Ryan was slowly kicking some stone further and further, down the 'street', distracted by his own thoughts. He had noticed the figure sitting near the house, but paid no attention to it. Everyone here was a night bird of sorts, lack of sunlight making one lose the track of day time. The meals helped only slightly to keep some order in the never-ending dim day.

For nimbleness training, Ryan held the can in his left hand, and when the woman suddenly spoke to him, he jumped slightly, crushing the can, the remains of the drink spilling. "Shit," he cursed quietly, staring at the remains of the can - it was not much more than thin layer of metal now, top and bottom deformed. Thankfully, there hadn't been much in it and it hadn't gotten on his clothes. Grumbling something inaudible, the man sat down next to Eve, but not close enough for it to be intrusion in her personal space.

"You're that woman from prison, aren't you. I vaguely recall you," Ryan said, staring at the opposite wall, his left hand still holding the can. He began to work on it, with ease squeezing it into a ball. Her reminder hadn't been much of help, but maybe he wouldn't have lasted without it until doctors took him to hospital.

"It's not like I have much of choice. I am not allowed to leave, and I don't like sitting idly for too long." The man looked down at the slightly deformed metal ball in his hand. "Would be a waste to not use this, too." "But I gotta make my self a lefty during fights from now on." It was good to talk about something that he was used to do, something he would do. Ryan didn't like to be a merc, but adventures and thrills it gave him he wasn't willing to give up.

It had taken her some time, but Leila had managed to put everything in place - her chaotic emotions were now once again glazed over by ice, the coldness seeping further in and freezing them. There was no place for love, doubt or hate in her life - except the hate that would die only when the murderers of her family would curl and scream in agony at her feet.

She knew Amante had survived, there would be no doubt about it, with the antidote and the speed he was healing. The girl was now quite sure he was most likely one of the beast kind. Which one, she did not know, but now Leila knew she could not afford to underestimate the man. It didn't mean she couldn't kill him, it would just take more effort.

The rumors about his stable state had reached her ears a day later. And not long after, so did the talks about Amante's new girlfriend. Apparently, he was spending all the time with the white haired girl in wheelchair from few weeks before. Although Leila received the news coolly, her distaste for him grew a little deeper. The kiss had been awfully out of place, especially if he had a girl. Amante indeed was a player like she had pictured.

Other than that, Leila was somewhat pleased with the progress of her mission. She had handed various precious information to the employer, and her position was becoming stable again. Maybe by New Year's eve, all this ordeal would be over, and then, soon, so soon, it all would come to an end. This pleasing thought made her pace light as she patrolled down yet another sewer. Armed and careful of her surroundings, Leila felt calm and safe, in a strange way.

She watched him nearly soil himself with whatever was in the can and took another sip of her drink. Licking the excess from her lips, Eve watched him sit down beside her, though not too close, and listened to him. "Well, despite the fact that you are pretty much a hostage, you could make a deal with Elek." She remembered the girl, "Unless... you already did."

Eve looked over at him and watched for a response, waited for it. It was almost like watching a soap opera to her, eyes lit up but it was almost impossible to notice it. She examined his arm and, after she took another drink, she commented. "Finish up your physical therapy and I'll help you swap over. Don't ask me to do it now- I'm not going to take the blame if your arm comes off or something."

Ryan frowned slightly. There had been a long talk between him and Elek, but in the end, since Ryan was too conscious of the whole situation, no permanent deal had been made. "Only temporary deal." The man glanced sideways to her, as if pondering how much he could trust and tell her, but this was nothing that she could use against him. Everyone here was just as much his friend as enemy. Well, except for Alice and Amante, which both held a strong opposing positions in his heart.

"They provide medical care, protection and place for Alice. And me, I suppose." Ryan moved ball-can from one hand to another. "I pay them, either with job, or money. I wonder how much they will rip me off for this," he pulled left hand in a fist, eyes narrowing, as if he wished he could punch someone like right now.

At her offer, Ryan looked at woman with slight surprise. "Really? Sounds good enough. I will end therapy soon." There was a slight pause, "what's your name by the way? I am Ryan, if that isn't known around here already."

When he was done talking and asked for her name, she told him. "Eve." Taking another drink, she commented, "They've got leverage with your arm and saving your life, but you could pull some strings with Elek. He's a sap, an emotional pool of crap. He'll feel guilty for letting it get that far since you're innocent." Another drink and she glanced up at the walls again, "Your friend seems useless so she will become a drain on your finances. If you don't care, then that's on you. Just make sure you're certain you want to keep her around and take care of her."

She leaned back in her seat a bit, though there was no backing to support her. "You could offer yourself as a test subject for the arm. If they can learn enough from you, it could build up their medical engineering knowledge. They could save more lives or upgrade people more easily. It would be a huge step in the development of their little rebellion. In exchange, just make sure your demands are met." She took another drink and made a sound, "Oh yeah, and make sure you get pain killers. I don't see how the process isn't going to hurt."

Ryan listened quietly, his face growing still somewhere halfway, to not let any unneeded emotions show. It was strange, that he had found someone who didn't belong to 'them', yet gave him a solid advice. It felt, but just a little, like he had found an ally of sorts, on the borders of uncharted territory. But Ryan wasn't so foolish to rely on it fully. Either Eve needed something from him, or felt pity of sorts. Whichever it was, it wouldn't last long.

Mentally, he was a little ticked off at the woman's comment about Alice, but from logical view, Ryan could understand it. He stayed quiet for a moment more, thinking over what Eve had said.
"That's a good idea. I don't really care what they do to the arm, as long as it works in the end." He was not scared of operations or someone meddling with it, if that could keep Alice and him in a good position.
The man thought back to his few encounters with Elek. He seemed like a nice person... Too nice, even. There was a strict line to him, Ryan had seen it in the make-shift court, but it seemed bleak.
"I do wonder, how does the leader guy manage to keep an order here and when he will start handing out fluffy bunny slippers as consolation to everyone." It was hard to understand if it was meant as joke or a serious thought, with his expression and slightly empty eyes.

"Anyways, pain killers are my new best friends, so, I will be looking forward to your lessons, Eve," Ryan said standing up. "Now I have to get going. See you." He walked away, with somehow more assured posture, throwing the remains of can in the nearest trash bin. The conversation had helped him, although there were still questions in the man's mind. But they could wait, even if only for a short while.

At least she wasn't the only one realizing how soft Elek was with his following. Finishing her drink, she held the container at her lap and watched the walls. She didn't even turn her head when he walked away and watched, seeing a shadow speed across from the wall to the backside of a building. That was her cue. Eve stood up once Ryan was gone and dumped the drink container and headed over, standing around for a few minutes in the space before she went home.

Alice had been woken up by one of the nurses and Amante. She didn't even try to wake herself up as they spoke to her- until Amante was moving her into her wheelchair. They had explained she would be starting her physical therapy that morning and that she needed to try waking up. Amante wheeled Alice down the hallway while talking to her and stopped here and there to make sure she wasn't having much trouble eating.

Needless to say, she hadn't touched her food and found no interest in it. She was probably just not hungry but Amante felt he knew better. He continued on, ignoring the scent of a specific nurse who had Ryan all over her.

Ryan had slept for brief time, but he woke up determined and quite energized. The man got ready for the day and had a quick meal, but his thoughts were away from his room. He knew that Alice's therapy was starting today, and he wanted to see her before that. She had supported him so sweetly when he began his, he wanted to be there for her. It was bad enough he couldn't assist her trough the process.

That's why Ryan rushed to Alice's room, nearly tripping into the room. But it was empty. "Damn," he wholeheartedly cursed, and spun around to run and find where she was right now. There wasn't much time before his therapy - which was so important mostly due to that he needed to be able to protect her and soon -, but he nearly collided with Amante, who was coming trough the doors. Although this man was surely the easiest way to find out where Alice was, Ryan didn't plan to ask him, and tried to move past him, without a word.

Amante paused in the hallway and looked to the nurse beside him, "Take her ahead, I'm going to go grab her pillows." The nurse nodded and took the handles of the chair and continued on while Amante hurried back to Alice's room to gather a few things- until he bumped into Ryan at the doorway.

Immediately, he growled. "What are you doing here/" Roughly, he pushed a shoulder against Ryan and shoved him aside. Amante went over to the bed and grabbed at the pillows and started to pile them under one of his arms. "If you're here to see Alice, she's already left to start her therapy- and she doesn't need you to be there."

Ryan moved only slightly when pushed and his eyes narrowed. With back straightening, he suddenly seemed to grow taller and gain an icy aura. The words hurt, but Ryan would never admit it to Amante. Both in spite of the other man, and to assure him self, he spoke: "I will believe that when she says it to me her self."

"No one, not you, not I, have rights to decide what she needs or wants, so stop imagining you're whole center of her world who makes the rules by which she will live now. If Alice says she never wants to see me again, I will comply, but never to your orders." Ryan had a deep sense of freedom, which had led him to abandoning all gangs he had joined, he could follow only someone he trusted and respected. Amante did not belong to either of these groups. He was just an arrogant man who broke into their company, made Ryan unsure, but even so, Ryan was not going to give up that easily.

Stiffly, Ryan turned around and left the room. But he had no more time - the doctor had been looking for him and took the man to the therapy room. Putting out all the anger and spare energy, Ryan worked hard - too hard in fact. Most items handed to him were crushed to pieces and he even backhandedly broke a table.

Amante grunted and disregarded Ryan's little retort but, before he could respond with some heckling Ryan was dragged off. Damn. With an armful of pillows, he headed back to Alice and found her in her therapy room. He wasn't supposed to go in there with her yet and angrily complied, going into a side room with a viewing glass. He started to set down the pillows onto a chair and moved over to the window to watch her get ready to start. He knew he could go in there after she started up or if something went wrong.

Alice wasn't complying well with the nurses or the doctors. She didn't have much energy and didn't seem to want to partake in the therapy. But, even though they asked, she did not give an answer and they continued forward. With a nurse on each side of her, they held her arm and let her grip them as they urged her upward. Her feet did not take to the floor and they had to work to get them to lay flat and then help her put her weight down-

A horrid scream sounded, startling the nurses. They dropped her to the floor where she lay, features twisted and mouth open wide from the horrific pain that tore at her legs. The scream travaled out of the room and lowered to a gurgled whisper and then it made it to him- screaming out in agony and desperation for him to find her and help her- save her. He was the only one to hear it's final message.


RYAN!

It was his name and had it been any louder or even audible to the ear, it would have deafened him. Even in his mind it was enough to jerk him around, pull and push him all at once.

The little shock wave that followed shook the room, thrusting everything except the male and his doctor against the wall further away from him. The glass window cracked and burst into dust that, when it hit the floor, transformed into metallic beads that spread across the floor.

Amante went into shock, eyes widening as he looked on. His body tried to leap out into the room but something held him back and everything darkened. "What? Alice? ALICE!?"

The shadows behind him ebbed and a small shape slid out with glowing red eyes that calmed, not glowing quite as brightly. "What is happening, why can't I-" "You need to realize that the world is not yours to shape." He managed to turn his head to look at the figure and then looked forward, hands laying on the glass. "What have you done- what did you do!?" "This is the perfect time to bring you a realization. I want you to watch what happens."

One of the nurses had gone to try to help Alice up but before she could get close enough to touch the ivory girl, the nurse had been thrown straight into a wall far away from her by nothing but the air- maybe something invisible though that was unlikely.

Amante struggled in this... place, this alternate dimension, if anything, as he was being forced to watch Alice writhe on the floor in pain as the doctor and nurses struggle to find out what happened while the room suddenly fell dense and the floor began to... liquify.

The floor around her was safe but the rest of the room was like a thick putty. The nurses struggled against it, likely losing a shoe or two, but they were not able to fall into it. The windows suffered the same fate as the one in Ryans room. They transformed, quickly, into a pile of metal beads that sank into the putty-like floor. The room was not immediately dangerous but it was not exactly safe either.

RYAN!

The name rang trough his mind, consuming all thought. His body convulsed from the power washing trough him, as tables and chairs crashed into the walls, shelves spilling their content. The nurse screamed in surprise, as well as pain, as she painfully hit table corner with her side. But Ryan did not notice any of this. There was just one thought in his mind, sounding over the echoes of the call - Alice.

The man spun around and ran, leaving the chaos behind him. He hadn't even known where Alice's therapy room was, but now he was heading directly for it. Ryan ran like he had never ran before, not attempting to avoid anyone, or pausing to apologize for people he pushed aside or to the nurse who dropped her plate to jump back. Turning around the corner, he nearly literally crashed trough the doors of therapy room. However, now Ryan fell in a slowing trap - the shoes got stuck in the thick goo-like floor and he stumbled, nearly falling in it with his face. Somehow, he managed to regain his balance, but his eyes were fixated on the pale girl, writhing on the floor.

"Alice!" he called out, eyes gaining faint glow as energy field separated him from the sticky substance. The invisibly circle carried him over the unsafe area, nearly literally dumping him on the small solid spot. "Alice, Alice," he whispered, kneeling down and gathering the frail body in his arms. Even in this state, careful to not crush her with his new-found strength, Ryan clutched the girl to his chest, cradling like a child.

"Get out!" He growled at the hospital personnel, partly because their presence bothered him, but also because it was not safe for them to be here. Hurrying, to their best ability, the nurses and doctor complied, also wishing to be as far from here as possible.

"Alice, oh Alice, I am sorry, I am so sorry," Ryan whispered to the girl, his face paler than ever before. He was scared - but not for what was happening. Only about her. "I am sorry it hurts, I am sorry. No one will ever hurt you again. No one. Ever." He swore it to her, in this moment, a pledge he would give his life for to fulfill. Alice's pain was his pain, even worse than that. It was his heart that felt this torment, not his body.

"It will go away soon, Alice..." he whispered her name over and over, with tenderness and gentleness even Ryan didn't know he possessed. For someone watching, it would be hard to make out two forms in the slumped form on the floor, so close he was holding her, leaning over in protective manner.

Amante growled in his little viewing room and, at the sight of Ryan, he yelled and started to hit the window. There was no reaction. He could not be heard or even seen from outside the room. Any onlooker would just see him standing about, seemingly in shock. He watched Ryan hurry over to Alice and cradle her body to his chest.

"You have seen her weakness for days. Alice is sensitive but she knows what she wants."

Alice cringed as he adjusted her and she pressed herself against him. It felt like metal rakes were scratches at her inside her legs. She whimpered and reached her shaking arms up, folding them around his neck and over his shoulders.

"Driving Ryan away was a mistake that you had to make to know the truth."

With him here, she felt like she would be ok and that the pain would subside. She eased against him, her breathing and heart rate calming. Alice opened her eyes and looked up at him, sniffled and hugged him close. She thought she'd lost him forever to... she didn't even know.

"Ryan gives her the will to live. If you continue to separate them, Alice will die."

Amante gulped, inhaling sharply and letting out a subtle cough. He was fighting back to tears and the pain he felt from the situation. It wasn't fair- it wasn't fucking fair! Why couldn't he take care of her? Why didn't she want just him? He could do it- all of it.

"Amante. She is not to be your concern." The figure stepped out, a pair of black mary janes clicking to the floor with both steps. "Ryan is to serve his purpose. Stop intervening." The figure had taken the shape of a small girl, whom Amante could see through a reflection in the window.

The room was starting to normalize, the putty floor hardening as the pain left her and Ryan's presence came as a calming effect. Alice pulled her arms back down and curled them up between their chests. It sounded like she was going to fall asleep...

Ryan felt relief filling him, as the room started to normalize. It had to mean that the pain was retreating. He smiled faintly, and kissed her softly on forehead, a gesture that swam up from his memory of when he had been six. That day, he had gotten up beaten by bigger boy gang for the first time, and his mother had hugged him, cleaned his wounds and kissed him on forehead before he fell asleep. Back then, she drank rarely, but soon days she was clean became rarer and rarer, as did motherly affection moments...

"I won't let you feel unloved," he whispered and stood up, with the girl still in his arms. Ryan knew she was getting sleepy, from her movements and the way her eyes fluttered shut and open. Careful to not loose his footing, in case some spot on floor was still soft, Ryan slowly carried her out of the therapy room, and down the corridor. With corner of his eye, the man noticed Amante and just then realized, he had been there all along. So, why hadn't he come to Alice's side? Or she had not called him? Later, he would think about that, but now, it was Alice's comfort that was most important.

Ryan carefully put the girl on her bed and sat down on it, holding her hand. It was that small, familiar gesture that gave him warmth. Ryan had missed it. A nurse nervously peaked in the room and he waved the woman off. Alice had fallen asleep and there was no way he would let someone wake her up now. Quietly, he moved chair closer to the bed and sat down. The man took her hand again, and so, looking at her, he eventually nodded asleep as well.

Amante watched Ryan leave with her, visibly staring at the spot Alice had fallen to, and he stepped back to a chair. He plopped down into it and rubbed his forehead, thinking about how unfair this all was. "So what am I supposed to do?" He looked over at the little girl but... she was gone. He sighed and slammed his fist onto the arm of the chair.

After cooling off, he grabbed Alice's pillows and took them back, in her wheelchair, to her room. Inside, he paused and looked at the two who were fast asleep. The wheelchair was parked by her door and he put the pillows around her where they were supposed to go. Pausing, he looked down at her as she slept.

Eyes glancing over at Ryan, he was certain the younger male was asleep and leaned in, kissing Alice on the forehead. He whispered something inaudible to her, pet her hair and then walked out of the room. He would hang around for a few hours in case Elek needed him for a witness statement or something- but then he would go back to the outpost he had been assigned.

"What happened in that therapy room?" Elek asked, when Amante came out of Alice's room. He was leaning against the wall, looking pale. His head was still ringing, shaken from the mental power wave that had washed trough the hospital, and even beyond.

"Doctors and nurses, they are dumbfounded." Elek sighed and ran hand trough his hair. "I thought maybe you can make some sense in all this." In fact, he felt startled too. Such power, far stronger than anything he had encountered before, here, in their little base, uncontrolled. On what it depended? What could make it turn against them? How it would eventually affect them all? Maybe letting them in had been a mistake after all.