Ella

I find all three of them in my room, looking quite comfortable as they lie on the two beds. I want to laugh at how they're all sprawled out onto the beds, but the reminder of what I have to tell them comes into mind, and the humor quickly leaves.

"Hey," Dean says as he stands to his feet once he sees me walking into the room, my leg kicking the door closed behind me. "Did you find out about anything?" He asks.

"Yeah, I did," I sigh as I walk over and sit on my bed next to Mark. "They're going to trade DNA between a human brain and a Norovian, hoping it'll cross over. They're not going to breed them, they're going to create a super race," I tell them, wondering if I'm making any sense.

"What do you mean they're going to trade DNA?" Dean asks, his jaw clenching.

"They want to see what would happen if they took DNA from a Norovian brain, replaced it with the DNA of a human's brain, and hope it would create a connection with the chromosomes or something like that," I say, not quite remember all the details. "Hunter said he didn't know all of the details, he just knew that. This information could cost him, though, I don't want anyone to repeat it outside of this room," I tell them, knowing how terrible I'd feel if I lost Hunter again. "He also said, that he doesn't think this will hurt us. That the asteroid already destroyed so much of life, that he knew the government wouldn't do anything to kill anymore of us. However, it's the government, so anything is possible." The look in all three of their eyes, tells me that they have a feeling this won't go over well, that this is all such a bad idea.

"When are they going to try this?" Dean asks, his voice low and cool.

"Tonight," I reply as I look up at him, his body standing near where I'm sitting. My eyes gaze into his, until they fall on his lips, and I find myself looking away. That's the last thing I need to worry about now, especially with everything else that is going on.

"Ella, can I talk to you?" Dean speaks up after a moment of dead silence, no one really knowing what more to say about the information I've shared.

"Yeah," I sigh as I stand up, and follow him into the corner of the room, attempting some privacy.

"Tonight, when everyone is asleep, we should sneak out and find where this experiment is going to play out," he begins.

"They're are a million rooms in this base," I exaggerate. "How are we going to find the one they're going to use?"

"There will be a sign, don't you think? Guards will be walking in that direction? I don't know, Ella, but what I do know is that I don't want to watch anymore lives die. Too many have already died in this short month, your world is dwindling. We have to do something." I want to tell Dean that it's not just my world anymore, that Earth belongs to him just as much as it belongs to me, but I keep quiet and only nod my head. I don't want to watch anymore lives die either, too many people and Norovians have given their lives to that asteroid, I can't let anyone die by the hands of the government.

"Do you really think this will go wrong? Hunter seemed pretty sure that they wouldn't try this if they weren't certain. I could tell he didn't like the idea, but he kept defending them, like he trusted them almost," I begin, my voice soft in wonder at the thought that maybe Hunter believes this is now his new family.

"It's not normal," he tells me, his voice frustrated and slightly louder then earlier. "This isn't right, I knew something was up, but I decided just to push it away. I should have never thought we were okay, I should have never brought you guys here," he mutters, before letting out a deep breath.

"It's not your fault, okay? We couldn't have lasted long out in that desert, don't blame--"

"We could have stayed in Mark's town," he argues. "There was plenty of food, from the store to the abandoned houses around. I could have kept you all safe, I could have protected you, and now I can't. They're the government, and I'm just me." I don't like how he's doubting himself, almost as if he's forgetting who he is.

"You're Dean Schloric, you have the power to do whatever and accomplish whatever you set your mind to. I believe in you, Dean, we believe in you. Don't blame yourself for this, we wanted to find survivors and other lives, that's why we kept going. We had to keep going, this isn't your fault, how were you supposed to know it was an experiment? None of us knew. If you're going to blame yourself, all four of us are just as much to blame." When he's not strong, it makes me want to just give up. I can't have that, we need to push each other, show each other that we can get through this, and that nothing can stop us from making this right. We've gone through so much together, from anger to happiness, to loss, but we can't let any of that stop us. We're unstoppable, after what we've accomplished to get here, I believe that there's nothing that can hold us back. We're survivors, and I won't be told anything else.

"How did you become so--" he begins as he tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear, his yellow eyes burning into my brown ones. "Strong," he finishes. "You're more of a leader then I'll ever be." His eyes, a now beautiful color to me, remind me of the eyes that haunted me every day I had to go to school, and I instinctively step out of his reach, receiving a quizzical look from him in return. I'm sorry, my eyes tell him. I'm just not ready.

I don't know if I'll ever be ready for Dean, be ready to lose what baggage we have in the past. There are some days that I forget what he's done, and other days it seems like I can't even look at him without seeing the person he once was. He was so cruel to me, so ignorant. If the asteroid never came to Earth, he wouldn't even give me the time of day, besides for being his entertainment, his laughing fest. I care for Dean so much, that it almost scares me. What can twenty-three days do to a person? Once enemies, now friends. He is my friend, I've went over this so many times in my head, but it's almost crazy to think that I trust Dean more then my best friend Hunter. Time changes people, events, tragedies. Some people it changes for the better, and others for the worst. My two friends are a good example.

"No," I shake my head. "I'm not." He's a great leader, he kept us going so many times that I wanted to give up. When I passed out, he seen the first town, and he didn't let me give up. We made it this far because of him, and I won't go down without a fight.

He doesn't reply, and an idea of how to find the room pops into my mind. "Hey," I mutter, getting his attention. "What if we find some Guard clothes, and pretend to forget where we're going?" I ask. "I mean, it's a bit cheesy, but it might work." I have no idea where we'll find a set of Guard clothes lying around, but hey, if we have to take down a few Guards, then so be it.

"That's actually not a bad idea. It's better then wondering aimlessly through the base and risk being seen by someone." He gives me a small smile, assuring that my plan will work, and I return the gesture. It seems like we haven't fought in so long, and I couldn't be happier. We're officially a team now, and we can finally work in harmony.

My stomach is so unsettling, from the fact that tonight we might get caught, to the thought that this experiment will probably go entirely wrong. How stupid could they be, to risk the lives of so many people, and for what? How is this really going to benefit anyone, even if it does work?

I walk back over to my bed, and resume sitting next to Mark, no one acting as if they really want to talk. Not even chatty Carol, and I'm actually glad. I'll be happy when this is all over and she can go and find a family and people to be around. I can't stand much more of her, no matter how nice she can be at times.

"What are we going to do now?" Mark asks us, a slight hint of fear in his tone.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Dean tells him with an assuring smile. "You're just going to sit here and relax. Nothing much to do anyway."

"We aren't going to see how that experiment goes?" Mark asks, and Dean's eyes meet mine.

"No, we aren't. I'm sure they have it under control."

"Are you kidding?" Carol buts in. "All of that information, and you assume that we're just okay? We are so far from okay. I know that this isn't going to end well, and we'll probably all end up dead," she huffs, and I watch Dean's expression change.

"Can you for once, shut your mouth? I'm trying to be positive here, for we've had enough to worry about. Yes, we have to worry about this, but is it so bad for me to want to keep you all from worrying? To keep this team together? If you're going to continue with the negativity, I don't want you to say anything at all, are we good?" He asks her, before her face turns a shade red, and she stands up and walks out, slamming the door behind her.

"We aren't safe," Mark agrees. "Are we?"

"We're not safe anywhere, apparently. Not with the Earth being a target with all the space debris. We'll be fine, though, since when are you scared?" Dean teases, and Mark smiles.

"Never."

"That's what I thought, you're a Norovian, and they look fear straight in the eyes," Dean builds up his confidence, and the boy smiles at him. The way Mark looks at Dean, is the way a person looks at their hero. I don't even think Dean knows how much he means to Mark, but he means a lot. I like seeing this interaction, it gives me hope that we are going to survive, and that we'll get to the bottom of this. There's always a reason to keep going, and my team and Hunter is enough reason for me.

**********

It's been exactly twelve minutes since lights out. Dean and Mark had to go back to their own rooms, God forbid someone stays in another room, and Dean agreed to meet me outside my door. He told me he'd knock twice softly, wait three seconds, then knock again. I have no idea when these knocks are going to come, but I have a feeling it will be soon. Carol's already sleeping, and I'm glad. She waited until both boys were gone before she came back. She hasn't said a word since Dean told her to stop being so negative, and I think she might hold a grudge this time. A long one too.

I hear two knocks, and I hold my breath, waiting for the third. When it finally comes, I get off my bed and open the door to reveal Dean, standing there with a smile on his face, as if he's just won a private island. "What?" I whisper as I close the door behind me.

"What?" He asks back, seeming confused.

"Why are you so happy?" I smile, it being contagious, and it also feels pretty good to do.

"Can't a guy be happy?" He smiles even wider. "I was just thinking about a few memories, that's all," he says, his voice getting quiet. "I was thinking about Ducke, and how one time we pulled a few pranks on these kids in the locker room. Now," he begins with a soft laugh. "The locker showers are not a place to play around, but we couldn't help it. There were these two guys that were horrid, even worse then I ever was, and Ducke wanted to get them back. We decided that as they were showering, we'd switch out their shampoo with hair dye, so we went to the drugstore over the weekend and put the dye in their soap, and when they came out, they had no idea their hair was pink," he laughs, trying to keep it in. "The whole locker room busted out laughing at them, and they were confused until they looked in the mirror, threatening to kill whoever did it." When he sees that I'm only just smiling instead of trying to keep from laughing like he is, he quickly adds-- "One of those situations you had to be there, of course," he points out.

"I actually remember that. It was Dale and Brad..." I trail off, the same Brad that held my heart. I can tell he notices it's the same Brad too, and his facial expression changes.

"You liked that Brad?" He asks, as if it wasn't obvious enough.

"Yeah," I sigh.

"He was even worse then I was," he scoffs. "And you liked him? Shouldn't be that hard for you to like me then," he mutters, and I stop walking.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, wondering where he's getting at.

"Oh, I don't know. You like Brad, this evil douche that was ignorant to so many people, but you hold a grudge against me, because I was only ignorant to you." I don't know where his sudden mood change is coming from, but I'm not enjoying it one bit.

"Why are you acting like this? Brad is dead, why would it even matter to you? And I never knew he was ignorant, okay?"

"No, your judgment was clouded with all the girly love you had for him." I can tell that he's upset, and for whatever reason, I still don't get it.

"Are you jealous?" I ask, not knowing what else it'd be.

"Why would I be jealous?" He asks, as if it's the craziest thing in the world, but his eyes tell me other wise.

"I don't know, why else would you be so butt hurt?" I point out.

"I'm not butt hurt, El, I'm just saying. Why would you forgive Brad of his sins, and not me?" He looks almost hurt underneath all of that anger, and I wonder if he still has ideas that I hate him.

"I don't hate you anymore, Dean, if that's what you're implying," I state.

"I know," he sighs, the hurt washing away, and our conversation dropping.

We have no idea where to go to get a Guard uniform, so we decide to walk down the halls and see if we can find a door that's labeled as some sort of closet, for it should surely have something in it. If worst comes to worst, I guess we might have to fight down a few Guards and steal what they're wearing, but I hope we can find something without violence. I'm not an active person in the area of fighting, and those weeks in the desert really did a number on both of our strength.

We see a few Guards after a moment, but hide around the corner, before peaking out and seeing if they've gone. "We have to find something soon, or we're going to be exposed," Dean tells me after we watch the Guards leave, before walking down the hall they just disappeared from.

"I don't know where to find anything, nothing is labeled," I say as we pass countless doors, no labels on them but numbers.

"Maybe they're the Guard's rooms?" He suggests.

"They don't have the small window on the door, like ours does," I point out.

"But why would they need a window? We don't have to check on them, they only have to check on us." He proves a point, so we open the first door we seen, and we find he's actually right. I don't think they all have rooms like this, but we found someone's room, and luckily, we find uniforms inside. "Do you think this will fit you?" He asks as he holds up the white uniform, it looking as if it might be somewhat big on me, but not by much.

"I think it will be fine," I tell him as he hands it to me, before just standing there, neither one of us really knowing what to do.

"Do you want me--I'll just--" he fumbles with his words as he walks over to the other end of the room, leaving me the privacy I need to dress, even though we don't have to remove our clothes, just pull the uniform over top.

Slipping it on as quickly as I can--for time can't be wasted--I find out that the uniform is not as big as I thought it would be. Looking at Dean, I see that it fits him perfectly, and we put on our helmets, before walking back into the hall, wondering who we're going to ask to find where this experiment is being held.

"Do you think we should ask someone?" I wonder, "or should we just pretend like we know where we're going and find it ourselves?" The idea of asking a Guard, makes me more nervous then it should.

"We have to ask someone," he tells me. "We can't waste time."

"Alright," I reluctantly agree.

We walk farther down the hall, not finding anyone at first, but eventually we do. I find myself stiffening at seeing one of them, but I keep my cool, letting Dean take over. Yeah, Dean, I'm really the leader here when I can barely ask a Guard a simple question. "Where are they performing the cross over?" Dean asks him, as if he knows everything about what's going on, and saying it in such a proper way.

"Why?" The guys asks. "If you know about it, shouldn't you know where it's being held?" I'm beginning to sweat under all these layers, and I try my best not to move around and create attention towards myself.

"I would, but I'm a newer Guard, these halls still confuse me," Dean chuckles, it being the fakest sound I've ever heard.

"Should've known," the Guard half laughs behind his helmet, before telling us to walk down the hall on the left, and it's the third door down on the right. We thank him, and walk away as casually as we can, even though Dean's posture is stiff, showing me that he was just as nervous as I was.

We don't say anything, instead we continue the walk, until we reach the door he said, noises coming from the other side. It sounds like a civil conversation, until we hear a piercing scream, and we slowly crack open the door, wanting to see if we'll be able to see what's going on. And we do see what's going on.

On an operation table, lies a man with protruding red veins, his muscles tense, his eyes yellow, his teeth looking sharper then usual teeth. Before we can even react to what we're seeing, a someone stabs him with a needle, and the man's body goes limp. My brain is swimming with how badly the man looked, to how they're discussing that they're going to try it again tomorrow night. I can't hear anymore, and I think Dean can tell, for he closes the door softly before the people turn around, and we begin the walk back to our rooms.

"We need to get out of here, Ella," he tells me, his voice sounding frantic under the helmet. "And we need to get out of here fast."