Episode One, Part 3:
The Invaders

Most of my boys are with me, some are still out seeking glory.
And some, I had to leave behind; my brother, I'm so sorry. 

The water circled Sol's feet as she reached the staircase and began her ascent to the ground, her people walking right behind her. It was night, but the brightness of the moon seemed overwhelming as it hit her - so much more vibrant than the dim, sometimes flickering lights inside the Bunker - and she scanned her eyes around her surroundings in anticipation of who would be waiting.

There was still a lot of water around, but the entrance to the Bunker was on a higher level of ground which meant that there wasn't enough to drain inside and flood all the furniture and hallways they had just been pulled out of. It only managed to rise above their toes, soaking through the bases of their worn-out shoes and drenching into their mismatched socks.

Trying not to let the water distract her, Sol looked around, eager to make sense of who the people were that had suddenly invaded their home.

There were a group of guards crowded around and waiting for them - each wearing a mask identical to the one the person had been wearing as they entered the Bunker; each of them holding tight to a weapon that was secured at their sides as they made their way around Sol and her friends, quick to remove them of any blades of pistols they had possession of.

"Follow me onto the Ouranos," one of the outside guards ordered, latching onto Sol's upper arm and tugging her into the direction of the airship. Sol grunted her refusal, snapping herself free from the man's hold, but continuing to follow at her own pace - for the sake of not landing everyone else in trouble.

They walked around the cave that concealed the Bunker's entrance, everyone's eyes widening at the sight of the dark and eery plane that was waiting to transport them.

"Where the hell are you taking us?" Sol spat, suddenly seeming to think that not attacking the masked intruder in the Bunker had been the wrong decision.

"Back to our ship," the guard answered. "The ground is still uninhabitable here."

"We're not getting on there. Not until we know who you are and what exactly it is that you want with us-"

Sol's resistance was cut short at the sound a gun cocking behind her. She turned around, quick to locate which one of her people was in danger, terrified to see Wynn being held in a chokehold with a gun pressed against his forehead.

"Wy-" She tried to mumble out his name, but fear had momentarily stolen her voice.

"Do what they say," Wynn managed the words out, struggling to speak with his throat held so tightly.

"But Dreea and Chess and everyone else in the second b-"

"We'll figure it out," Wynn argued. "Go!"

Biting back all of her instincts, Sol climbed onto the Ouranos and immediately grabbed onto Atlantis as she followed inside, determined to keep her safe as everyone else was loaded onside. Wynn was the last person to board and was bitterly shoved out of the chokehold, stumbling inside as the door to the ship closed behind him.

"Are you okay?" Sol asked, pulling herself and Atlantis close towards him, determined to get an answer soon about what they were going to do about the rest of their people in the second bunker.

Wynn nodded, rubbing his neck sorely. "Once we figure out where they're taking us, then we figure out how to get the others out. But if it's not safe, then we don't mention Atlantis' bunker to them."

"Good idea," Sol agreed, flickering her eyes over to the rest of her people and doing a mental headcount to make sure they were all there: Quill, Elara, Izzy, Harlow, Fenn, Liam, Katherine, Mabel, Dex and Joshua... Everyone was together. At least she could rest on that.

"Do either of you still have a weapon?"

Sol shook her head at Wynn's question, already trying to figure out which guard appeared the easiest to disarm. "They pulled mine right out of my belt once I reached the ground, but I-"

Wynn waited for her to continue, but Sol had completely forgotten everything she had been saying, pushing past him to gaze out of the window behind him. After he caught on, Wynn turned around and followed her stare, taking in the sight of the ground as the Ouranos hummed to life and began to raise them into the air, high above ground level.

They watched in awe - never having experienced such a sensation as flying, trying not to let themselves abandon the feeling of impending doom as they were taken miles away from the familiarity of the Bunker.

"Is that..." Wynn couldn't bring himself to finish, too caught up in one had captured his attention.

"Basilisk," Sol answered for him, breathing out a hollowed, miserable sound. "Yeah..."

The ruins of their camp were clear to see - even in the fading light of day - as they flew over what had been their home for so long. Trees that had once been standing tall, had vanished; the large, brick walls of the Sovereigns Quarters had collapsed in places; anything that was left behind already washed away.

It was a hard sight to see, especially when the haunting thoughts of Kodiak have been caught up in that kind of devastation crossed her mind...

She turned so that she was leaning up against the window, slumping down until her knees caved beneath her and she reached the floor with a defeated exhale.

Unable to do anything else to console her, Wynn slumped down at her side, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder as Atlantis also followed and sat down until eventually, all of their people were doing the same. 

"Was I this scary when I open your bunkers?" Sol murmured half-heartedly, doing her best to force a smile Wynn and Atlantis' way in case they were as in desperate need as she was. 

"I'd say you're about equal at the moment," Wynn replied, finding a slither of strength as he felt Sol smile against his shoulder. 

After what felt like hours, the Ouranos began to descend into its new destination. It met with a surface with a loud screech of scraping metal and shook the entire floor that Sol and the others were resting on. Knowing that they were about to be moved into a new location, everyone stood on their feet, staying close so there was no chance of them being separated.

"Follow me. We're going to take you all to your assigned holding cells."

"Cells?" Wynn muttered under his breath, sharing a concerned look with Sol.

She could only shrug her confusion, latching onto his hand momentarily and giving it a squeeze of assurance.

Before she could even think of any words of comfort to offer him, the door that had sealed them inside was shifted open and a cold wind swept inside, immediately waking them all up - as if the fear hadn't had a chance to do that already.

Already knowing the drill, Sol fell first in line to follow behind the guard, trying to make sense of where she was. They seemed to be walking on a section that was outside, walking up a steep ramp into a room that was slowly being illuminated with even more guards lining up at the sides.

Her eyes scanned further - to each side of where she was walking - coming to the unsettling discovery that they were on board some sort of ship... From what she could see, and from what all logic was screaming at there, they were surrounded by water in every direction leaving no possible escape for Sol and the people from the Bunker.

They walked into the first section of the building, not sure where they were supposed to go as another door sealed shut behind them, trapping them all inside. As the guard that they had been following parted the room through a passcode-protected exit, Sol crept over in his direction, trying to gain as much information as she could. Where did that door lead to? What were they going to do to her and her people now that they were all locked inside the room? And how the hell was she ever going to find her way back to-

...Sol silenced her thoughts, feeling her entire world stop spinning on its axis... As she peered through the window on the top half of the door, having to squint to see past the fingerprints left on the glass, she saw someone that her heart had been waiting a long time for... 

One // Part Three
Was I this scary when I opened your bunkers?

I did NOT like this chapter. But I have something in the next chapter that I think you might like...

24/10/20.