Before Ethereal forces are fully settled in, the group meet Dawson at the entrance of the pier base. "Sir," he nods to Vern, acknowledging the presence of his leader.

"Dawson. No need to worry about the superiority of this base. The hires and I have taken care of it. Blindfold any prisoners and have them released to the nearest border. Let them return to any families they have. Any resistance or violent actions will not be tolerated. Your thoughts?"

"I agree with you, sir," Dawson says under his breath. He turns to the nearest soldier in the vicinity, releasing his voice to express his command. "Rondo. Have your men gather any captives and send them back home. No executions. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir," the dark haired soldier responds with a salute. "I'll get it handled smoothly." Rondo relaxes his stance, then heads off to a small vehicle.

"I'm glad you're still with us." Dawson mentions, turning his attention back to Vern.

"As I you. And I thank you for your concern. I'd like a status report, if you please."

"In full disclosure, sir, we took a good sized hit from this. That's the bad news. Good news is everything is going exactly as we planned it. With the momentum we have now, we'll be able to take that main pier."

"Très bien. We'll use this base as a front for now. Tell our soldiers to rest up. That includes you as well."

"Yes, sir." Dawson quickly nods in affirmation, then walks off to assist the wounded Ethereal soldiers towards the medical tents. Vern then turns his head to switch his attention to his new special forces team of three before speaking again.

"We could not have done this without your hard work. I thank you."

"Don't," Lux begins, lifing his hand to reject any compliments. "You're paying us. Why else would we be here?"

"Yes, yes, I suppose you're right," Vern says, his words nearly overshadowed by a chuckle.

"You're welcome, though, Matthias," Jade tenderly chimes in to replace Lux's unwillingness to be respectful.

"You're a good boy," Klaus adds, nonchalantly stepping up to Vern to pat his head.

"Hm. Feel free to take a breather. We'll be moving out in an hour. We've gained a good opportunity, it would be a shame to waste it. Veuillez m'excuser."

With a courteous nod, Vern takes his leave. Feeling a bit tense and exhausted, Jade stretches her arms upward as she turns to speak to Lux. "Probably going to lie down or something. You?"

"Ain't tired. Plus, I brought my cigarettes with me just for this."

"Okay. See you in about an hour."

"Alright, then. And check on those injuries, J. Don't act like you aren't as stubborn as me."

"Oh, please. If anyone is going to act like that, it's you," she replied, causing them both to chuckle.

"Need to find a place where it's quiet," Lux says to himself.

"Nobody's at the pier," Tora declares with a soft tone.

"Cool. Get outta my head and stop talkin' to me."

"Oh, okay...Sorry."

Lux walks throughout the base on his way towards the pier, interacting with a few Abnormals who seemed to be falling all over themselves to praise his amazing power in combat. "Hey, you're one of the guys Matthias hired, right? Didn't think you'd be so young like most of us here. Saw you guys fighting earlier. Gotta say, besides Commander Dawson, his elite team, and Matthias, I've never seen Abnormals use their powers like you guys do." One offered, stepping forward to speak on behalf of the others.

"Seeing us mess up some blue skins give you a hard on or somethin'?"

"H-Huh? Well, no, I just, uh..." he stammered, taken aback by Lux's surly response.

"If you think what we did was impressive, you need to work on yourself. Workout that twig body and learn to use your goddamn powers better."

"Oh, you're giving me advice...? Um, thanks, man."

"What's your name?"

"Apel."

"Apel. Don't talk to me again. Not unless you're ready to beat my ass."

"Right, got it. I think..." he finished leaving the interaction in confusion on if he had received advice or a threat.

Lux walks away from the Ethereal soldier, after a short trek, he finally manages to discover an undamaged pier. He walks along its thick, wooden skin, then stops when he stands at the edge. Enjoying the peace, he begins smoking as he looks into the water, quietly listening to the small waves pushing their way onto the miniature beach. After a short moment, he hears a voice behind him. "Ah, I see you came here for peace and quiet as well."

Lux blows smoke from his mouth then turns his head to look back, only to see Vern standing behind him. "Yeah. Don't remember sayin' I wanted company."

Vern chuckles as he walks up to the edge beside Lux. Both he and Lux gaze out into the waters. After a short stretch of silence, Vern turns his head to look at Lux before speaking up. "I will step past my bounds and declare my desire to speak to you personally. Is this alright with you?"

"Sure. Say whatever you need to out loud so I can hear you."

"Very well. I shall say what is on my mind at your desired volume. I hired you for a reason. I believe and hope we will work together for a long time. I will also admit that I have a great interest in you all."

"That so?"

"Oui. You have spent a long while in prison, cut off from the outside world. Trapped like animals in cages and treated as such. Of course, money is important to you, but I am curious to hear your stance on matters in the future."

"Already told you what I'm about. I get my money and I'm good. If not, I'm out. Simple."

"Yes, exactly. Simple. I would be lying if I said I did not want to get to know you all. You give me a sense of...familiarity I can not deny."

"Thought you already knew J."

"I did. But if I am to be frank, that was another lifetime."

"Well, I ain't fuckin' you if that's what you're looking for."

"I will see you when we are prepared to leave," Vern responds, releasing another laugh, amused and unsurprised by Lux's vulgar retort.

With his hands placed behind his back, Vern turns to walk away. When Lux finishes smoking, he flicks the cigarette away returning back to the base a short time after Vern left. Lux then meets with Dawson who's standing at the entrance gate leading into the city. "Halcyon."

"Sup, Commando Dickmen."

"Hm. Mostly everybody is prepared. If you and your people are too, I'll speak to Vern and we'll start our assault on the city."

"Yeah, we're good to go. We can take a hit, unlike the pussies you call men."

"You can run your mouth for now, merc. You're lucky I'm on duty."

"That a fact? Willing to bet you wouldn't do shit otherwise."

"We'll see."

Dawson brushes past Lux leaving the area. After a moment, he returns with Vern by his side, and gathers healthy soldiers so that they may listen to Vern's speech. Klaus and Jade arrive taking their places beside Lux as the speech begins. Vern speaks in a loud, clear but calm tone so that the soldiers can hear him. "Ethereals. We did well by taking this base. A small unit of you will stay here to maintain and protect our hold over this place. Use the flare if you encounter any trouble. For the rest of you, we shall begin our assault on Meriport. Each team has their coordinated paths. Stay together and watch over each other. We cannot accomplish our goal if we do not work as one. Dawson."

"Sir. Alright, let's move out!"

The Ethereal army follows behind Dawson and Vern as the entrance gate leading into the city begins opening. With the somewhat massive force entering Meriport, they easily break down the defensive gate leading into the district, and begin scattering throughout the city, causing havoc as they go. Lux, Klaus, and Jade walk forward past the gate meeting up with Vern who was waiting for them at the entrance of the district. "Our forces will scatter and deal coordinated attacks throughout Meriport. Our main objective while all this is happening, is to take the main supply pier in the Northeastern District then the city itself."

"Sounds easy enough," Jade declares, placing her left hand on her hip. "The Federation forces here are going to be distracted most of the time."

"Yeah, it ain't a bad plan. Ain't no point in standing around here, though," Lux unapologetically points out for all to hear.

"Ah, yup!" Klaus leaps into the conversation with a snap of his fingers. "The ol' Scatter and Batter play. I'm messing with it."

"What the hell even is that?" Jade asks, a puzzled look written on her face.

"Miss Zelterra will still be in contact with us. Should you need information regarding anything, you need but only ask her."

"Mhm! I'm here to help y'all!"

The group advanced through their target with the goal of taking the main pier base forefront on their minds. Along the way they fight many types of Federation foot soldiers that use different methods of attack along with various kinds of artillery. As they move, they are able to find scraps of items they feel are useful, including cash.

Through hard fought battles, the group destroyed and captured small Federation bases within Meriport, freeing the Abnormals being held there. At a specific base, the Abnormals whom the group freed from their captivity approach them to give their thanks. "Thanks a lot. We've been here for days. We were pretty sure they were gonna torture us before they kill us." A tall, strong looking Abnormal stepped forward to speak.

"You are most welcome," Vern replies with a nod. "Now, you are free."

"Free to do what?" Another stubby, brown haired Abnormal says. "Our families turned us in, this whole fucking city is a warzone. We've got nowhere to go."

"The hell are you complaining about? The man said you were free," Lux states in an irritated grunt. "You don't like what was done to you, then do somethin' about it. Join his group. They take in people like us. Or you can die out here. Up to you."

Vern turns his head to glance at Lux, surprised with his response. The freed Abnormals give each other determined glances, then nod in a silent, unanimous decision. "Yeah...Yeah, you're right," a third, more lanky Abnormal proclaims. "We'll join you guys. What do we need to do?" Vern rotates his body, taking a moment to point towards a specific direction.

"There is a base we've captured in the Southeastern District. Once you've made your way there, tell the soldiers that a wave is stronger than any opposing force. They'll know what you mean."

"Alright. Thanks again for what you've done for us. You saved our lives and we won't forget that."

The freed Abnormals run past the group with haste to travel towards the southeastern pier base. Vern casts his sight back on Lux, who then responds with a look of his own. "The fuck are you looking at?

"You told them to join us. I am a bit surprised considering your position with the Ethereals."

"It's stupid to free these dumbasses and let them run around just to die. Might as well put 'em to use."

"Lux has a point. They're probably just Abnormals who don't even understand what's going on or how to use their powers," Jade comments. Klaus raises both his hands, then runs his palms into each other to display an enmeshment.

"You got military experience, they don't. So we mesh 'em together like DP."

"DP?" Vern asks, ensuring he gives Klaus his undivided attention.

"Dick and pussy. C'mon, Vern. Catch up."

"Hm. ...Considering your display, would that not hurt?"

"Men are so brainless sometimes, I swear..." Jade walks off, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"You still want what's down there though. Probably'll give you some tonight." Lux chuckles, amused by her peeved stricken catwalk as he follows behind her in the same direction.

"Fuck you, Lux."

"I ain't hear a no."

"Kids, am I right? Damm idiots. Shit, unless you love kids. You don't, right? Shut the hell up, Klaus, goddammit!"

Klaus suddenly walks away after his failure to keep a conversation, following behind Jade and Lux. Vern chuckles to himself, and walks in the same direction as the trio. The group continues to advance through the chaos of Meriport. Though it takes some time, they finally make it to the entrance of the main pier base.

As they quickly approach, they see Dawson and his small elite team fighting an abundant wave of Federation soldiers. To keep their allies from being overwhelmed, they don't hesitate to join the battle as they rush forward before assuming their fighting stances. "Sir! Relieved to see you!" A smile follows Dawson's words, letting a surreal feeling course through him when he spots his leader.

"The feeling is mutual, Dawson. I was positive we would make it here before you and your team would."

"Sorry to disappoint you!" Dawson lets out a deep amusing laugh as he swiftly takes down two soldiers.

"Ease your mental burden, Commander. We shall assist you."

"Watch out for the gunfire!"

Heeding Tora's warning, Vern conjures an extensive ice wall to block the sudden streams of gunfire. A frisson of excitement pulses throughout Lux's body as he electively takes the piercing sting of the bullets. He begins to constantly leap into the air, only to crash down onto the ground creating wide craters of blazing eruptions wherever he touches down.

Jade and Vern burst into the air, each beginning to rain down their own energy like projectiles as Dawson and his team rush forward along with Klaus. From constant bombardment from Jade and Vern, as well as the devastating destruction from Lux, the wave of soldiers are easily picked off. The way forward is clear.

Or so everyone thinks, the entrance gate to the base suddenly opens to expose new types of their soldiers donning heavy half armor connected to large, right shoulder pads racing out of the base. Once they're in front of the group, they draw their thick metal mace-batons from their backs. "Careful around these soldiers everyone!" Tora warns. "Those batons will hit harder than about fifty monster trucks!"

Dawson springs into command. He runs to the center of the area and orders everyone to congregate to him. "Over here! Stay close to me!" Everyone runs into Dawson's vicinity. He spins, stomps the ground with his boot quickly sending out an unseen pulse shrouding the group and his team in invisibility. Panicked, the enemy soldiers look around for them while they argue with each other.

"Where the fuck did they go?!" One of them shouts, aiming his weapon in every direction he can think of. Another heaves his anxiety off his shoulders, electing to focus on eliminating his unseen enemy combatants. "Doesn't matter, just keep swinging at anything in front of you!"

The group completely overwhelmed all opposition in the vicinity. Though they take a few hits here and there, they ultimately clear the area of all their enemies. The invisibility wears off soon afterwards. Without hesitation, Lux runs up to the gate then powers forward.

With one punch damaging the gate so severely that it completely falls flat on the ground. Once Lux makes a landing, he walks forward through the dust towards the base with Klaus and Jade following behind him. Vern mirrors their path and nods at Dawson and his team to signal continuing forward. "Come. This base will soon be ours."

"Yes, sir."

The inside of the base is very similar to the one before, only on a much larger scale. Everyone walks in glancing around the small entryway past the gate, confused as to why they haven't encountered any resistance. "The hell is everyone at?" Despite the context behind the question, Jade poses her question in a mild tone.

"Probably scared 'em again," Lux chuckles, allowing his conceited attitude to do the talking for him.

"I highly doubt that," Dawson replies, keeping his level-headed nature. "If they were the first ones notified of the attack, then they must have prepared themselves."

Jade nods in agreement, continuing the conversation with her opinion. The volcano that is Lux erupts after hearing his companion's words. He's sick of this cowardice that other people call strategy.

"They're waiting for us in most of the base's complex areas most likely."

"Who the fuck cares? Let's bust this place down and get it over with."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the merc, sir. The faster we get through this base and take down whoever is in charge here, the longer it will take for them to realize we're only a small unit."

"Very well, then. You and your team will stay with us, Commander. I hope that is alright with you all. Lux?"

"Yeah, sure. Could care less."

"It's required for all new party members to grant me a gift. Where is your gift, you fraud?" Klaus questions, pointing his index finger at Dawson's chest.

"A gift? Don't really have anything on me right now."

"...You disgust me. You shall be banished in the name of the All-Mother."

"In the name of who now?" Tora asks, confused as to who this mystery person is.

"It's best if you just didn't ask, babe."

"Now that our internal affairs are settled, I suggest we move on. Come."

By their leader's command, the Etherals advanced through the base, traversing the lower and upper levels, as well as the pier area. While on the way to search for the base's lead officer, the group are forced into combat by different types of soldiers with unique ways of fighting. To their luck, they also found rare materials, a few scraps of items, and lost cash. The group destroys most of the base, still unable to find the leader.

That is, until they enter a huge warehouse where all the foreign weapons along with supplies are stored from overseas. The group take cautious steps forward, stopping in their tracks in unison when a tall, muscularly built man with short brown hair in a dark blue uniform complete with a tie appears before them. Behind and beside the man are small crowds of their foe, firearms drawn, clearly prepared for combat. "Abnormals. You've got some balls attacking my city and base. You'll learn it was all for nothing. We've dealt with trash the likes of you before; You'll perish, screaming, like the rest of them."

"Ain't much of a leader if you sittin' in here hiding. Fuck were you doin' the whole time? Jackin' off?" Lux casually takes two steps forward, laughing at his surrounding enemies.

"Don't think a bottom feeder like you can speak to me like we're equals. You're lucky you've even gotten this far."

The man unsheathes a large, metal sword with blue lights embedded into it from his back, and his body suddenly becomes covered in dark blue body armor. As steam flows out of the sword, swinging it, he points at the group. "Kill these scumbags! Don't let them near our weapons and supplies!"

"SIR!" All of his troops shout loudly with resolve backing them.

"He may not look it, but he's tough and he knows what he's doing. Oh! Watch out for his sword. I can tell it's infused with Anti!"

"Understood," Vern nods, appreciative of Tora's information.

Anders makes the first move. He propels forward using the boosters installed in his armor, and slams the ground with his sword, creating a wide fissure of dark blue fire that separates that group. Jade and Dawson are quickly surrounded by soldiers on the right, while Klaus and Dawson's team are immediately attacked on the far left. With only Vern and Lux standing in front of Anders, he begins to violently swing his sword with extreme precision.

Lux takes the blow of the powerful swings as Anders thrusts the width of the blade straight ahead to force Lux away. Vern conjures an icy sword of his own clashing with Anders. Each conflicting strike from Vern and Anders sends sparks flying throughout the area. Spotting his opportunity, Anders briskly jabs Vern directly in the gut, then swiftly hauls his sword in a horizontal direction. With the sting from Anders' jab present, Vern still manages to quickly block the swing of the blade, the force causing him to be pushed back.

Not allowing Anders' intimidation to bother them, the duo rush ahead to attack together. Vern leaps above Lux, his cryo-induced blade oscillating in the air four times as Lux quickly follows up with two extended punches. Anders blocks two of Vern's attempts, then groans in pain when he feels the piercing blow of Lux's fists. Still, Anders starts laughing with glee as he begins to counterstrike with swings of his own, constantly taking and dishing out damage.

"Give it up, Abnormals! I've got a nice little barred home just for you! If you surrender now, we'll only take the women and give the rest of you a death so fast, you won't even feel it! Damn! I love my job!" He yells, letting out an entertained laugh as he continues to clash with the two.

Jade and Dawson have successfully taken out most of the soldiers in their vicinity, despite being completely surrounded. Dawson dodges a quick round of gunfire with a combat roll, then counter firing with his pistol. While his bullets are flying, she imbues them with her energy, causing them to enlarge into giant, shadow-like spheres that explode on impact.

She then finishes off the rest of the soldiers, she creates a wide area of dark purple liquid under them, and small creatures creating from that liquid slowly begin dragging the soldiers into the pool. The soldiers scream in fear as each of them are pulled into an unknown purple abyss.

Klaus and Dawson's team thankfully didn't have to deal with much. Though it was difficult dealing with the elite soldiers, they took most of them out, with Klaus finishing off the rest. He curls his body in a ball, then begins whirling widely in place, creating piercing streaks of electricity that run straight through their armor. Once he uncurls himself, a static wave of electricity is emitted, shocking the soldiers to death. Rising up in excitement with both hands raised to high five Jacob and Morgan. "WOO! Bring it in guys!"

While Morgan happily complies with a light giggle, Jacob turns away to avoid Klaus's silliness, grumbles under his breath, then high fives Klaus without looking his way. "Aw, come on J-man! J-dog! My man Jake!"

"There. Are you happy?"

"I sure am, son...I knew you loved me."

"I really don't and I'm not your son."

With that, everyone regroups with Lux and Vern one by one joining in the assault on Anders in sync. Completely overwhelmed by the coordinated strikes from Dawson and his team, the constant rain of projectiles form Vern and Jade mixed with the continuous punching and slicing from Lux and Klaus it's all he can take. Soon after, Anders' armor breaks, fracturing into pieces, forcing him to one knee from the weight of the pain. "Ah...! Goddammit!"

"Nice job, y'all! He's down for now, so give 'em all you've got!"

The group damages Anders severely while he's down. Dawson and Vern work to shatter his right shoulder armor in tandem with Lux and Jade's constant bombardment of his back protection. Klaus and Dawson's team are attacking his left shoulder armor. With it becoming weaker he knows if he doesn't do something, he'll lose to these so-called trash heaps. "Turn all suit functions to one hundred percent!"

"I apologize, Lead Commander, that function is not-"

"I SAID DO IT! WHAT GOOD ARE YOU IF YOU CAN'T FOLLOW AN ORDER?!!"

The A.I in Anders' armor complies with his command. Sure enough, Anders' armor lights up a bright blue color. He quickly stands back on his feet, bursting with renewed vigor. He begins to move faster, attacking the group with more power and volition. Although the group takes an immense amount of damage from Anders' onslaught, Lux manages to slip in one last punch to end it all.

With incredible force, Anders swings his blade at Lux as he quickly approaches. Lux pivots his body towards his right after leaping into the air. With an exuberant shout, shatters Anders' armor into pieces with a descending punch directly to the chest. The force of the punch creates a shockwave that blows everyone away in separate directions.

As the dust clears, their all but defeated nemesis, although struggling, manages to slowly stand up once more. His armor is completely broken, flaring with blue electricity, his body only tainted with bruises and deep wounds. The words only come out as bloodied coughs as he drags his legs forward. "Fuck...! FUCK! I'm not dying...to literal piles...of garbage!"

Anders feels a quick spout of his bodily functions returning. With that, he yells with all his might attempting to swing wildly at whoever is in front of him. He's immediately stopped however, glancing towards his arms to see what caused the interruption. "What...?!"

Violet chains wrapped around his arms, he tries to move them, but the pull is too strong, even for him. Jade walks forward, her hair flowing upward with a dark purple aura surrounding her body, her eyes completely brightened with a similar color. She violently twists her hands, and the chains follow suit, twisting Anders's arms so far that they turn upside-down.

Anders's screams loudly in anguished agony. She lifts one arm, and a new set of chains stab Anders's back and lift him into the air. As his screams fill the warehouse, Jade motions the other arm forward, commanding multiple chains to wrap around his legs, neck and crotch. She then moves her arms apart as if she's ripping an object in half, and the chains start to pull on the areas they're wrapped around. "NO! NO, NO, FUCK...! GAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The chains rip his body apart, blood spews everywhere. Moments later, she reverts to her original look. All that's left lying on the floor is Anders's torso, with the rest of his corpse completely scattered in every direction. Vern steps forward, then looks down at the head with emotionless eyes, unsympathetic of his fate. "A shame his last few words were that of hate. Hm. Excellent work. This base is ours. With it, the city as well. We still have much more to do here, but today, we have won this fight. Come, we shall return to Atlacall once things are in order here."
The Ethereals have achieved their mission, they've taken the port and the pier's weapons and supplies, eliminating the high status target of Meriport.

~

                            - Felicity:
                Emerald State of Jeogen -

- Restlessness (Persona 5)

A full two weeks of settling in have passed. The Ethereals have set up their own bases and rebuilt Meriport in their own image.

Small city of Sill, in a fairly sized square building. A woman is enjoying the serenity of her small office, sitting with her legs crossed in her chair in front of her desk. She's looking through folders and writing down small notes as she goes.

A phone to her left starts to vibrate, she ignores it for a few seconds until it stops as she assumed it would. Immediately after stopping, the vibrations from the phone return. The woman sighs in irritation, then picks it up and gently places it up against her ear after answering the call. "Dr. Faris. Yes, what can I do for you?"

Faris' face is suddenly filled with surprise and concern simultaneously. She leans forward in her chair, and sits up straight in reaction to hearing this urgent news. "Excuse me? What was the channel again? Alright. Thank you."

She quickly ends the call. After placing her phone down, she grabs a small black remote resting near a lamp. She looks over at a TV mounted on the wall to the far right of her door, then turns it on. She desperately flips through many channels, until she finally stops on a specific Channel News 15. On display is a pale skinned female reporter with long blonde hair wearing a dark brown business jacket and skirt sitting on a small desk with a monitor behind her. As the female reporter begins to speak, Faris turns up the volume.

"Hello everyone, I'm Jessica Bennett with Channel 15. Today, we've received a grueling report that a terrorist group of Abnormals calling themselves the Ethereals, have taken the city of Meriport in the Silver State. The Federation can't confirm any details as to how or when this happened, nor can they confirm the number of casualties. Silver Baron Elliott Dunham, who's younger brother Marcus Dunham was killed during the jailbreak at Silver Cloud, promises the state of Alimoor that quote: "The situation will be handled by any means necessary. The death of Warden Dunham should be an eye opener for all citizens. Abnormals are dangerous creatures that should not be underestimated. That being said, the AAF will not back down to mere terrorist organizations." Now John, what do you think of all of this?"

A split screen appears beside the woman, and it displays a tan skinned slim man with short brown hair and a bald spot wearing a blue suit, blue pants and tie. "This is absolutely ridiculous, Jessica. I've had sources saying that Meriport has been taken by these terrorists for weeks now. That goes to show how much the AAF doesn't tell us. How are we supposed to make an effort to protect ourselves- our homes, our children, if our military doesn't even inform us about these happenings? Who knows how many people have died or worse?"

As the man and woman continue to debate, the phone on Faris's desk begins to ring again. Faris turns down the TV volume before answering the call. "Dr. Faris. Yes, I see it. Mhm." She leans back in her chair, speaking to the caller as she glances towards the screen. On the monitor, behind the female reporter, are wanted postings. Toward the wanted postings on the far left, she notices that there's no picture, but the information below displays a recent escapee of Silver Cloud. It also shows the unit number of a certain escapee, 122124.

"Yes. Yes, I understand. Alright. Goodbye."

Faris once again ends the call, placing her phone on the surface of her desk. She then grabs the handle of a small drawer under her desk, and pulls it out. She grabs a cellphone with a green case, turns it on and dials a number in. She then places the phone up to her ear and waits for someone to answer. After a long moment of silence, someone finally answers the call, and she replies in a sweet and friendly tone. "Hi, Isabella! It's Dr. Faris. Yes, yes, I saw the news, it's terrible. Listen, I'm calling for that small favor. Yes, the one we talked about? Great. I'll pack my things and fly out there. Okay, bye now."

Faris hangs up then places the cellphone back under her desk inside her drawer. As she's quickly packing her folders and papers into her bag, she suddenly glances towards the TV, staring into the screen with a saddened face. Once she gathers everything, she switches all the lights off and leaves her office.