The road seemed to roll on forever as Bolavara sped back to the shuttle, knowing that Larrisa was in desperate need of medical attention, and while he was worried about her well being, he knew full well that if anything happens to her, Hades wasn't going to stop to listen to reason. For now, he seemed preoccupied cleaning up Larrisa's face, and he couldn't imagine how Hades was feeling inside, but if he had to guess, it was a mix of love for her, fear of losing her, and murderous intent for the SOB that did that to her all at once, which was bad news for whoever caught his attention in a bad way. Bolavara had only been with him for a short time, but he had heard rumors and stories about the man know as Hades, and he did not disappoint one bit. From the moment Hades had addressed them that day on New Earth, Bolavara couldn't help but stair, not because of any romantic feelings but at how young he is and yet he carried himself with an air of authority about him that made it so you couldn't help but shut up and pay attention when he was giving orders. Not only that, but it was clear that despite his reputation for being the living embodiment death he actually cared about his men, though he knew full well that he was in love with Larrisa, made even more clear by how he was holding her in his arms as he cleaned her face with extreme caution and tenderness.
"Bolavara, bud, not to seem rude but can this thing go any faster? I got the bleeding to stop, but without being cleaned out and bandaged the cuts will get infected", Hades said, his voice heavy with remorse but clear and calm.
"Unfortunately not. I'm doing one-twenty-five and thats where it tops out. I'll try to get us back before night fall, but I make no promises", Bolavara replied, and he couldn't help but feel he was responding for what happened, that if he had just been more careful on that jump, then they wouldn't be out here right now with one man down, infected on their trail, and now a traffic jam. Up ahead was a check point for evacuees, and due to human stupidity, the road ahead was packed to the brim with vehicles of every kind, but he saw one that he knew would be beneficial. It was an RV, and while it wasn't super fast, it could transport all of them and their supplies, plus he figured that Larrisa would feel a little better laying on a mattress versus the hard, shaky floor of the van. After running the plan by the others, they agreed that it would be their best option, and they were pleasantly surprised to find that it was solar powered, which ment that it would always be functional as long as they maintained it. Once the switch was complete they continued on their way, and as they did Bolavara could have sworn he saw a black dot sailing across the, but he figured it was a bird of some kind.

Hades was sitting at the table, a cigarette gently smoking as he took a long, slow drag off of it as his mind raced with thoughts of what to do next, but all he could do is let Larrisa rest and hope like he'll she didn't suffer any brain damage from the beating. She had woken up only momentarily when he was taking her suit off of her so she'd be more comfortable, but was emmediatly out again after he covered her up and turned out the lights. They had found some Ibprophen in the bathroom which seemed to have helped with the swelling, but her face was still bruised and cut up, and he was certain she was missing a few teeth as well, which only filed his rage more, but he remembered what his Sensi had taught him, and so instead of dwelling on it, he centered himself, changed into a pair of shorts he found that just barely fit him widthwise, got a beer out of the fridge, sat down, and lit a cigarette. He found himself thinking about how much he had changed, and how he never thought he would find himself in this position of being stranded with little chance of survival, and yet he felt right at home here amongst the ruins of what was once part of a sprawling empire of man, brought down by nothing more than a little bug they still knew nothing about since the moment the host dies, so does it, making obtaining a live sample impossible, and studying it like wise, which is why the main point of this mission was too eradicate the virus forever by killing off and burning up all the infected and potentially infected. Hades opened the beer and took a sip, its taste bitter from age but strong enough to make him feel like he was drinking whisky, then another drag off his cigarette before continuing with his thoughts. The biggest thing on his mind was of the thousands of soldiers scattered around the world right now, which was odd considering his girlfriend had been severely beaten, but the way he saw was he did all he could to get to her but wasn't fast enough which didn't sit well with him, but she was safe now and he sure as hell wouldn't be letting it happen again. Meanwhile, about fourty-thousand troops were MIA, and to be honest they very well could be the only ones alive at this point in time, but he was a soldier, and soldiers looked out for one another, comes with the job.
"We're here", Bolavara said as they pulled around to the pod entrance where they were met by Doc who Howard quickly grabbed by the arm and escorted to Larrisa who was now partially awake again, while Hades went and carefully carried Petrov into the Rv and set on the couch before heading back to help Howard and Bolavara carry the supplies out. With his team now secure, his focus shifted to Larrisa...

Petrov was in a considerable amount of pain from his many broken bones, but he was going to live according to Doc and make a relatively full recovery, but even with that in mind he still felt like a weight on the team, especially when Hades had to carry him bridal style due to his broken ribs. Hades seemed aware of this, confirmed whe he sat down by Petrov and asked, "Whats on your mind comrad?", in perfect Russian.
With a light smile he replied, "I feel useless right now with my bones broken, but I know you did your best to avoid that, and we are alive, so I guess its not all bad. How is Larrisa?".
"She is resting. Doc said that she would wake up soon, and that she had a concussion, but overall nothing lethal", Hades said as he opened and passed Petrov a beer.
"She is strong like us men. Reminds me of my sister Anya. She was killed in a terrorist attack, taken hostage and executed, but before she was captured, killed ten of them and fatally wounds another".
"I remember hearing about that. I was deployed elsewhere, but word travels fast".
"On that note, I must admit, your not like I thought you would be".
"I've been hearing that a lot lately".
"You are aware of your reputation, right?".
Petrov was enjoying this conversation, not just cause Hades was nice enough to use his native language, but also cause he wanted to get to know his team mates, and to be perfectly honest Hades was kind of his hero despite being thirty years old. It wasn't so much his reputation, more how despite being the youngest soldier in GA history he sailed through the ranks and damn well deserved every promotion he got.
"I am. I will admit, there's a small part of me that does care, however, I am not going to pretend like it's always active. At one point, I was simply focusing on doing my job. But as I ranked up, I had to adapt cause now killing wasn't enough for them, they had rules, gave me men to lead and call my own. This ment that I had to start trusting people again, despite past experiences".
"Some say that it's cause of Larrisa".
"She has made it easier", Hades said with a smile before taking a drink from his beer. Petrov was going to ask another question, but then Doc came in and announced that Larrisa was awake and asking for Hades.

Larrisa was barely awake, but she was aware of a sharp pain in her eye, ribs, and mouth, then memories came rushing back of her torturer, his massive fist crashing into her face over and over again till she just blacked out. As her vision began to swim back into focus, she looked around and saw Hades sitting in a chair by the bed, her small hand gently wrapped in his two large ones which she found rather comforting. As her vision finally focused, she also saw that everyone else was standing around the bed, looks of utter relief washing over their faces, and she couldn't help but cry, not cause of the pain, but because she knew then that she was genuinely cared about by them all.
"Hades, darling, help me sit up please", she said, and despite a slight slurr her speech was otherwise unhindered.
Hades slid his hand under her back, and with some degree of pain, she slowly sat up, then Hades gently placed his hand her cheek and kissed her deeply, like he was certain that it was last time he would ever see her again. She kissed him back in the same fashion, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck and running her fingers through his hair which actually made him smile and blush, tears of happiness gently running down his cheek as he wrapped his arms around her waist and gently pulled her close to him.
"Sorry about my make up disaster", she said jokingly about her bruises, but truth was she felt ugly, like she'd been deformed by the beating she'd received.
"Its okay baby, I still think your beautiful", Hades said, his eyes locked on hers, and there she could see all the love he had for her, and new deep inside her that this man was telling her the truth, that he still found her absolutely beautiful and that he loved her more than probably even he thought possible. If it didn't hurt so much to do so she would have smiled more than she already was. Yes, she was going to be in serious pain for some time, but she knew that as long as she stood by these people, they would do the same for her. She also knew that she was without a doubt absolutely in love with Hades.

Howard watched as Hades helped Larrisa out into the front room, not cause her legs were injured but after the blunt force trauma to her head, her balance would be off for a bit. Hades sat in the recliner with Larrisa on his lap, and for a moment they looked like a normal couple cuddled up for a movie, and Hades seemed to be a lot more relaxed now that Larrisa was up and moving, so much so that the smile he wore now was the same one he developed when she first woke up. It was like his heart grew or something, and it showed how much he really loved her.
Howard returned his attention to the stove where he was cooking spaghetti, which after the day they had seemed like a major highlight, especially since Doc happened to "find" a forty sack of Marijuana, in particular a strain know as "Jack Reaper", which he announced would be authorized for usage once they find a safe place to park this beast. After a bit Bolavara spotted a dirt road that he followed all the way to a camp site that was surrounded by a thick forrest, and once the levels were set and the shades drawn, they began eating and from their expressions Howard could tell that they liked it. Hades eventually loaded a bowl in a pipe that Doc found in the bathroom along with another forty sack which was put there recently, which ment that someone was in here before, but they were miles away from where they found it, and so far they had the only working vehicle on the planet. Either way, they were happy, and despite how the day started, it was ending quite nicely, and there was even movies to watch which really made everyone's day, and soon with full stomachs and baked minds, everyone began to drift off into peaceful slumber...except for Howard, who sat in the driver's seat with the window shades and divider drawn while he watched the small security monitor that displayed four camera feeds from each side of the vehicle so no one would escape detection if they tried abusing them. He sat with a cigarette in one hand, a pistol in the other, his insomnia and anxiety through the roof since he was still feeling the full weight of getting just about everyone on his ship killed. He was finally feeling it, and it bore down on him like a massive wave of guilt and remorse, leaving feeling cold and empty inside. The feeling became unbearable, and he decided that he would end it before he got anyone else killed. After digging in the glovebox he found a pen and paper, wrote a note, then as quietly as possible, stepped outside, and walked off into the black of night....
© The Druid