"FL-9" Our leaders told the train monitor. "Alright! You know the drill. Training room, input your number and returning gear then you are free to go." Said one of the leaders, Taro, he was the last one to come down the slide. We stood in silence for the duration of the short train ride. We hadn't gone far, just to north Louisiana, trying to scope out infected troops. The train stopped abruptly and it's doors opened and we filed off in a single line to the training room, standing in front of our stations removing our equipment and changing into normal clothes. I left my hair in its existing braid, pulled on black jeans and a grey tank top. I turned to my log pad and entered my number and scrolled through my gear checklist. Knife, "No..." I mumbled under my breath. I checked no to three types of guns before being able to select yes to the one gun I brought back. I selected yes to my uniform and what parts of it were still intact. My left boot needed repair and the bottom of my training pants had ripped open, resulting in tiny cuts across my knees and thighs. I shut the thin glass door to my station and turned around. I saw the blonde boy leave and briskly walked over to him to thank him. "Niall right?" I said and watched his head turn gently.

"Oh hi, Blayze correct?"

"It's actually Blayde," I said smiling gently as he blushed lightly. We continued walking throughout our sector, sector 9 of Florida. "Listen, I just wanted to thank you for earlier, I know there are people who would just focus on keeping track of themselves so thank you for saying my number, I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, of course. It was no problem." He said smiling. We walked together in a few moments of silence before he spoke up again. "I can't believe our losses today."

I nodded my head in agreement. "I know, we left with 100 and came back with 37." He looked at me and agreed. "Well, I have to go meet my brother," I said when we reached the door that said Building.

" Hey, if you ever want to meet up obviously I'm in hall H, room 167," He said smiling.

I smiled lightly and opened the door.

---

"Tallon, you ready?" I said approaching my brother who was sitting over a desk of blueprints.

"Yeah yeah, one sec. Come look at this." He said beckoning me and his partner over to his desk. "Does this architecture make sense? Matix and Kreed think we should build another tunnel 100 miles north of here, but we would have to also connect the slides to the surrounding caverns and hook up the train lines..." He trailed off as his partner, Summit, and I looked on.

Summit spoke up first, "Matix and Kreed are actually working together on this? Who actually told you because my guess is one of them is going behind the others back."

"Kreed told me."

"Exactly. I would go talk to Matix, just find out what he really thinks of the plans." Summit said before walking back over to his desk. Tallon looked up at me and laughed nervously.

"Small detour?" I sighed, aggravated.

---

Niall's POV

"Mate, let's go I'm starving."

"I am not going anywhere until you tell me if you finally talked to her today?" He looked at me with sharp eyes.

"Well... She talked to me, our leaders were at the tunnel and she and I were behind so I started shouting her number for her and then she came up to thank me. And then of course being the idiot I am I decided to 'be cool' and pretend to get her name wrong. She probably thinks I am stupid." I said shaking my head lightly.

"Ni, please tell me you fixed that." Matix said to me.

"I did, kind of... I told her she could stop by my room." Matix smacked his head.

"Alright, well that, I suppose, is the best I could hope for with you." He said. "Let me just finish off this email to Kreed, he's trying to authorize a new tunnel which I think is a great idea, but the location... not so much. You might as well get comfortable." He said gesturing to a seat. After a few minutes of silently sitting listening to the sound of his fingers hitting the table, typing, someone knocked on the door. "Come in." He said, straightening his posture. Blayde and another boy walked in.

"Hello Matix." The boy nodded politely, his arms holding a scanner.

"Tallon." Matix nodded back, then looked past him slightly. "Blayde." And he nodded again. It was government officials job to know everyone in their sector. "Please sit." The boy, Tallon, took a seat one seat away from Matix, but Blayde stayed standing. Tallon placed his scanner on the table and pressed the button, tapped in a code and waited as various holograms opened up.

"Kreed came to building today and asked several of us to come up with the blueprints for a new tunnel 100 miles north of here, but, of course his location isn't in the most ideal place, we would need to completely re-route trains and lead the slides to the nearest cavern or completely recreate new caverns and I just wasn't sure if you knew about this so I decided to some ask." He said. Matix looked at the blueprints then at Tallin.

"Yes Kreed and I have been talking about a new tunnel but I agree the location is very inconvenient. Put the project on hold for now, we will check back later. Alright?" Tallon nodded in agreement and packed up his scanner.

"Sorry to bother you." He said before departing with Blayde.

"Uhm... That's not her boyfriend right Mate?" I asked him uneasily.

"God no, that's her younger brother." He replied as I sighed gently.

"Good. Now hurry the fuck up." I said to him as he sat back down and continued typing.

---

Blayde's POV

"That was the guy."

"Who?" Tallon responded, fiddling with his scanner.

"That guy I told you about on the way over here. You know the one that told me i should stop by his room."

"Well are you?" He asked.

"I don't know maybe. He's cute. But it's such a risk, especially us both being field troops. You know?" Tallon nodded his head then turned to me.

"Just be safe." He said then smirked and walked into the dining hall. I sighed and followed him. After dinner Tallon went back to our bunk and I followed him until the split point. Did I go A-M and see Niall or follow Tallon home. Finally Tallon showed up again, "Just fucking go for it please." And I turned on my heel looking for hall H, then going up to the official first floor and looking for room 67. I knocked lightly on the door and t swung open under my hand to reveal a half naked Niall, shocked at my appearance.

"Hi." I said.

Notes