Minutes after Marcel's return, Olivia was on him like a thick jungle leech. Sending the boys first must have aggravated her when he was not there to her beck and call. Her dark brows furrowed and her boots clacked against the stone floor. Each step echoed with intended force.

"It's been two weeks, Marcel. When the hell are we going to do something about this issue?" Her face was so stern he was surprised words escaped her pursed lips.

He met her aggression with a forced smile. "Good morning, Olivia. How wonderful to see you too."

Her scowl deepened. The teasing did not go down as it used to. "Don't treat me like that. I know we've wronged each other before, but this is bigger than our past. The longer we sit idle, the more time they have to retaliate. With such a big network, our escape wasn't as clean as I anticipated."

Our escape. The words stung his ears. Marcel bit his tongue to keep the burning question in his mind. Why now? Why had 'our' not been good enough six months ago? But the past was best left to rest and he was quite positive he did not want to know her answers. They had all experienced enough pain for a lifetime.

"You can bring in the scavenging team and whoever else you feel would be best suited to the task of gathering intelligence from the neighbouring communities."

She marched off with a familiar monotonous rhythm that time could not erase. She held her head and chest high. Behind her, a couple of women sorted through items returned by the scavengers to be placed on the supply shelves. Items dwindled lately and more and more resembled trash instead of supplies.

With a quick shake of his head, he tried to return to the mindset that everything had potential and value. Their generation had been spoiled by instant availability, himself included. One gray-haired woman went to throw out ripped plastic bags.

"No, we can use those. Keep them and we will weave them into ropes and useful items," Marcel said as he twisted the gritty plastic between his fingers.

The woman raised her eyebrows, and both sets of eyes widened, likely unaccustomed to intervention. She put the scraps on the bottom of the shelf nonetheless.

"Couldn't resist stepping in here too?" a gentle voice teased.

As much as he wanted to reassure her things would be fine, he owed Cynthia the truth. "We will hit hard times very soon. The items we have managed to keep stocked and use have let us forget how dire our situation is."

Cynthia still managed a smile despite the circumstances. "We have you to thank for that."

"For the supplies or for the harmful outlook?"

"Both I suppose." She walked past him into the back room and emerged with a jug of water and a few plastic cups they had guarded from the kitchen. "Olivia mentioned a meeting in passing."

His shoulders tensed at the mention of her name. He wanted to keep the two women in separate worlds as one was gold while the other was a snake.

He made an effort to relax his still neck muscles. "We need to plan out our next move on a larger scale."

Cynthia gave him an inquisitive look and one end of her mouth turned upward. "Haven't you been trying to build and acquire more weapons?" She continued after his nod. "And haven't you had Reggie train volunteers in self-defence?"

"I have."

"Then why is she so anxious?" Cynthia waited for an answer as Marcel set about readjusting the plastic chairs around the gray table. She shook her head. "You haven't shared any of this with her, have you?"

He straightened the last one. "I have not."

"Marcel," came her soft caring voice, "regardless of your pasts, we all need to work as a team. If you exclude her..."

Images flashed before his eyes of her standing alongside the director. Smiling at his own departure and the end of their life together. The pair likely toasted the end of Marcel's unborn child's life with a glass of stolen French champagne as he descended the mountain. Why on earth should that woman be included or trusted with any plans?

He glanced back at Cynthia who had stopped speaking. She kneeled on the ground to pick up the cups on the floor. That was odd. She had distinctly placed them on the table moments ago. Near his dark palm, he found one that had cracked on impact.

"Please, let me help," Marcel said and kneeled down next to her.

"It's fine." Cynthia averted her eyes. She grabbed the last glasses, wiped them down and placed them back on the table next to the water that thankfully had not spilled.

"I am sorry if I upset you," Marcel said in a slow calm tone.

"You just took me by surprise, slamming down on the table like that. Not much harm done."

Given her careful tone and the slight tremor in her hand, he could see how wrong the statement was. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He hated that Olivia turned him into a person he surely was not. Now, he needed to find a way to prove that to Cynthia.

He started with a calm voice. "It is not as easy to forget as you would like it to be."

She stood with her hands on her curvy hips. "I'm not asking you to forgive her, just to keep everyone involved who needs to be. You two have the best insight into what's happening because you were there the longest. You have an idea of how to approach it. From a strategic point of view, you can't afford to exclude her."

When had she turned into an expert on his life?

"Who are we gossiping about?" Reggie, their scavenger team leader, said as he sat down next to them. "That army woman?"

A smile cracked on Cynthia's face and a hot wave of jealousy flowed through Marcel's veins. "I would appreciate it, Reggie, if we could remain professional."

Reggie snorted. "I doubt you had that thought the last time you two were alone together. There is some serious tension between you two."

Luck was on Marcel's side as the smile dissolved from Cynthia's lips.

Reggie clapped him on the shoulder. "But, I meant to ask, how did the hunt go? You saw his shot right?"

"Gunnar's? Hardly given his speed, it was gone before I knew he had a bow."

"Atta boy!" Reggie said and clapped his hands together. "I'm telling you, he keeps pulling things out of nowhere. Next, he'll whip up a shelter from nothing and fish with his hands."

"Your imagination will get you in trouble one day, Reggie," Marcel said with a small laugh in hopes of bringing Cynthia's spirits back up too.

"My imagination keeps this place from running into the ground!" he exclaimed.

Reggie's favourite person entered the room, and the tattooed man took off to chat with the boy. Gunnar had Vita in tow, though Marcel could see little use for her on an expedition. Her clothing got baggier as the days went on. It'd be an awful secret to try to keep for much longer.

Cynthia placed her warm hand on his arm. "How did Winston do? Did he really shoot that bird himself?" she asked.

Marcel smiled at the contact. "Yes, with just a little help."

More people trickled in from the scavenging team, followed by Olivia and her two partners in crime. Neither man looked to be much of a fighter, which surprised him the most. A man in his late forties, thin but not fit, and a younger man with more appetite than muscle. Olivia had been good about selecting ideal allies, but perhaps since the incidents with the director her judgement had suddenly been skewed.

"She really pulls focus, doesn't she?" Cynthia asked.

"Sorry?"

Cynthia's eyes focused in the same direction as his where Olivia sat up straight and rearranged her blouse. Marcel shifted as tension crept up his spine. Reggie grinned from across the room and his gaze flickered between the two. Olivia rose out of her seat and directed her attention to the chattering room. With a loud clearing of her throat, she had the room silent.

"Now, we've asked you here today..."

Marcel's fists balled. How could she take charge of his community? He would be damned if she ruined another good thing.

"We are dealing with a group of people who can control cities like Las Vegas." A frown deepened on Olivia's plump lips. Marcel grinned and continued. Now he had their attention. "I have word that a few refugees have made their way out of such communities and are seeking asylum. We need to speak with them and gather our own intelligence. Until we know our enemy, we have no hope of bringing an end to these gated and controlled communities. There is no telling how it will be before ours suffers a similar fate."

Olivia's eyes narrowed. "Aside from withholding information from us, what do you plan to do about it?"

The larger man beside her smirked, but the rest of the room retained their wide eyes. Whispers filled the silence. Gaining the upper hand on Olivia had its setbacks.

"We have been working to train community members in self-defence." Marcel looked over to Reggie.

"Aye-aye, captain," Reggie said with a salute.

"And we have been working on salvaging and producing weapons with which we can defend ourselves. What we need now are volunteers, willing to sacrifice their safety and shelter to head to Las Vegas. Some of you may even have to integrate into their community, putting yourself at high risk. We will never force this fate on you, but should you choose it, we will be most grateful." His tone softened toward the end as he made an effort to make eye contact with as many people as he could.

Olivia's eyes flickered to Marcel, asking the permission her voice was too proud to admit she still craved, or so he deduced. "I'd lead the expedition. I expect you plan to oversee your efforts here since few of us are privy to your information."

Her olive branch. She was right about him being in no position to leave, at least not mentally. He had a few too many loose ends to tie up beforehand and all he really needed was reliable information.

Reggie smoothed his hands on his jeans and looked to Marcel. "As soon as I can find someone to continue my training efforts, I'll be on board."

Marcel gave him a quick nod to confirm. He'd do the job himself, need be.

"I'm in, not much to hunt 'round these parts anyway," Gunnar said without much interest. Marcel wondered what cornucopia he'd experienced in the past.

"Me too," Vita pitched in with a smile.

Gunnar whipped around with his trademark speed. "No!"

Even those beside her flinched, but she stood her ground. "It's my choice. Back off."

"Mr. M, she can't go. Tell her she can't."

Gunnar's pleading eyes bore into Marcel's longer than comfortable. Vita's hands trembled. He had a choice, support the young man whose allegiance would prove most valuable or anger the spitfire Cynthia held dear and risk distancing her even more. He let out a sigh.

"No decisions are final as of right now. I will talk to each of you before we got to ensure we have the most capable team both here and on the expedition."

With a loud stomp, Vita left the room and Gunnar followed her like a puppy. The young man would need to learn boundaries but in time. Separation would do them good, and he wanted Vita to be here as a magnet to draw the boy back. It wouldn't be hard to appeal to Cynthia and convince her of the dangers Vita would face as an upcoming mother.

"Any other contenders?" Olivia asked, face void of a smile. Time hadn't sharpened her people skills.

"You keep my daughter safe here, and I'll come along," the middle-aged ally, Nate, added.

The bigger man smiled and turned to Olivia, "You know I'm game."

Her face hardened. "No."

Marcel couldn't keep the smirk off his face. He'd enjoy every repercussion of this clash.

His brows furrowed and he leaned forward. "What do you mean no?"

"You're more of a liability than an asset."

"I made it here, I escaped the colony, I..." His legs were struggling to support his body under all their shaking. "If you're going, I'm going."

"You state your experience like an asset. If I thought you could help, I would say yes. Nate carries similar experience but is street smart. It's not personal, it's just good strategy." Her gaze turned on the room as her companion visibly crumbled. "The electrician, did he leave yet?"

"Me?" the tall teen asked.

"Yes, interested?"

He looked at the redhead by his side and shrugged. "Sure." She clutched his arm and bit her lip. He rubbed her back and whispered in her ear.

"Enough of a team for you?" Marcel asked. He wasn't sure how large an ensemble she planned to manage, but he needed manpower too.

Olivia straightened her blouse again. "Reggie can help me pick out a few others. Wouldn't mind another woman on the team for undercover infiltration."

Her eyes wandered to Cynthia and back to Marcel. His heart beat fast, and his stomach clenched. He gave a curt shake of his head. That world was no place for her or Winston. Olivia's lips curled into a smile. She was playing with him.

"Consider the meeting adjourned. Send me your final list," Marcel said loudly.

She couldn't argue as small conversations took over the room, and people began to disperse. Before she could approach him, that sidekick of hers chipped away at her decision to exclude him. Only moments before he and Cynthia headed out the door, did he see Olivia's resolve slowly breaking as her lips moved quickly and her hand rested on her partner's arm. What on earth did he have on her?

___________

Thanks for reading! What did you think of Marcel's reaction to Olivia? Think it spells trouble?

Just so you're not confused, most characters will be getting two consecutive chapters in their POV since I've decided to split my longer chapters to be able to update weekly. Vita's up next week :)

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