Everyone just stood there for a moment. Eclipse and Aurora just did so to allow Alexandria and Valentina to take everything in. It wasn't something that you would see normally so they were given them a chance to see how someone in their position lived. Even after Alexandria's comment nobody said anything. There was silence until finally there was a clearing of someone's throat.

  "Do y'all mind? You know there is someone wrapped up in all this. How about we stop staring and do what we came here to do or excuse me what y'all came here to do since I can't move yet." Glade was done waiting all she wanted to do right now was get out of this apparatus.

  Alexandria shook her head looking up at the apparatus. It was interesting to hear a voice coming from it. Even though Glade was suspended and essentially cocooned she could still talk, and it seemed like she had a normal demeanor to her. Alexandria raised an eyebrow for a moment looking over at Eclipse. "How old are all of you? I mean Aurora is a child or at least looks like one and even though she sounds like one you can tell just a bit that each and every one of you so far seems a bit weary, but you don't look it. Have they found something while experimenting on all of you or is it just your abilities keeping you looking like this?"

  Eclipse opened her mouth to speak but was cut off. "If you must know even though they've been experimenting on us since the beginning the only things that they've progressed on is the confinement areas that we are in along with a few different weapons and other accomplishments like the vaccine. It actually comes from my blood. For some reason I can filter toxins out. I can't alter the virus inside my body, but after taking so much from me from a tube that I rather not say where it is and testing. They have found a way to use that ability within my blood at a very small level. To answer your bigger question all of us are essentially from the old world in a sense. We may say or do things that you don't understand. You can think of us as project zeros or the ground level of the virus." Glade smelled the air even though it didn't come through quickly anyone who walked in front of her area let off a smell that eventually made its way to her through the shot and she could discern things from it. It takes her a little bit, but as long as someone is standing outside for long enough even with the filtration system, she is able to know things about a person.

  "You have someone in your group that's from the old world, don't you? I can smell it on you. It is interesting that you are here. Of course, this could be a plot. The council leaders that have come to this place after they are elected or chosen or however, they are put into their position. They all visit each one of us. Of the five of us the three you see in this room are the only ones that communicate. Mist and Gale are too dangerous to be allowed to speak especially Gale. The air is everything without it most life actually all life would die even with the sun. When we first were here she killed one of the researchers by yelling at him. Blew him to pieces right in front of everyone. That was the last time we saw her. Mist on the other hand has not been seen since the outbreak. After this place was created in the form that it is now all of her senses were taken from her. She is the one responsible for the shroud around this area and it's not because she was told to do it. Her sensory deprivation along with a few other things forces her to do it. It's not by choice. They use her as a defense mechanism as to why y'all met a welcoming committee that has never been there before. It seems to have been made up of mercenaries, pirates, and other organizations meaning someone was just sitting out on the water waiting for you by pure happenstance or they were sent here. I'm guessing that the current council leader is up to something. He is by far one of the craftier of the council leaders that have come here. However, he is not the most ruthless. Each time a new council leader visits this place they make an improvement upon it. This thing you see me in now was from I think the sixth council leader to ever rule the walled city government. Every council leader since then has really not added much of anything as far as containment rooms since Eclipse and Aurora cannot be contained because of their elements. They're allowed to walk freely and I'm surprised that you also came into contact with one of our friends. I smell her on you. I've not seen her since she was a baby. One of the first to be born in this world. Losing her mother was a great tragedy however the fact that she is with you as far as spent much time with you." Glade paused for a moment, and you could hear the movement inside the apparatus as if she was looking at someone. Her tone and demeanor changed.

  "I say we join them if Isa is with them then that's all the more reason. I think we've bided our time long enough. If she's found a place the rest of us can as well. What do you say Aurora?"

  "Hmmmmm, if auntie Glade likes them then I like them too." She giggled a bit looking in Glade's direction.

  Eclipse let out a sigh rolling her eyes. "Hmm, fine. If that's the case then we need to do something about Mist and Gale, but this will not be an easy task. They are heavily defended. We've taken over these floors quite easily but going down to the deeper areas were those two are being kept. I have peered down there many times doing it by myself it could kill me, but you must know Alexandria our powers come at a huge cost. I'm sure you're aware that ability users cannot have more than one. It is too much for anybody to handle the person basically depending on the ability they try to infuse within themselves. Explode, melt, burst into flame, blow away, so many other different things. We on the other hand being ha progenitors if you will we don't have that negative to us. It is a blessing and a curse. Our abilities can be spliced. I control darkness, but I also have the ability to control puppet strings with that darkness and I can call other beings from a void dimension. However, using the abilities takes a toll on us. Some of the abilities can take from our very soul destroying not only our physical body, but our spiritual body as well. Glade is the only one that can heal the spiritual body. It's mostly done on herself, but I've seen her do it for others before she was confined. It's one of the reasons for her confinement. They want to study that ability. They believe that it can actually heal the virus, but we've tried it. It does not work. All it does is manipulate the virus and cause it instead of hurting or working on abilities it programed to heal for a short amount of time, but there are also huge disadvantages. It not only hurts us physically and spiritually but also mentally. It can chip away at your sanity if you do it too much without rest and I don't mean a few days. If Isa's mother had lived after creating this island, she would probably still be asleep from using that power. That is why you haven't seen us out in the world. That is why they haven't used us as weapons of mass destruction because we could yes wipe out the pirates that they loath so much and the settlements that they don't want filled with people that have immunities and no abilities. Men walking around without having to wear suits. It's a very low number maybe one hundred. The virus has slowed down a bit because if it keeps going it's not going to have anyone left to kill and it is always evolving. What you have to understand is that all five of us here expect for maybe my daughter that is we were researchers or scientists or some type of academic trying to figure out what this was when it first struck, and this is what happened. The reason Aurora does not age past what you see is because this is how old she was when the virus hit. Isa however was born after that is why she still ages like a normal person. However, if she were to take off her suit, she would be able to do the things that we do on a much higher scale, but that should never happen. Much like Gale and Mist and like Isa's mother fire should not be allowed to roam free unchecked. So, if we are going to become friends you must promise that this information never leaves this room. You may tell Isa about her mother, but that is it anything else and I will kill you and everyone else that hears what you say. If these terms are agreeable you may shake. I will warn you shaking my hand means that to keep my word a bit of my darkness will enter you and will live there for the rest of your natural life. It could even possibly prolong it. I don't know. What I do know is people do not touch me ever. Darkness has a way of getting inside you. The only person immune to it, well, there's more than one the people in this room including the two downstairs and maybe Isa. I'm not sure, but the person completely immune to it is standing in front of me. No matter what I do I can touch her, hug her, give her kisses. I'm able to play with my daughter and I can feel the darkness leaving me trying to enter and the moment it touches her skin it vanishes into dust. She is my equalizer just as Glade and Mist are each other's equalizers or maybe its Mist and Isa and then Glade and Gale. I'm not sure. I don't care about the semantics. As you can see, I've used my power a lot, so my mind is a little unhinged." Eclipse let out a small giggle accompanied by a wide grin.

  Alexandria looked down at the hand taking everything that was just said into consideration. It would be a huge asset to have them, and they could potentially wipe out the walled city government within at least a year if not sooner. However, there was huge risks these people were insanely powerful, and she needed to be careful. She looked down at Aurora and then turned to face Valentina. "What do you think, hmm, should we do it?" She looked in Valentina's direction hoping she might have some insight into everything they just heard.

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  Valentina's shocked look surprised Alexandria for a moment. "What, you don't think you get an opinion on this? I can't tell anybody else about what just happened because I'm not going to omit the things about Isa, so you are the only other vote in this room at the moment. What do you think?" Alexandria was not about to make this choice on her own.

  "Hmm, your mother is the head of your personal guard as well as your first division commander, right?" Valentina had a good idea forming in her head.

  "That is correct." Alexandria raised an eyebrow waiting for what she was going to say next.

  "What if you shift that responsibility to Eclipse and their people. Make them your personal guard. That way you will only use them in instances when you are in danger. They are solely around to protect you and the interests of Crimson Judgement. They are not allowed to be on the battlefield unless you are on the battlefield. They are not allowed to do missions unless you send them on missions. That way everything goes through you. If you just make them commanders or just make them part of Crimson Judgement and the nation that we're going to form if the nation is formed then there is too much at stake, but if they get that position nobody sends out their personal guard unless it is absolutely necessary."

  "Hmm, you have a point." Alexandria turned around to see Eclipse standing there tapping her foot with her arms crossed.

  "Are the two of you done?" She let out an exasperated sigh. "Even though I was a bit impatient to your speaking I agree with your subordinate. It would be better if that was what the arrangement was that way we won't exhaust any energy or resources for trivial matters. We will be your personal guard, but only if you agree also the Isa join with us."

  Alexandria flinched for a moment out of surprise tilting her head to the side. "Well, if she joins you in the personal guard, she's going to find out who you are, who she is, and who her mother is. She's going to find out all the things that you said we can't tell her, or you'll kill us. What is the point of that? Plus, she's part of the core crew. She can't be part of my personal guard as well. The only reason my mother was in that position is because there was no one else suited for it at the time. Now there is so my mother can go be commander of the first division full time. Giving you the title of commander of my personal guard. Isa will not be joining the personal guard that will mess up everything you just said and even though I know this is probably because of your mental health condition. We need to get this straight before I shake your hand because I'm willing to bet shaking your hand is similar to making a blood pact which I've already done with somebody else. So, I know the ramifications of making a pact that binding without making sure all the t's are crossed and all the i's are dotted. The only reason I know that is because I've read books from your world. So, explain why with good reason or no."

  Eclipse unfolded her arms shaking her right hand extending it forward. "Fine, I want her to eventually know the truth, but not right now. Not right when we get there. It's what I meant. My apologies for not being specific in the mist of trying to escape a place that we've lived in since the dawn of this world. This is not going to be easy and none of us have been in direct sunlight for millennia. Do you understand the ramifications of that? Yes, we are powerful, but Glade stepping on ground without any protective gear that is a recipe for disaster. Here are the conditions that you should agree to. We will be your personal guard. I would like if Eve or not Eve who's that person ha. I would like if Isa would be able to join us on a mission-by-mission basis only at your approval so that we could get to know her. Her mother was one of us therefore by extension she is as well. Plus, she must know what happened to her father. She knows nothing of those things. I would like to speak to her about those things myself. I carry myself as the leader because I was the leader of this team before we became what we are now. We also need to purge this place of any relevant information. Take it all. Aside from the facility in the capital this place has the most information on us and everything to do with the virus. I also say we destroy everything that they use to protect themselves from the virus. That way we can sit back and let the virus continue to attack them while we use our abilities to help the people that align with our interests." Eclipse let out a sigh. "If all of these things are agreeable then shake my hand and let's close this deal. What do you say?" Her hand was still extended forward waiting on Alexandria's.

  "Is it alright that your other two friends aren't in on this?" She looked down at Eclipse's hand.

  Eclipse was about to answer, but Glade cut in again. "Mist and Gale have always followed the two of us if we make a decision collectively together the two of us, they will respect it. It's not a blind respect it is because they trust out judgement. I know that Eclipse can be a little much, but she does have good intentions outside of the insanity that you probably see on her face right now. So, shake her hand. I will provide an addendum that Eclipse will honor. If at any time you believe our agreement needs to be adjusted, I have the ability to wipe the contract so that it can be rewritten. I can't do what Aurora does and besides that is more of a defense mechanism. She doesn't know how to properly use it. Doing that could have adverse side effects, but what I do hmm we can adjust according to the needs of what is going on before us. Do you find that acceptable, Alexandria?"

  "I do." Alexandria gave a small smile.

  "Eclipse, what about you?" Glade wasn't about to have this drag on any longer.

  "Very well. Since we are all in agreement how about we shake?" Eclipse took a step forward her hand still extended in Alexandria's direction.

  Alexandria nodded grasping Eclipse's hand who returned the shake gripping a bit tighter. Alexandria started to shake not as violently or as noticeable as Valentina before, but she could feel the darkness entering her body.

  Eclipse broke the handshake quickly. "It's done. I'm sorry that has to be your first time experiencing that. It can be a little rough. Just know that you are okay. Now, how about we get you out of there."

  Alexandria reached into her bag and pulled out a stone. "This, this is iron it's a pretty strong ore. I found it on the ground outside. Will this help you break out of there?"

  "That is going to be beautiful. Very carefully put it through the shot. I don't want to get hit in the gut by a chuck of iron that big." Glade let out a sigh of relief hoping they listen to her words.

  Aurora walked over and opened the shot.

  Alexandria walked up and placed the iron ore inside dropping it slowly. Nobody said a word and all you could hear was the piece of iron hitting the walls of the shot as he made its way down to Glade.

  As it came down, she saw the apparatus move a bit as Glade put up her hand and caught the piece of ore. "Yikes! that hurts." She breathed in deep through her mouth and then again through her nose.

  Alexandria watched with wide eyes as the piece of ore that she had seen bulging from the apparatus disappear into Glade's hand. Obviously, she didn't see it go inside, but she saw the apparatus go down as it was being absorbed.

  The apparatus started to shake, and Glade let out a deafening scream and a few moments later burst out of the plastic apparatus. As she stepped it was as if something solidified underneath her feet as she walked towards the glass, but every time her foot left the materialized ground it disappeared like it was sucked back inside her body. When she reached the glass, she motioned with her hands for everyone to back up.

  For a moment Alexandria did so with a questioning look on her face wondering why she just didn't speak, but then looking around she noticed there was a speaker that they must've been speaking into and she must've been talking from. The apparatus must've had the device connected to her body now that she was out of it there was nothing for her to speak into. As Alexandria finished her thought Glade pulled back her fist and thrust it into the viewing wall shattering it in an instant with one punch. The sound reverberated through the facility and probably down to where the other guards, researchers, Mist, and Gale were being kept.

  The elemental of surprise could've just been hampered, but it didn't matter. Glade now had ore, iron ore the size of small ball coursing through her body and that's what she was using to walk on air and bolster her strength. Now it was time for the newly formed personal guard of Crimson Judgement and Alexandria to get to rescuing the final two members. Even if the defenders down below heard the sound there was no way they could stop the group that was about to ascend upon them.