Earth Warriors (Undergoing Revision)

Chapter 129 - The Manger

4 hours later. Inside the tower. 

As the day passes by, more and more of the Zlocan and Reborn presence in the "presidential" tower increases by every single bit, even if the threat of an invasion of the UEF is nowhere in sight. By contrast, there are fewer Human collaborators in sight, not even armed ones at that, and the ones that are present look eerily quiet and stiff, even more so than the "enslaved" type of Reborn. Perhaps it could be because their setbacks have made the Zlocans less patient with them, or in the worst cases, a sign of an inevitable replacement for their kind. 

Even though the offer was tempting enough to attract even the most hardcore followers and self-proclaimed "defenders" of their nation,  such progress is now casting a cloud of doubt among most of them, but others still try to think of anything to justify sticking with the Zlocu despite the recent confrontations they had over their differing ideals. Even with the harshest of disciplines and punishments for the ones who failed them, the divide is still noticeable even in its subtlest form for the rest. 

Because the most open expressions lead to a fate worse than death. 

In one of the elevator doors out of the other two in one of the corridors, a few Zlocan Knights pass by with their blaster rifles, chatting regarding the latest events in the region. Without even batting an eye, they pass over Boris with folded arms, merely gazing at the wall in front of him while the Knights' chattering gets a bit muffled and distant the further away they go as they leave Boris on his own once more. Not even a mere smirk is out from him, for that he prefers a solitary moment. 

It's been a while since his "mission" to catch Julian, one that resulted in one sharp lesson for the young man, at least in his eyes, to know of the price of betraying someone. This group has offered him a lot to live for, especially when it comes to a father who's drastically changed from what he was. 

I'm hoping that your reunion will be quite... peculiar, young Julian. Boris then smirks a bit while glancing down, likely of the many possibilities that may occur if father and son reencounter once more. 

One that most certainly would be messy on all fronts. 

After some minutes of standing idle near one of the doors, footsteps are heard nearby, one that comes from three individuals, it seems. Boris merely glances with his left eye for a bit without moving the rest of his body, still keeping his arms folded while the footsteps get nearer and louder with every passing second. 

The three figures come by, being none other than Erik, Cynda and Barb of Steelhound Squad, all walking in the direction of Boris' position while keeping their pace. For some reason, Damian is absent from the team. 

"So, you're here now, Captain Sellers," Boris says as he moves aside and nods at Barb who salutes him with a straight posture alongside Erik and Cynda. Erik does it while trembling a bit and breathing while Cynda does it as stiff and smooth as a machine, as one can expect from this trained enforcer. 

"Indeed, and quite on time I'd say," Barb says while smiling a bit. 

"Almost exactly, based on the time I calculated," Boris replies, which makes Barb chuckle a bit. He then glances at the other teammates, to which Erik rapidly nods while Cynda stands still with a face that is as blank as a statue. 

"Still in perfect time, so there's no denying that,' Barb adds while Boris keeps his sight on the other teammates of the squad. It is then that he spots the missing space where Damian tends to be, yet still doesn't glance back at the squad or even Barb as he does so. 

"That young rabid man, Damian, where has he gone to at this moment?" Boris asks while keeping his gaze on the space. 

"Oh, he's been called for a medical emergency due to a certain heart "defect", if you get the gist of it," Barb replies while crossing her fingers and waggling her hand.