He hadn't spoken with Chase since their dispute. Needless to say, their disagreement had become the talk of the workplace. Regardless, Rex blocked out their muttering. Feeble gossip was the least of his concerns. 

Hours passed yet he remembered what his brother's words loud and clear. Should you choose to walk this path, you'll be on your own. They used to be inseparable. Two peas in a pod. Brothers until the end. If the Seeker Corps accepted him there was a high possibility they'd never see each other again.

The sun sluggishly dropped out the blue sky until a burning orange replaced its previously sapphire color. By the time Rex left the repair shop the street lights had already activated. One of the stallions purchased by the Cordra Research Facility waited for him outside the building, a long black vehicle hovering steadily. 

Before, he'd only rode a stallion whenever Alice offered him. Otherwise, he'd walk or take the monorail. There was a stark contrast between those days and now. As it pulled off Rex still couldn't locate his brother. He'd expected this. 

The boy probably departed earlier to avoid having to spend time with him. Was he upset his only family member chose this dangerous path or was he frustrated with himself that he couldn't come to terms with leaving Sanctuary? Whatever the reason, Rex thought it best to leave him be.

He leaned forward in his seat and said, "Um . . . Excuse me," The driver squinted at him through the rearview mirror. "Do you know where my brother is?"

"Ah, Chase Hunt took a different stallion."

"The research facility is able to afford a full-on pick-up service?"

"That's a professor for ya. As long as they turn in useful information to the higher-ups they're treated well, exceedingly so. It's the same with any occupation, really. Why do you think so many people these days are striving to acquire a good education? If only I had those chances. I wouldn't be stuck driving a stallion, that's for sure." he snickered.

Rex knew many people in the lower districts who were sadly jobless. It made him appreciate his life. Had things not gone so swimmingly he could've been in the exact same position as a beggar. Will liberating Sanctuary really bring change? 

The stallion halted as it joined a long line of traffic. Rex rested against the comfy seat. His eyes gazed out the window in hopes of spotting something of interest. He managed to catch a glimpse of a man standing at the corner of the sidewalk. He appeared to be homeless. The man used trash bags as his clothing, his long unkempt dark hair hanging to the bottom of his neck. He held a cardboard sign. Written in green paint was a simple sentence.

"Eden Exists."

I sure hope it does. Many described Eden to be heaven on earth. A paradise with lush forests expanding for miles and miles. Crystal clear water capable of quenching the thirst of any living being. In short, it was everything Sanctuary wasn't. Some believed in the tales. Others didn't. Rex happened to be one of those who did. 

Surely there was more to the world than just an endless desert. It's why the Seeker Corps exists. Why each day they're willing to leave the protection of the walls. If they accepted him into their ranks surely he'd support the cause. He'd mold a brighter future with his own hands. However, he wasn't going anywhere without reconciling with Chase.

When they arrived at the science facility he lunged from the stallion, burst through the doors of the building, and jolted down the empty hallway towards the eleshaft. He startled Gordon and Lem as he rushed past them without saying a word. "Where's the fire, kid?" Gordon called. 

He didn't receive an answer for Rex had already made it to the eleshaft. He quickly tapped on the button built into the metal wall and hopped into the lift. When its doors opened once more Rex sped to their room. Upon arriving at the end of the corridor, Rex froze. Slowly, he reached a quivering hand to the doorknob, hoping to find his brother on the other side. 

Alas, he was met with disappointment. The rays of the evening sun invaded the empty and untouched space. Where are you? Before Rex knew it, he collapsed defeatedly onto his bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. The absence of sound was a bliss. He needed to speak to Chase yet his eyes grew increasingly heavy.

Hours passed as the sun disappeared, replaced by the white moon proudly exhibiting its glistening beams. Rex buried his face in his pillow, the muffled sounds of his snoring filling the otherwise soundless atmosphere. Chase found him in this manner. 

With a chuckle, he too sat on his bed. Chase had bribed their driver with a pair of jades. Instructing him to tell Rex another stallion had already taken him to the lab. At that time he didn't want to see or speak with him. Taking a walk home was the best way to clear his mind. When he returned to the facility Lem informed him how Rex gravely wanted to talk to him. Even then Chase wasn't ready. 

He instead sat alone in an empty lab room on the bottom floor. There he acquired some time to ponder. Rex's intentions weren't the cause of his conflicted emotions. On the contrary, it was what he had told him. Their argument was so heated, so intense that Chase spoke without thinking. When in this state it was easy to declare something he didn't mean.

What infuriated him was how there lied a fraction of truth hidden within his cruel declaration. Going outside of the walls was stupid, everyone should know this. If someone so foolishly chose to do so they deserved whatever travesties awaited them. He believed this even after hearing what Rex said. Regardless, he was family. If he were to be killed then what would happen? 

As he sat there with his head hung a single beam of the moon's light kissed the corner of his eye. Chase stared at the glass window deep in thought. He kept reinforcing to Rex how he shouldn't strive to leave Sanctuary. Nonetheless, he couldn't deny there were more than a few instances where he too wondered what laid beyond the horizon.

Human beings are naturally curious creatures. His father told him this at the age of six. Sometimes, this same curiosity would lead a man to his death. Rex was marching to his own death and fast but there was nothing Chase could do to stop him. His brother had an innate desire to be free. 

No matter what he did or what happened to him, Chase didn't expect his daring dream to falter. Liberating humanity was Rex's incentive. What was his own? A terrified scream filled the room. It nearly gave Chase a heart attack. Rex flailed his arms and legs in the air, shouting like a crazy person. 

Oh no! It's happening again! 

Chase leaped towards him and pinned him to the bed. One of his aimless fists flew right into Chase's face. It didn't hurt but he couldn't prevent the line of blood from oozing out his nostril. Grunting, Chase began to constrain Rex. He restrained his flailing arms and sat atop his stomach, making it difficult for the panicking boy to move. This halted the punching and kicking until his body went limp.

Rex's eyes sprung open, tears gushing from them. Sitting upright Chase released a comforted sigh. ". . . What the hell?! Dad . . . Dad's gone! So much sand! Too much sand! Dad . . . He can't be . ." Chase hung his arm around Rex, bringing him for a hug. The embrace lasted for what felt like an eternity, Rex crying into his brother's chest.

"Had another one, huh?" Chase said, patting him on top of his head. "It was only a nightmare, it's not real. You don't have to be frightened any longer, little brother."

"I can't take this anymore!" Rex cried loudly, his tears dripping onto the bedsheets. After he calmed down, he came to realize Chase was the one comforting him. His brother who'd told him he refused to remain by his side, like always, brought him to his senses. "Chase . . . Where'd you go?"

"Oh, I just spent some time to myself. Forget it-"

"No!" Rex wouldn't squander this opportunity to voice his feelings. He didn't care for his nightmare. Nothing mattered more to him than trying to figure out if he really meant what he'd said. His mouth opened yet no words exited. Rex was too hesitant to hear the answer. Too frightened to act. "Chase," he finally uttered. "Did you really mean what you said at the repair shop?"

Chase's eyes widened. "Is that what you were having a nightmare about?"

". . . Nah, it was about Dad. I guess I'm really not over his death. I really wish he were here." Rex dropped his head and stared at the pendant at the end of his necklace, the golden piece reflecting in his eyes. "There was also a desert or . . . A sandstorm? I can't really say. It always gets fuzzy whenever I try explaining."

"I'm not an expert but I think your nightmares are correlated to the Outside World." He recalled a conversation with his father regarding Rex's nightmares. Matt theorized these nightmares weren't nightmares at all but rather memories. Their father kept a close eye on Rex. Apparently, his nightmares were most common whenever someone mentioned the Outside World. He predicted these terrors were simply attempting to illustrate to the boy what he'd experienced before his arrival in Sanctuary. However, he dismissed it as a wild theory. Despite his conclusion, Chase suspected his father could've been onto something. Perhaps Rex's passion to leave and his nightmares were his subconscious telling him to return to his real home. Wherever that was.

Chase stared at his brother through the darkness and asked, "You're content with enlisting, aren't you?"

". . . I am."

"To fight for humanity and create a better future?"

Rex frowned. "Y-Yes."

"To circumvent death day by day while internally knowing every second could very well be your last? That every breath could-"

"I said yes!! Enough questions already!!"

A defeated Chase laughed. "Well then, brother, I guess I'm going to have to tag along. You wouldn't last a day without me."

"Seriously?! I thought you hate the seekers?!"

"Don't get me wrong. By no means has my opinion on them changed. I still think they're morons for leaving Sanctuary. Even so, you're my brother. I have to be there to protect you." Chase smirked. "Then there's also the matter of potentially learning the truth of Dad's death. If we make it into the Seeker Corps I'll be able to put to rest two different matters all for the price of one sacrifice."

"I don't care what your reasoning is. I'm just glad we won't have to split apart."

"We're brothers. We stick together until the end." Chase laughed, messing up Rex's hair.

That was the lie he told his relieved and grateful younger sibling. Yet, in his head, he'd constructed a specific objective. It was a goal unique from liberating humanity or exposing his father's murderer. He finally realized what he was meant to do: Revealing to Rex the impossibility of his dream. 

Ideals and promises only carried a person so far. Out there in the untamed unknown Chase would ensure Rex saw that his decision, the path he'd chosen was wrong after all. Once he did they'd both return to Sanctuary alive. Perhaps this made him a bad person. So be it. If it meant his family was safe then he was contemptuous with becoming a cold-hearted monster. A dream-killer.

"Then it's settled! In the morning we'll go to the seekers' headquarters and apply for the aptitude test!"

"Not so fast," Chase responded, raising his finger to halt the over-enthusiastic Rex. "We can't officially apply until we're fifteen. That's not as much of a problem for me as it is for you. You're still fourteen meaning . . ."

"I can't apply until next year." Rex finished with a pout.

"Those are the rules."

"So, what should we do until then?"

A reasonable question. With Rex having a year until he was of the appropriate age they had a lot of time on their hands. They couldn't afford to waste it. Chase knew what door they had begun to open. The world outside was dangerous. If they were to survive, it would mean they'd need to prepare to face such a hell.

"We get stronger," Chase answered bluntly.