Episode Five, Part 5:
Oikogénia

Would it be enough if I could never give you peace? 

Sol returned to her cell, nodding her gratitude at Xander for safely keeping them out of sight from Leander. When the door closed behind her, Atlantis wasted no time and hurrying over to Sol, determined to know where she had been for the past few hours.

"What happened? Is Wynn okay? Are you okay?"

Sol went to speak but realised that she was overcome with emotion - suddenly feeling the hot sting in her eyes from her attempts at trying to keep her tears at bay.

"Riv?" Atlantis dug a little deeper, immediately worried that something had happened to Wynn. There was an expression on her sister's face that was impossible to read.

"Kodiak and Bas..." Sol choked the words out, feeling like the truth was hitting her all over again.

"What about them? Are you okay?"

"They're here," Sol shook her head, trying to compose herself long enough to let Atlantis know she was fine.

"What?"

"They're here! They're alive!"

Atlantis stepped back ever so slightly, wondering if her sister had gone insane. "No, River. They died-"

"Neptunum picked them up after we sealed the Bunker," she rested her hands on Atlantis' shoulders, giving everything she could to get through to her. "That guard Ammon that came and got me earlier? That was Kodiak. Wynn, Dreea and Chess were all there and he... He came back to us. He's been here all this time; both of them; alive."

"You're sure-"

"Yes, Atlantis!" Sol laughed, wiping under their eyes. "They're here and they're okay. Kodiak's working on a way to get us out of here. And I think I know how to help."

"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be another one of your crazy plans?"

"Probably because it is," Sol rolled her eyes, smiling fondly. "But they always work, don't they?"

////////

"You can come out now," Kodiak announced, giving Wynn the all-clear to reappear now that Leander was gone.

"What the hell did you do to yourself?" Wynn asked, trying to get a close look at Kodiak's arm - which was almost completely stitched up. "Are you out of your mind?"

"I had to make it look believable," he said.

"And you chose cutting your arm open to do that?"

"What would you have done?" Kodiak raised an eyebrow at him, knowing without a doubt that Wynn would have done something just as careless as he had.

Wynn sighed, keeping his mouth shut as he realised his answer. "Whatever," he said after a moment. "Are you okay?"

"Good as new," Kodiak lied, clipping the end of his stitches with a brutal wince. It was clear that his arm was in a great deal of pain, but Wynn was unable to do anything to help.

"What about you?" Kodiak asked. "Has the bleeding stopped?"

"Mostly," Wynn said.

"Sit down," Kodiak instructed. "I'll stitch you up-"

"But your hand?"

"I'm fine. It's not like you have much of a choice, anyway. I can't risk bringing Xander down here or taking you to the medical wing. Besides, as you can see from my own masterpiece, I'm been trained by Neptunum on how to do this."

Wynn took his seat on the bed, a little impressed at Kodiak's strength. "Aeryn and Fenn better watch out... But as good of a job you've done, I doubt Neptunum taught you how to give stitches one-handed." 

"Shut up," Kodiak laughed, swatting Wynn's arm as removed the cloth, allowing Kodiak to work on patching him up.

"Whilst your there, think you could take the implant out?" Wynn joked, although Kodiak knew a part of him was being serious.

"There's no chance now with my hand like this... I'm such an idiot. I'm sorry-"

"Now you're the one who needs to shut up," Wynn said. "If you didn't do that, who knows how the confrontation would have turned out. We'll figure something out - I know we will, even if that means figuring out what to do because Athena's found out about the implant... At least we know Chessca's safe. That matters."

Kodiak managed a smile. "Her and Dreea are together, right?"

"Yeah," Wynn said, suddenly realising that there were as many changes about Basilisk that Kodiak was unaware of as he was of Neptunum. "And Fenn and Liam. And me and Sol."

"Of course you and Riv are," he shook his head, amused that Wynn even felt the need to inform him. "Who knew bunkers were so romantic?" Kodiak said, instantly feeling a twinge at his own words as he heard them. Every single day they had been apart, Kodiak spent imagining what his life would have been like if he was sealed up inside a tiny room with Elara with only their closest friends for comfort. He felt such deep-rooted loneliness at having missed out - as if a part of him was struggling to belong in with the people he'd once loved because the great separation and sudden loss of the only world he knew had been ripped away from him, right under his feet. And if he wasn't the person they knew any more, who was he? Did he still matter? Did he still belong?

"It was tough at times," Wynn said. "Atlantis' bunker was running low on resources. We're lucky you showed up when you did."

"I kept investigating the surrounding areas. I knew the readings from the bunkers' satellites would show that the ground was still uninhabitable and I knew you guys wouldn't think you could go up to the ground. Once I knew Neptunum could get close enough, I convinced Athena to evacuate everyone for our harvest."

"It was a smart move."

"I think you're wrong. I've put everyone in danger."

"You came back to us; you saved our people from starving to death; you gave my sister what she wanted more than anything in the world. It was a smart move."

"Well," Kodiak said, "say that again when Athena takes you to the trials and it doesn't work."

"...What are we going to do about that?" Wynn asked, finally turning around to face him once Kodiak had finished the stitches.

"Xander put you through scans after I went with Elara, didn't he?"

Wynn nodded.

"I'll get him to erase the results. It's not much, but it might buy us some time if Athena goes to put you through it again and doesn't have them."

"How much do you trust him? Xander," Wynn clarified. "You let him come in here and take out Chess' implant, but you said we had to call you Ammon in front of him."

"I trust him," Kodiak said. "And he's the only one I could have turned to about this, but you're right... I haven't told him everything and he hasn't told me everything, either. But I do know he's a good guy. Still, the fewer people that know about this, the better."

"Understood."

////////

Kodiak unlocked Sol and Atlantis' cell, stepping inside briefly, not having the intent to stay long. He was masked but observing Atlantis closely to figure out if she knew.

"It's time for rations," he said, being careful about what he said just in case anyone could hear him. It was a completely irrational fear, but he couldn't shake the grasp paranoia had, had on him lately.

"We're not going."

"Riv," Kodiak stifled a nervous laugh, nervously taking a step closer, trying to make his voice as quiet as he could whilst still allowing them to hear him. "It's me."

"I know it's you, Kodiak," she rolled her eyes in amusement, quickly focusing back on her plan. "But we're not going to rations. I think I've figured out a way to help and as far as I can tell, now is the perfect time to do it."

"I appreciate it, but you don't need to worry. Leave this to me-"

"We're Sovereigns, Kodiak: we're in this together. Besides, whether we're in Basilisk or not, I'm still the Nobel," she said smuggishly. "My decision has-"

"More authority, I get it," Kodiak said, almost regretting have revealed himself to her for fear that she was about to put herself in danger for him. "But you don't know Neptunum like I do. This isn't like anything we've face before: this isn't like Blood Riders or Targo-"

"No, but I do know where the control room is," she cut him off.

Kodiak let out a deep breath, unable to figure out where she was leading. "What?"

"I passed it when Xander was taking me back here. I've talked everything through with Atlantis and we-"

"And you're not going anywhere except to the mess hall," Kodiak said. "I'm not risking you two getting hurt."

"The worst outcome is that they send us to the trials, and from what you've told me, that would actually be beneficial to the plan. You know, figuring out if I can stop them seeing my memories of you?"

"River," Kodiak sighed. "You're making this difficult."

"Glad you noticed," she said. "You should also realise that I'm more than capable of this, no matter who it is I'm up against. Come on, you and I have done this kind of thing too many times to count!"

"There's too much at stake."

"There's always something at stake," Sol argued. "And it's been you for too long. Kodiak... You protect me, I protect you: that's how it is. Let me do this for you. Please."

Kodiak cracked his shaking fingers in his hands, searching for every excuse he could think of to turn down her offer, but he knew he didn't have anything.

"Fine," he said. "Do you still have the weapon I set down for you the other night in the mess hall?"

"Right, I forgot that was you," she said. "I thought you were just a stupid guard," she laughed, heading over to her bed and retrieving not one, but two pistols that had been wedge deeper between the mattress and the frame of her bed. He would have commented on her ridiculous hiding place, but he knew she wasn't exactly spoilt for choice in their tiny, bleak cell.

"Two?" He asked.

"You can thank Atlantis for the other one," Sol smirked. "She attacked a guard for me."

"Impressive..." Kodiak exhaled, nodding his sincerity over to the young girl. "But what's your plan?"

"First," Sol began, looking over at her sister momentarily. "I need you to tell me how many guards I'm gonna have to kill on my way there."

Five // Part Five
He felt such deep-rooted loneliness at having missed out - as if a part of him was struggling to belong in with the people he'd once loved because the great separation and sudden loss of the only world he knew had been ripped away from him, right under his feet. And if he wasn't the person they knew any more, who was he? Did he still matter? Did he still belong?

Nicole, sweetie, did you write that about yourself?
...Maybe.

Smuggishly isn't a word apparently, but it describes exactly how Sol said something, so I am refusing to change it. I mean, you understand what it means so isn't that enough??

Can't believe when I'm 21, I'll have moved countries six times in my life... Fun.

3 updates today! Yay!

22/11/20.