The cool air chilled my bare arms and I buried my face against the warmth of the blanket cloaking me, wincing as a sudden pinch of pain pricked my bent arm. I blinked groggily and glanced down at the needle poked into my vein. A tube full of dark red liquid connected to the needle fed my body from a small packet suspended from the wall.

What the hell was this? I frowned. Where was I?

"Hey, you're awake." A redhead with soft brown eyes stepped up to me, kneeling down and gently touching my forearm. "How're you feeling?"

Creases formed across my brow as I frowned in thought. My brain struggled to recognize this man's face, or even bring back why I was here. I dropped my focus from his face to the floor, noticing a tactical backpack with the soaring eagle patch of the EGL.

My breath hitched. I remembered now, all too clearly.

"Where did you get this?" I asked, my voice cracking with dryness as I gestured at the pack.

He glanced down at it and shifted his weight onto his heels. "From a helicopter crash site not far from here. I salvaged what I could from the dead there before laying them to rest."

I pushed myself up, wincing at the sharp twinge in my side. If the bodies had still been out there, Control never got any of my messages. It was no surprise. Something inside the helo must've interfered with the signal, and I doubted they would send a search party out. Between the shortage of soldiers and how low we were on supplies at the QZ, they wouldn't risk any more lives even if there was a chance someone from Alpha Chaos survived.

He tilted his head at me. "You're an Eagle, a part of them, aren't you?"

I slowly trained my eyes on his face. Genuine curiosity shone in his eyes and I sighed, glancing at the pack once more before looking back to him and nodding. "Yeah. They were my team."

"I knew it," he revealed with a mostly silent laugh. He ran his fingers through his hair and held out a pair of dog tags. "Daytona Pierce, right?"

I nodded, feeling the metallic chill of the chain holding the tags as he dropped them in my palm. The fact he knew all of this blew me away. He was definitely more attentive and smarter than I originally gave him credit for. You don't judge a book by its cover, and he proved it. "And you are?"

"Soren Levisay. My title ain't as impressive as yours, sergeant, but I am a mechanic. Or, was before the virus and all," he revealed, babbling just a little.

Was he nervous? It sure seemed like it. Then again, maybe he was just talkative. I doubted it though, because something about him pointed at a deeply rooted shyness. I had to admit, it was sort of cute but he definitely wasn't my type. Ha. Who was I kidding? Since the moment I crashed into his hideaway, I noticed he possessed many of the mannerisms of Jonathan. But the girl I was with Jon was a far cry from the woman I was today.

"How'd you get all this set up?" I pointed up at the 0- blood packet, forcing myself from my thoughts. "And how long have I been out?"

"It's all in the perks of having a nurse sister," he replied, standing to his feet and staring down at me. He held his hands behind his back and leaned back a little. "Six days and about two hours."

"Six days!?" I exclaimed, shooting up from the bed like a rocket at launch.

Soren gripped my shoulder and gently guided me back down onto the cot. "Woah, ma'am! Easy. You've got stitches."

I felt like the biggest idiot right then. Here I was, a trained and battle-hardened soldier with a mechanic telling me what I knew I should be doing. Where was my brain? I held back a laugh. Probably out there with the downed helo somewhere just like everything else.

A sigh left my chest and I rubbed my face, pushing back the stray strands of hair. I pressed the pad of my finger against the flesh holding the needle before easing it from my arm. Deep red popped up from the tiny puncture, and I swiped it away only to watch the blood bubble up again.

"One sec," he prompted, leaving my side to rummage around in the corner. He returned a few moments later and dropped a gauze onto the bend of my arm and held it in place with a piece of tape. "There."

I owed him one hell of a thank you, and the softness of gratitude filled my chest. He saved my life. If he hadn't taken care of me, I would've never woken up. I didn't even want to think about the trouble he went through to even get the blood he managed to gather. If I knew this place like I did, every building posed a threat with revenants at one point or another.

I drew in a small breath, licking my cracked lips. "Soren."

His attention immediately snapped to me, his elbows resting on his knees. "Yes ma'am?"

"Thank you," I said softly. "For everything."

"Oh no ma'am. There's no need to thank me," he protested, shaking his head and raising his hands up slightly. A flush of red tinged his ears and bloomed across his cheeks in a bright hue. "Just doing the right thing."

Yup, he was definitely the shy type. Longing gripped my heart but I shoved it away. The more I saw of Soren, the more and more he reminded me of the days before LycanZ. A time in my life when I was young and naive with Jonathan at my side. It was hard to believe at one point in time Jonathan acted the same way around me that Soren was, but it was like that saying goes. You warm up to people when you get close to them. Jonathan definitely had, and at the moment I didn't know if I wanted Soren to.

"Are you hungry? I have a can of peaches. They're too sweet for me but if you want them, you're welcome to them."

His words brought a tiny smile to my face. It was bittersweet how much like Jonathan he was, but I would manage. I always did. "Nah, I'm good. I'm not hungry."

He nodded. "Alright, suit yourself, sergeant," he said politely, standing to his feet.

"Call me Daytona, please," I stated, toying with the edge of the tape holding the gauze in place. I watched him walk toward the opposite side of the room, but something inside me didn't want him to leave. I bit my lip. "Wait."

He paused mid step, glancing over his shoulder at me. "Yes?"

Why had I stopped him? I couldn't answer that, but I still had to answer him. Shifting on the bed, I stared at my boots for a moment before bringing my attention back to Soren. "What brought you to Boston? It's obvious you've been staying in here for a good little while."

"I was with a Star. Michael was his name. He took me to some area between here and New York where their research center was located. Said I could help form a cure for LycanZ," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned to face me. Solemness washed over his features and he licked his lips. "All hell broke loose when we got there. He showed me a secret tunnel out and told me to run and not look back. I found this place and I've been here ever since."

I swallowed hard. I knew exactly what research center he mentioned, for it was the very one Ward ordered Alpha Chaos to destroy a few months ago. He wanted them gone, eradicated like an ant bed disrupting his otherwise perfect lawn.

The Stars' hope and search for a cure of LycanZ gained them more public favor than we possessed. It remained the same situation with our ex-military partners, the Western Liberation Federation, better known as Wolves. However, unlike the Stars and their dreams of the infection being annihilated, we were strictly here for the protection of survivors, and to ensure their safety and continuation.

But the Stars brought it on themselves. Trying to overthrow those in charge of the QZs just because they craved a form of government like we had before the LycanZ outbreak was a stupid cause for countless Eagles and Stars alike to die. To me, their uprisings led to way too many needless deaths. The world wasn't the same, and the government we had before wouldn't stand a chance against the infected US we tried thriving in today.

The constant turmoil churning between Eagle soldiers and Stars within the Boston QZ brought about Ward's desire to wipe them off the map, and eventually caused his demand that my team be the one to take the nearby research center down. Of course I refused due to the standing I held with the Stars, but it didn't stop Ward. No, he sent another team there. From what I heard later on, it was a complete decimation. No survivors.

Yet standing before me was the one person who escaped, and for the first time ever, I found myself grateful for the slip up of our forces.

I peered down at the floor, chewing my lip as I weighed two options in my brain as if it were a scale. I could either march my ass to the nearest safehouse about eight hours away where they would get me back to the QZ, or I could locate the new Star research center I'd heard rumors of and bring Soren there. My choice was a no-brainer, especially when an end to LycanZ was the very reason I pushed forward despite all the excuses I had to throw up my hands and quit.

Lifting my attention back to Soren, I gazed into his eyes. "Do you still want to find the Stars?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes ma'am. I'd give my life to get rid of this virus," he admitted, his tone somber and soft like the movement of deep water.

"Then I'll find their new research center, and I'll get you there." My jaw tensed as I stood to my feet, linking my arms over my chest as I watched the shocked surprise take hold of his expression. "You have my word."

"Then that's all I need."

If it was enough for him, it was enough for me. Something rooted inside my heart as I stood there watching the excitement and the surety fill his irises. I would get him to the Stars, come hell or high water. No matter what it took or what it cost me. I owed that much to him. To the world. To myself. To Jonathan.

Let the journey begin.