●　● Manila Outskirts, The Philippines

“That bitch!” Marian seethed as a tea mug flew across the room, shattering upon impact with the concrete wall of the makeshift operations room. “How dare that cunt mention Lance’s name like that!” She then snatched her earpiece from her ear and slung it against the chair across from her in the same fit of rage.

“Get that excess emotion out while you can, girl,” a woman’s voice came from behind her on the other side of the table. “We got some real work coming up to do. Can’t have that get in the way.”

“Hey, can’t blame her,” a male’s voice near the other joined in. “I know how-”

“-Enough,” Marian cut him off as she brushed off her coat, settling down. “Sorry. That won’t happen again, and I’ll make sure of it.” She then looked over at Isaiah who had remained quiet in his corner, overlooking several maps and pages of notes. “Like I thought, Reaper. Rodgers was definitely on my tail before she launched with the Galatine. I need to split once we determine our final courses of action… for your safety.”

“I will agree,” Isaiah quietly responded, keeping his eyes on his work. “I have no idea how she did what she did, but it seems like she’s after you. But if this is how we have to split, I do have an idea of what you could work on in the meantime.”

“Something for me to do after I wring that girl’s neck out?”

“Order doesn’t matter. I think you might be better than me sniffing out Rex’s operations that don’t focus on our movements.”

“Sure, but why that?” Marian asked as she approached him.

“I have some side business to take care of, and I really need to know everything Rex is up to before I make a wrong move.”

Marian knew when he said side business, it was serious. “Very well. I can leave in the morning. Just give me the fine print and a security detail and we will go from there.”

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●　● Infinity Communications and Command Center, Singapore

Two days later, and after their transferal to Singapore to ensure their safety during several transitions in power throughout the Philippines, Sebastian slowly awoke from his still much-needed slumber, squinting through the bright light that poured in from across the dormitory room’s window.

“I get it now,” he now made out Sam’s lowered voice just on the other side of the room by the hallway door. “No, I don’t know what’s next. They’re supposed to visit us today.”

He rolled over the spot where she lied earlier, no longer warm as if she had been up and around for a while.

“Thanks, but no thanks, I really think we got it from here,” she continued, not noticing he was awake.

[Who is she talking to?]

He took his time to gather some energy needed to sit upright, feeling heavy as a log as he did the day before.

“I will. Don’t worry about us, and… thanks again.”

He finally got up the will to sit up, pushing some of the covers aside as it all caught her attention. She clicked her earpiece and put it away in her pocket, walking up to him with a smile as she took a seat at his side.

“Hey, sorry if I woke you up,” she softly spoke as she looked at her watch. “Though, I was about to have to in a minute since we got that meeting scheduled.” She then looked back at him as she continued: “Hope you’re feeling a bit recovered.”

“Just hungry,” he mumbled before letting out a chuckle.

“Good! Because I just ordered you a surprise for breakfast- the delivery drone should be here any second.”

A brow went up as he looked back at her. “Wait, you were talking to a breakfast delivery just now?”

She held back laughter, realizing he wouldn’t have been able to follow. “No, that was the first call I made. The call I just hung up on now was Tyrus.”

She had spoken that name so nonchalantly he wasn’t able to catch on at first. “Tyrus? Who?” He then remembered the stories she had told him about over the past few days, remembering that was who helped get her back to Infinity alive that fateful night. “Oh, wait, he contacted you just now?”

“Yeah,” she casually responded, smile fading. “I was taken aback myself, but he said it would be our last correspondence. He caught me up on what he said I had every right to know just in case it means something in the future.”

“…And?”

“And…” she answered as her smile returned, letting out a sigh. “We didn’t do all of that for nothing. Turns out the Rex guy they got done over by lost in the end. We thought the PLA was there as an aggressor, but turned out it was the only way to stop Rex from allowing the NAU to take over the security operations.”

“I don’t get it,” Sebastian continued through his frown of dissatisfaction. “I read up so much on why they wanted to stay apart from China. Why would…”

“They did, but they compromised what no one expected, apparently. China isn’t taking over. They are only acting as security to oversee the reforming of the Indo-China Alliance and one of the caveats would be to restore the Confederate Charter… which means the Philippines would be freed from what they tried to remove from rule to begin with.”

“I will have to read up on that more, then,” he replied as he rubbed his face. “Too early in the morning to understand right now.”

“Yeah, well, the big thing wasn’t that,” she added with a heavier tone. “It was Reaper.”

His heart skipped a beat hearing that name, remembering that was her brother and that she refused to ever call him by his real name anymore.

“He was the one who under everyone’s noses brokered that deal. I can’t figure out what the hell he’s really trying to do, what his real goal is, but it’s not like this changes how I feel- not one damn bit.”

“Hey, that reminds me of one very important thing,” he spoke up as he straightened up to get out of bed. “Remember I said I had two things to tell you?”

“Wait, you did?” she returned a similar raised brow as she moved aside to let him stand up and stretch.

“Yes, the, ahn, the time when…” he spoke through finishing his yawn. “Ah, remember when I told you about why I stayed and said no to those men about the new assignment?”

“Oh, that! I do remember- what was it?” she asked in sudden eager anticipation.

“You realize I speak a lot with your father since I went to space a long time back,” he started, now facing the window as he stared out to the sky overlooking the opposing dormitory building.

“Right, but why?”

“I, well, talked to him last time while you were having surgery the other day, and he did tell me many things but asked me to keep one thing secret from you.”

“Ok… and?” she nervously chuckled as she came to his side.

“I can’t. I have to tell you, because I know it means much to you.” He then looked back at her to see her concern. “Your mother-”

“-Oh, her?” She shook her head in disappointment, assuming his intent. “Dad already told me she ran off, and that he would go looking for her. She’s done that before, though. She ditched us for years at a time, even when we were young. Now she’s just doing it again for who knows what reason.”

Sebastian’s long pause further concerned her, however.

[Here’s where I hope to hell I am not wrong in telling her. But I can’t expect her to try to be more open with me if I don’t do the same with her, especially if she deserves to know.]

He placed a hand on the wall as he looked back outside, fearing her reaction. “She’s not gone for no reason. She disappeared to go looking for Reaper, and your father went to go stop her.” And he took the ensuing silence as what he feared. And each second passed afterward in silence, unable to figure out what that must have meant for her to hear, and eventually he had to turn around to check on her. “Sam…”

He turned to see she had taken a seat on the bed, lost in thought, but surprisingly not distraught.

“Sam?” he asked again, now taking her balled-up hand in his, relaxing it as he remembered the suffering those hands endured.

[I forget how delicate she used to be,] he thought as he looked down at them, imagining the blood that had to have stained them thoroughly on more than one occasion. [To think she might have to become more and more desensitized… I feel like I just doomed her to more in the future if she’s thinking what I am afraid she’s thinking.]

She then looked up at him as if a light went off. “Do you know what this means?!” she whispered in a fraught manner as if to suppress a shout.

“No?” he confusedly shook his head.

“Sebastian!” she continued in her suppressed voice as she stood back up and quickly pulled her hands free from his, emphatically waving them in a sudden gesture. “That’s it! If we find her, we find him!”

A few moments passed before he realized that’s what she had spent those seconds calculating. [She really does have a cold relationship with her mother. Yikes.] “Sam, that’s a lot to guess with so much confidence.”

“I know, but, it’s a start!” she energetically rebutted with clenched fists. “Especially if we can use what Tyrus gave us as maybe some kind of head start or a lead!”

“No- no working! No planning! We are in recovery right now!” he firmly retorted with a spinning of her shoulders to point her for the door. “Also, breakfast first! What did you order?”

“Oh, yeah, that!” She then pulled out her mobile to show her the last screen she had pulled up moments ago. “This! Remember?! I miraculously found a little shop that makes these!”

His heart warmed as he couldn’t contain a hearty chuckle nor his desire to take her in his arms again upon seeing the same arepas he ordered the two of them their first unofficial time out together in Bogota. It was even with the same fillings.

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[I can already see the better days.]

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[That is… if it’s not just me speaking like an idiot.]

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-End Manila Arc-