Full Circle (Razgriz x Candira)

"As long as you're going after the research labs, I'm staying. I absolutely will not allow such atrocities to occur when I have the knowledge and power to stop them." She said it with a strong voice, but if either of them were listening carefully, they'd hear the strain. She was remembering something that she'd obviously rather forget happened. Only Exodus would really know what it was that was bothering her, though. "Besides, you two could use a level-headed scout." She smiled softly and then said, "Okay. Who else is starving?"
 
Exodus barely heard the strain in her voice; though Exodus had a pretty good idea of what was getting at her. Couldn't blame her though, the idea of that foul creature touching anyone like he tried to do to Harbinger made him sick. The thought of food seemed to get both of their attentions; Sovereign was easily the most vocal about it, though. "Starving? I would have eaten all those Beastmen in there literally if they hadn't smelled so god-damn bad! Yes, food sounds fan-fucking-tastic!" Exodus just nodded and said, "Yeah, I could go for something to eat. Just not any more of that green crud. I've had enough of that for several life-times."

It was here Sovereign noticed a deer coming to investigate what was going; Sovereign looked at it with hungry eyes and said, "Hey! FOOD!" He then aimed the tube of the arm-launcher; Exodus saw and tried to stop him, saying "Sovereign, no, don't even.." but it was too late. The round traveled downrange, landing just behind the deer, the shockwave causing it come flying into Sovereign's outstretched arms, surprisingly still intact. "YUM!" he roared before crushing its neck and taking a massive bite out of the side, fur and all, then another. "Jeez, Sovereign...." Exodus muttered as he shook his head with a bemused grin on his face.
 
Harbringer couldn't help but laugh at the sight. She couldn't stop either. It was the first time she'd laughed in a long time and it felt so good. After a moment she brushed a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry Sovereign, but that was just too good." She smiled and then caught sight of another deer in the distance. "Mine," she said, taking aim with her own rifle. In instant the deer was down. "I'll share with you if you go get it, Exodus."
 
Exodus was glad to see Harbinger laugh; it was about time something happened to release the tension. When he saw HArbinger drop the deer, he gave a small clapping. "Nice shot" he said, and then nodded as Harbinger offered her proposal of sharing the deer. "Be right back" Exodus said flatly as he ran out to get the deer. Returning moments later, he dropped the deer on the ground. "So, should we make a fire to cook it, or do you want to eat it raw? I'm good with either."
 
"I'm for cooking it," she said hopping down from her gunman. "I think I can heat up the hand on my gunman so we could grill it," she said, walking over to him to help with whatever else needed to be done. "Or we can find some wood to light up. Up to you," she said, starting to help clean it off.
 
Exodus looked around; there was plenty of dry brush in the area. That would make good starting fuel, but they would need wood for a good fire. There were some dried-up trees in the area as well, amazing how luck seemed to favor them. "Gather some of the dry brush, and I'll get some of the wood." He then thought of something; they didn't have anything to start the fire with. But then it hit him, gunpowder. "Harbinger, before you go, you have any bullets left? We'll need one to start the fire itself." His plan was to build a fire-base, then ignite gunpowder underneath it using a spark from the wiring in his Gunman to make the fire.
 
She paused for a moment, unsure about his methods, but who was she to judge? "Well yeah. Here," she said, taking one from her belt and tossing it to him. That said she shrugged and headed off to grab some of the brush. The fresh air, the feel of the breeze around her...it was so good to be free. She stretched a bit and then started to gather the plants in question. Moments later, she was back at camp setting her things down, only to notice that their deer was conspicuously missing its head and Sovereign was innocently munching at his prey.

She had to laugh. "Did you eat its head, Sovereign?"
 
Sovereign looked over at Harbinger, blood trailing down his squared, heavyset jawline. "I don't eat heads! Brains are gross! No, I crush heads!" He then held up the severed head of their deer. "Haha, see! This is what I do to wimpy baby Beastmen!" He then threw the head on the ground and jumped down, landing a large booted foot right on top of it. He then stomped on it repeatedly, saying loudly "Haha, puny Beastman! Trying to beg for mercy? Too late! Die! Die! DIEEEEE!"

Exodus returned with the wood from the trees, shaking his head and chuckling, "Alright, Sovereign. Save that energy for the real Beastmen. We'll need it." He emptied the gunpowder from the bullet, then placed the brush loosely over that, and finally assembled some of the wood over the brush. Removing a panel from his Gunman, he found two wires that he could use. Touching the tips together, he saw sparks jump. He then placed the active ends over the pile of gunpowder and touched; a brilliant flash of light emerged and the whole brush pile went ablaze.

He then saw went to the cleaned deer and stripped a good portion of its meat off, placing it on sticks that he sharpened using his blade. Handing most of them to Harbinger, he smiled and said, "Here, eat up" indicating he was giving the majority to her.
 
She was simultaneously amused and disgusted by Sovereign's display. Still, she smiled at him. "I admire your spirit, Sovereign. Just try not to get too much blood on me," she said with a chuckle. Happily, she took her share of the meat from Exodus and roasted it over the fire. "Thank you. But you know you can have more if you want, right?" She smiled and held the meat close to the flame, enjoying the smell of it cooking.
 
Exodus shook his head, "No.....I've been withut it for so long, that I'd probably get sick if I ate too much." Of course, that was a bullshit excuse; in truth, he was punishing himself for the atrocious things he did to a comrade. He had a strong sense of honor; he'd eat as little as possible, so that his comrades could have the majority of it.

Still, as he ate his meager portion, he tried to construct a plan of attack. The positions of several research centers had already been uploaded into a mapping program; he just needed to figure out how to get inside each of them.
 
Harbringer ate the pieces she wanted and noticed that there was quite a bit of deer meet left. So she roasted it for later, watching Exodus as he ate a pitiful meal. "You know what, before he lost it, the doctor told me something interesting about your immune system, Exodus. So it makes it hard for me to believe that you'd get sick from eating your fair share of this meal. I'm going to roast the rest up for later, and if you eat some, that's fine with me. If not, just know that it's a pretty stupid thing to do, considering your condition."

That said, she started to roast more meat.
 
Exodus heard Harbinger's comment on his immune system; figures she'd know something he didn't. She was the researcher's favorite after all. He must have given her quite a lot of information he wouldn't normally share with others. "Harbinger, what exactly did the researcher tell you about my immune system? And for that matter, what other information did he divulge, if any? What with you being his favorite and all, he seemed to trust you quite a bit. That leads me to believe that he told you some things these 'Divine Generals' might not want people like us to know."

Exodus had a pretty good bit of dirt on them as well; Adiane and Thymilph seemed to be quite 'attached' to each other. Or at the very least, they were extremely close friends. Still, there was one name in particular, the 'Spiral King'. The researcher said something about the 'Spiral King', about his reign not ceasing just because they managed an escape. One thing was for certain; if they found another research base, they'd need to get more information.
 
She wasn't sure she appreciated the light way in which he spoke about her being the researcher's favorite, and she hated the way he seemed to say it as though it were a good thing. She'd have to talk to him about that later. For now, though, he had a point, so she started with the immune systems.

"Of the three of us, Sovereign's immune system is probably the best. The researcher was convinced that he could be infected with everything and probably still live healthily. It's a lot like his fighting style actually," she said, amused. "Mine is the weakest, though I can handle quite a lot. But yours is quite unique, Exodus. You can withstand quite a bit, but he thought it noteworthy that your system doesn't just fight off infections--it makes you immune to them. Or at least that's what I thought he said. In any case, you're not going to get sick from overeating, so you may as well just drop it. Eat something," she said, frowning. "You look hungry."

After that, she said she would have to remember all the other things he told her. "One thing I know for certain though. Of the three of us, he hated you the most, Exodus. And I think it's because he thought I had feelings for you."
 
Exodus listened as Harbinger told him the differences in their immune systems; so he had the most adaptive? That's what he was getting from it. Odd, but inconsequential. He was deep thought as he continued to eat, following Harbinger's advice. When she said that the researcher hated him the most, no surprise came over his face. Exodus knew that fro the get-go.

"Well, it's good you that don't. Emotions will only slow us down, we can't afford to get distracted." he said shortly as he finished his meal, saving the rest for later. He honestly could not eat another bite, he was so full. He then stood up and said, "It's going to get cold. I'm heading out to get more wood. Be right back." He then walked off, thinking about how they were going to begin their own war against an unreal number of enemies.
 
She wanted to agree with Exodus on all counts--everything he said to her made sense, but she just couldn't do it. She had had feelings for Exodus--not romantic feelings, but enough to regret what she'd done to him. The way he must see her made her sick. In fact, it made her think twice about staying with their little group, but she wouldn't like it on her own, and she doubted she would last long without someone watching her back. Besides, their mission was far too important. Sighing she watched him as he went off for more wood.

Closing her eyes she leaned back. He was wrong though. Emotions wouldn't slow them down--it's what would make them different from their enemy. No emotions weren't the problem here. Not controlling them was. Rather than find some other way to comfort herself, Harbringer curled up in a ball and fell on her side in front of the fire. She kept her eyes closed and waited for sleep to come to her rescue like it had so many times in the past...but her heart ached and she felt empty. Now that she was free, her glaring imperfections and mistakes were impossible to deny, as was the lonely feeling she had whenever she was left alone too long. What was she doing here?
 
Exodus came back with a large pile of wood; he would take watch for tonight. Sovereign had already fallen asleep and would unlikely awaken before the crack of dawn. No matter; Sovereign easily used the most energy of the three of them, and so needed the rest more vitally than any of them. Despite his size and earlier demonstration of power, he was a surprisingly quiet sleeper. And so he stoked the fire, watching his two comrades rest before adding more fuel to the fire.

For some reason, his mind would occassionally wander to Harbinger. He felt that she was more to him than just a fellow Goldeneye; however, his time in the research station had dulled his range of emotions towards her signficantly. He had no memories of any family, of his birth place, nothing. And it aggravated him; however, as his stay in the research station proved, nothing good ever came from rushing something.

As he kept watch, Exodus tried to think of who this 'Spiral King' was. He also wondered how many Generals there were, and what the objective was behind his 'creation'. Why did they turn people into these things, these 'Supers'? What made him a Goldeneye, despite the characteristic iris color change when his anger reached a certain limit? Thymilph had said something about 'filthy ape' settlements. So many questions, so few answers. Hopefully tomorrow, there would be more to go off.
 
Harbringer woke toward the the middle of the night and sat up, dusting herself off. The fire was still going, which meant that Exodus must be awake. It was a shame really. He should be sleeping, not her. She yawned and then stood, looking around her, not seeing anything, and she was the best person to be keeping watch. A glance over at Sovereign told her he was sleeping like a baby. She smiled softly. Of the three of him, he was the easiest to understand and get along with. His personality was simple, but unflinchingly honest. She was glad that he was alright. More so that he was sticking around.

Sighing, she wished that there could be more happiness in their little group, but that was wishful thinking beyond belief. She and Exodus would probably never get along after all they'd put each other through.
 
Exodus was disturbed in his thoughts when he heard someone stir; his eyes, which had been closed temporarily to visualize attack strategies, opened to see Harbinger awake. "Harbinger? What are you doing awake? You need your rest. There's a lot we'll be doing tomorrow, and I need everyone at 100%"
 
"You're a big hypocrite, you know that? You're probably the worse off of the two of us. You've been injected with God knows how many diseases in the past 48 hours, not to mention the stunt the researcher pulled with silver fire. Oh yeah, and I shot you," she said, putting her hands on her hips. Why did everyone assume she couldn't handle herself as well as a man? She'd proven on several occasions that she was just as powerful--though she lacked considerable talent for close-quarters combat.

"I've had the least wear and tear today. If anyone should be taking watch tonight, it's me. I've got a little bit of night vision, not to mention how far I can see. Besides, I've slept long enough to recharge. And since you're the leader, that means you need your rest too. So get some. I'll take my turn." She said it with a finality that would not be denied and stood her ground--literally.
 
"How exactly am I a hypocrite? Just because I put the welfare of my team-mates above my own? I'm sorry, but if I'm a leader, as you say, then isn't that kind of my duty? To ensure that my comrades are well? Why do you care anyway?"

He paused for a moment, then continued,"What I did to you in that station was unforgivable, even if it was part of a half-baked plan! And the only reason you shot me was because you didn't know it was me, that wasn't your fault. As for the diseases and Silver Fire, all that's left is scars." He then sighed and figured it was best to tell her where he was coming from.

"Harbinger, look, it's not that I think you can't handle yourself. For someone whose primary skill-set is long-range, you show excellent hand-to-hand prowess. And everything that the researcher had you do, you helped draw suspicion of a connection between us away. The truth is, you and Sovereign are the closest thing to family I have right now. I don't want to lose you, either of you. So, please, Harbinger, just go back to sleep. I'll take care of everything."
 
"My ass. Did you ever stop to think that you're not any good to us if you're not at 100 percent? Idiot. "What you did to me is of no concern. We're both responsible for a lot of pain." She walked to him and knelt down to his level. "What don't you understand about this situation, Exodus? We are all in the same boat together. And while it's noble of you to think of your 'family' first, it's also stupid if it means that you don't think of yourself at all. And now that I'm fighting with you I'm really not tired. So you lay down and sleep, damn it, or so help me I will make you."
 
Exodus was about to argue back with her; he realized the futility of it and finally submitted. "Fine, but if something happens and it's too much for you to handle on your own, wake me." Throwing some more wood into the fire to keep it going, he then said, "See you in the morning" and passed out into the realm of dreams.

The next morning would entail the beginning of a one-month period of finding Beastman-controlled research installations, freeing the occupants and destroying them. Sovereign skill with explosives aided Exodus' combat strategies hugely, and Harbinger's precision and accuracy with high-caliber, long-range munitions enabled them to take out any guards patrolling the area.

At the end of this month-long period, Exodus and company came across an exceptionally fortified installation; it was bigger, and far more heavily armored than any other that they came across previously. Giving the building a quick assessment, Exodus cursed his luck; Sovereign was low on explosives, and the base appeared too heavily fortified to knock it down. "Well, I hate to say this, but I think we're going to have to hit this thing from the inside." The question was, how do they get in? The data on this one was sketchy at best; there were no details of personnel, inventory, anything useful seemed to be conveniently missing. "Just what the hell is this place?"
 
Harbringer basked in her victory as he lay down and almost immediately fell asleep. She grinned and kept watch vigilantly. She kept the fire down to just enough of a flame to give them heat. A fire was really a dead giveaway of their presence if they were supposed to be hiding, so she wanted to keep hidden. When they woke a new adventure began.

Harbringer gradually became less and less prickly around Exodus, learning to trust in him more and more, and how to deal with him when he got down on himself. But there was one thing that she would not stand for--his tendency to take all of the burden onto himself. For some reason he seemed to think that she and Sovereign were completely innocent. Perhaps it had started off that way, but not now. He'd done all he could to fix things over the last month. And he'd fixed plenty.

As he told her the strategy today, she frowned. "I don't know. I think we should scout it out a bit more. Give me some time to watch this place. It may take longer, but I can find a way in and figure out what we're up against." She wondered if he'd listen. Or if Sovereign would be willing to wait.
 
Exodus nodded his agreement; observing would be the best course of action right now. With no supplied data to go off, they'd have to make their own. If they charged in now, they'd be taking an unnecessarily high gamble. And Harbinger had the highest level of perceptive ability and stealth mastery; she'd probably pick apart this base and find a weakness in no time at all. "Good idea. How long do you think you'll need?" He wasn't asking this for himself; Exodus could tell Sovereign was raring to go tear the enemy limb from limb. And once Sovereign got going, he was damn near impossible to stop.
 
"I'm not sure. I'll report back as often as I can. It shouldn't take more than a day," she said. "Don't worry, though, Sovereign. When I get back, I'll give us the strategy that will let you kill the most enemies." She smiled and then turned to Exodus. "I'll head out immediately. If I'm not back by nightfall, something is probably wrong." That said, she started toward the base, taking in each detail as she could see it.
 
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