Ashes to Ashes

Stepping into the room you can see about ten beds lined up on each side, totaling around twenty and as your heads moves through out the room the dread fills your eyes as you begin to notice that all these warriors that are injured and resting up, getting tended to or just laying there and groaning in pain were all your Sunrider's.

The instant the three of you step into the room Lexie and Zoe immediately go into shock and let out little groans of disapproval. They then begin to go around the room, talking with the wounded and trying to get some basic information. A lot of these every day Sunrider's you and most likely Zoe didn't know very well but you felt bad for Lexie as she has been in the Syndicate her entire life so many of these other women are either acquaintances or possibly good friends.

You move between some of the beds slowly as your eyes look at the warriors. You pass by one that is bandaged up as best as she can around her stomach, the white gauze stained red from her blood. More had huge gashes across their torsos, arms, legs or even faces. A few didn't seem too worse for the wear but you could tell they were still in agonizing pain. Whenever they got surrounded and attacked, these few that were able to make it away from the Rathkin forces probably had to stay hidden as best as they could and walk the entire way to Nillix, however far that may have been.

With each passing wounded Sunrider though, you never saw the one you were hoping to see, that High Commander of yours. As you reach the end of the beds, eighteen of them had Sunrider's in them and out of all those eighteen, none were Ashe. It felt as if you had the biggest lump in your throat, you could barely breath as your body began to fill with mainly sadness but also a tiny glimmer of rage.

Eighteen Sunriders, eighteen, that was all that made it back to Nillix. Eighteen out of the couple hundred that got sent. Hundreds of your warriors, your army, the Sicilian Sunriders which must have all got surrounded, caught off guard and slaughtered by Rathkin. "God damnit!" you shout out and punch a nearby wall extremely hard, causing the wood to buckle. "FUCK!" you growl again, the angry building up.

"Darien!" Lexie's voice shouts at you as she runs up to your side, "I'm sorry..." she throws her arms around your waist, pulling her body into yours.

"No Lexie...I should be the one who is sorry, these were so many of your friends that you've known maybe your entire life?" you try to calm yourself, throwing your arms around her back but your hands are still shaking, hell, your entire body is shaking, "So no, I'm sorry this happened."

The two of you stand there, holding each other as you both try to squelch the sadness that is coursing through your veins.

Zoe moves up to the two of you, her eyes filling with a glaze as the ever so happy Sunrider is devastated as well, "I'm..." she pauses, staring at the floor, "I'm gonna step outside...I don't like this, I need a few minutes."

You reach an arm out and give Zoe a comforting grip and a nod, "I'm sorry Zoe...take all the time you need."

She tries to fake a smile at you before turning back around, making her way towards the doors you just came into. It made you feel terrible that it was getting to her that much. You knew she was starting to click with the Sunrider's but also was starting to really grow fond of Ashe. You imagine in the days you were ****, Ashe was the one who trained her, took her under her wing and helped her out. You watch Zoe exit the room and you turn back towards Lexie who is now by a cot, talking with one of the wounded Sunriders.

You take a few more deep breaths, trying your best to calm yourself and that's when a handful of doctors end up walking through an adjoining door, "Fuck, she's a bitch." the man jokes, "You'd think for bandaging her up and treating her well she wouldn't be so damn feisty." the other one laughs back as they move through the room, making their way towards the same door that Zoe just left.

Glancing at Lexie, she's still talking to a Sunrider, clearly she didn't hear anything but your interest was sparked. You move towards the door that the two doctors just came out of and slowly start to push it open. This room, was much smaller and had just two beds and a window looking outside into the grounds of Nillix.

The first bed was empty and your head turns, the second bed, empty as well. "Hmm..." you grumble out as maybe there's some other room in here. You step inside completely as the door swings shut behind you and as your head turns the window you see a person standing there. Not just any person, a women. Not just any women, a red haired woman.

"About time you morons do something in a timely fashi..." the girl says as she slowly turns around. The instant her eyes see that it's not the two doctors that just left, but instead it's you standing there, her mouth drops open.

"Oh my God." you immediately bound towards the girl with as much speed and quickness as you've ever had. Within a foot of the girl, you throw your arms around and hug her deep. Pulling her body into your own extremely hard, almost crushing the poor girl.

She groans out in pain before you release your grip almost immediately. "Shit, sorry!" you step back, keeping your hands on her arms, smiling at her. She has a fairly deep gash down the side of her face. Her left forearm is wrapped with a bunch of gauze and she's wearing pants which have one of the legs cut off and almost her entire thigh down to her upper shin is covered in gauze too. The poor girl looks so battled hardened.

"I'm so glad you're alive." you grin as a single tear starts to well up in your eye, "I'm so happy to see you again, Ashe."

"Oh, enough of your sappy shit, Darien." she grins, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Really? That's it?" you laugh and step back, "No, good to see you, Darien! No, you look great, Darien! No, thanks for coming, Darien!"

Ashe goes to shrug but gives out a groan as she tries to lift up her left arm, the cut must be hurting her pretty bad but she grins through the pain, "We suffered a lot of losses...why would," she pauses, looking at you to see if you even know, "Why did Rathkin do this? Do you even know? Why are you even here? What's going on?" she rattles off.

"Ashe, first things first." you smile and step back, "I'll be right back. I've got two other Sunrider's that will be happy to see you again and then after that, we'll make sure to catch you up with everything we know and you can fill us in on all the details of what exactly happened." you turn around to move to exit the room but are stopped when a hand touches your own. "Huh?" you stop, looking back at the girl.

"Well..." she smiles, "I didn't say it but...It is good to see you again, Darien."