"What is it, Hawk?" Vladimir crouches next to me.

"Look. They match each other. This one has that ridge there. Those two both have the prisons in the same place, and the staircase next to it that leads to the big room." I point out the matching features.

"We could have ourselves a complete map," Vladimir breathes as a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

"Hold them up to the light." Lily grabs two of them, placing them on top of each other on the window. I stack the rest on top of them, and the sunlight filters through.

We take a moment, staring in awe as the dark lines give us an almost complete map of what we believe to be Capital City. "Can you guys hold it up? I'm going to trace it over on one of his blank sheets of paper." I uncap a marker.

"Sure. Vladimir, go tell Jay what we've found. I'll tape it up." Lily makes quick work of fitting the blank paper over the maps and securing it against the glass. I start in corner, and work my way across.

"There are more markers if you want. They're in the top drawer," I say when I see Lily standing off to the side. She doesn't respond, instead grabbing one from the drawer and uncapping it. There's a comfortable silence as we trace over the maps. Black runs across the paper, mirroring the landscape I already know and showing what the land I don't know looks like.

"How are you doing, Hawk?" Lily asks suddenly.

"Huh?" I had been zoning out, focusing on getting all of the lines right instead of focusing on everything around me.

"How are you doing?" She repeats.

"Fine. Why?" What is she getting at?

"You've said you're fine to almost everyone who's asked you how you are."

"I change it up," I retort.

"Not really."

"I've said that I'm fine, that I'm alright, that I'm doing well but a little tired. I do change it up."

"Those are all almost identical."

"No, they're... I guess they're sorta similar. Not to be rude or anything, but why are you asking me this?"

"The Wasteland changed me, and Guthrie Harper's prison changed you." She shrugs before turning her attention back to the map.

Changed, not probably changed. That's what you're focusing on? Lily's right- you're not the same. How? I still act the same and stuff. No, no. I'm not talking about big things. I'm talking about little things. Like what? I'm not sure, but she's right.

The map is done by the time Jay and Vladimir return. Rex lifts himself to his paws from where he had been napping next to Adrien's desk, and trots over to say hello. "So what's this map that Vladimir's been telling me about?" Jay doesn't look convinced.

"Adrien had a bunch of unfinished maps. When we put them on top of each other, we got what we're nearly certain is Capital City. Here's the prison I was in, and here's the staircase that I used to reach the room where I found you." I point out a few of the landmarks.

"Were they labeled?"

"No."

"Then how do you know it's of Capital City?" Jay crosses his arms across his chest. I sigh.

"As I said before, we don't know for certain whether these maps make up one of Capital city, but we're almost certain. There are a lot of familiar landmarks around it, and a few of the rooms look identical to the ones I saw when I was in Capital City. Jay, I really think this is it."

"You know that if we put our attack on this map, we're putting all of our eggs in one basket?" Jay sighs. I can tell he's a little more convinced that this might be a map of Capital City, but he's still far from being fully into it.

"Yeah." I nod.

"And you're not... I don't know, maybe a little concerned about that?"

"Jay. I know this isn't ideal- usually we'd have every kink we can think of worked out, but we're going to be going in blind."

"Why not just not attack?" Vladimir scratches his skin.

"You wanna know why not, Vladimir?" Jay growls, advancing on him. "Because if we don't, we're going to be sitting ducks, just waiting. Waiting for Guthrie Harper to put us at the mercy of his army."

"I'm not sure that we have a choice. If we can memorize the map, we'd at least have something. And if it turns out that it's wrong, then we'll just be back where we were before. It's something at least," Lily mumbles.

"Wouldn't it make people more confident too? It would give them something to hold onto. You know, like, 'I have this memorized, so I have an advantage' type thing? Do you get what I'm trying to say?" I wince.

"Sure," Jay sighs. He's given up? No, I think he's tired, and, while he doesn't think it'll do much, he's willing to give it a shot.

"Rex, wake up. We're heading back to the cafeteria." I shake Rex's shoulder until he lifts his head and gets to his feet.

Lily peels the map off the window, rolling it up as we file out the door and head for the cafeteria. "Also, what's the plan of attack?" I ask when we're out into the hallway.

"We're splitting up into groups. A few will head in as a distraction to try to flush out most of the Wasteland guards and various Clicks. There will be one that goes for Guthrie Harper." Jay keeps his words short.

"Alright. Wait, no. How do we know where Guthrie Harper is? We've never seen him, so he could be anyone."

"Simple. Kill anyone we see." Vladimir shrugs nonchalantly.

"What if Guthrie Harper's a girl?" I grin.

"What? Where did you get that?" Jay turns around and looks at me as if I've sprouted another head.

"We've never seen him. For all we know he's an alien. He could be a girl. Or he could be a made-up person. How do we know that he exists?"

"He's never been to the Wasteland. I was always under the impression that he worked through Joshua Spark, but I haven't seen any evidence that he does exist," Lily adds.

"Guys," Vladimir starts, turning around. "What if we get there, and there's only Wasteland guards and Clicks? What if we get there, and there's no Guthrie Harper?"

"Then the whole attack would've been a waste of time," Jay snorts.

"We'll just have to hope that there is a Guthrie Harper to kill." I smile crookedly.

The cafeteria turns our way when we arrive. The room fills with the sounds of screeching chairs and conversations falling silent. "So what did you find?"

"You've got this one, Hawk," Jay grumbles. Lily hands me the map, and I unroll it before speaking.

"You all know that Adrien kept many maps. We found several unfinished bits and pieces of maps. After finding a few landmarks and things we recognized, we put them together to make one complete map, which is what we have here." I hold up the map so that everyone can see.

"That's cool, but what is it of? I don't mean to be rude, but I don't recognize it."

"Are we supposed to know what it's of?" Someone shouts from the back.

"We believe it's of Capital City."

"You mean that you believe it's of Capital City?" Jay whispers, his voice low enough that only I can hear him. If Lily and Vladimir hear, they don't show it.

"What? How do you know?" Someone stands up, and their chair tumbles backwards. I'm not sure if they're happy, or in disbelief...

"We're not a hundred percent sure, but based off a few features we recognize, we believe it's Capital City that Adrien had drawn out."

"So what's the game plan? Memorize the map and split up into the groups to draw out the Wasteland guards and Clicks so the little group can sneak in for the kill?"

"I think so. That's what you were discussing while I was in Adrien's office with Vladimir and Lily, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then that sounds like it. Have you guys figured out who's in what group?"

"We were thinking you'd be in the Guthrie Harper squad. Same with Jay. You're some of our best fighters."

"Nope. Not happening." Jay steps in front of me, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Come on, Jay. I'm fine." I think this is what Lily was talking about. Huh? I'm fine. You say that a lot. I wanna go. Jay turns around, glaring at me. "No. You're not going."

"Fine, but not because you're right because you're not. Wouldn't we want the best fighters holding back the Wasteland guards and Clicks. Guthrie Harper's robotic beasts are vicious, like, demons."

"Who would take down Guthrie Harper then?"

"Hmm. I wish we knew that he was a lazy couch potato. That would make things easier." I steal a fry from someone's plate, earning me a frown. I nibble on it as I think.

"We're going to have the majority holding back the Wasteland guards and Clicks, right?"

"Yeah."

"Whatever happened to that board thing? I think it would be helpful here."

"It's in the broom closet. I'll go get it." Someone stands up and races out the door. They return a minute later, dragging the board with several markers hanging out of their pocket.

"Hey, Hawk. Can I see that map?" They ask, and make a hasty replica after I hand it to them.

"So if we start here, and send the Guthrie Harper group out along this ridge, then-."

"No. That will be too open. It would be too easy to get picked off. The Click 2.0's can fly, and they've got some amazing archers. What if they went the other way through the woods?"

"That might work. While the Guthrie Harper group went along here, then this group-."
"We need names for the groups. Any ideas?"

"Fenrir." Jay lifts his gaze from where it was fixed on the floor.

"Fenrir?" I echo.

"Worked with Tremor. Why wouldn't it work now?"

"That was different. Th-."

"Alright. We've got the Guthrie Harper group and the Fenrir group."

"Guthrie Harper group is too obvious. It's literally what we're doing. It should be something different."

"Spinach, carrots, dandelions, and rosemary," I recall from when I was trying to come up with a name for Rex. He recognizes the names as well, and lifts his head, letting me ruffle his fur.

"Spinach, carrots, dandelions, and rosemary. Awfully random, but I like it. No one will know what we're talking about. The four groups will be good."

"One for each group?"

"Yeah. Perhaps the Spinach group goes for Guthrie Harper? Carrots for the Clicks? Dandelions for the Wasteland guards? Rosemary for... I'm out of ideas."

"We'll need runners to go between groups with information. I volunteer to be one of the runners since I don't wish to fight by drawing blood," Lily says softly.

"We've got a Rosemary here!" Vladimir shouts, pointing to Lily.

"This is going to be so hard to keep everything straight." Jay shakes his head.

"We'll do it- we have to."

"We can and will do this. Adrien said we could. He believed in this, and we can't let him down."

"It isn't too late right now, so if we get going right now, we might have enough time for a really good night of sleep."

"I'll get some snacks!"

After an hour, and edging onto two, everyone from T-LOOT-D is split up into the four groups along with almost everyone from Raydowne, and my head feels like it's about to explode. Jay walks beside me as I walk back to my room, munching on a few crackers. Rex struts proudly with his chest puffed out, holding the bone he had been chewing on in his mouth. "So the Spinach group for you, eh?" He tries to sound neutral, but his voice is strained, and his anger leaks through.

"You're on it, too," I protest.

"You should be here, safe and sound in your room." A dark thundercloud looms over his head.

"Jay, I appreciate that you're trying to protect me, but I've got to help out. You know this is what I want."

"But what if you get hurt? You've just gotten back from Guthrie Harper's prison! Wha-."

"What if you get hurt, Jay?" I cut him off before he can continue. "Any of us could get hurt." Jay doesn't reply. Instead, he pulls me into a tight hug which I return.

"Goodnight, Hawk. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Sleep well, Jay."

I fall back onto my bed, Rex jumping up next to me and laying his head on my stomach. "Do you think we'll be able to pull this off, buddy?" I ask as I scratch his fur. "Will we be able to adequately prepare the Raydownians? Will they be ready for Guthrie Harper? He'll send everything he's got at us. How many are going to die? How many injured? How many families torn apart? What if we're not meant to do this, Rex? What if this is how the world is supposed to work? Guthrie Harper at the top, Blenders fearing for their lives, the Wasteland our source of horrific entertainment, Gladiators turned into shells and murderous monsters at the Wasteland. What if that's how it's supposed to be? The-the battle will show just how twisted Guthrie Harper's mind can be. T-LOOT-D has already seen some of it with the true faces behind some of the Gladiators and now with the Click 2.0's and his new partially robotic creations, but the Raydownians haven't. What if we were wrong to bring them in? What if we can't pull this off, Rex? What if we're destined to live beneath Guthrie Harper's madness? What if we're marching the Raydownians and ourselves to our deaths?" Rex whimpers, shifting so he lays next to me and his head is resting on my shoulder. I wrap my arms around his shaggy neck.

Dreamland claims me a short while later.

xxxx

I'm back in Guthrie Harper's prison.

Thank you so much for reading this! Please comment your thoughts and vote! Don't forget to check out my next book, The King's Remorse, which I will be starting after this one!

Hawk's back in Guthrie Harper's prison? That can't be good.

Is the map Hawk made really of Capital City?

Will Hawk's fears become reality?

Will they be ready for their attack on Guthrie Harper?

-Werewolf14-