*BEFORE*

The heavy metal gates to the Cave opened with a heavy creaking sound. From above, centinells kept a look out for Eaters, or any unwelcomed company. Each of the military trucks came rumbling inside, leaving a trail of dust behind them. The heavy bars fell and twisted with a booming sound as the Cave shut itself.

Marlon made quick work with the buckle of his seat as the truck he, Z.O. and Brython were, came to a stop. Z.O. placed a hand on his shoulder, making Marlon's movements stop and move towards Z.O.

Marlon jolted surprised as his face came mere inches from Z.O.s, his breath as he spoke to Marlon making the latter flush.

"Take it easy. He might've already gotten treated by the doctors and put to rest."

Marlon,

"But, I need to... to make sure Caius is..."

The hand on his shoulder tightened slightly.

Z.O.,

"He'll be fine. You... should go take a bath and make yourself comfortable."

Brython exclaimed as he opened his door out of the truck,

"YEAH! You stink of DEATH!"

Marlon jerked back from Z.O. embarrassed and exclaimed,

"What?!"

He yanked the door open, slamming it shut. Brython's laughter and Marlon's exclamations could be heard from the inside of the truck. The hand of Z.O. that had rested moments ago over Marlon's shoulder slowly lowered and started feeling the cold of the night, already missing the warmth of the other.

He opened the door from his side into the night's wind shuffling the bangs on his hair. He looked towards where Brython and Marlon were standing chuckling as Marlon's frowning face came into view, acquiring a stance of annoyance to Brython's doubled over self.

As he came nearer and took his place at Marlon's side, he noticed the latter shivering.

"Are you cold?"

Marlon tightened his grip over his forearms and looked sideways at Z.O.

"No...I..."

Brython added with a snicker,

"You should ask for a jacket to the higher ups, Marlon. Maybe, if you have less skin exposed, you'll be colder less."

Marlon,

"I am not normally cold, and it doesn't bother me. It makes me feel awake."

He lowers his head and hugs himself tighter.

"It makes me feel... alert...?!"

Just when he finished the last word, a light weight fell over his shoulders, enveloping him in warmth and a scent he had become more accustomed recently and found its presence pleasant.

Securing his uniform jacket over Marlon, Z.O. pointed out,

"It might not bother you, but you're human and you'll get pneumonia if you keep yourself like that in these temperatures."

Marlon felt his heart rate rise as the ghost of Z.O.'s touch lingered over him.

Brython continued talking, as if the other two's eye contact exchange hadn't been obvious.

"Z.O.'s right. It's not like you're a Hybrid and can regulate your body temperature."

Marlon muttered,

"It's not like I want to be one anyways..."

Z.O. smiled slightly. Only those with a good eye can catch those small expressions of emotions on him, or if he wanted one to see them.

"It's fine. Just... Think about your health more."

Marlon almost held Z.O.'s face between his hands and asked him to smile again but contained to do so and held harder to the cloth of the jacket.

"Yeah..."

After a moment, Marlon added while fidgeting with the jacket's hem and looking from Brython to Z.O.

"How about, after we... you guys... change and go and... you know, Caius..."

Brython clapped hard on his back, almost sending him off his feet,

"Sure thing! I gotta' check on our other human boy to. Gotta' make sure he still remembers who we are."

He chuckled and then added in a whisper,

"Or at least who HE is."

Brython let a boisterous laugh that reverberated in the Cave's empty training fields and halls.

Z.O. and Marlon eyed each other and smiled as Brython laugh made their exhausting and horror filled day joyful, but their moment only lasted a second before three shadows emerged from behind an obscured wall and two of the men dressed in black harshly held Marlon's by broth arms and roughly secured them behind his back.

It all happened quicker than any of the four humans there could process. Brython harshly slammed by the head one of the shaded men unto the metal wall and Z.O. brutally grabbed by their face, the ones holding Marlon back. Marlon could listen as the skin on the men made a gnawing sound as Z.O. applied more pressure unto his grip.

Marlon quickly intervened before the other crushed the men's skulls.

"Z.O.! You don't need to..."

He was interjected by the deep voice of Z.O. who directed a deadly stare to the shaded men,

"What is your business with the Lieutenant?"

One of the men in black,

"Argh! The... The boss told us to bring him 'downstairs'... urgh!"

Z.O. continued applying more pressure unto the men's heads to the point the latter could barely speak.

Marlon tried again to convince Z.O. out of doing something he most probably would regret later.

"Commander! We can talk this o...OW!"

One of the men, as a reflex to the painful pressure on his head, strengthened their grip on Marlon making him yelp.

Brython,

"Oh, now you've done it."

Z.O.'s frown deepened as his jaw clenched and both his hands started to close harder oved the men in black's face. Their faces turning from red, to a bluish purple as blood circulation started to cut flow.

Suddenly, an amused silken voice transmitted itself through their headpiece,

"Why not let my men go now, Z.O.?"

Z.O.'s hand remained locked where they were. He inquired coldly,

"What do you want with the human?"

A chuckle at the other end made Z.O.s brow twitch.

"Nothing to kill anyone for I assure you..."

With a more imperative tone,

"Now, let...my...men...do...their...job...Z.O..."

A moment of silence before Z.O. reluctantly let go of the men's faces, starring daggers at them, both almost lost their balance but clearly took their job seriously and didn't let go of Marlon. It was that, or they were more afraid of what Dr. Fall would do to them if they didn't bring him the Lieutenant to his office, than a mad Hybrid turning their insides, out.

The voice came again through the speakers with its amused tone again,

"Brython..."

Everyone turned to look at a smiling Brython still pressing the other man in black to the wall. He nonchalantly answered,

"Dr. F you just said Z.O. I took that as a sign I could continue doing as I pleased."

Dr. Fall chuckled,

"When I say Z.O in any circumstance..."

Serious,

"I mean the whole F.H.D.O.E.Z. and those affiliated to them..."

Even though the mood turned dark, Brython narrowed his eyes with a smirk. He removed his hold on the man, that quickly scattered away toward his comrades.

"Of course, you do..."

Dr. Fall's men did as instructed and pulled Marlon away towards the tall central building of the Cave, through one of the many coded sliding metal doors that guarded the halls of the main building.

As they saw the sliding door shut close, Z.O. and Brython kept on looking to the pace where Marlon and the men disappeared into.

Brython folded his arms,

"That guy really pisses me off..."

Z.O. clenched his hands into fists and turned towards the East end of the Cave,

"Let's get Cameron."

*NOW*

Marlon was harshly pushed through a mahogany carved wooden two side door that closed with a resonating slam. The room he was in was dimmed; the only light came from the fireplace that covered the room in a darkened orange hue. The smell of wood burning making his nose twitch as a sequence of images tried to take form in his head.

He feels as smoke fills his lungs. Broken glass is cutting though his hands and the floor is slippery. His body is heavy and his vision blurry. He doesn't know where he is but knows no one is coming. He reaches to his side, grabs hold into whatever solid thing was lying around only to yell and push away a burnt, blood-soaked body. There are burnt bodies around him.

No one is coming...

"You're Lieutenant Marlon."

It wasn't a question, Marlon noticed.

"You...You know who I am... Sir?"

Marlon had never spoken with the owner of all. He had only seen pictures and listened to the voice through receivers and transmitters through a second party but never a face-to-face meeting like this one.

Dr. Seelos Fall's eyes were narrowed by a hidden playful smirk. The two unmoving violet glowing orbs centered on him.

"I know everyone in here. I have to make accountings for those under MY protection."

A moment of silence.

"But of course, I know you all but YOU don't know ME."

Dr. Seelos Fall walked around Marlon's figure and once in front, extended a glass of honey colored liquid with a ball of what appeared to be ice in the center.

Marlon looked at it and then towards the man in question,

"Is it... is it apple juice... Sir?"

Dr. Fall's eyes widened and stared at the young man before him, as he processes what had been just asked. He places his own glass of the ambered liquid on his desk and bursts laughing.

Marlon quickly looks at the glass in his hands, feeling speechless.

Once Dr. Fall recovered, he smirked while acquiring a mocking tone to his voice,

"You aren't one who drinks his spirits I see..."

It dawned on Marlon what the doctor meant, and suddenly felt stupid. Of course, he knew about alcohol, because of Caius and books but not in the sense from experience. He opted to remain mute for whatever 'meeting' he was there for.

Dr. Fall held again his glass and circled the liquid before having a sip.

"It's bourbon whisky, boy. Good to warm up the nightmares."

Marlon hardened his grip on the already condensing glass. Water droplets slid from his hands to the polished wooden floor. A cold sweat at the back of his neck.

Dr.Fall,

"How old are you... Marlon?"

Marlon didn't lift his head.

"I'm... twenty-five... Sir..."

Dr. Fall sighed,

"Ah... The young age. An age in which... Most love to get into trouble..."

The glass in Marlon's hands started to get slippery,

"Normally, the age of trouble would be the teens... Sir..."

Dr. Fall took another slow sip. He walked towards Marlon and held unto one of his soaked hands by the wrist and the back of his neck. Dr. Fall hovered his face over Marlon's ear and chuckled,

"Oh... but my statement only applies to you and my boys..."

A moment.

"You do not seem like the one to wish death upon those he loves...or... to himself.... Do you dream of DEATH...?"

Burnt bodies. Blood soaked clothe. Hollowed out faces. People gnawing on flesh.

Marlon's eyes widened as the glass in his hands slipped from between them and crashed to the floor.

The doors to the office slammed open, as three tall figures obscured by the low light from the room entered and stood side by side in front of Dr. Fall and Marlon.

Z.O. marched towards the two and yanked Marlon from the doctor, Marlon too aloof for reacting whatsoever.

Z.O. glared at Dr. Fall and spat,

"Your business is with us."

Dr.Fall looked behind Z.O. to Cameron and Brython's hard faces and back at Z.O. One side of his mouth quirking up.

"It's been some time already since you've made our business..."

He glanced at Marlon's shocked form,

"HIS business as well... Z.O."

Z.O. clenched his jaw and deepened his frown.

Dr. Fall ignore him and walking over to his desk's leather chair inquired,

"Have you done what I asked from you, Cameron."

Dr. Hopeshift's videos. A face full of fear.

Dr. Fall sat on his leather chair and folded his hands gingerly.

Brython noticed how Cameron's throat bobbed.

Cameron,

"I'm... working on it..."

A silence fell in the room, only the crackling of the burning wood from the fireplace was heard.

Dr. Fall's narrowed eyes looked directly to Cameron's.

Calculating...

"I might have to start giving you an ultimatum... my boy..."

Cameron's clenched his hands harder. Blood slid slowly from his fists and dripped to the wooden floor.

Dr. Fall,

"I've been too nice to you, and patient... Maybe, it's time for me to be... harsher and stop playing your... games..."

They all glared at the doctor.

He reclined back on the chair,

"I want Julian's USB in THREE days."