NOTE: Please read and do the interactive parts at the end!

1 HOUR EARLIER.

"Are you sure you're allowed to go out of the building?", questioned Sophia.

"Combat training was a mess today.
I don't want to spend another minute in this place.
Not with all the rage I have", said Ashryn.

Sophia raised an eyebrow at this.

"Please, Sophia.
I'll only be half an hour.
I'll just walk around for a bit."

"You can't.
Trainees aren't allowed to see the way to the building.
That's why they get driven everywhere", explained Sophia.

"Well then I'll just ask someone to drive me around!
I... I can't stay here.
Not when I'm like this."

Ashryn's bottom lip trembled as she tried to keep her sadness hidden.

Sophia's face softened.
"Ok, ok... you can go for an hour.
When you get to the main entrance, there will be a machine with numbers on it.
Press number three, and my all-time favourite driver, Glenn, will show up."

"Thank you!", grinned Ashryn, before throwing her arms around Sophia.

Sophia gasped, but quickly hugged her back.
Ashryn smirked, a mischievous spark dancing in her eyes.

★★★

Imelda slammed Finian against a wall. It didn't take much force, in part due to Imelda's strength, but also because Finian didn't put up a fight.

"Listen here, Finian.
Stop acting like an idiot and apologise to the lanky kid", she demanded.

"Why should I?
He didn't want to take things seriously the minute he stepped through the door."

"It's our job to make him take things seriously."

"And I did.
Or atleast... I thought I did."

Imelda's face softened.
"Do you remember the nickname I gave you during the early months of you joining the agency?"

A laugh escaped Finian's lips as he thought back to those days.

"Gentle Giant."

Imelda smiled.
"Yeah.
You were this force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, but back here?
You were the kindest person.
So quiet.
Just... observing."

Imelda tore herself away from the memory, her eyes scanning every inch of Finian's face.

When most people were subjected to Imelda's intense gaze, they'd crumble. But Finian seemed to find a home in it.

"These trainees need a Gentle Giant."

Finian's face softened, and after a few seconds, he sighed.
He pulled away from Imelda's gaze, and she loosened her grip on him.

"Faizah came to me, Imelda."

Imelda furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"What?"

"The day Alessa went to Agoraville. Faizah came to me.
She told me she wanted to go after Alessa."

"Finian..."

"I didn't think anything of it.
I mean, we all wanted to help, but I never thought Faizah would actually go after her.
If I'd have seen the signs, if I'd have listened... I could've gone with her.
Then maybe... maybe she wouldn't have almost died."

Imelda's face softened, but not just out of sympathy for Finian.
There was also a deep-rooted sadness in her expression.

"Finian... it's not your fault.
Even if you went with her, there's no guarantee you would've been able to hold off the creatures on your own. And don't try to feed me some bullsh*t like 'well I could've convinced her not to go' because we both know there is no force on this planet that can stop Faizah from helping Alessa."

Finian shook his head, tears forming in his eyes.
"I should've done something.
And now the trainees are going to go through the same thing."

Imelda said nothing at all.
Instead, she moved towards him, intertwining her hands with his, and resting her forehead against his.

Finian could smell her apple scented shampoo, the aroma comforting him. He listened closely, and heard Imelda count to ten.

Finian recognised this as a technique Finian used to calm Imelda down whenever she got too angry.
He couldn't help but smile at this, and he relaxed the more he listened to her voice.

Imelda opened her eyes, a tingling sensation running through her body when Finian gave her a warm smile. The young woman suddenly seemed shy, and she pulled away.

Imelda cleared her throat.
"Come on.
Let's go find the tall boy and put things right."

★★★

"We're here now, Miss."

"I still don't get why I have to wear a blindfold."

"You know the rules-trainees aren't allowed to see where the UAE headquarters are located."

"I know, I know.
But a blindfold?"

Glenn shrugged.
"I don't make the rules."

Ashryn took off her blindfold and got out of the car.
The strong smell of rusty pipes was a familiar one.
After all, this place was her home.
She had only been in Plurg for a few months, so not much else about this town felt like home to her.

She hadn't taken the travelling time into consideration, so she didn't have much time left to fully take in her surroundings.
All she knew was that she needed to see her brothers.

The smell of rusty pipes were soon overpowered by an unrecognisable smell that wasn't pleasant, and Ashryn got an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

After walking for a few more minutes, Ashryn came face to face with the burnt ruins of a dilapidated house. Shards of glass, from what used to be windows, littered the ground, and a small portion of the house drooped, as if it were melting into the charred parts.

Ashryn felt an aching pain, as if someone had ripped her heart right out of her chest.

Her breathing quickened and her eyes widened in horror as she stared at what used to be her brother's home.

She thought back to a promise that was made to her a while ago.
A promised that had been shattered in front of her eyes.

The grass crunched beneath Ashryn's feet as she ran as fast as she could, well aware that someone was hot on her heels.

She reached for a fallen branch and threw it at them, before jumping up and grabbing a tree branch.
She quickly scaled the tree, her heart jumping in her chest.

The man finally reached her, and Ashryn looked around for any other way she could escape.

"It's over, Williams.
I've already called for back-up.
They should be here in a couple minutes."

★★★

Raphael made his way to the Fuze to grab a snack, so he could keep his energy levels up.

Finian stormed towards him.
Before Raphael could make a run for it, Finian grabbed him and dragged him into the room where their fitness class usually takes place.

"Why'd you pull that stunt?
You could've cost us everything."

Raphael liked to appear as if nothing could ever faze him, but when he was standing next to a tank of a man, he knew he couldn't charm his way out.

"I'm not like you, ok?
I'm fragile.
Just one gust of particularly strong wind will send me flying.
I can't fight."

To Raphael's surprise, Finian's face softened, and he showed a flicker of what  Raphael believed to be human emotion.

"Agents come in all different shapes and sizes here.
Not many of us start out as amazing in every area.
Just like you use that brain of yours to your advantage, I learned to use my muscles."

"I... I hadn't thought about it like that."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry.
Really, I am.
This mission is just so important to me."

"Hey, I didn't ask to join.
I just got recruited, and I got wrapped up in the hero status and the idea that I could meet like-minded people.
By the time I realised I could actually die... it was too late to change my mind."

Finian nodded.
"I get that.
But if you tried in combat classes, you'd feel more prepared."

"And if I'm not prepared?
What if I can't fight properly?
If the others are given a choice between saving themselves, and saving me, they sure as h*ll won't choose the latter."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because no one stays for me!"

Finian was startled by the pain in Raphael's voice.
He frowned when he saw tears forming in the young man's eyes.

"No one chooses the kid who stays cooped up in his room, inventing robot friends to fill the void in his chest."

Finian placed a hand on Raphael's arm. At first, he flinched, but he soon relaxed.

"Well, what if we trained you enough so that you wouldn't have to rely on them?"

Raphael raised an eyebrow at this. "Shouldn't you be teaching me that
I have to lean on my teammates for support?"

"Oh for sure, yeah.
That's a given.
But there's a reason we teach you how to fight individually.
You need to know how to hold your own before working in a team.
Lean on your teammates?
Of course.
Rely on them?
Not so soon in the game."

Finian's words made sense, and Raphael started to see him as less of a scary monster that could snap his body like a twig, and more like a regular person.

"Imelda's really sorry too, by the way."

"I know.
She came to see me earlier.
My heart jumped into my a** when
I saw her, but... she seemed remorseful."

Finian nodded, unsure of how to respond to the vivid picture that Raphael had just painted in his head.

"I really wasn't trying to cause trouble.
I fell asleep on the first day, I'll hold my hands up to that", he said, holding his hands up.
"But after that hologram stunt... I couldn't go back.
I still can't get the images out of my head."

Finian frowned.
"Dude–Raphael, I am so sorry.
I should've found another way to get through to you."

After a few seconds, Raphael replied.

"If anything, your commitment makes me believe you'll do everything to make sure I survive", he said, a laugh escaping his lips.

Finian laughed, but then a serious expression appeared on his face.
"We will do everything that we can to make sure you all survive."

Raphael nodded.
"I... thank you."

Finian nodded.
"I will be pushing you in class though.
If I push too far, let me know.
But I'm definitely gonna call you some nicknames."

"Sorry, what?
I need to sample a few first.
How embarrassing are we talking?"

"Nice try... you'll have to wait and see."

★★★

Ashryn was resting on the floor.
She had slept in worse places, and something about the floor gave her comfort.

The same man from before opened the door, which was coated in Laguna B, making it impossible to break through. He folded his arms and glared at Ashryn, who ignored his very existence.

"I'll take it from here, Roth."

The voice was a woman's, and something about the tone she used made Ashryn think this woman meant business.
She turned to the side and looked at her.

The woman furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, before snickering scornfully.

"Hm.
This is the mastermind who left ten Merid Trolls homeless?
I was expecting something more."

"Well that's not all I did, is it?"

"No, you're quite right.
You also stole from them."

Ashryn shrugged.
"They weren't using it anyway."

The woman raised an eyebrow at this.

"Go on then.
What's my punishment?"

The woman stared at Ashryn, her expressionless eyes burning into Ashryn's soul.

"I need someone like you to help save a place called Agoraville."

"Agoraville?
Never heard of it."

"Yes.
Many more people will be saying that
if we don't act now."

Ashryn sat up, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"What makes you think I'd help you?"

"If you do... I'll let you go."

"Head Guard-", started the man, but he cut himself off when the woman held a hand up.

She looked at Ashryn again.
"And I'll make a promise to protect your family."

"Protect them against what?"

"You've never dealt with Merid Trolls before this, have you?"

An embarrassed Ashryn felt her face get hotter.
"No."

"I thought so.
They always settle the score.
You made them homeless?
They'll go after the people you love and do the same."

Ashryn felt an uneasy feeling rising in her chest when she pictured her twin brother Harrison and her younger brothers Roland, Parker and Heinrich.

"How do I know you'll keep your word?"

"The Unit for the Abolishment of Evil values integrity, and helping those who need it.
We will honour our word, so long as you agree to help us."

Ashryn contemplated this.
She made a promise to herself that she'd never get the kind of jobs her parents had.
But this seemed very different to working in the marines, even if you still had to worker for people higher up.

And it was for her family's protection.

The woman smiled as she watched Ashryn consider her offer.
She turned to the man next to her.

"Roth, prepare the paperwork."

"Yes, Head Guard Aoife."

Ashryn couldn't tear her eyes away from the broken promise she saw before her.

"It's a shame what happened to this family, isn't it?", remarked an elderly woman.

"Wh-what happened?"

"They died, dear.
Every single one of them."

_________

Hi!

Whilst trust in one relationship may have been broken, it seems like it's growing in another one.

We learned more about Ashryn's backstory. The UAE's betrayal will only make Ashryn dislike them more, and with the evidence she's been gathering, how long will it be before she decides enough is enough?

What are your thoughts on the little snippet of Ashryn's backstory?

Imelda and Finian work really well together. Were you surprised to find out why Finian was so hard on the trainees?

The pieces of what happened 3 years ago are started to fit into place! If anyone has any guesses as to what they think might have happened, I'd love to know!

Finian and Raphael both apologised for their part in the mess. Could this be the start of Raphael opening up to others?

Rhiannon and Makoto weren't in this chapter, and there will most likely be a few other chapters where not every trainee is present. I realised that the way I planned this is very much like a tv show. There are so many plot points and storylines, that it might feel like I've crammed too much in there.

That's definitely an issue I have, as feedback from another applyfic of mine was that the finale had too many things going on. I originally planned for this to just be one book, but I got so many ideas that I decided to make more than one, but the bulk of the ideas will be in this book, as they relate to the current mission of saving Agoraville. I'll ask again at the end if the book seemed too crammed, and that will help me plan for the next one.

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

DoodleYeet

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett

SoniczurcX

bardsarethebest