that point, but Kairo lingered where he was, staring out into nothingness with an empty feeling growing inside. He felt an unexpected heaviness in his chest and a lump in his throat, but he felt obligated to stay strong in front of the others. Sucking in a breath, he tore his eyes away from the distant horizon and started to head back inside. He knew he needed to divert his attention to something else or else he would lose his mind wondering what was happening. Would it take weeks? Months? The team's communication use was limited out of fear that they could be tracked, so those left in the base were all left in the dark. All they could do now was wait and hope.