Episode Three, Part 5:

A r e   Y o u   W i t h   M e ?

Home is where your heart is set in stone, 
is where you go when you're alone, is 
where you go to rest your bones. 

Wynn and Joren eventually came within reach of the Bunker, stopping beneath the shelter of the trees to listen in to the voices they could hear. 

They couldn't distinguish what was being said, but there was an echo of Dreea's voice somewhere that Wynn recognized, drawing him out of the darkness. 

Everyone turned to see who was approaching, looks of relief flashing over everyone when they realized it was their own people. Wynn searched around, unsure if he was looking for his family, or a reason why they had all stopped here, and finally his focus settled upon Bas who was turning around to look up at him from the ground. 

Wynn began to walk in his direction, picking his speed up when he could see a pair of legs lying flat on the ground beside him, allowing fear to carry him the rest of the way. 

It was Ares beside him. Eyes shut as he laid on the ground. 

Wynn collapsed to his side immediately, grasping his brother's face in his hands as he tried to shake him awake. 

"Ares? Wake up, bud. Ares, it's me." Wynn murmured over and over, but there was no response. 

"What happened to him?" He looked over at Bas who seemed a lot more calm than Wynn could justify. 

"They said it's probably a knockout gas." Bas answered, nodding over at Dreea so Wynn knew it was her prediction. 

"Gas?"

Bas nodded. "Doesn't look like he's hurt. There's nothing except a few grazes around their wrists." 

Wynn looked over at Fenn who was resembling his brother, unconscious a few feet away beside him. Finally, Wynn brought himself to search for what brought him here, kneeling up as his eyes gazed around the Bunker's entrance. 

"Where's Elara?"

"They've taken her, Wynn. Targo. I'm sorry to tell you that." Dreea paced around at his question, sighing as she answered him. 

Wynn shook his head, shifting his focus down to his brother. Trying to find something to give him hope. "You don't know that."

"Riders wouldn't have left Ares and Fenn behind, or even alive. That alone proves it was Targo. They got what they wanted and left: Elara." 

"No! No, there has to be another explanation... Where's Kodiak!? He was supposed to be keeping her safe!" Wynn argued back. 

"Hoping he's with them." Dreea folded her arms, frustrated that Wynn was getting to the end of all her answers. 

"But what would Targo want with Kodiak?" Wynn pointed out. 

Beneath him and Bas, Ares began to stir on the ground, groaning himself awake. 

"Ares, hey." Wynnlow cooed upon notice, holding him down by the shoulders to prevent him from moving suddenly. "It's Wynn. You're okay."   

Dreea approached Ares, crouching down to the side of Wynn. "Can you tell us what happened here?" She asked. 

"Give him a minute." Wynnlow snapped, angered by her insensitivity to what his brother might've been feeling. 

Ares struggled to keep his eyes open - the evening light blinding to his foggy mind. He couldn't bring himself to say anything other than a name, succumbing to the exhaustion that lingered from the knockout gas. 

"Targo." He exhaled, the name alone enough to terrify Wynnlow to his core. 

Their sister was gone. 

/// 

When they arrived back at Basilisk, Ares and Fenn were carried into the medic tent where Aeryn was waiting anxiously to treat them, unsure what she was in for. The last time someone returned after encountering Targo, they brought an epidemic back with them, and Aeryn knew they wouldn't survive another. But a quick glance over Ares as Wynn carried him inside, and Aeryn's nerves were put to rest for a little while. 

With Quill heading to medic to see Ares, and Bas returning to find Harlow, Wynn wandered inside the gates to find there was no one there to greet him. He had no idea where Fabian, MaReya and Azha were, and for the first time in a long while, Wynnlow felt immersed in an overwhelming loneliness. 

He knew he needed to make things right with Sol. After all, as Joren had helped him to realize, it wasn't just Wynn who returned to Basilisk without Elara, but Sol who was also missing Kodiak. 

Wynn set foot for the Sovereign's Quarters, rehearsing what he wanted to say to her on his way over, forgetting everything as he opened the door and stepped inside. 

Joren and Dreea were inside talking to Sol about what they found. The Nobel seemed visibly stressed, struggling to bare the news her team delivered back to her. Wynn couldn't help but listen in to their conversation, standing flat against the wall so they couldn't see him; not meaning to at first, but unable to tear himself away once he started listening. 

"How are we supposed to survive if we're down a Sovereign?" Sol exclaimed, pushing on her forehead to relieve her constant headache. 

"We go to his Nominated. That's what we have them for." He informed them. 

Sol hesitated to answer - one final attempt to search her mind for an alternative option, before giving in. 

"Alright." She sighed. "Who is his Nominated?" 

Wynn remembered being told about the Nominated. It dictated who took the Sovereign's position to rule over Basilisk if anything happened to them. 

Joren moved across the room to open one of the many draws, pulling on several different keys that were chained to his belt until he found the one to open the lock. As he pulled on the draw, Joren reached in and pulled out an old, weathered book. 

"All the details about Basilisk's current Sovereigns, and former Sovereign's are documented in here." Joren explained. He brushed the dust from the cover, flipping through the pages until he opened to the most recent one, his fingers tracing over the writing. 

"Dreea, yours is myself. Kodiak's is Bianca Thorn," Joren scrunched his face up a little in concern, doubting whether his choice was be the best fit for the current situation. "And River, your's is..." Joren paused, looking up from the page to see if Sol was sure about her choice, or even remembered who she had put down. 

She avoided his eyes, afraid of judgement, afraid that he wouldn't understand her decision, but Joren did comment on it. He simply revealed the name of who her Nominated was. 

"Wynn." He answered.  

Dreea drew in a sharp intake of breath, tilting her head as she learned who her friend had put down. She looked over at Sol - who was already staring up at her, eyes begging for mercy as she waited to hear if Dreea would question her choice.

"Well, at least it's not as bad as Kodiak's Nominated..." She told Sol, rolling her eyes in amusement. "Then again, it might actually be worse." 

Sol dropped her head, hiding her smile as she laughed along softly. 

"I guess that means we have to call Bianca in." The Nobel sighed, bringing everyone back to reality. 

"I'll go give her the news." Joren declared. 

"Wait-" Dreea stopped him, needing to speak before everyone disbanded. "When are we going to announce to everyone that Kodiak's...not here?" There was no easy way to speak about her friend like that, and no matter what she tried, every word felt wrong. 

"We're not going to." Sol folded her arms, almost a way of pulling herself closer for comfort. "They're scared enough as it is, and for now, that fear is driving them to be stronger. They're working on their defense, shooting, and attacking skills. Another setback is just going to eliminate all the hard work they've put into surviving, and we come out of this alive." 

"Smart choice, Sovereign." Joren patted her on the back reassuringly. 

"Speaking of which," Dreea looked over at Sol, "we need to finalize everyone's position when the march comes.  Divide the shooters equally between every station. Make sure there's cover for everyone." 

"You go ahead." Sol answered. "I've got to meet someone." 

"Can't it wait?" 

"Not really." She said. "It's Noah... Kind of like one final attempt at a treaty, if you could call it that." 

Dreea nodded, parting in her own direction as Sol turned for the door. As he heard her approaching, Wynn stepped out, suddenly coming into view. 

Sol jumped a little, immediately settling to glare at him once she realized who it was. 

"What do you want?" 

"Can I talk to you?" He was anxiously cracking his fingers in his hand, looking anywhere else from her glare. 

Sol rolled her eyes. "No, Wynn, you can't." She snapped. "I have a million other things to deal with right now." 

Wynn stumbled, not expecting how harsh she would be. He knew he deserved it, but hated to know that was angry with him, nonetheless. 

Sol sighed and walked past him, brushing into his shoulder as she left. 

Wynn didn't know when she would be back, or if he would get a chance to talk to her before the war came. He had been so caught up in the fight against Targo that he hadn't even considered who might lose their life when Riders came. He couldn't sit by and wait for them to come knowing things weren't right with Sol. He couldn't live with it.

 Three // Part 5

I don't like this chapter, either!