Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Something was off about this night, Thomas knew it.

The black Republic jeeps had just arrived at the hospital. This was supposed to be a regular check-up, nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing dangerous was supposed to happen today. But then why did he have this feeling of dread? He felt sick. Coming from the slums as he did, he’s always felt like an impostor, like he didn’t truly deserve the station he was assigned. There was always this gnawing fear of being found out for what he truly was – poor, undeserving –, and for being kicked out of the place that gave him what little stability he had in life. It felt like some sort of void was eating him up from the inside. Its veracity came and went, but this night it was particularly stubborn. Thomas thought that eventually it’ll consume him fully, surely. All that it would leave is the husk- the Republic’s obedient servant.

Thomas forced himself to snap back to reality, get his head back in the game. He glanced at Metias, who was standing at the entrance of the hospital. His black hair and uniform made him look like a shadow, standing next to one of the nurses and chatting with her. Everything was exactly as it should be. ‘Nothing out of the ordinary’ He reminded himself.

“Bryant.”

All of a sudden, Thomas heard a sharp voice come from his earpiece. It belonged to Commander Jameson. Great, there went his heart once more, racing. Before whispering a quick reply, he hid behind one of the jeeps. He was finding it difficult to keep it together and did not want to risk anybody catching a glimpse of his little crisis. “Hello, Commander.”

“It has to be done tonight.”

Thomas tensed up and bit his lip. There it was. He stayed silent, partially he wasn’t sure if he could keep a steady voice, and this was not the time to show the Commander any sort of weakness or hesitation.

She continued; “If we don’t act now, your captain may plan an act of treason against the Republic, or even against the Elector. I’m giving you a direct order, Lieutenant Bryant. Find a way to get Captain Iparis to a private spot tonight. I don’t care how you do it.”

He wasn’t sure what to feel. Some part of him was relieved, for now he knew what he’s been feeling so on edge about, and it was just an order. He’s been following orders for years, so what’s one more? This would be an excellent opportunity to prove to the Commander just how loyal he really was. Additionally, he knew this was coming. He has dreaded receiving this call ever since he learned about Metias’ hacking into deceased civilian’s databases. The Republic can’t have people snooping around - no wonder they want to get rid of him.

Thomas rested his head against the massive jeep behind him. Jameson’s words kept repeating themselves in his head. “I don’t care how you do it,” Over and over. She doesn’t care. Jameson taught Metias everything he knows. She has been through so much with him, and she doesn’t care how he dies. Was this the kind of detachment that was expected from Thomas? Yes, yes it was. He’s supposed to be made out of stone; without any emotion, let alone affection for his Captain. A good lieutenant would follow orders, regardless of how it affected him personally. That’s what he’s been doing all of his life, after all. What’s one more mission fulfilled? Thomas whispered “Yes, Commander.” while barely being able to keep his voice from breaking. He was grateful that his quietness could be interpreted as a necessity, given that Metias wasn’t that far from him and he naturally can’t have himself be heard by him. It took Thomas every inch of self-control to not completely lose it right now. He had to focus.

“Good,” Jameson said, “Tell me when you’re ready --- I’ll send in separate orders to the rest of your patrol to be at a different location during that time. Make it quick and clean.”

Thomas glanced around, at the rest of his patrol. What would they even think of him? Would they think it wrong or right to do what he’s about to do? Would they be able to do it themselves, to kill one of the most well liked and charismatic Captains the Republic has ever seen? No Thomas thought, only I can do this, and that’s why I absolutely have to.

This was wrong- this was so wrong. If his best friend was gone, who would he even have left? June? But what could she do for him, aside from remind him what Metias’ eyes looked like? “Commander-.” he spoke tentatively, “Is there no other way? Metias has been nothing but loyal to the Republic.” He stammered on, hoping to somehow make his case. The sheer thought of having Metias’ blood on his hands made him want to throw up.

“If you don’t do it, I will. Understood?” Jameson’s voice was stern as ever. The only thing worse than Thomas having to do it, would be Jameson doing it. At least Thomas cared, at least Thomas would make it painless, would let him die with dignity. Something told him that Jameson would not give Metias the same grace.

He stepped away from behind the jeep to take another look at Metias, who was still chatting with the nurse. Thomas stood far away - but he could sense this feeling of contentment from Metias. Something about his relaxed yet authoritative posture, the polite smile that was more genuine than most people would assume. He was so comfortable and in his element. Was he really so prejudiced against the Republic?

For a moment, Thomas imagined Metias actually standing up against the Elector - spreading this ‘proof’ he hacked out of the databases amongst the poor sectors. He would start riots, possibly form a huge threat. There was no denying it.

Thomas then imagined Jameson getting her hands on Metias - cruel Jameson. She would have absolutely no mercy for him. For how long would she let Metias bleed? How much would he have to suffer? Thomas can’t do that to him. Not following Jameson’s order right now, would be like inflicting that torture upon Metias himself. “Understood, Commander,” he replied firmly, still not taking his eyes off of his friend.

“I’m confident that you can get it done, Bryant.” Jameson’s encouragement sounded anything but kind. “And if you’re successful, consider yourself promoted to captain.” The call cut off before Thomas could do or say anything else.

Thomas closed his eyes. Turn off whatever it is that you’re feeling, he told himself. As he did, he could sense the void inside of him devouring another chunk of him - of his core being. Just do what has to get done. he repeated. He opened his eyes and marched towards the entrance of the hospital in a straight line. Maybe he was walking too direct? Was it obvious what he was planning? Where was all this insecurity coming from all of a sudden? He has done this thousands of times before. Detach yourself, dammit.

Once Thomas arrived by Metias’ side, he didn’t feel as determined as he would like, and felt himself a bit overwhelmed by the task of getting Metias to a secluded spot. Somehow, inviting Metias to wander off together seemed as daunting as pulling a trigger. After all, it always felt as though there was a wall between them, this divide of sheer status. Perhaps that would make this whole ordeal easier.

Metias had just said goodbye to the nurse as Thomas approached him. Metias’ face lit up at the sight of his friend. “Another long night, eh? I swear, if we’re stuck here until dawn again, I’ll whine to Commander Jameson like there’s no tomorrow.” He joked.

Nothing about this was funny - this was a mess, a terrible mess. Little did Metias know there really was no tomorrow for him. Yesterday's sunrise was his last, and he didn’t even know it. Yet, somehow, Thomas managed to force himself to laugh along, “Let’s hope for an uneventful night, then.” The lie felt smooth. It began feeling easy.

“Yes, let’s hope for that,” Matias said, “At least I have you for company.”

“Likewise,” Thomas replied. Of course, he was glad he had Metias’ company - even if he knew that this would be the last time. Though Thomas couldn’t bring himself to look at Metias, he could feel his friend’s gaze linger on him for a moment. Just a beat too long - then Metias glanced away. He knows Thomas thought, he can tell that there’s something off

There were a couple minutes of silence, of watching the rest of the patrol go about their business. Nothing significant occured, save for Thomas’ thoughts flying around in his head like they were at war with each other. Thomas was saved from this internal torment when, moments later, a ragged slum-sector boy dragged himself up to the entrance and stopped to talk to a nurse. He looked like a mess - mud, dirt, and blood smeared across his face. Thomas visibly flinched as he saw him. He is not usually squeamish in the slightest, but the context of the night made everything feel different.

From a distance, Thomas could hear the boy ask the nurse “Can I be admitted, cousin? Is there still room tonight? I can pay.”

The nurse hardly looked up from her notepad. “What happened?”

“Was in a fight. I think I got stabbed.”

Thomas stared at the boy, put off by his presence. Metias sent two soldiers into the hospital to pat the boy down. Thomas bit his lip, again. “Don’t like the look of that one. He doesn’t walk like someone who’s been stabbed, does he?”

Metias watched the boy leave out of their sight, then nodded. “Agreed. Keep an eye on that one. After our rotation’s done I’d like to question him a bit.”

Time went on, and the rest of the patrol went about their business. Just then Thomas noticed how close he and Metias had been standing to one another. It felt natural, as it always did with his best friend, but something about it was overwhelming. Thomas has always known Metias was attracted to him, it’s something in the lingering glances and frequent yet subtle touches that made it apparent. Yet tonight it felt particularly bare.

Where was this coming from? Perhaps Metias was just on edge because of June’s antics at the university this morning. That must be it. There’s no point in mulling it over anyways. Jameson’s words still haunted Thomas’ head, after all. He has to do it tonight. He has to do it now.

Thomas takes a short moment to gather himself. “Captain,” he murmured casually, as he tapped Metias on his shoulder. “Can I speak to you in private for a moment?”

Metias blinked, confused. “Is it urgent?” He didn’t even look especially sad or anything - Metias’ face was somewhat devoid of emotion as they often are during long shifts. Yet those eyes just did something to Thomas.

“Not quite,” he managed to stammer, keeping his composure. “But… I’d rather you know.”
Metias’ confusion only seemed to grow. He was clearly looking for clues as to what was going on. Thomas was already formulating an excuse in his head, but Metias waved over two soldiers to take their place as guards.

The two of them walked out of sight from the others. Immediately, Metias’ formal composure fell apart into something that’s clearly more comfortable. “Something wrong, Thomas?” He asked, concerned “You don’t look well.”

Thomas hated this. He hated this so, so much. Because, in fact, everything was wrong, and he was not doing well at all. And if he had any choice, he would probably just break into tears. He’d hug Metias, and hold on as his life depended on it. They’d finish their shift, and go home together. Thomas would get to talk to Metias, make everything right.

Treason against the Republic. Metias would never… Or would he? Thomas looked at his friend, the light hit Metias’ eyes in that one way - the one that made them shimmer slightly golden. Thomas had to suppress whatever emotion that caused him to have, he had to ignore it. The two grew up together, trained together, they grew so close. It was the kind of friendship that made you question things, like where exactly platonic feelings and romantic feelings begin.

Thomas shifted his position the slightest bit, he wanted to push Metias’ hair out of his face. Just a little, just so he could see him better. But right when he went for it, the slight movement of his arm reminded Thomas of the sheathed knife sitting heavily at his waist. “I’m fine.” He said, standing still again.

Metias laughed - warmly and genuinely. It sounded so nice. “Come on. You’ve never needed to hide anything from me before. You know that, right?” His expression was so kind, it made everything so much more difficult.

Just say it, Thomas. he told himself. Force the words out. Just let him hear it. Thomas sighed, looking straight up at Metias. “What is this between us?”

Silence.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.” Thomas nearly felt angry. “This. All these years.” Was it all in his head? Did Thomas create this whole narrative about the two of them having some sort of forbidden feelings for one another, that wasn’t true in the slightest? Would that make this any easier?

Metias looked at Thomas sternly. “This.” he emphasized the word, “can’t happen. You’re my subordinate.”

Thomas bit his lip again. That wasn’t false. “But it means something to you, sir. Doesn’t it?” He looked at his friend to find something, anything, any sign that could excuse Thomas dropping his orders.

The captain was clearly trying to control his expression, yet still, there was emotion on his face. Something tragically joyful. Metias leaned in closer. Thomas could feel the wall - one that had been built around them all their lives - had finally begun to crack. “Does it mean anything to you?” he asked Thomas.

Enough. Thomas already felt guilt in his stomach, anyways. He already felt so empty and helpless having to do this. He hated having to go through with this. But if he was going to, he might as well say goodbye. It wouldn’t matter anyway, right? After tonight Metias would be dead, and Thomas would never have this chance again. Thomas took a swift step forward, and before he could give himself any time to change his mind, he kissed Metias.

Thomas could feel Metias tense, but he still held onto him for a second. Time stopped, Thomas felt a spark of pure satisfaction. Regardless of what was about to happen, in this moment he was nothing but content that he chose to do this. Maybe Thomas could just tell Metias about Jameson’s plan, and he’d run away- to safety. Maybe there was a way in which everything could work out after all. Before Thomas could think about that any longer, he felt Metias’ hand on the back of his head, he felt Metias kissing him back in earnest and he felt his world shatter and reassemble itself all in a split second.

This meant a lot- way too many things for Thomas to process. Overwhelmingly, however, he felt the presence of that knife. Never again would Metias let his guard down like this. This was it, this was the moment. Thomas reminded himself of what fate would wait Metias if he didn’t do it, and his hand crept to the weapon sheathed under his belt.
Do it.
Do it, coward.
Why can’t you just follow orders, like you’re supposed to?
But it was too much. Metias’ lips still on his, finally standing so close, finally feeling something so warm, so safe - Thomas couldn’t bring himself to end it. He could barely even bring himself to breathe.

Metias pulled Thomas even closer, but before anything could be said or done, an alarm cut through the air. The two jumped apart in surprise. Both were somewhat red and flustered, and it took them a second to realise that the alarm was coming from the hospital. Just like that, the moment broke.

Metias snapped back into Captain-mode in an instant. “Get inside,” he yelled into his earpiece, “I want half of you in there--pinpoint the source. Gather the others at the entrance and wait for my command. Now!” He ran off to the hospital entrance.

Naturally, Thomas ran after him. There went his chance to do it - to end it. Would this mean he just doomed Metias to die miserably? Did Jameson see what happened, and was she plotting to punish Thomas as well? All this worry made Thomas have a hard time catching up to Metias.

“Break-in,” Metias explained, “It was that boy we saw. I’m sure of it. Bryant, get five and circle east. I’ll go the other way.” he was already on the move, gathering his soldiers. “He’s going to have to get out of that hospital somehow. We’ll be waiting for him when he tries.”

Thomas did as Metias commanded. However, the second he was out of earshot, he ordered his soldiers to head east while he himself stayed behind and snuck into the shadows. I have to follow him. he thought, This is my last chance. If I fail, I’m as good as dead anyway. Was it even possible to have more of an adrenaline rush? Thomas could feel sweat trickle down on his face, and he had to remind himself of all the lessons that Metias taught him about subtlety and stealth. If it wasn’t for him, Thomas wouldn't even be able to sneak up on anyone like this.

Suddenly, from somewhere in the night, Thomas heard glass shatter. He hid behind a wall as Metias raced past, alone and unguarded towards the source of the sound. That was it. His chance. Thomas followed him.

The darkness of the night was all-consuming. He felt lost - was he even still tracking Metias? He raced through alleys and past empty vehicles, the hospital was a complex as large as a castle. At the worst time, a call came through his earpiece once more.

“You’d better find a second chance to take him down, Lieutenant. Soon.” Jameson barked.

This did not help, not at all. Thomas didn’t say anything in return, he just stayed focused best he could.. He wanted to cry so badly. He’s been wanting to cry this entire night - but no. First, he’d have to kill his best friend. He oriented himself in the alleys, and seconds later he finally found Metias.

He was alone, struggling up from the ground with a knife buried in his shoulder, surrounded by blood and broken glass. The scene moved Thomas. He hadn’t even done anything yet, and he already felt guilty. A few feet from Metias lay a sewer cap. Thomas quickly rushed to Metias’ side.

Metias smiled at him. Metias smiled, and it killed Thomas. This hurt pulled at his chest, it’s as if every little piece of him that the void hasn’t devoured yet was crying out in pain. “It was Day,” Metias gasped. “He escaped down the sewers.” He reached out to Thomas, “Here. Help me up.”

Thomas stayed silent, unable to move. This is your chance, he told himself. This is your only chance, and if you can’t do it now, it will never happen. They say that before you die, you see your life flash in front of your eyes. Thomas realised that the same thing happens when you’re about to kill someone you love. He kept seeing all these images in his head. Jameson would interrogate Metias - slice him open piece by piece, torturing him for every bit of information. She would kill him slowly, like how she would a prisoner of war.

And then the Republic’s flag - he did this for the Republic, right? He took an oath the day Metias accepted him into patrol. He swore to forever be faithful to the republic and the Elector, until his dying day.

Thomas’ eyes darted to the knife in Metias’ shoulder. Do it. Do it now. Thomas nearly reached for it, he nearly grabbed the knife to plunge it into Metias’ heart. But he stopped. Why?

Thomas reached for Metias’ hand. “We need to go, captain.” He said. He could already hear others arriving - Jameson would be the first to see this. She would see how Thomas was weak, how he couldn’t do it. She’d take Metias.

Metias frowned. “I don’t-.”

“I know you don’t understand. But trust me. Please. I’ll explain it in time but we need to go.” This was so unlike Thomas. He would never do this- this is wrong, he is breaking his oath. He was breaking every rule he knew. “Please, Metias.” Finally, he felt tears fall from his eyes. God, it felt good to cry. “Trust me, the same way I trust you. Just trust me, please.”

Chapter Text

“Thomas, where are we going?” Metias asked as he followed his subordinate around yet another corner.

“Met- sir. Give me a moment.”

The Ruby sector at night looked absolutely dashing, its elegant buildings reached into the stars. Expensive cars were driving on every street, and every night goer was dressed more extravagantly than the other. One could easily forget that they were living in a country at war. The streets were lit up by jovial displays on the JumboTrons. Thomas wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. He was glad he could see, unlike in the allies near the hospital. But if he could see, that meant that Jameson could do so as well. They must already be following them.

Thomas imagined Jameson to be furious, immediately ordering her troops to engage in a pursuit. They might be just a couple of steps behind them. Or, they already mapped out all possible places for the two of them to go; and are just waiting to circle them in. Then it would be over, for both of them. Thomas turned himself into as much of a traitor as Metias was. He couldn’t help feeling terribly mad at himself as the realisation hit that he really just threw away any chance he may have had for a better future. He betrayed the Republic. He refused to follow a direct order.

Running wouldn’t cut it, that was for sure. Thomas and Metias were on foot, and Jameson had countless jeeps, cameras, and men at her disposal. There was no place to go, right? Metias’ apartment was too far away, so there was no way they could reach his car. Where could two runaways even go? He thought that there would have been more cases of this, and he tried, he tried so hard to remember a single instance where he had to track down a criminal in this area. Where were they trying to go? Where were they coming from? Not a single person came to mind, at least not one with a good hiding spot. Then again, those with good hiding spots were probably never caught anyway.

“Thomas,” Metias said firmly, grabbing his arm and forcing a stop to the aimless running around. “You don’t know where we are going, do you?” He asks.

“I- I don’t.” Thomas felt dizzy from the adrenaline rushing through his system.

Metias sighed, and looked to the floor, his eyebrows furrowed together in thought. They were both somewhat out of breath, which meant something, considering their training. “Are we being followed?”

“Yes,” Thomas confirmed. They somehow landed on one of the main roads. Cars were racing by, and most of the buildings were stores or pubs, there was the occasional hotel. For sure there would be cameras here. “I mean - I think we are. Most likely.”

“Why?”

Thomas hesitated. Something told him that Metias must already know, or at the very least suspect what’s going on. But, if he would tell him, if those words would leave his mouth, that would make the reality of the situation hit so much harder. Besides, Thomas isn’t sure just how devastating the dirt is that Metias dug up on the Republic. Would, perhaps, Jameson just relent after not finding the two of them, declare them dead and move on with her life? Just how big of a threat were they to the Republic right now? Before Thomas could explain himself, he spots something that makes his heart sink. “Cops. Captain, there’s cops.”

A uniformed trio was marching along the streets. They didn’t seem particularly out to get someone, but they walked with enough steady determination that Thomas felt seriously spooked. “Do you think that they already know about us?” He asked Metias, who shook his head but didn’t seem very sure of himself.

“I wouldn’t want to risk it,” Metias said. The streets were just about busy enough for them to look like they were part of the crowd, but given that they were both still in uniform themselves, they didn’t exactly blend in. Completely arbitrarily, Metias walked right towards the shop nearest to them, some sort of bar, relatively low-end considering the neighbourhood. “We’re not regular criminals, Thomas,” Metias said in a low tone of voice, “we’re high ranking Republic officials. We’re professionals. They won’t come looking for us in obvious places.” Metias sounded as though he was reassuring himself just as much as Thomas.

The place was nice; cosy. It had a vintage style; lots of wood and cement, something you’d find in 2040. An artificial fireplace was roaring in the centre. It wasn’t particularly crowded, though the people there didn’t quite seem like average Ruby sector citizens. Instead of government officials it could better be described as their lower-ranking spouses. The types who carry some faint guilt for the cars they drive and the houses they live in.

Metias was looking around, analyzing everything. Thomas could never get on Metias’ level in that regard, but it did give him some sense of security knowing that Metias is so perceptive of everything. “We should order drinks as to not seem suspicious. Then we can talk.” Metias said.

A little while later, the two were sitting in the corner of the bar. Thomas still on edge, Metias looking at everything as a possible threat. “So,” Metias took a sip of his water – tonight was hardly fit for any alcohol – “tell me why we’re here.” He looked at Thomas. His tone had the faintest hint of an order.

Thomas replied snippily in a low voice: “It was the hacking, Metias. Of course it was.”

Running a hand through his hair, Metias sighed. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“They wanted me to do it.”

“What?” Metias’ expression softened, looking at the other with concern. “They put you in that position?”

Thomas shrugged. He didn’t want Metias to pity him like this, and he did his best trying to not relive the phone call with Jameson earlier tonight. The way she barked her orders at him. He could feel the dread pool in his stomach. “It would have been easier for me. We’re close, and you-.” he hesitated. “- trust me.”

“Were you going to do it?” Metias asked, almost clinically, the same way he’d inquire about the shooting capacity of a firearm.

He froze. Was he going to do it? If that alarm wouldn’t have gone off, would he have tried? “I-.” he felt a lump form in his throat. “Don’t know.” He looked over at Metias with big eyes, unsure what judgement would be passed on him. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It was a direct order…” Never before have those words felt so weak, so meaningless as when he actually said them out loud.

“Don’t be. They have good reason to want me killed, and you didn’t end up doing it.” Metias’ gaze lingered on Thomas, “Which means you chose me over the Republic. Over your oath.” he smiled a bit, attempting to suppress it. “That must have been hard.”

As much as Thomas didn’t want it to be true, it was. It should have been the easiest choice of his life, but he hesitated so often earlier that night. If things had gone only slightly different, if in that split second it was a different instinct that took over, everything could have gone so differently. “Well, now we’re both in trouble, anyway. I have no idea where we can go, and we’ll for sure be followed for the rest of our lives.”

“We’ll figure something out.” Metias said with the same cool confidence he approaches everything in life with.

“What is it that you found out, anyway? What information is so vital that it can’t get out?” At the very least, Thomas was entitled to know this.

“Thomas, you know I can’t-.”

“Excuse me, sir, I’m so sorry for interrupting your conversation,” a waitress who had formerly introduced herself as Sandra spoke, tightly holding onto her tablet for taking orders. She was young, not any older than the two of them. She was bespectacled, and her thick brown hair was down but kept out of her face by purple butterfly clips. “I think I might be able to help you two,” She taps her tablet nervously, avoiding direct eye contact.

Metias momentarily went back into Captain mode. He glared at the waitress, “Were you eavesdropping on us?”

Thomas was holding onto his cup with so much pressure, he thought he was about to break it. This young lady didn’t seem like the confrontational type, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t call the police on them. In fact, if she suspected something and didn’t call the police, that would likely get her into trouble.

“I didn’t mean to!” She quickly clarified. “Listen-.” she lowered her voice, glancing over her shoulder as if to make sure the coast was clear. “I didn’t hear much of what you said, but it sounds like you’re in trouble with the Republic. I don’t know who you are, but we’ve all been there. In the Ruby sector less than in the poor ones, yes. But it happens.” She paused as if to wait for approval to continue. The two men just looked at her blankly, so she explained; “The owner of this establishment has a basement where people can temporarily hide. Of course, there’s a price attached -- this is a huge risk for him, after all. But, uhm, maybe it can help, if you have the money. And, also, we can help patch you up.” She gestured to Metias' shoulder, where he got stabbed by the runaway earlier tonight.

Metias looked at his wound and nodded slowly, a little bit as though he half-forgot that he even had the injury. “We’ll consider it.”

As Thomas watched the waitress leave, and as soon as she was out of earshot, he hissed “are you insane?” He leaned over the table so he could easily be heard while whispering. “This place is running an illegal business on the side, and you want to take part in it? If I would have found out this information two days ago, I would have reported it. They’d have the owner’s head.”

“I understand that you have a deep-lying loyalty to the Republic. But remember that when we get found, that the Republic will have our heads.”

Thomas’ expression fell. “It feels wrong. We already broke the law, maybe if we report this bar we’ll be excused?” Just because they got into trouble once, doesn’t mean they will again. They were so well-respected just a couple of hours ago, they’re not like other criminals, they deserve to be treated with a little bit more grace, right?

“That’s some very wishful thinking, Thomas. I also don’t believe my crimes can be excused that easily.” Metias put one of his hands on Thomas’ in an attempt to get his attention. “The information I have is very dangerous.” He said, firmly. “Regardless of what I do, the Republic will want me dead. And, Thomas, you helped me. Which means that, for the rest of your life, the Republic will want you dead also. There’s no way around it. That is your reality now.”

A short silence ensued. Thomas looked at the other people in the establishment, at their Ruby sector clothing and postures. Perhaps there were a couple of people from other gem sectors as well, there was no real way to tell stuff like that. Before Thomas got accepted into Metias’ patrol, he always saw people like that as the ‘lucky ones’, people who just happened to be born rich. Later, he thought of them as people who worked hard for what they owned and deserve to be in the position that they are in. And he felt as if he were a part of them. He worked hard. He got somewhere because of that.

Now, however, he just felt utterly separated again. He wasn’t part of the Republic’s ranks anymore, and there was no way to change that. “Alright then. Fine.” As much as Thomas didn’t want this, it was better than sleeping outside. At least for the short term this was the safest option. “But, I don’t have any notes on me. - Not a lot, anyway.”

“We’ll see if we can afford it.” Metias waved over the waitress again, who brought the owner with her to their table.

The owner of the establishment was a middle-aged man, scruffy beard, and strongly built. Seeing him, you would assume he was in the military for some time, evident by a couple of scars on his arms and one on his face. He introduced himself as ‘Titus’ as he eyed both Thomas and Metias. “You’re in need of underground service?” He rumbled, pulling an empty chair from nearby, and sitting down at Thomas and Metias’ table.

“Yes,” Metias confirmed.

“What did you kids do that got you stranded here, hm?” Though his words seemed pushy, he actually sounded somewhat patient. Titus reached into his pocket, producing a piece of paper and a pen. “You don’t have to tell me, but I enjoy the stories you folks have. I’m… appreciative of what people like you get up to. The Republic deserves all the shit it gets thrown its way.” ”

Thomas was terribly uncomfortable. The Republic isn’t all bad, he thought to himself. While Metias continued chatting to this man, Thomas kind of zoned out for a little while. Metias always managed to stay calm, collected, to tackle the next problem head on without worrying about the bigger picture. All the while Thomas couldn’t even get himself to focus. The void, that thing inside of him, he could feel it gnawing at him. He shouldn’t be doing this - he should do what’s right, and report this business. The fact that all this time, there were people like this Titus character, helping criminals, bad-mouthing the Republic, and nobody had any clue.

“Thomas? Thomas?” Metias waved a pencil in front of Thomas’ face, then handed it to him.

Thomas was slightly disoriented, but he still took the pencil. “Uhm...” He looked down at the paper in front of him. It seemed to be some sort of contract. Though he attempted to briefly read through it, he couldn’t pull himself together enough to comprehend any of it. Besides, Metias’ name was already signed, and Thomas trusted Metias’ judgement fully. Thomas added his own name next to his captain’s and pushed it over to the owner.

“Right then.” Titus took the paper and stood up. There was a pile of notes on the table as well, which the owner took with him. “I need you two to be outta here by noon tomorrow. Good luck, cousins.” With that, he left.

Sandra, who has been there during the conversation, smiles politely with a slight strain. “You guys will be okay, I’m sure.” She made a small waving gesture and then left also.

Thomas watched her leave. She seemed so unassuming, and yet she, too, was technically a traitor. “So- we’re staying here tonight.”

“Yes. But we’ll need a plan for tomorrow.” Metias got up, his drink still barely touched, “Let’s go downstairs to discuss. We can’t have someone overhearing… again.”

Through a backdoor and a semi-lit hallway, they made their way to a small office-like space. Without hesitation, Metias does something that makes one of the bookshelves slide to the side, revealing a staircase going down behind it. At the bottom of it was a door. Thomas assumed that Titus must have explained how to do all this back when Thomas was zoning out.

The room behind the door, which slid open with a loud creaking noise, was minimal. It was all gray concrete, lit up by a flickering TL light. Two mattresses were on the floor right next to each other, there was a table – no chairs –, and a door to what must be a bathroom. It would do, it was fine. At least the ‘beds’ were made, albeit with old and ragged looking sheets. It smelled clean. Thomas laid down on one of the mattresses and sighed. “I hate this night,” he muttered, looking up at the cracked ceiling.

Metias sat down on the table and traced his finger on its surface. On the table was a first aid kit, which Metias opened to get started on patching himself up. That sort of thing wasn't new to him, and he was able to preform it with impressive detachment from the pain he must be feeling. “It’ll get better.” He assured Thomas. “We’ll figure something out. We can go to the Patriots, for example.”

“The Patriots?” Thomas asked, exasperated, turning his head to look at Metias directly. “Staying in an illegal establishment is one thing. Joining the Patriots is… is…” He couldn’t even think of a word.

“What other choice do we have, realistically?” Metias began swinging his legs below the table, “We can’t leave the continent, not without some miracle. Mexico is way too heavily guarded to sneak into, Canada is very far north. Truth be told, I don’t know much about the place. I don’t know who would take us. There’s not a lot of precedent for leaving the country illegally.”

Thomas was confused and sat up. “What are you talking about? The Republic is the most powerful country in the world. Who wouldn’t want to give us refuge?”

“There’s so much you don’t know, Thomas.” Metias sighed “I won’t get into it right now. There’s not a whole lot I know about it, anyways. But… I don’t think other countries would want anything to do with us.”

“You can’t tell me because you don’t trust me,” Thomas said bluntly. “Because I nearly killed you.” It felt unnatural to have such an accusatory tone, but he couldn’t help it.

“Thomas, no. I swear that’s not the reason. I would trust you with my life. You are everything to me right now. I can’t go to June or contact her, or any of the other guys from my patrol. Right now we only have each other. Don’t ever think I don’t trust you.”

A semi uncomfortable silence fell. After a short while, they got ready for bed, which mostly meant removing their uniform and washing up in what limited ways that was possible. Thomas regarded himself in the mirror after splashing some water in his face. The disheveled hair, the tired eyes… who even was this person looking back at him?

Back in the main room, he saw that Metias tossed his uniform into a small pile in a corner. Thomas himself had folded his and put it on the table. Could they even go out wearing it tomorrow? They’d most likely have to leave the jackets here to avoid drawing too much attention. He wordlessly turned off the light and crawled into his bed.

Laying just a foot or two away from Metias, it reminded Thomas of their old sleepovers in the most uncomfortable way. Those nights used to be the highlight of his life, a little taste of luxury in the Iparis’ household. Not to mention getting to spend time with his best friend. He desperately wanted to distract himself from those memories. “So, the Patriots? Tomorrow?” He said.

“After breakfast, if we can get some. We’ll have to abandon our Ruby sector lifestyles… The first step is getting out of the city.” His voice was clearly tired, and it made Thomas feel bad for not just letting Metias rest already.

“Captain, are you…” Thomas was looking for the right word. “... shocked? Sad? Confused?” He could probably continue naming emotions - emotions Thomas was feeling himself. He thought, surely, Metias wasn’t actually keeping it together this well. Surely, beneath the surface, he was feeling something.

Metias didn’t acknowledge the question. Instead, he said; “You don’t have to call me ‘Captain’, Thomas. It’s not like I have that title anymore. I’m just ‘Metias’ like I’ve always been.”

Thomas didn’t know what to say to that, so he just kept quiet. Before he fell asleep, he couldn’t help but think in the back of his mind about the repercussions of that simple fact; he wasn’t Metias’ subordinate anymore.

Chapter Text

The next morning went by quickly. They didn’t have any luggage, so departing from the basement took no more than five minutes. They agreed to leave their uniform jackets there, as it would be impossible to sneak around without them. Anybody looking for them would probably know that this is what they were last spotted wearing.

Sandra wasn’t working anymore, and they didn’t largely acknowledge Titus on their way out, safe for a nod. Thomas wished he had slept longer. His body ached and he still felt so tired. It was tough to get any shut-eye in the first place. He was pretty sure Metias didn’t get much of it either, despite not having complained about his injury yet, Thomas imagined that it must be hurting quite a bit.

Last night was confusing, and this morning was as well. Thomas would still catch himself waiting on orders from Metias; waiting on commands to follow that would make everything alright. Something, anything, that would solve this problem. But that was the whole issue; there was no path to follow, not anymore. There was no plan to execute, or any sort of directions. They’d just blindly have to make the best of this.

The street they walked out onto was so different from the one they left yesterday. It was the middle of the day, and though somewhat overcast the weather was still nice. Unassuming. They began taking back alleys to get to the slum sectors. It was the only place they knew of where police wouldn’t be walking around on patrols. Having worked in the army and being so close to the country’s security, they certainly did have an advantage over the average runaways. Still, Jamesson was good at what she did. She wouldn’t be stupid enough not to change the patrol patterns eventually.

Luckily enough, there were still those alleys. The ones where the patrols don’t bother, for reasons Thomas doesn’t quite know. Perhaps because there are certain things that even patrols shouldn’t know about. Metias probably would, but this didn’t seem like the right time to ask.

“Do you think that June is safe?” Metias asked after a bit of walking in an attempt to break the silence that has been going on.

“I don’t know. I doubt that they’ll just let her go.” He hated how he could feel Metias’ expression drop because of that. But Thomas knew that his friend was already aware of it, of course he knew that June was probably going to get taken in by Jameson. He knew that she might be used against them. Metias just needed Thomas to confirm it. “But they can’t punish her just for being related to you.”

“No, but they might assume I told her what I found out. It wouldn’t be impossible for them to think that this--” he gestured vaguely “-- is all orchestrated.”

“You don’t think they would torture it out of her or something?” Thomas flinched as he said it. That came out wrong.

Metias nodded slowly. “Yes. It’s just that she doesn’t know. She has no idea what’s going on.”

Thomas felt his heart sink. The one thing Metias cared the most about was keeping June safe, and now there was a very real chance that she was in serious trouble because of him. . Thomas hated this, because he wished that he could relate to Metias so that he could help or at the very least comfort him. However, there just wasn’t much to say, as they didn’t have much of a choice. They had to leave Batalla, they had to leave everything. There was no way they could have a pit-stop at Metias’ apartment, of course Jameson was already there. Any sort of communication with June would put everyone involved at risk. “We’ll find a way to protect her somehow, even from a distance.” He said, though even to him his words felt empty. He knew that June’s safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

“Let’s hope so.” Metias replied solemnly

With that, they fell back into silence.

The entire Batalla sector was designed in a very simple way; very square, very symmetrical. It was the military and hospital sector, so it made sense. Then, however, came a huge change of scenery. As the Ruby sector was east of Batalla, the Emerald was west. Whereas he was sure that Metias must have been there a couple of times, Thomas personally hadn’t been. Not once. The Ruby sector was full of tall buildings, skyscrapers designed for residents. It had malls, and felt as if everybody living there was royalty. It had this aura of precision and wealth - everything was perfect, and its inhabitants were nearly all either politicians or members of the army. The Emerald sector was nothing like that.

The very first thing Thomas noticed was the colour. As soon he and Metias crossed Narcissus Avenue, the last street of the Batalla sector, there was so much more… everything. The skyscrapers? Gone. Nearly every house was a bungalow, made out of some sort of material totally unfamiliar to Thomas. It nearly looked organic, alive. Everything was colourful, and asymmetric and occasionally a strain on the eyes. “Have you ever been here?” asked Thomas as they entered the unfamiliar streets, just to confirm to himself that they weren’t going in totally blind.

“Yes. A couple of times. Don’t pay too much attention to the people here. The Republic tries to house a very specific type of person in this area.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’ll find out later. We shouldn’t be caught talking about it.”

What could be so off about Emerald? Thomas did his best remembering all he knew about this sector, but for some reason he found himself knowing very little about it. It’s just not a place he would have any reason to be knowledgeable about. It was some sort of cultural centre, for people who considered themselves ‘free thinkers’. Painting, music, philosophy - all different arts were practised here, in some sort of hub that was, of course, sponsored and ran by the Republic. Thomas never really cared for the humanities.

Any and all musicians from the Republic seemed to live here, this is where those famous people came from. Some part of Thomas felt like a tourist, like he wanted to get to know this place, just because this seemed like such an exotic place to him. After all, this, too, was a part of his beloved Republic. He probably wouldn’t get the chance to look around in this area, ever again in the future. Here and there he lingered on a square or on a street corner, taking in the view. Colourful houses, colourful people, statues and so much nature. Rough, untamed gardens with wild flowers.

Metias had none of it, he seemed very adamant on leaving Emerald as soon as possible. Whenever Thomas was falling behind, Metias snapped his fingers to tell him to hurry up already. Further west was the Lake sector, which for now was their destination. There would be less patrols and also places to get information on the patriots.

“You there!” Said a bouldering voice. An older man was standing on a stone podium in the middle of a plaza that the pair had just entered. “You are guards, are you not?”

Thomas felt almost a bit offended, as they were ranked much higher than ‘guards’, or the police would be. Then again, they did ditch their uniform jackets. Though even without them, they were still dressed in all black Republic clothes, and that must have gotten this civilian confused.

The man on the podium continued, his graying hair swayed around wildly as he spoke. “This young woman has been causing an uproar. She should be-”

A girl no older than June interrupted him. She didn’t look dangerous, her most discernible visual trait was very peculiar make-up that covered her dark skin in seemingly random, white geometric shapes. “I have the right to express myself in this sector!” Her voice was kind of raspy, there was certainly more than just anger behind her words. The two started yelling profanities at one another, and the girl looked about ready to climb up the podium and pounce on the man.

Thomas would absolutely love to just run away from this issue, but that wouldn’t solve it. The actual police were bound to arrive soon if this would continue, and then they’d have a problem, which left them with no choice but to intervene.

Metias, realizing this, too, stepped forward, clearly knowing much more about these types of situations. “No need to get aggressive.” He strode to the small crowd, the people parting to make a path towards the young girl. She glared at him with her one eye that wasn’t obstructed by her hair. He grasped her arm. “We’ll take her with us and deal with the situation.” He offered the crowd a formal nod, before walking off with the strangers.

Thomas followed them, acting as if he knew exactly what’s going on, pretending as though his heart wasn’t racing.

“You’re not from the police,” she hissed, as soon as the three of them were out of earshot from the crowd. Thomas recognised her accent to be southern. “Look, I don’t know what your deal is, but police officers around here have a different uniform.” She dug around in her jacket pockets for something. “I’m guessing you stole those from a military base, right? And criminals can help other criminals out.”

Apparently, Metias and Thomas looked so dishevelled that she didn’t even think that they could be soldiers. It’s not like Thomas could blame her for that, he knew they were a mess at the moment. “I need to find this man.” she said, shoving her phone in their faces. It displayed a low-quality image of a middle-aged man. He had long hair and a somewhat overgrown beard. His eyes had something menacing behind them, as though he was a man on the edge. “His name is Nico Tamayo. You’re going to help me track him down, then I won’t snitch you out to the real police. Yea?”

Thomas was taken aback by this girl’s directness. She really reminded him of June, and he wondered if Metias felt the same.

Metias was the first to say something to her “Why shouldn’t we just snitch you out to the police first?” They were, of course, hardly planning on doing this, as that would mean they were essentially turning themselves in.

“Because you’re wearing fake uniforms, ones that don’t even exist,” She said matter-of-factly. Which, to Thomas, was kind of relieving. The fact that she knew so little about the clothing codes reassured to him the fact that she didn’t actually know what she was talking about. “And they wouldn’t believe you. I have a clean record. I go to an art school right around the corner, nobody knows that I’m involved in this business.”

“For someone so good at keeping your crimes hidden, you seem quite willing to tell us --complete strangers-- about them,” Metias commented, crossing his arms. Thomas wished he could read what he was thinking. There was no protocol, so he felt entirely lost on what the plan was.

“I’m desperate,” she explained. “I got pulled into this whole underground situation that I had no intention of being a part of. My mom wanted me to get some extra cash, and I was never planning to get involved with Rich and the likes of him.” Her tone was incredibly casual, as though this was a common situation a teenager might get herself into.

Thomas frowned. “Who is that?”

The girl looked at him incredulously, “Are you two not from around here?” She paused, as if she was contemplating something, “I don’t think this is a safe discussion to be held in public like this. I have a shelter not far from here, but first I need to know if you agree to work with me.”

Metias looked at Thomas, who shrugged. It’s not like they had any other options. Sure, they could go to the Lake sector and blindly walk around there, but it’s not like they would get anywhere. This might be their best bet, and it could get them closer to the Patriots.

“Just to be clear,” Metias asked, “You want us to help you track down this man, Nico, and in return we’ll get shelter and a mutual agreement not to rat each other out?” He paused, “And - we need some medical help. If you can.” Metias’ wounds were alright for now, but the bandages would definitely need to be changed.

“Why would I do that? Is there something wrong with you?” The girl instinctively took a step backwards, as though Metias might be infectious.

“He was stabbed,” Thomas explained, hating how those words sounded in his mouth.

She groaned and cursed at herself. “Fine. But you won’t stay at my place forever. Maybe a week, tops.”

Metias held out his hand, for the girl to shake. “Sounds like we have a deal.”

The girl smiled, and nodded. “Perfect. I’m Viv.”

“Julius,” Metias replied, glancing at Thomas. Obviously they couldn’t use their real names.

“Finn,” Thomas said after a short pause.

Thomas did hate that they were helping a criminal. Of course he did, it went against everything that he believed. Though he couldn’t deny that the rest of the day was just plain nice. Viv’s shelter, as it turns out, was just a boutique with a backroom. The house belonged to two sisters, whose names had already escaped Thomas. They seemed to be either aware of, or a part of, some sort of organisation that belonged to Rich. Thomas wished he could follow everything they were talking about, but it was all just so much to take in.

After Viv helped properly disinfect and re-bandage Metias’ wound, the sun was already beginning to set again. They were really on their feet for quite a while.

The rest of the evening was spent talking about a plan for tomorrow. Viv refused to disclose anything about where she was from, or why she, a mere 17-year-old (who looked much younger), was even involved with Rich in the first place. It was obvious she didn’t trust either of them. But her situation was, apparently, just desperate enough to ask two complete strangers for help. “This is a time sensitive kind of deal,” She told them over dinner. “Rich was extremely adamant about that. We have until Friday to get Nico to Rich’s base, dead or alive.” Thomas felt queasy at the thought of taking a life. Ever since he decided that he wouldn’t kill Metias, the thought of killing anybody else made him uneasy.

During dinner, which the two sisters prepared for the five of them, he managed to keep a calm composure, and let Metias do most of the talking. Technically, he isn’t his subordinate anymore. Still, it just felt right for Metias to call the shots instead of him. The conversation was filled with so many made-up stories about their past, anyways, that Thomas had no chance at keeping up with it all. Metias was always the more natural liar.

Now that it was dark, and he was lying on a shitty pull-out couch in a back room of the boutique, Thomas finally took the time to think. He kind of wished he could talk to Metias, lying next to him, but he was pretty sure that he was already asleep.

The ceiling was made out of the same material the walls were, Thomas observed. He still had no idea what it was, it would have to be made out of some sort of plant. It was crazy how different the sectors could be from one another. It made him wonder what the slum sectors must be like. They’ll have to go to Lake tomorrow - just like originally planned. Now just for a different reason. Viv was supposed to be the brains – knowing Lake, and knowing Nico better than either of the two guys did. That would make Thomas and Metias the muscle, the ones doing the execution. It felt wrong to go along with it, but Thomas has been getting pretty used to doing things that felt wrong. “You picked the name Julius in reference to July,” Thomas said in a tone barely louder than a whisper. He didn’t really expect an answer, he just wanted to break that vexing silence already.

“I did,” Metias said, rolling around to face Thomas. “June and July.” He chuckled sadly, as if he was trying to force himself to not feel as sad as he did. It broke Thomas’ heart to see him like this. A good look at Metias’ face showed him that he must have been crying earlier. Silently, apparently. Thomas also wanted to cry.

“It’s a nice sentiment.” How he wished he could cheer Metias up.

Metias didn’t reply. He just looked at Thomas as if he was searching for something in his eyes, or in his expression. That somehow just made everything worse.

“I’m sure that she’s okay.” Thomas said, then paused. There was no reply, so he continued; “Jameson isn’t heartless. At some point she’ll have to figure out that June doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

Metias was tearing up again, shaking his head. It was so off putting and so scary to see him so vulnerable. Thomas has never felt this helpless. Metias his face in his pillow. “I’m sorry,” He said, “I know that I’m not your Captain anymore, it just feels as if I have this responsibility to protect you. And I also had a responsibility to protect June - and she’s probably in a horrible cell, as we speak. Being denied food, water- God knows what else they’re doing to her. And Ollie-,” his voice broke, “- I don’t want to think about what they did to him.”

“Hey, don’t say that.” Thomas, out of reflex, put a hand on Metias’ shoulder. He remembered the wound, and quickly placed his hand on Metias’ lower arm instead. It all felt a bit awkward, as neither of them were particularly open about their emotions with each other before this all happened. “None of this is your fault.”

Metias didn’t seem convinced, but he did put his hand on top of Thomas’. “You don’t know that. If I had done a better job of cleaning up my digital tracks…”

“Metias-”

“It’s not as if Jameson gave you a choice. Maybe if you did kill me-”

“Metias!” Thomas hissed, shaking his friend a little. “Not killing you was the most significant decision of my life, and I don’t regret it one bit. I’m disgusted that I even considered it.” Not all of that was entirely true. It was hard to choose. The thought that Metias’ death would have made things easier certainly crossed Thomas’ mind a couple of times. But every time that he saw his friend, every time he heard his voice, he was reminded that a life without him wouldn’t have been worth it. “I care so much about you. We’ll get through whatever the Republic throws at us, together.”

Metias sighed, scooting closer. Thomas lifted his arm closest to Metias, so Metias could lay his head on Thomas’ chest. In a way, it reminded Thomas of the sleepovers they used to have. Physical affection was so normal when they were younger. When did that change?

As if he read his mind, Metias told him that “I know that whatever we have going on is confusing…” He snuggled a bit closer, one of his hands trailing Thomas’ arm. It didn’t feel particularly romantic, more like a necessity. It was comfort, it was stability, it was not affection. “I wish I understood how I felt, and I wish that we had the time to figure it out together.” He paused, “Right now I just need you to be there. As a friend. And tomorrow, after we’ve caught Nico… we’ll talk.”

“Alright” Thomas said, not really sure what to think of it. He wished they could just talk about it right now, but Metias obviously wasn’t ready for that. So, they slept. For once, Metias was vulnerable, and that was okay, because they both were.

Peaceful moments sadly do not last forever, and the morning came quicker than Thomas had wished. The sun glared into the little back room by a little blacked out window. It was terribly disorienting to wake up in a strange place. Again. Metias was gone, too. In his place was a pile of clean clothes, a towel, and a note.

“Go shower.
We’re having breakfast soon.
-Viv”

The prospect of being able to get rid of his uniform alone was more than enough motivation to immediately get up. That uniform was now tainted with memories he’d like to forget, anyway. Not to mention the blood and sweat and grime from the last 48 hours.

After having found the shower, he just kind of let the water wash over him for a moment. It was nice, and warm, and grounding. He was usually the type to shower every single day, usually even two times a day, so not having had the chance yesterday bothered him quite a bit. A part of him regrets not having talked more with Metias when he had the chance. Another part reminded him that they’d have all the time in the world to talk after they were done with the whole ordeal with Viv and Nico.

After drying himself off, he glanced in the mirror. Dull blue eyes looked back at him. For just a moment he recalled the day he took his oath. That felt like ages ago. The night after he took it, he remembered looking at himself in the mirror, and thinking “I’m a soldier now.” with such pride. He shook his head. He wasn’t a soldier anymore, and he wasn’t going to be one again anytime soon. As he didn’t have anything to slick his hair back with, he decided to just let it air dry. No point in putting in that sort of effort anymore.

The clothes they gave him were a bit too big, but they would do. Apparently they were hand-sewn in the boutique. They looked appropriately over the top, definitely more experimental than anything he’d ever seen anyone in Ruby wear. It would definitely fit right in with the rest of Emerald, he supposed.

The front of the boutique smelled like breakfast. Actual, pancakes-and-eggs breakfast. Metias, Viv, and one of the two sisters were sitting at a round table, the same one they ate dinner at the day before. Viv, again, had all this weird make-up on. She looked up when she heard Thomas enter, “Hey, good morning.” Her demeanour from yesterday hasn’t changed; still very distant. “We’re heading out in a couple of minutes, after Evelyn is done with patching up Julius.” She nodded towards Metias,who was being patched up by one of the two sisters. Right. One of the sisters’ names was Evelyn. The other one, the tiny one, what was hers again? Aemilia? It didn’t matter much.

Breakfast was nice. Eating proper food was one of the things Thomas thought he’d have to wave goodbye to. It was still baffling to him how these complete strangers seemed to show so much hospitality - similar to Titus, the bar owner. Behind closed doors, everybody’s opinion on the Republic was so different, and everybody was so willing to help one another. Though Thomas was still convinced that the Republic wasn’t inherently bad.

After having eaten, they immediately headed out right as Evelyn opened the shop. Emerald looked just as weird as yesterday. In silence, Viv led the way towards the Lake sector.

“Say, Viv,” Thomas asked after a while, just for the sake of breaking the silence. “What’s up with the face paint? I’ve seen some other people around here with something similar.”

She glared at him over her shoulder, she seemed halfway between offended and slightly amused.

“Is it, like, fashion in Emerald?” he tried.

“It’s not fashion,” Viv rolled her eyes playfully. “If anything, it’s a statement. Blocking out parts of the face like this makes it impossible for cameras to register it as a face.”

Metias frowned “That’s legal?”

“Of course it’s not.” Viv laughed. “It’s just one of those laws that isn’t really enforced around here. In Emerald, we’re supposed to have artistic freedom, yea? Or, at least, the illusion of that. So, if anybody would get arrested for it, they could make a claim that it’s just their way to express themselves, that they didn’t know better. It’s a ton of paperwork, nobody really wants to deal with it.” She shrugged, “I heard that in the rest of the Republic they aren’t that lenient with this sort of stuff.”

They crossed a road, and then walked past a large wall with graffiti on it. Metias pointed it out, “Like that. If somebody is caught painting on a wall in the ruby sector, they’d be in big trouble.”

“Yes. Street art is common too.” Viv nearly just ignored the drawing, but she had to do a double take. “Wait a minute…” This was the first time that Thomas heard her genuinely surprised.

He took a closer look. The image was a white pyramid, with a red dot on the top. It kind of reminded him of an upside-down exclamation mark. “What’s wrong with it? Is this symbol affiliated with some crime organisation?”

Viv nodded, but then shook her head. “It’s complicated. Rich, the guy I work for, has this whole organisation that essentially attempts to subliminally make people distrust the Republic. In the form of subtle signs in art, and music. It’s been successful, and mostly undetected by the Republic itself. Since Emerald is the only place where this sort of creativity is allowed, he’s put down roots around here. The entire point is to stay hidden, unaggressive, subtle.” She put her hand on the graffiti, and some of the white colour stuck to her hand. “This must have been Nico. He’s been fighting with Rich a lot. He thinks that we need a more direct approach. We don’t usually do graffiti, the police pick up on that type of crap. Especially this - it’s a symbol commonly used to critique the government.” She abruptly looked away, and continued walking. “We shouldn’t be caught near it. Let’s continue moving.”

It was absolutely baffling to Thomas there was this whole underground system that he was just not aware of. Perhaps Metias was, but Thomas? He’s never even heard of anything of the sort. It made him wonder for how long this has been going on, how many people knew about it.

Metias seemed to be more interested in getting the task over and done with. “Do you know where exactly we’re going?” He asked Viv, after they arrived in the slum sector. They were already well into the day, and wouldn’t be back before sunset, unless they hurried.

“I do,” Viv said. Then there was a pause, as Metias expected her to elaborate. She didn’t.

“Well, where are we going then?” Metias tried again.

“There’s this hotel. Rich thinks Nico is staying there at the moment. He has close ties with the owner. No way to tell if he’s there right now, but it’s a good place to start.”

Thomas wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting of Lake. Sure, poor living situations. But this exceeded whatever he could have imagined. It was hard to believe that they were still even in the Republic. Buildings were moments away from collapsing, many had bullet holes in them. If there was a paved road, it was cracked and uneven. The people who walked along the streets looked sickly thin. The worst part was how unfazed Metias seemed, as though he’s seen this so often that he was entirely desensitized.

When Viv told them “Here we are,” Thomas nearly thought that it was a joke. Half the building was literally already in ruins, metal beams were exposed in the parts where the concrete had crumbled to the ground.. There’s no way that this was a hotel.

Viv was, of course, not joking. Without much hesitation she walked right in. The doors squeaked when they were pushed open. Viv immediately recognised the receptionist. “Noah!” She called to him, as if greeting an old friend.

Noah, who looked to be around Thomas’ age, smiled at her. He was a short guy, with soft facial features and kind hazel eyes that regarded his friend fondly. “Hey, Vivvy. Haven’t seen you in ages. What brings you here?”

Thomas could see how she cringed at the nickname, though she kept smiling. It was a bit off putting to see her genuinely happy and warm towards somebody. “Business,” she replied. “Rich told me that your boss told him that a certain Nico Tamayo is staying here.” She fished her phone out of her jacket pocket, showing the receptionist the same picture she showed Thomas and Metias yesterday. “Have you seen him?”

“Sure have,” the receptionist replied. “What kind of trouble did he land himself in?”

“I don’t have time to get into it, Noah.”

The receptionist frowned at Viv. “You’re not here to kill him, are you? ‘Cus then I’ll be the one cleaning up, and I really don’t have the stomach to do that. Not again.”

“Again?” Viv laughed, “Dang, Noah, I didn’t know this hotel sees that much shade business.. No- no. We just need to bring him to Rich. That’s why I got these two with me.” she pointed to Thomas and Metias, who were idly taking in the look of the place.

“Right. Well, he’s in room 12. Up the stairs, first room to your left.” This Noah character said it so casually. Thomas supposed that he didn’t get paid enough to meddle in this business.

“Thanks, cousin.” Viv gave him a playful salute, then turned around on her heels and right away her attitude returned to its regular form. “Alright, let’s get this over with. If it goes south, don’t be afraid to just hit his head hard. Him being unconscious would make the whole thing much easier anyway.”

Thomas went upstairs with Viv, while Metias was instructed to stay behind somewhere halfway up the staircase to keep an eye on both floors. Thomas and Metias did have their knives on them, but weren’t really planning on using them. They were trained enough in the martial arts to handle this in a more sophisticated way. After all, this was just some dude from the Emerald sector. What threat could he realistically pose to them? Sure enough, the first room on the left at the top of the stairs had the number ‘12’ written on it in some sort of permanent marker. Viv knocked.

There was no answer.

She knocked again, “Room service.” she called.

There was laughter at the other side of the door. “Nice try,” calls a male voice.

“That’s it.” She turned around to face Thomas. “Finn,”

He felt startled being referred to by his fake name. “Yes?”

“I’m going to need you to kick the door open for me.”

Thomas gave her a look. He couldn’t just break into a room, right? Sure, he could but it didn’t feel particularly natural. “I don’t-.”

She pulled him down by the collar in an attempt to seem intimidating. It worked. “Listen up - you’ll kick the door in, we’ll get Nico, bring him to Rich, and then we’re done. Okay? Then we won’t have to bother with each other anymore. So, please, just help me get this over with.”

He sighed. Sure. This was a dainty looking door, anyways. A gentle breeze could make it fly off its hinges. “Okay- okay- back off a little.” With a strategically placed kick, Thomas kicked down the door.

Nico looked just like he did in the picture, though his olive skin was slightly filthier, his hair a bit more tangled. He was standing hunched over a small table, and didn’t seem surprised at all to see them in his room. “Of course, Noah ratted me out.” Thomas had never heard a Spanish accent this thick before.

Viv stepped forward. “This ends now, Nico. Rich just wants a discussion with you, then this’ll be over.”

“Are you serious?” Nico packed up a couple of papers that were lying on the small table. “Rich wants my head, nothing less. I’m a danger to his cause, and he knows it. The smartest move he can make is getting rid of me once and for all, and you’re just an accessory to the murder, Viv.”

This really offended her. Her eyes widened and she yelled in response “I am not! You don’t know anything about me.”

“That’s what you people always say!”

They continued to back and forth, and Thomas wasn’t quite able to follow all of it. Instead, he glanced around the room to find something large, to throw at Nico’s head if he’d have to. Ideally, something that wouldn’t kill him. A lamp was starting to look like a particularly attractive option.

Thomas’ thoughts got completely interrupted by loud yelling downstairs, followed by a gunshot. The three of them shared an equally surprised look. Thomas’ heart started beating so fast, it felt like it could burst out of his chest at any moment.

“Julius? What’s going on?” Viv called.

Metias was about to step into the hallway when he saw that Republic soldiers were already there. Down the hall, Metias was pinned against the floor and being put in handcuffs. Thomas couldn’t tear his eyes off the scene. He had a hard time to fully process what was going on.

Viv swore loudly, then sprung into action, immediately turning around, and grabbing Thomas’ arm. “We need to go, now.” She said, pulling him to an open window. Nico was already gone. “Come on, it’s not that high of a jump. The ground is sand, you’ll survive. Go.”

Chapter Text

It’s been two days.

June hasn’t seen her brother in two days. And all she was able to do was sulk about it in her apartment. Her tired gaze was practically glued to the ceiling as she tried to recount the night of his disappearance over and over again. Laying on the floor wasn’t something she usually did. Recently, however, it felt nice. The floor was cold, and hard — unlike literally anyone she’s spoken to recently.

Her days were filled with “We’ll solve it for you” and “don’t you worry about it”, and she was growing sick and tired of it. It made hot rage boil inside of her every single time she heard one of those comments, and the floor helped her cool down. The white ceiling was like a blank canvas to project her thoughts onto.

Ollie, in his infinite affection, helped her by resting his head on her stomach. It wasn’t much, but June liked being remembered that he was still there. At least she had her dog.

Not a second went by where her head didn’t keep looping back to the same thoughts; Metias. Not here. She wasn’t much of an over-thinker, but recently that’s all she could do. Metias was the only one she had left. She couldn’t lose him. She just couldn’t. Despite the duties that she knew she had, this worry made focus impossible. Like a fly that she couldn’t swat away, those nagging thoughts kept coming back. Constantly, they would draw attention to that one problem in her life that she couldn’t fix; the fact that Metias was missing.

As dread and worry continued to cloud around her, her phone rang. She reached for it, sat up, and replied with forced composure. “Yes?”

“June, there’s news.” Jameson, of course. Who else would call her? “We’ve apprehended your brother yesterday night, and I would be willing to let you see him, if-”

“When?” The word just slips out, in complete disregard to etiquette.

“If we find Thomas Bryant, too. And we’d need your assistance.”

She didn’t know why she expected to be told anything useful. Not why Metias was ‘apprehended’ and not just found, or why she’d have to find Thomas first, or maybe most important of all; why she still couldn’t know anything about the nature of their disappearance in the first place. “Of course,” she said. What else could she say — no? That wasn’t an option, which meant that it was time to get out of her rut.

Her hand trembled a little as she hung up. Not from fear, she told herself. Not from anger. She had to get herself together, and finally get some damned answers.

“Come on, it’s not that high of a jump. The ground is just sand, you’ll survive. Go.” is what Viv said, shortly before taking the leap herself. Thomas forced himself to follow her, and not to turn around. Not to look at the police car parked outside for a single second, or even spare a thought on how much his legs hurt from not quite sticking the landing. He never flourished under high-stress situations.

Viv didn’t look back either. She instead managed to weave through the crowds outside, rushing into an alley at the first opportunity she had. But not even then did she bother to really check if he was still there, almost as if she didn’t really care.

“This isn’t the same way we came.” Thomas followed the girl out the alley, and into the next one.

She didn’t reply until they’re out of earshot from the streets, hidden in a dimly lit alley, not slowing down.”Yea no shit, did you think we were going to make it easy for them to catch us, too?” Too. That word didn’t sit right with him, as if it made the fact that they actually got Metias more real. A part of him figured that with the situation out of sight, it might as well be out of mind, and that perhaps Metias just took a different escape route, and they’d rendezvous at the boutique tonight.

This couldn’t be further from the truth - Metias’ absence was a weight on his chest that was impossible to ignore. His breath picked up as panic about Metias’ well-being began to settle in. Of course, this was no time for hesitation. They would have to keep moving, get back to safety.

Once they began nearing Emerald again, Viv made quick work of weaving herself back into the crowd, with Thomas in tow. He wanted to reach out to her, grab her shoulder, get her to slow down. But she was too fast, too agile- always disappearing after yet another person right before he could grab her.

“Viv!” He finally called. “Viv, stop. Where are we going?”

“Away,” she hissed, throwing him a glare over her shoulder.

No, this wasn’t right. He needed more time to process. Running felt like such a rational necessity back at the hotel that it only hit him now that they’ve abandoned Metias just like that. Finally, he grabbed a hold of her, pulling her to the side of the bustle to attract less attention. “Viv, we just- just left him there.”

She stared blankly at him for a moment, until finally asking “Are you crying?”

Touching his hand to his face, Thomas realised that he did in fact seem to be crying. A soldier, trained for high stress situations, once again reduced to tears. It was really starting to get annoying. All this mess was created just to protect Metias and now the Republic captured him after all and Thomas is not even in a position to help, and…

“Listen!” Viv snapped her fingers in front of Thomas to pull him out of his spiral. “Calm the fuck down. You’re not the only one on edge right now.”

“We have to go back,” Thomas stated in a poor attempt to sound authoritative. “I can’t let anything happen to him.”

“You don’t get to make that call. Listen, if you want to run back there on your own, look for the dozen or more officers that have apprehended him -which have probably already driven away by now-, and then break him out of there with, what, the power of friendship? Then be my guest! Go! But I have my own problems to fix right now.”

He shook his head. “You don’t understand-”

“What is there to understand?”

Thomas hesitated only slightly before telling her “He’s all I have left right now.”

Her expression contorted into a grimace, and she blankly turned around and kept walking.

Exasperated, he followed her. There was nothing else he could do. She was right that he couldn’t go over there alone, and regardless of how upsetting it was – he was completely helpless in this sector. He didn’t know the social norms, let alone the layout. He was dependent on Viv, for the time being.

After a while, they were walking next to each other in silence. The urgency dissipated once they entered Viv’s part of the sector, as there were significantly less people (and thus patrols) here. Having collected his thoughts, Thomas decided to attempt another conversation. “Do you just not care about us, or is there something else?”

“I-” she took a deep breath. “I just have my own baggage to take care of.”

“Like what?” Thomas asked her, more gently than he spoke previously. Despite his prejudices against criminals, it was clear this girl had a story to tell. And, after all, so did he.

She side-eyed him with a frown “Like I’d tell you.”

“I’d just like to understand you, I wouldn’t use it against you.” Perhaps, if he knew more about her and her situation, he could think of a solution. A solution for both of them. Somehow.

Viv breathed in. “My parents are divorced, and my dad had whole custody.” her gaze was locked firmly on the road ahead of her now. “And my dad got involved with Rich, and when he died he still owed him a debt - which I now have to pay off. And I’m hoping to get enough money to go find my mom.”

Thomas wasn’t sure what to say.

“Yeah.” she shrugged. “Life around here sucks, what else is new?” They were both silent for a couple of seconds, giving them time to adjust to Thomas now knowing this information. “And you?” she asked eventually, “there’s something there, isn’t there?”

Thomas bit the inside of his cheek. Screw it. He might as well throw all reason out the window. Just for the sake of being able to share what has happened the past couple of days. It was not as though it could get any worse, as Metias was already captured. So he told her- he told her their real names, how they ran from the Republic, how they’re in hiding now. Why Metias being captured is so much worse than if he were just a regular criminal. He conveniently left out the confusing feelings he had for Metias, as they were not particularly necessary details.

Viv just kind of looked at him for a moment. “And I thought I was in deep shit.”

Thomas really didn’t want her pity, he just wanted her to understand. Something told him that the people around here help each other out, just for the sake of helping each other out. Perhaps, now she would be more inclined to do so. Besides, he had her back now, too, so it was only fair to be open with one another.

“Well,” Viv said, “once my debt to Rich is paid, and I have the money to find my mom, I’ll stick around until we get your guy out of whatever cell they’re holding him in, yea?”

“Do you know where your mom lives?”

“Somewhere in Lamar, one of the nice Sectors, too. I got the address laying around at home somewhere.”

“That’s close to the warfront, isn’t it?”

Viv gave him a look, as though she was daring him to ask if she was sure about this. “You got a problem with that?”

Thomas shook his head and looked down. This was clearly not something he got to have an opinion on, and he respected that.

Dinner was a tense affair. The two sisters who owned the boutique where Thomas was staying were not particularly talkative, and neither was Viv. Thomas poked at his food half heartedly. The roasted vegetables and meat substitute looked somewhat appetizing for sure, but right now he couldn't get himself to eat much of anything.

He just couldn't stop thinking about Metias. It couldn't be that the last two days were for nothing, that all this would just end up with Metias dead after all, and Thomas following suit soon enough. There had to be a way to get Metias back to safety.

There was a knock at the door so loud that it made Thomas entirely loose his train of thought. One of the sisters dropped her fork on her plate with a clatter. The four of them looked at each other. Nobody was expecting someone, and for a moment, nobody moved or even seemed to breathe at all.

Finally, it was (name), the sister who patched up Metias just this morning, who gingerly put down her cutlery, wiped her hands on her cloth napkin, straightened out her dress after she stood up and walked towards the door. She turned the door knob and opened the door for only a couple of inches, just about far enough for her to look the person on the other side in the eyes, but not far enough for Thomas to make out who it was standing outside. "We're not available for work at the moment," she said firmly.

A part of Thomas wished, foolishly, that it would be Metias. As if he somehow fought his way out of detainment already, and would now be standing on this very doorstep in one piece. However, the voice that replied to the sister was of course not Metias'. The voice was much higher in pitch, though definitely male. “I’ve got an appointment with the girl you’re housing, and I’m afraid it just cannot wait.”

The door was forcefully pushed open, revealing an older man. He reminded Thomas vaguely of his dad, though unlike his dad, this man had relatively long hair. He was wearing a denim coat, a peculiar looking hat and burgundy cowboy boots, which clacked loudly on the wood panel floor as he pranced into the little room.

Viv got up in a flash and banged her fist on the table. “You said I have two more days!” She yelled.

The old man calmly lit an electronic cigarette in languid, cat-like movements. “Take it easy, cousin. We caught the kid. The idiot twisted his ankle after his second story jump, we found him limping around the Lake sector and took care of the situation. I got the call just a half hour ago.”

Thomas was starting to piece together that this man must be Rich. Thomas wasn’t sure what exactly he pictured Rich to look like, but it certainly wasn’t this. Though, he supposed, he did fit right into this Sector.

Viv visibly relaxed her shoulders. “So, what then, we’re good?”

The man shrugged slowly. “I suppose, without you, Nico would never have made that jump. Sure, we’ll call it even.”

“Wait,” Thomas said, “he only made the jump because the police showed up. Weren’t they there for him?” For some reason, he assumed that that was the case. The fact that they found Metias was just an unfortunate coincidence.

“Hm…” Rich looked at Thomas as though this was the first time he considered Thomas’ existence. He looked him up and down, slowly, deliberately, while he exhaled smoke that smelled a bit like licorice. Something about it made Thomas feel exposed. Not seen so much as watched. “No, they were there for you, and your buddy.” Upon seeing the confused look on Thomas’ face, he continued; “Haven’t you seen it all over the JumboTrons? They were giving a hefty sum to the person who could give the police a tip leading towards your arrest. Personally, I’m above ratting out my fellow man, but with those Lake Sector people, you never know… Somebody must have let the police know that you were at that hotel.”

Thomas deflated. Was it the receptionist at the hotel? Or really just some stranger on the street? They should have tried harder to disguise themselves, maybe then this never would have happened. Something about Viv’s hospitality, albeit with strings attached, must have made them let their guard down too much.

There wasn’t a lot of time for Thomas to linger on these feelings. Rich spoke again: “Now, Viv, I know that being even isn’t good enough for you. You need money, don’t you? I’ve got a small task lined up for you. Something that would earn you just about enough money for, say, a train ticket to Lamar.”

In a flash, Viv’s eyes widened. Lamar was where she said her mom lived now. Thomas hasn’t seen her like this before, something about her was more animated than it ever was before. “What is it?” she asked immediately, breathless.

“It’s a two person job. You’d need to be accompanied by somebody with sufficient military training, to protect the person you would be transporting.” He glanced at Thomas pointedly.

Viv’s gaze finds Thomas’. She didn’t even really need to ask the question, it was already implied in the way she looked at him. She gave him shelter, he helped her with her first mission. They should be even now, and they both realise this. Thomas was hardly the type to get more involved in shady business than was strictly necessary.

She must have sensed his reluctance. “Thomas, please.”

He shouldn’t, he really shouldn’t. He needed to get out of this place and work on finding Metias, somehow. Maybe get in contact with June, as surely she wouldn’t turn against her brother just because he betrayed the republic. Unlike Thomas nearly did.

“Please,” Viv repeated. “If you help me with this, I’ll help you find Metias, yea? You need me as much as I need you right now.”

Rich chimed in helpfully, while breathing out a large cloud of licorice smoke; “It’ll only take a half day.”

Every part of Thomas was protesting, but he couldn’t help the fact that he was just more of a follower than anything else, and with these four other people in the same room, all expecting something from him, he couldn’t help it. Slowly, he nodded. “Fine, sure.” He didn’t even really have any type of guarantee that Viv wouldn’t just run off once she had the money, he’d really just have to rely on her word.

Rich grinned and produced an envelope from his inner jacket pocket. “Excellent. She’s expecting you tonight. All of the details are right here.” He tosses the letter onto the dinner table. “I’ll be here again tomorrow with the money, and this time you better save a plate for me also, yea?” He winked playfully at the two sisters, who had been very pointedly ignoring the entire conversation as it was happening. Neither of them acknowledge him. And with that, he left.

Thomas felt too nauseated to continue eating anything, and after a couple of seconds of silence, he wordlessly got up and left the dining room. In the back of the building, there was that pull out couch that he and Metias had slept on the night before. Oh, how he missed him.

It wasn’t even so much that they had agreed to talk about their situation, their feelings, whatever it was that was going on between the two of them. Thomas just wants his best friend. Who could know where Metias was right now? Would they have killed him right away, or were they now just torturing him for information, like for Thomas’ location?

Never has he felt this helpless before.

That very same night, June was pulling late hours at the university. Via the computers in the library, she could access the majority of the police reports in the city. She got special security clearance from Jameson herself, to help them track down Thomas Bryant.

She still didn’t get to see her brother or hear from him. She wasn’t even entirely sure where they kept him. She was sure, though, that something must have happened between him and Thomas. There was always something suspicious going on between those two, something that she could never quite put her finger on.

It was painstaking work, going through the files. She’s done tasks on her own before, but she would always have Metias in the back of her head. He was like a cheat code, a little help she could receive should she ever need it. Of course, she never did, but she always had the option. Now he was nowhere to be found, and she had to do it all on her own. What wouldn’t she give to have him here right now?

Suddenly, her eyes fell on an interesting file. A wanted person, some teenager, a little older than June, was spotted just this night in the Emerald sector, accompanied by two people that couldn’t be identified.

The location listed wasn’t that far from the Ruby sector. Theoretically, June could get there within a half hour. She kept reading. The person in question was a musician, known only as “Astrid”, who was previously kicked out from the Emerald sector for broadcasting music that painted the Republic in too negative of a light. However, some radio station is apparently trying to hire her back, under a different name.

Something about all of this clicked. June could tell she was on to something with this, so she dug deeper. She already knew; it wouldn’t be much longer now until she would find Thomas Bryant and get all of the answers she needed so badly.