Ella

It's lights out when Hunter shows up at my room. We think he's one of the Guards to walk Mark and Dean back to their rooms, but we see it's him when he removes his helmet. "You told them?" Is the first thing he asks me, a certain disappointment in his eyes. How could he think I wouldn't tell them? They're apart of this too, as is everyone else inside this base.

"I couldn't not tell them," I point out, it seeming quite obvious to me.

"I think her telling us is really the least of our worries," Dean points out, before huffing.

"You're right," Hunter agrees, nodding slightly. "We have bigger issues to worry about."

"What are we going to do?" Mark asks, and that's when I remember something that I should have remembered a long time ago.

When we came to Mark's town, he threw rocks at Dean, wondering if we had guns. If he thought we had guns, that must mean that there are guns around here somewhere.

"What are you thinking about?" Hunter asks me, snapping me back to Earth. "I can tell your mind is reeling in ideas." I can't help but smile, knowing that he still knows me, that I haven't changed at least.

"When we arrived at Mark's town," I begin, "Mark threw rocks at Dean, asking Dean if he had any guns. If Mark thought we had guns, doesn't that mean they have guns around here? They obviously do since it's a military base, but if we can get to them before the Guards do, perhaps we won't have to leave," I say, before Dean gives me a strange look. "Besides, where would we go? There's a meteor shower going on outside, and this is supposed to be out of range of that, a place where we actually could be safe if we took care of this situation."

"You don't want to leave? You want to fight?" Dean asks, as if it's the craziest thing in the world. "I almost lost you once, Ella, I can't do it again." I don't know what incident he's talking about, the asteroid or when I passed out or perhaps another time, but his eyes are so full of a certain kind of need, that I force myself to look away.

"I can make my own decisions about what I do, Dean, and what I need to do is save these people," I reply, my breath suddenly feeling heavy in my lungs.

"That's the thing, El," he begins as he walks over to me, not seeming to care that everyone is watching. "You think you need to save them, well I think I need to save you." I look up, into the yellow eyes of the person that has become so important to me in these three weeks that we've been together. We've had to stick together and put our differences behind us, and if we didn't, he wouldn't be standing as close to me as he is now, his eyes full of concern and something else, while his body is giving off waves of heat from his close proximity. My Dean, I tell myself, wondering if Carol's right, if I really do have him wrapped around my finger. I don't want him wrapped around my finger, though, for Dean and I are equals. If I haven't learned anything else throughout this endeavor, it's that everyone is equal, no matter where they come from. Alien or human, we are the same.

"Dean is right, Ella," Hunter speaks up. I hear a tinge of bitterness in his voice, and I wonder if Hunter's still beat up that Dean survived instead of Hunter's family. "That's taking an even bigger risk then getting everyone out. I will get everyone out, though, okay? I will get you out safely, and then I'll get them out."

"No," I speak up. "You can't always protect me, neither of you can. When I agreed to come to this place, I did it so you guys would be safe," I say as I gesture to Mark, Carol, and Dean. "But you guys aren't, and I need to fix that. I won't let them do experiments on you, any of you, or anyone else for that matter. We need to fight. We need to show them that we are against this, that we don't want any of this. We aren't with them, so that means we're against them." I finish my speech, not taking no for an answer.

Dean opens his mouth, only to reply with no at the same time Hunter says okay. Dean sends Hunter a glare, but Hunter doesn't seem to notice as he continues talking. "They're exits on each side of the base, resulting in four altogether. Also, there's a defense room that I could take you guys to, where they keep the weapons."

"You're going to encourage her? To let her get her head blown off?" Dean asks Hunter, his voice ragged and upset. "You say you're her best friend, but you're wanting to go along with this? How many Guards are here? Do you understand they could cream us in a second? We aren't experienced with guns, not like they are. They're trained for the military, and us? We've just come from a long trek in the desert a few days ago. I don't see the brains in any of this. If one of us, one ends up alive and able to escape, it will be a miracle." Dean stops his ranting, before running a frustrated hand over his face.

"Don't you care about the other people here?" Hunter speaks up, anger beginning to show in his tone as well. "And who gave you the right to say that I say I'm her best friend. I am her best friend. Where were you when she was crying and vomiting her guts out from all the crap you would constantly tell her? Huh? Where were you then!" Hunter shouts, his voice echoing off the small room, and I find myself pushing distance between the two boys.

"Stop it," I tell them. "We need to save these people, to stand up for what's right, and having you guys fight is not what's right."

"Ella is right," Mark agrees. "We can't sit around and argue all night. If we're going to do this, we need to do it soon."

"Fine, but if something happens to her, I'm blaming you," Dean warns, as he points a finger at Hunter, the two boys staring at each other like they're enemies, when they don't realize the real enemy is out there, and we need to meet them on battlefield soon.