Shwa

Both Ali and Demitri stood in the center of the High Counsel's light, the room a hush as the Shield addressed the two in the shadows of his throne, nothing was said as both Ali and Demitri stood side by side one another, both still huffing and heaving for air after their battle with Felix. The high counselor Shield waited impatiently as his men went to fetch his grandson, Demitri thought it would be Dante due to his tie with all this mess. The giant gave a low growl as he remembered the hurt and fear in his sons voice, he knows if Ali would have been called things could have gotten a lot worse for her if she confronted the massive man on her own, Demitri was thinking on pure rage and revenge when he combated the fiend. He should have saw the warning signs when they rescued the man from his home town and brought them to the woods, but now that he was in the same base as Dante, thing would be a little more complicated. They had to protect Berserk, in fear that he was on the list as well as the other mystery members of the illusive 12 he was hunting, now his death count was getting higher and higher to the final 12th member he sought after for so long. Demitri shook a little, along with his wife as the doors could be heard opening in the distance, Madam touch walked slowly as she held onto Dante's large hand, the boy was bruised and battered as he walked slowly still trailing behind his grandmother. Finally making their way to the light, both Demitri and Ali gasped as they saw their son, he only wore his sweat pants now, Madam touch changed his clothing so the counsel could see the extent of his defeated body. Dante showed only a distant gaze as he looked at the ground, trying to hide behind his grandmother's own body even though the boy towered her height more than he realized. Ali's eyes filled with tears as she tried to step forward, but was halted by a stern voice. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE COMMANDER TALON!!" Shield was stern and demanding, Ali scowled at the command as she looked up into the shadows. "Are you out of your mind? That's my son....how can you expect me to just stand here when he's injured?" Her voice echoed withing the chambers, but none of the other members spoke as they saw her reactions. Though nobel for her motherly instincts, foolish in the chambers of the High Counsel members. Demitri gritted his teeth together, feeling the same worry for their son, but he knew better than to express such emotion and rage to those who were more powerful than any of his team members, even his own self. Pavlos looked down at the group, squinting his eyes in anger before he continued to speak. "Boy!" His voice echoed, Dante shook as he squeezed his hand tighter on his grandmother, Touch placed her other hand on his back trying to calm the boy, both Ali and Demitri said nothing as he was addressed by the counsel member. "How did you receive those wounds?" Dante didn't look up as he felt more memories flood his mind about the fight, and about his past, silent tears fell from his face and onto the floor, Ali grew furious by the minute. Dante finally found the courage to speak up, softly, yet his voice was amplified by the chamber walls. "I was attacked.....by a man..." Demitri raised an eyebrow at the statement. [color="#0000FF"][i][b](Dante, you know who did this to you...why wont you speak up? This is your chance![/b][/i][/color]) Demitri grew angry at the boy, knowing the counsel couldn't offer any extra protection against Felix unless the boy confessed to their ears. There was some slight chit chat amongst the rest of the counsel, Sheild began to lose himself as well, all they needed was a confession and they would have Felix confined to the brig. Even if he was under their protection, the boy grew on Pavlos as a family member, he wanted nothing but the best protection for them in any circumstance. Again, Pavlos continued his interrogation with Dante. "Do you know the name of you attacker?" The change in his tone was not something that wouldn't have been noticed, more stern and direct. Still, Dante hesitated with his thought, tired and weak from his sores. Broken ribs and fractured cheek bone from his strike to the face, hish shoulder badly bruised from where Felix picked him up and applied pressure when holding the boy against the steel wall before he was rescued by Sasa, Ali grew impatient now. Slowly, she moved one of her hands from behind her back and let it rest at her side, moving her fingers ever so slightly the woman tried to calm her son down with her powers, but just as quickly as she tried, a small throwing knife crossed the top of her palm, making the woman wince in pain. The knife came from the shadows of the room, Demitri tried to pinpoint the exact location, but it was too fast for his eyes. Ali hissed at the new pain as she cupped her bleeding hand to her chest. "[color="#006400"][i][b]Commander Talon, no powers are to be used during the meeting with the High Counsel, we know this is your first time in such an interrogation, but your recklessness is not something we will tolerate here. Is that understood?[/b][/i][/color]" The distant voice was stern just as Pavlos was, Ali gritted her teeth in anger, but only gave the slightest of nods. Demitri clenched his fists together, this was a serious incident, he felt the same way Ali felt for their son, all he wanted to do was take them home and make sure they were alright. The giant could see his wife was in pain, her body not fully healed and the fight with Felix took a lot out of her. "[i][b][color="#006400"]Demitri Athens..[/color][/b][/i]" The voice caught the mans attention as he stared forward once again. "[color="#006400"][i][b]Your conduct with rules and regulations for your position can not be excused. You shall be excused from you duties and be restricted to the base for a period of 48 hours. Is that understood?[/b][/i][/color]" Demitri closed his eyes and tried his best to calm himself, but he had to obey the orders that were given. "[color="#006400"][i][b]Alex Talon, you will be under the same restrictions as well, let this be a lesson that rank doesn't make you the person you are today.[/b][/i][/color]" Ali grunted at the momment, feeling like she was being treated by a child to these elderly soldiers. Pavlos spoke once again to Dante, hoping to get the boy some signs of relief. "Dante, this is your last chance for protection, will you give the name of the man who did this to you?" Dante still stared blankly to the floor, he didn't answer, even when Touch tried to calm the boy with a small back rub, he was unresponsive. Demitri looked at his son, feeling guilty and hurt to see him in that condition, suddenly, a voice echoed into his head. ([color="#48D1CC"][i][b]Demitri, whats wrong with him? The counsel can't do much and we're limited ourselves on watching our son.[/b][/i][/color]) Ali sent a mental message, Demitri felt relaxed, its been too long since he's communicated with her in such a way, feeling it was the one of few links he still had with his wife. ([color="#0000FF"][i][b]He's probably too shaken up, the poor boy is probably drained physically and mentally. I mean come on Ali...look at our son![/b][/i][/color]) Demitri grew a frown, frustrated and tired of worrying about everything, he too was beginging to burn out. ([color="#48D1CC"][b][i]I know that, but...I-I feel so helpless. I just want to comfort our baby[/i][/b][/color]) [color="#0000FF"][i][b](I know, so do I[/b][/i][/color]). Still time passed as they talked, nothing came from Dante's lips as he held onto his grandmother. The small chatter had stopped moment ago, waiting for a response from the boy, but they finally knew nothing would come from him. "[color="#FF8C00"][i][b]It is with a sad heart to dismiss the case, Felix shall be free to roam the halls of the base without any restrictions. He will be guarded at all times by two assigned commanders, and will not be permitted to come near the eastern living quarters of the base[/b][/i][/color]" The voice spoke, Ali snapped her head back to the shadows and spoke herself. "That's it?!?! Those are you only restrictions to this mad man who's harmed my son?" She was hurt and angry, feeling like she could shed more tears until she was stopped, Demitri had grabbed her hand tight, he said nothing, but held onto her hand, finally Ali squeezed back and looked down. They were defeated for now. "[color="#FF8C00"][i][b]Unlike Commandant Athens and yourself, this man was attacked in his own chambers by a higher ranking officer, then you joined in the assault Commander. Though the boy shows obvious signs of abuse and assault, there are not camera footage or eye witnesses that approached any other higher ranking officer about the matter. No documents filed, nothing. As I said before, it is with a heavy heart, but do not take my kindness for weakness Commander. This meeting is finished[/b][/i][/color]" Madam touch quickly stood underneath Tank, carrying his weight as she made her way to the med war, the counsel members could be heard leaving their seats and making their way out of the chambers, still in the darkness of the shadows. Ali and Demitri both turned and went after Touch to be at their sons side. Back in the Med Ward, Madam Touch and Patch both worked on Dante, able to heal some of his wounds, but not everything as the bruises still showed on his ribs and shoulder. He was mentally blocking everyone out of his mind, Ali held onto the teens hand the whole time, Demitri sitting by his bed as he rested. "I'll take him back to my quarters, at least I'll be off from work to watch over him while you're looking out after Marcus" Demitri sighed as he stood up from his chair and grabbed a cup of coffee to ease his mind. Ali rubbed the back of her neck softly, her healing went smoothly as well, but still needed rest from her other wounds. "Don't you mean "our" quarters?" She tried to give him a friendly smile, but she only saw a frown on his face. "I'm sorry" "You don't need to be, can you at least tell me this. What you two mated?" Ali held her breath in for a moment, looking into his tired hazel eyes, she sighed and answered. "Yes...yes we have Demitri..." The giant nodded as he tossed his empty cup into the trash, going over to Dante's side as he carefully picked up the teen in his arms, slightly heavier than he would have expected, he began to walk the two back to his quarters. "Where are you going?" Demitri stopped before turning back to his wife, his own eyes watery as he spoke. "I'm going home, to the family I have left, who I know won't leave" Ali stood from her chair, walking closer as she placed a hand on Dante's sleeping chest, feeling the rise and fall from his breathing. "You don't mean that, do you Demitri?" The giant's tears dripped down his face, Ali cupped the side of his cheek softly as he gave a low growl, missing her touch and scent after all these weeks. "I think I do...I'm sorry love B-but this is too much for me to handle right now..." Ali took her hand back slowly, his words hitting her harder than she expected, Demitri walked out of the room and towards the hallway to his own quarters. Ali found her seat once again, noticing something shinny on the counter top, getting up again she drew closer until she saw what was sitting there. Both Demitri and Ali's wedding bands, and Ali's diamond ring on a single key chain, she couldn't help but cry knowing he had left them there for her.

The doors closed behind the commandant as he stared into the cold hallways, leaving Ali and Marcus was the right thing to do, but he still yearned for his beloved wife....that is, the woman he cared for after so many years. It was a hard transition for Demitri, knowing after a long day of work and dealing with the kids, she wouldn't be there to make her favorite meal or have his clothes all washed and ready, or even see her sleeping in the bed they shared, knowing her scent would linger even after she got up in the morning or moved about in her sleep. The giant took a deep sigh before walking down the halls, if this was something she wanted, the soldier would only comply with her wishes, it was for her happiness after all, something even Demitri couldn't offer anymore. It tore the giant apart, but he had his duties as a Commandant and father to stay strong for his base, his team, and his family all together. Demitri hasn't mentioned anything to his parents about the transition, knowing they would either smother him with their wishes of sympathy or go balistic towards Ali for her, what they would consider "shameful" actions of leaving their son after so many years to rekindle a relationship with another man. The giant shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thoughts as he made his way towards the elevator. Waiting for his transport, the giant received an incoming call on his mobile phone, reaching into his pocket the giant answered the call immediately, thinking it would be someone from his office calling for further information on the funeral for the deceased Commander Mist. "This is Athens..." "Dad?" Demitri heard his sons voice, but was shocked when it sounded scared and alert, the elevator opened on his floor as the giant entered inside, pressing the button for his destination, the doors closed before the man answered back. "Dante? Whats the matter my boy?" Crying and sniffling could be heard from the other end, it tore at the giants heart to know his son was in such a condition, at his age, it should be happening. He was acting more like himself these days, keeping strong even thought he was hurting on the inside, but Dante was still a teenager and he wasn't as strong mentally to deal with a lot off stress. The elevator continued its way down, Demitri took a deep swallow before he heard an answer on the other line. "Dad...he hit me...Berserk caught me in the hallway and was throwing me against the wall, angry and drunk...it was happening all again" Dante's breathing got erratic, the teenage remained in his room, door locked as he sat in the corner, fetal position as he talked to his father, repressed memories flooding back into his mind of the times he would be abused before he ran away. Demitri's heart seemed to stop, he was speechless at the information, the giant pressed the stop button on the elevators control panel , the slight shifting of gravity threw the man off until he found his ground once again. "HE DID WHAT???" Demitri shouted, he was furious, but more crying could be hurt over the phone, he lack of control scared the teen. "I'm-I'm sorry Dante, I need to know what happened, please son. I'll take care of this, just tell me what happened" "I'm so sorry dad...." The teenager continued to sob.... [color="#008080"][i][b]Dante was thrown against the wall of the hallway, the steel shell forming to his back as the teenager tried to catch his breath. It wa short lived as a larger hand caught around the boys throat, blocking his airway as the boy grasped onto the muscled arm holding him, suddenly, his body was lifted into the air as he looked down onto his attacker. The rage in his biological father's eyes was deadly, glowing red as the wicked man smiled, licking his lips as he chuckled openly, the hallway was clear and dark, the cameras in the area had been disabled and the doors locked from the inside. Dante gasped and hissed for air, only to feel his airway contracting more and more as the grip tightened. "So, this is where you've been hiding you worthless piece of ****" Felix dealt a hard blow to the teens stomach before turning his body and tossing the boy to the floor hard, making another dent upon impact as Dante yelped and squirmed in pain. Caughing to get air into his lungs, but once again, the assault continued as a swift kick to his ribs sent the boy to the opposite wall, the man was ruthless, just as Dante remembered him to always be. "You think you can just leave me, leave the work you were suppose to do to come and find a new family? What's the matter boy? I didn't take care of you enough? Sold you out enough to those who wanted you? Too many MARKS??" Felix picked up his son by his hair, dealing a swift back hand as Dante hit the ground once again, feeling blood fill his mouth and leak onto the steel floor. The boy was paralized, he wanted to fight, wanted to run, but his body wouldn't let him do anything, he was truly alone when he needed help the most. "I...I'm not your son, y-y-youre a monster" The boys shoulder was grabbed as Dante was brought to his feet, another punch to the same side of his face before a strong knee came to his ribcage. Dante screamed as the attacks continued, his mouth was finally covered by his fathers meaty hands as his head was slammed into the same wall he bounced off from. "There there boy...you may have vanished, but now I've found you." Felix smiled as his fangs showed, tearing off Dante's shirt with his free hand, grabbing tightly onto the boys shoulder, leaving an obvious bruise as his grip got tighter and tighter. The boy yelped through his muzzle as he felt the pain shoot through his body and to his head, Felix licked his lips as he got closer. "I know those buyers who had you had their fun, but you always returned for the main fun" Felix laughed, a gunshot fired through the hallways, the stray bullet hitting the beastly man in his muscled shoulder, causing him to release his son, backing into the shadows as he yelled in pain. Looking over to the now open doorway, Sasa stood with her gun aimed at the mad man. "YOU *****!!!" He roared, Sasa fired another warning shot at Felix's feet, making the man back up a bit. Sasa slowly made her way to Dante, helping the boy up until he got to his feet. ' "I remember you Felix, a dishonorable soldier dismissed from your duties by Captain Shield. I don't know what your issues are with this boy, but I wont see a member of my team and family be bullied by a low rate soldier" She fired another shot when the burly man tried to rush at her, but Sasa was well prepared for his actions. Dante leaned on the steel wall, tears fell down his face, he couldn't stand to look at the crazed man. Sasa stood in front on the teen and pushed her body back slowly, escorting both of them out of the entrance. Felix laughed madly as the two vanished. "DON'T WORRY YOU *****,M YOU CAN'T BE AT HIS SIDE ALL THE TIME" His laugh echoed as he retreated to his own way out of the hallway, ripping the locked steel doors open, bending the metal as he roared at the pain from his gunshot wound. [/b][/i] [color="#000000"]Demitri's elevator stopped on the 13th floor, when the doors opened, his eyes glowed fiercely white, sparks of lightning coursed on the outside of his body as the soldier began to run down the hallway. His mind was set, rage rose beyond anything the giant has ever felt before. He pumped his legs as his footsteps echoed, traveling on his weight and build as he finally made it to his destination. The giant panted for a moment before drawing his hand back into a fist and bringing it forward, knowing down the steel door as it bounced and collided with the wall inside the small living quarters. Demitri's knuckles bled as he slowly made his way inside, Felix coming out from his room and looking at the commandant, only with a smile as the smaller, but well build leader stood a couple of feet away. "Well that's rude of you, there's a doorbell on the-" His words were cut off as Demitri charged and tackled the massive man, sending both soldiers out the window as they fell from the building. A large crash could be hard from inside, the wind and thunder outside grew wild, blowing and shooting off everywhere without mercy. It only took minutes for both soldiers to stand again and throw down, punching and attacking one another at their peak, Demitri's rage showed in the weather while Berserk's body grew with his blind rage abilities. Felix landed a powerful punch to the commandant, sending the man through a tree until his body rolled on the ground, with one leap, the massive man jumped into the air, soaring through the sky as he landed directly in front of the commandant. "Maybe I'll take your place as Mr. High and Mighty now that you're defeated..." Felix was then shot with a powerful lightning blast, sending the man back to the HDF building walls on the other side of where Demitri was. Slowly the commandant got up from his spot and rushed the building once again, tossing a variety of wind and lightning attacks at the spot Felix remained, hearing his yells of pain excited the giant as he grew closer and closer, finally tackling the massive man through the steel barriers of the wall, they were inside once again. This time, the two collapsed some of the floor as the two man fell from the room of the cafeteria, landing on a table as the soldiers and recruits scattered from the spot they were at. Once again, both men continued to fight one another. "YOU WILL NEVER HARM MY SON AGAIN!!!" Demitri shouted as he shot double wind blasts from his palms, hitting the raged giant square in the chest. Felix laughed, enjoying the pain he was enduring as his eyes glowed bright red. "He'll always be mine, you may take care of him, but you can never have him like I have" Felix licked his lips, Demitri's blood boiled as the two fought one another once again, Demitri blocking and defending against the massive mans powerful blows, countering with his own attacks and powers as they slowly destroyed the cafeteria. Some of the soldiers began to run from their battle, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire. A female soldier, the one Demitri had trained a couple months back went into the hallways and entered a 4 digit code on the computers alarm system. The sirens went off in the facility as the whole base was alerted of the issue, a small speaker shot out from the alarm panel, the girl spoke quickly into the mic: "[color="#FF00FF"][i][b]MEDA-HUMAN FIGHT IN EASTERN CAFETERIA. LEVEL 10 COMBATANTS, 2 MALES, COMMANDERS ASSISTANCE NEEDED[/b][/i][/color]" She pressed another command combination for the message to play over and over again. All the commanders in the base acted quickly, making their way to the scene. Shield and Touch ran down from their living area to meet anyone else who came, Jason, now in full transformation ran from across the courtyard and bursted through the doors. Sasa grabbed Jeff and Pocket, the two not too far from the scene took the emergency stairs. Gene was inside the commandants quarters, watching over Lily and Neos as they stayed in their room. Lily held onto Neos as they looked around confused, the message blared inside their own home, Gene transformed his skin into a sleek ice armor as he stood and went into the living room. "Tank? Where are ya buddy?" Gene looked around before leaving the quarters, looking outside to see soldiers and commanders scramble through the halls, Ali rushed to the door and stopped when she saw Frost. "What's going on?" "I dunno, are the kids inside?" Ali asked, grabbing onto her throwing knives. "Yeah, Lily and Neos are, I can't find Tank" Ali cursed as she locked the door with her own personal code, Frost raised an eyebrow at the motion. "You still know the security lock here..." Ali shot the man a death glare before the two ran to wards their location. "That's not your concern, let's get going and deal with this now. two level 10 combatants, there's only 5 in the base as far as I know of" Ali grunted as the two made their way, they could feel rumbling and yells coming through the base, the fight had moved from one room to the other as the two fought. Tank stared blankly as he still remained cornered against the wall, tucking his knees into his chest, looking down as his arms covered his head, there was a lifeless stare the teenager showed to the carpet of the floor. The boy didn't react to the alarms or commotion coming out from his own room, he had slipped back into his room without Gene noticing as he was watching over Lily and Neos. Dante just hugged his body more, sighing as he tried to block everything out of his mind, all the painful memories of his old life with his father. [/color][/color]

Still weary about the space Ali has given herself, the giant obliged without question, he was true to his promise to his wife while she was unconscious and to his son about always being there, even if their family wasn't whole again. It pained the giant to know Ali wasn't in the same quarters as they were, demitri didn't mind sleeping on the couch all those nights while she slept in the extra large sized bed inside their bedroom, he had hoped by not sleeping next to her would allow her time to think and heal, and maybe even want to be with Demitri again. Alas, the thought and hopes of his family coming together seemed to fade away as the days past, more reports came through from the High Counsel, Demitri spent most of his hours of work in the archives section of the library, warded off by both magical and spiritual powers thanks to the elders, Demitri had no problem accessing the information due to his rank, but it would ward off wondering cadets who thought they could break through. Usually, that resulted in the recruits spending a week in the med ward, the thought brought a smile to the giants face as he walked back into his quarters for a break. Looking through all the old files, even written files took a told on the giant, going to the kitchen he began to make a fresh pot of coffee, hearing faint talking coming from their room. One deep and the other he could tel was his son's voice, flashes of light glared from underneath the doorway, laughter followed soon after from his son. ([color="#0000FF"][i][b]Guess they must be training now, Ali's probably in there as well[/b][/i][/color]) Demitri frowned at the thought of his wife's emotional state, still angry with her husband after the scene they all made in the ball. The coffee pot began to heat up while the brew was forming into the glass container, Tank had walked into their quarters, taking off his backpack and stretching his arms in the air. Lily followed close after her brother, except she was running to her room smiling like she always does. "Hi dad, bye dad" She was nothing but a blur of light as she sped to her room, almost slamming the door as she began to laugh and scream with excitement in her voice, Demitri raised an eyebrow as he poured himself a fresh cup of coffee, Tank coming into the kitchen with his bag and sitting at the dining table, grabbing an apple from the bowl as the teen began to eat. "Whats with Lily all of the sudden? She's so...bouncy" Demitri smiled as he took a sip from his mug, Dante smiled while he chewed his food, pushing the processed food to his cheeks so he could speak clearly. "Oh, she's excited cause a boy asked her if she wanted to go to the gardens this weekend and hang out with their friends. Apparently she really likes the boy too..." The comment shook the giant as he spat up the drink he just swallowed, making a small mess on the white counter top, Dante was a bit shocked as he swallowed his food before standing. "Dad?! You ok??" Demitri caught his breathing as he placed his mug on the counter. "Yeah...but that's something for your mother to handle, I'm so not ready for that" Demitri wiped his mouth and found a washcloth to clean his mess, Dante snickered as he continued to eat his fruit at the table. Once Demitri finished, he looked at the clock that hung on the kitchen wall, it was about to turn 3 in the afternoon, Demitri groaned at the research he would still have to do before the day was done, but with this man going about hunting HDF members, it was his job to find the relationship between those who were struck down and the others who might have been killed before. Demitri made a mental list in his head: Commander Phoenix, Captains Razor and Diamond, along with the female Anna. That was four so far, the giant had a feeling that Marcus' life was in danger in some way, along with Mist after what was said in Russia. But with their interrogations on the man, they too gave little information about knowing who he was or his relationship with him, past or present besides his threats. Then there was something else on his mind, the number he mentioned to Demitri in the forest before he fell unconscious....12. Were there 12 specific people or just random that this man was hunting for? He could understand the relationship with the known HDF operatives, but Anna was the only mystery that needed to be solved, the giant wondered what she did to deserve such a fate as the others Demitri picked up his mug and finished the rest of his coffee, stretching his neck when he took the final gulp from his mug, the giant relaxed a little as he saw Dante start on his homework. An idea popped into the giants head, he wanted to spend the rest of the day hanging with his son and do some training. "Dante, wanna go to the training simulator? I heard they fixed the bugs on the computer now, especially after your mothers..." Demitri caught himself, remembering about her lack of life moment where she battled the monster at level 10 almost had her killed and put her into this state. Dante thought for a moment before closing his books and standing, going to his room to change into his gym shorts before coming out, wearing his work out gloves and sneakers, his father smiled as his son took the hint. "Atta boy, let's get moving" Demitri smiled as he placed his arm around Tank's shoulder, the two walked out of their home and made their way to wards the lower levels. The scenery of a rain soaked forest came to view, the damp leaves on the ground along with the dark colored wet wood matched the darkened skies flawlessly, the grey clouds blocked the sunlight as the forest grew silent then, almost an eerie unsettling came across the land until a distant noise broke the silence. On the ground, the noise rose more and more as Dante and Demitri sprinted to find some shelter, a rumbling vibration could be heard behind the two, almost like a stampede as a pack of large werewolves followed close behind the two. Shots of wind fired back at the pack, his aim was off as the giant only took time to fire at his enemies once he saw his path was clear in front of him, Dante was fully transformed into his steel body, running a little slower than his father, but he was able to keep up with his father as the two tried to escape. "Tell me again why we're fighting werewolves this time?? We could have just sparred with Uncle Jason dad" Tank barrel rolled underneath the gap of a fallen tree, his steel shoulder grazing the bark as the teen made it to his feet once again. Demitri dove over the dead wood and flipped before landing on his own feet, looking back as he fired rounds of electricity and wind from both of his hands, knocking down a giant wolf, but only one of many as the two turned again and continued their sprint. "Jason is predictable when you fight him over and over again" Demitri huffed as the two jumped over a large stream of water, splashing on the muddy ground before continuing. "He is good to train with, but he's somewhat docile now than he was before, these simulations are to train you to fight a group and try to do your best to survive. Wolves in general are group fighters, rarely you'll see one fight on its own.." Demitri heard paw steps behind the two, turning around he tried to blast the creature, but it lunged for the giant before a shot could be fired. Demitri and the werewolf rolled on the ground, skidding on the wet earth before they both stopped moving, Demitri quickly hurried to his feet as well as the wold, rolling from his back to stand, but the creature was knocked to the side when Tank shoulder checked the beast, the sounds of bone cracking made the teen smile knowing he got a direct hit. Demitri covered his sons back with a volley of wind blasts, saving him from being tackled by two wolves. The two muscular men stood back to back against one another, seeing the pack surround them with their mighty stances and white eyes, the artificial lighting dimmed until the skies were dark blue and black, Dante shook a little as his steel body felt the coldness of the woods hit him, Demitri's eyes flashed white, enabling the giant to clearly see his enemies. "Also...sometimes when I'm pissed off at the mutt, I come here to get some stress of my mind" The giant smiled, suddenly, the wolves backed off into the shadows of the woods, confusing both of the men as they relaxed for a moment, Dante turned back to his human flesh as he scratched the top of his head, combing his fingers in his hair. "Dad I thought you said this was a level 7 simulation..." Demitri was without words, he had made sure to set it to the level appropriate for his son, but something was off. A soft rustling of the wet leaves forced the two men to get into fighting position, the figure came in sight now as they both stared at the small child, sickly looking as he weakly approached the two men. He was harless, and his eyes were black, staring lazily as he approached slowly. "whoa, he's like Neos' size.." Dante whispered, the boy suddenly opened his mouth wide, a sudden shockwave hit the two men, sending them back as they both laded on their backs onto the wet earth, an ear piercing scream followed, stunning the men as they covered their ears. "Well this is new..." Demitri yelled over the sonic booms as he looked at the boy, more blasts left his mouth, Demitri shielding both of the men with a wind shield, stronger than before with his fight with Anna he thought. Then, it hit him, the giant was surprised to have missed the very important clue about the connection with Anna and the dark skinned man. Demitri shouted loud enough for his voice to echo in the woods "COMPUTER, END SIMULATION!!!" The sonic boom stopped as the child slowly vanished, the trees almost disappeared into the ground with the rest of the scenery, Tank and Demitri stood and walked towards the steel doorway as they walked down the hall., Dante confused as he removed his steel skin back underneath his real flesh. "Whats the matter dad?" Demitri said nothing until he stopped and looked at his son. "It was so simple i missed it all, go to the med ward and get some healing, your mother would have a fit knowing you were in the training simulator when you should have been doing your homework" Demitri smiled as he dashed off to the archives once more, Dante felt shivers down his spine at the realization he forgot to finish his assignments, quickly making his way to the med war, it was already busy as Patch and a couple other nurses crowded around a single body. Ali held onto Neos who wept into his mother's shirt uncontrollably, something had scared the boy deeply as his mother rocked him and kissed him on the forehead, the woman looked over to the door to see her son, covered in mud and some scratches on his arm and legs. She raised an eyebrow, standing as she held onto Neos, making her way to her teen son she handed over the crying child as he clinged onto his oldest brother, still crying. Ali said nothing as she looked over her son, his fingers were red and muddy, his gym shorts somewhat dirty and torn, her rage built as she stared him in the eye. "So, where have you been young man?" Dante froze in his place, his mind went blank when he got the "death glare" from his mother. The teen looked over and above past the nurses to see Marcus on the table, blood covered his body, the boy gasped before looking down at his mom. "What happened??".... Down in the archives, Demitri looked past a couple of files, specifically on personnel who had vocal powers. One by one he narrowed the list until he saw the actual photo, it was Anna. She was a HDF member seven years prior to Demitri showing up, but the reports only mentioned after a mission, which wasn't detailed and lost from the records, she had a mental breakdown. She was escorted to her old home, but had no memory of HDF past events, she was titled as recovering, but after 7 years they finally discharged her medical reasons, destroying viable documents of her history with HDF. Demitri raised an eyebrow at the notes, he wondered why they would destroy her personnel file while other members who were discharged or passed away were kept in the archive. The giant finally found the missing piece of the puzzle, piling all the papers into a manilla folder, the commandant rose from his chair and left the archives, tucking the information under his shirt as he went to check on Tank in the med ward.

"The initial report was false, it was a trap set up by this person" Demitri flipped the drawing of the tanned man onto the table, the image showed on the several big screen televisions that hovered about the commandants head, small whispers and small talk echoed through the cambers of the High Counsel, all the men and women that held their rank seemed worried, and they had a right to be. "[color="#FF00FF"][i][b]Are you telling us Commandant Athens that not even your wind powers, nor newly developing electrical attacks were effective in subduing this enemy of yours?[/b][/i][/color]" A stern voice from the shadows, the high counsel always met with their summoned soldiers in the light that sinned in the middle of the room, but the counselors would remain in the shadows. "Unfortunately not ma'am, nor do I suspect that my fellow operative, Colonel Demos' magical abilities would effect this man either" "[i][b][color="#800080"]What do you mean[/color][/b][/i]" Another voice rose up from the shadows. "We've combated this man almost a month ago, after Fox Squads Captains were injured, and died later, Alpha team was sent to investigate and find out what went array. We...we encountered nightwalkers, but there was something amiss about them, their power seemed to be magnified and strengthened by more than what our records have told us previously. It seemed as if they had no limitations, when we got further involved, this man seemed to be commanding the creatures to do his bidding. He also spouted a couple of odd phrases towards myself and my team members. Everything is in the file I sent before the funeral processions occured" Demitri stood at attention as he finished, more chatter could be heard throughout the chambers, some angry and unimpressed by the lack of detailed information, others worried about the powers this man had. Demitri also reported about his solo mission and seeing the woman from many years ago, only to have her slained in front of him once again for his weakness. "[color="#006400"][i][b]This woman from your current mission, she was also mentioned in a report you made before your encounter with the Southern Military base, is this correct Commandant?[/b][/i][/color]" "Yes sir, it is. Her name was...Anna..." Demitri closed his eyes, shameful that she couldn't be alive to explain how she lived through so many years, and how she got her normal body back from its once corpse like shell when they fought her at the southern military base. "[color="#8B0000"][i][b]It seems to me Commandant, your lack of field work has left you a bit soft these past couple of years..."[/b][/i][/color] The comment made Demitri open his eyes in anger, he remained cool and collective to his superiors, but it took all his strength not to last out" "With all due respect sir, I go out on missions with my team on a regular basis and make sure all the new recruits are properly trained by me and the fellow commanders of the base. " Demitri's tone was brash and to the point, still, speculations arose here and there about his encounter with this being. "[color="#008080"][i][b]Now now, the commandant is under no investigation. We need to locate information on this man.[/b][/i][/color]" A familiar voice came from the shadows, it was his father, though the echo made it hard to pinpoint his location, he knew his father's deep voice off the bat. "[color="#008080"][b][i]Commandant, we are more than joyous to have you alive and well after colonel Demon retrieved you from your last mission. But there was something else you mentioned in that report[/i][/b][/color]" Rustling of papers could be heard, but once again, hard to see where the noise was coming from in the hollow shell of a room. "[b][i][color="#008080"]You mentioned this man spoke of slaining 6 members, 3 who happen to be our operatives that were active duty and high ranked. I see no other mention of anyone else in our force that came across an end so tragically and violently as they have, along with the young woman. At first, we speculated a type of "calling card[/color][/i][/b]" [color="#008080"][i][b]to someone who knows about our organization and what we really do, but this recent murder and attempted murder on a Commandant and commoner, its seems out of place[/b][/i][/color]". "I understand the circumstances Councelor, believe me when I say that. But something seems amiss, this man has crossed my path, along with my team members more than once. After hearing about Commander Phoenix's murder, I must say we be careful about sending our teams out on solo missions. Its a precaution, but in case this man is after HDF members, he would have taken out more soldiers when he killed Phoenix" Demitri's heart fell, Phoenix was a friend of his ever since the giant became captain many years ago, she was also the one who taught him how to fight so well with hand-to-hand and grapples. She was a force to be reckoned with, the crime scene photos proved that to the giant, and he knew Aliki wouldn't give up without a strong fight. Demitri didn't have time to mourn her passing, having only discovered about her death a couple of days ago. Voices caught the giants attention, snapping him out of his mental daze as the man shook his head slightly, he kept his hair in a pony tail to look presentable to the rest of the counsel. There was a long hush before a single voice spoke. "[b][i][color="#800080"]We will investigate on our end, and permit you to cancel any single operative missions for the time being. Also, the counsel will grant Alpha team members with access to the archives, a man of this power and magnitude might have had a history, he could be an evolved creature taking the form of a human, using the skin and body as a mask. Whatever the reason, your team is now permitted to research through the archives[/color][/i][/b]." "Thank you madam, I'll inform them at once, we shall begin our investigation as soon as the sun rises" Demitri stood and saluted for a moment, turning on his heels, the giant walked out of the chambers down the well lit passageway that lead to his office. The giant made it to the elevator, going inside as the doors closed behind the commandant. The man sighed heavily, feeling cornered and useless with the lack of information he presented, it was like being unprepared for a public speech on a presentation. The giant unbuttoned the collar of his shirt as the elevator sprang into motion, the heavy gravity hitting the giant as his body felt heavy for a second before returning to normal. The steel doors opened as the giant strode outside of the elevator to his office, his subordinates working on their assignments as the giant made his way to his office, closing the door behind himself, making sure it was locked. The crisp coolness of his office always relaxed the giant, but he wished nothing more than to sleep next to his wife in their own bed, but with Ali's condition, he slept on the couch to make her feel comfortable and free to have her own space while she healed slowly. The commandant sat down at his desk, his computer monitor coming to life as he typed his password, the home screen popped up, the giant continued to type and message the other bases about the orders from the High Counsel. The giant continued his thoughts on Ali, bags of exhaustion formed under his eyes as he worked through most of the night, it was hard for the giant to get any sleep since his last encounter with the dark skinned man...the feeling of death creeping slowly every time he closed his eyes, it was unnerving to the man. Shaking his head to keep awake, the commandant poured himself his 7th cup of coffee as he began to look through the archives on his computer, nothing appeared out of the ordinary and there was no mention of anyone able to control other creatures besides Sybille. Slowly, the giants head bobbed in the air, his exhaustion catching up with him as the light from the sun peeked through his window shades slowly, by the rime it had fully risen, the commandant laid his arms to hold his head on his desk as he slumbered, thinking of Ali and her scent.

[size="2"]Ali's physical recovery too days, but her body seemed to heal slowly, yet worked wonders with the massive amounts of treatment given by Patch and Madam Touch, the small nail scars on her arm slowly vanished, leaving a slight pink outline left at the end of her healing sessions. Though her body healed from its wounds withing days, mentally, their beloved Ali was still silent and to herself, Neos seemed to human being that was able to express her inner thought to the rest of the group, Ali's hospital room now sprung to life with flowers and carnations from everyone who worked at the base. Even from her once former disrespectful subordinates, they contributed to giving her small favors such as bottles of wine, flowers, pieces of candy and balloon, soon there was barely any walking room inside of her hospital room, some of their favors of well wishes were sent to their living quarters. Marcus and Demitri continue their monitoring assignments like before, watching after her day and night during that week, it wasn't until Friday that Madam Touch cleared her daughter-in-law to go back to her own living quarters to rest in her own bed and be comfortable in a relaxed environment, rather than sleeping in the med ward all the time in a clear white room filled with favors. Demitri escorted his wife that evening, followed by Jason and Sasa, Marcus had already made arrangements for her personal belongings to return to their home, and it seemed the tension died between the mystic and the wind wizard some. Though there was still small arguments about who was really to blame, both men admitted their wrongs for leading Ali to do what she did that landed her in such a fragile state. Ali only spoke little sentences during the weekend, asking for small things and replying with quick answers to questions that were asked. Tank took off from school, with his fathers permission to take care of their mother and the rest of his siblings while the others went about thier jobs around HDF, Demitri was welcomed back to his office and praised for his loving support from his subordinates for caring for his wife in such a manor. There were still rumors about the fight that happened in the ball room that evening a week ago, but it was just minimal chatter that usually happened around the drinking fountain or break rooms. Things seemed to slowly come back to life around the base, Marcus was promoted by Demitri to be Team Leader for the time being while Ali continued to recover on her own, yet it brought a sense of happiness knowing she was better. The mystic would stay awake all night, meditating and making sure her IV's were filled and pumping correctly, shaking slightly when Ali shifted in her sleep, hoping she wouldn't try to harm herself any more, but his worries fled from his body when she simply tossed and turn with a slight fever here and there. It was a daily routine, Marcus would report her condition to either Tank or Demitri, leave for the day while the others watched over her. Demitri came often back to his quarters during his lunch breaks or whenever he felt needed by his wife, peeling apples and feeding Ali, she obliged after some refusal, but her body hungered for real food instead of IV food. Ali would give slight smiles, but they would fade quickly, she wanted her space a lot lately, Demitri felt rejected but knew it was the right thing. Earlier before she was moved back to their home, he had found the wedding bad and her diamond ring she had left, keeping them on his key chain that held his own master key card as a reminder to return it to her, that is, if she would choose to forgive him and accept them back. It plagued the giant if she would reject him, but he kept high hopes that she wouldn't, and always reminded himself about the changes he promised her, and Tank, he would make to make their family whole again. It was Saturday afternoon, around 2pm when Demitri came into his bedroom to see Lily and Neos playing on the floor while Tank folded the laundry he had done for his mother and father, all the kids looked up as they saw their father come into the room, a bushel of Red Tulips in his hand as Ali raised her head to meet his gaze, a mere smile was shown, but it looked weak and lazy. Demitri sighed, but knew it was better than nothing coming from his wife. "Hello dad" Tank smiled as he continued to fold the clothing on the floor, the teen was taking up such a large responsibility to take care of the family, Demitri couldn't be any more proud of his son. Both had made a connection, a deeper one the night they talked about Dante's therapy and past mission with Steel. Demitri would wrestle and hang out with his son a little more during his off time, along with take the family out for dinner a couple times a week while Marcus watched Ali during the evening hours. Sly, Neos plushy fox, came back to life as it ran up to Demitri, swiftly climbing up the giants body until it rested on his broad shoulders. Demitri smiled as he made his way to Ali's side, sitting down on the bed next to his wife as he planted the tulips on her lap, she looked down and marveled in her mind the brightness of the red and white that showed on the flowers. Demitri plucked Sly from his shoulder and placed the tiny fox on the ground, a small "mew" sound came from the fox as Neos grabbed him and brought the animal back to the spot he and Lily were sitting at to continue playing. "How are you feeling today love?" Demitri placed his fingers under Ali's chin, moving her face to meet his, her eyes seemed to gain a little life back, but she still remained silent, it was sad to the giant, he just wished his wife was back at her full potential, but he knew something like this would take time. To the commandant, he had all the time in the world to wait for his love, as he know she would have....or if she even wanted to. Still, Ali remained silent as she looked out the window to see the bright sun light up the woods outside of the base, Demitri copied her stair as he left his face blank, thinking back to the picnic they all had in the grass field when Ali was pregnant, Tank and Lily playing with one another as they ran through the corn fields trying to find one another in a game of tag. Demitri and Ali laying down on a picnic blanket as Demitri fed his wife grapes from the vine, she happily ate the fruit one by one until her mouth was full. Demitri chuckled at the thought before hearing his phone go off in his pocket. The giant reached into his jeans and scrambled to answer it on time, finally bringing out his mobile and raising it to his ear. "This is Commandant Athens..." "Sir, this is Cloak" Demitri smiled as he heard his voice. "Roger, how's it going my friend?" "Well sir, thank you. I'm afraid we need you for the up most importance sir, please come to the War room immediately, this is an order from the High Counsel sir" Demitri's face straightened as he slowly rose to his feet and hung up the line. Nodding at Tank, giving him the signal that he had to leave right away. The giant leaned down and planted a kiss on top of Ali's head before heading out, once reaching the outside of his quarters, Demitri ran into Marcus and Luwein, the boy holding onto MArcus' shoulder for guidance. "I'm heading out to the War room, you're pretty early Marcus" The mystic grunted a bit, though things were tense between the two, he still felt it important to show he was not an enemy or against Demitri in some form or fashion. "We're making dinner tonight, Tank's been doing so much work lately, we thought to make up for his hard work feeding us" He smiled as he chuckled a bit, Demitri smiled at the gesture before excusing himself. "Save me a plate" Demitri shouted as he dashed down the building and made his way back to the base, making his way to the War Room to find Cloak and another member of the High Counsel waiting for him, a file in the elderly mans hands as he handed it to the commandant as he entered. "This is a serious matter we need you to investigate Athens, please be haste and return with any information you find." Counselor Thomas spoke quickly and to the point, almost like Marcus, Demitri looked at the file and gasped slightly as he read. It was a familiar file he researched over and over after the mission went bad, there was even a photo of the scene. "Sir....this-this cant be" Demitri looked away from the papers, but the Counselor already was shaking his head slowly at the same thought. "I know Athens, please, this is a matter for you to investigate, please, be careful with this one. Be on high alert, we'll be monitoring your progress via spy cameras hovering about you" Demitri nodded as he put on his ear piece communicator, soon, darkness surrounded him by Cloaks powers, only to reappear in the woods of a villa. Demitri turned on his communicator and began to walk about, still holding the file in his hand, but the scenery seemed familiar to the giant, he knew the path in front of him like it was the back of his hand. Something was wrong though when the giant finally came to a clearing, he saw a village in the distance, people looked at him with his uniform and weapons, but seemed to not mind that he was armed and came from the woods. The commandant made his way about town, it was thriving with life, but years ago, the village was burnt and destroyed by a raid made by some werewolves, and a woman he failed to protect from the rain. (Somethings not right here, last i heard, this place was infested with wolves and other creatures of the night...) Demitri thought as he continued his walk, but the giant stopped suddenly as he saw a ghost from his past, but the ghost had a physical body that looked human once again as it walked on the opposite side of the dirt road from the giant. Her raven hair blowing slightly in the wind as paused for a moment to take in the runs rays hitting her, she sighed at the warmth as it kept her body warm, wiping the sweat that collected on her brow, her wet bangs moved aside from her hand pushing them behind her ear. She too took the time to look around at the scenery, but froze in shock as well when she met Demitri's gaze, both stood there for a moment as the other villagers went about their business, Demitri gulped as he felt his legs move on their own, finally standing over the lovely woman as he provided she from the sun when he stared down. She seemed confused, but smiled as she looked up into his familiar hazel eyes. "Demitri....this is a surprise for sure" She smiled and placed her slender hand on his chest, the mans pecs rose and fell fast as he looked down, there was no doubt it was her, the scar on her throat showed clearly, it was at the same spot where Pocket shot a bullet into her throat when she was under the control of Sybille years ago, he had thought she died from the gunshot wound, or when they team finally disposed of Sybille. There were so many unanswered question rushing through the commandants mind, but he finally managed to speak. "Anna...you're alive?" Her smile turned serious along with her blank stare, he was the only one so far that realized she had died and came back to life in a different, zombie like form, but now, she looked like a normal human. "So, those weren't horrible dreams, I did die and attack you years ago. It doesn't make sense" She pondered, Demitri looked around quickly before grabbing her hand, leading them out of the town the way Demitri came, but suddenly, everything in the town went blank, the people vanished along with the houses and small shops, everything turned to ash as dust rose. Demitri stopped in his place, holding Anna tight to his body as a voice spoke in the air, making his way towards the two when more nightwalkers sprang from the ground. Demitri moved Anna behind his body, she held on tight to his shirt as the man stepped forward more until he could be seen in plain sight, Demitri's heart raced when he recognized the image, it was the same one who killed Fox Squads Captains, and possibly more to his knowledge. Demitri charged wind around him in the form of a protective bubble, adding his own electrical elements to aid his protection, there was no holding back with this man, the fight where he and Marcus gave their all to just stay alive was proof enough. "So, I've found you...Anna, wasn't it? It's been some time, but you're alive....but not for long" The dark skinned man smiled, Demitri looked back at the woman, she was fearful of this man, reaching to his earpiece, Demitri tried calling for help, but no answer from the other end. "No worried brat, I have no quarrel with you, just hand the woman over and I'll forget the last fight and let you live" Anna gasped, looking up at Demitri, but only seeing his eyes whiter than light flash continuously, the giant extended his hand and shot several lightning wind blasts at his enemy, nothing seemed to work at they hit hit torso, but the impact simply did nothing, it was as if he was being hit by bubbles. The man frowned and walked closer to the two, Demitri thought quickly, still holding onto Anna's hand tight he dashed and began to run into the woods, the tanned man made a gesture with his hand, commanding the nightwalkers to pursue the two. "Fear not, for Phoenix had fight in her as well, but it mattered not, her blood spilled just as vividly and smoothly like her's will" The man shouted, Demitri's thoughts went away, had he went after another member of HDF? What was his intentions with Anna, did she have some history with this man as well? The only thought that came to mind was his statement he made in Russia, about 12 people or members that sealed him away. But what did Anna have to do with any of that? As far as Demitri knew, she only had the siren abilities when granted by Sybille's control, but maybe the giant was wrong, running past branches and twigs, the two made haste to get deeper and lose the nightwalkers as quickly as they could, Demitri still held on tight as he fired more volleys of blasts and electricity behind himself to provide cover and protection. Shards of tree parts along with dirt rose in the air over and over as Demitri fried his attacks at the approaching enemy, some he would hit as they vanished, the other creatures drew closer to the two. Anna screamed when they got closer and closer, Demitri stopped, having Anna's body harshly run into his, the Wind Wizard quickly summoned a hurricane force to flow from the skies and land directly on top of the two, making the creatures of the night withdraw their attack when lightning shot down repeatedly around the tornado, Demitri held on tight to Anna as she marveled at the mans strength, there was a shadowy figure that could be seen from outside of the funnel, Demitri concentrated all of his strength as shots of lightning fired down on the same spot over and over, soon the shadow vanished from sight. "Demitri...I don't understand what he want...I'm sca-" Her voice cut off as a flesh ripping sound echoed inside the funnel, a dark claw reached inside of the wind funnel and pierced Anna through her heart, suddenly, several spiked extended from inside her body, one injecting into Demitri's shoulder as the man yelled, losing his focus as the wind funnel vanished, the tanned man's arm was the claw that attacked, he quickly retracted his hand back and laughed at his success. "6 down....6 more to go" He smiled, licking his hand of Anna's blood, once again, Demitri failed the woman as he scooped her lifeless body into his free arm. "No....not again, ANNA!!!" Demitri cried, but he got no response, turning around to face his foe, the tanned man was already in front of Demitri, gripping the giants face with a single palm as he smiled down. "Don't worry, I wasn't going to let you live even if you did cooperate" The skies formed over the two again, this time a dark thunderstorm brewed, the tanned man gripped Demitri's head tighter as a single shot of black lightning hit the three directly, sending Demitri in the air, his body breaking through a couple of trees until his momentum stopped at a large, thick pine tree. The giant fell to the ground, his clothes burnt and tattered, he laid lifeless as the tanned man vanished from sight, rain started to pour down onto the forest, drenching the soldier as his body shook slightly, his communicator going off with a voice in his head, Demitri opened his eyes slightly, pain rushed from all over his body as he grunted and moaned. "Commandant Athens, this is Cloak, where are you? We've lost signal an hour ago, let us know your status..." Cloak's voice repeated over and over, Demitri finally gave into his pain and fell unconscious as the rain continued to pout down heavy, lightning following soon after. "Anna....Marcus.....someone..n-n-need hel-" The giant gasped before remaining silent, Anna, her body now a smoking single on the ground where Demitri once held her, no remains left of the woman who seemed to die over and over again. This time, it seemed unlikely she would return. [/size]

Demitri's foam cup, now almost gone of his coffee, seemed so insignificant now than before when he had craved some energy to stay awake and keep an eye on his beloved wife. The end result of he self inflicted pain was apparent enough with his absence, and Patch's words hung heavy on the burly soldier, though words like that weer out of line and cause for disciplinary actions, the young medic was right about everything. All the pain Marcus and Demitri has put on Ali was shameful, down right unspeakable, and the giant felt the most pain, at least he thought so. Unable to see the anguish he placed on his beloved, he wasn't acting very husband like, nor father material with the way he was acting just to get a little emotional response from the mystic, and all Ali tried to do was be the peacekeeper between the two. The actions 3 years ago when they had their affair lingered in the giants mind, he couldn't understand why, even after all those years why the thoughts Ali's loyalty to their family came in question...it just did whenever the mystic was around. He saw the looks they gave one another, the body contact, the way they hung around one another. It was obvious the feelings came back to life, the giant tried his best to keep his professional nature for his ally when he came back, but there were too many occasion when he would snap, such as the fight in the training room, and this years ball dance with Marcus striking him during a simple introduction. Everything backfired on the wind wizard, but at least he now knows the faults were all on his end too. Not seeing the pain and anguish she suffered for this short while when Marcus returned. The giant sat on the chair next to where Ali laid, Jason taking a small nap on his own seat, snoring softly as his wolf ears perked on and off at subtle sounds in the room, Patch had left to do his work in the Med Ward, the shifts were switching in a couple of hours, Touch would be taking over for him when he left. Demitri looked down at his wife, her body limp as she stared blankly to the ceiling, he once bountiful, energetic eyes now dull and lifeless, the giant felt grief and shame set in his mind, like a disease, it spread throughout his body as he thought about all the things he could have done to make her feel more comfortable and happy. Demitri reached out and placed her left hand in his large palm, her fingers lifeless as he looked down at her naked hand. She was missing the wedding band he had bought for her years ago, along with her diamond ring to show that he was ready to make her part of his family, the smile on her face when she accepted without hesitation melted the mans heart. Now, she was laying in abed, torn and beatened mentally, physically, and most hurtful of all...emotionally. The giant squeezed her hand softly, feeling the coldness her body produced was scary and bone chilling to the giant. Demitri closed his eyes and concentrated his thought, hoping they would projected to his wife, it had been such a long time since he's communicated in this fashion with her, their body's touching and spoken words were all they needed to communicate with one another. Still, the giant tried his best to reach her, he would be happy if his thoughts and emotions reached her mind....no, her spirit, just to bring the life back to her once rosy cheeks. "[color="#008080"][i][b]My beloved Ali, how could I have been so blind to your needs? Your pain and suffering you've faced when I always turned a blind eye? The hidden rage you kept built inside of your delicate body? I always thought you were strong, like you were years ago when you were a crack whip team leader, my gods Ali, that's how I remember you my love. I keep forgetting that with time and having a family, things are more fragile for you than they once were, I'm such a fool to believe you can fight off the whole world around you when you're cornered, and not once did I pay attention to the cries you've spoken of. The subordinates, my family's words, the gossip around the base...I'm so sorry my baby. Had I known it would have effected you in such a manner, I would have taken immediate action against those things, or even spoken up to make it know I didn't approve of they way people were talking or treating you. I know I've been distant with work, with the family....with us. I know things between you and I werent the best at times....but love, I've seen the way you looked at him, talked to him, touched him with the slightest scrape of your finger. It drove me wild, I had tried my best, even after knowing that Neos is partly his....forgive me for my anger and arrogance, you didn't need it and nor did the family. Please my love, I still love you like I have always, nothing has changed, I was an ass to break your heart at the ball. But...if you'll forgive me, I'll change, I'll change and make sure no frown every crosses your lips, no sad thought ever has to pass your brilliant mind, no words can break your spirit. Even...[/b][/i][/color]" Demitri gulped slightly as he squeezed tighter on her frail hand, knowing he hated what he was about to relay to his wif. "..[color="#008080"][b][i].even if that means I have to see you happy with another[/i][/b][/color]" A single tear fell down his cheek as he thought his words, sniffing some as he became slightly saddened by the thought. "[color="#008080"][i][b]...I will always love you for the woman who loved me back, and gave me a family...no matter if you place that band back on your finger or not. I will love you...just come back to me, your babies, the team....your family...[/b][/i][/color]" The tear trailed down Demitri's face, until it hung on his chin, slowly it collected to a single water droplet, falling so gracefully in the air until it landed on the top of Ali's hand. Demitri finally opened his eyes, the room darker now as he looked out the window, the sun had already set in the distance, the shift change had already taken place, Madam Touch slowly entered the room with Marcus right behind her, emotionless face as always as the giant stood and wiped his face from his tears before turning to the two. "Commandant" Madam touched addressed her son, she was slightly serious, seems like her and Marcus shared words before entering the room. "Madam Touch" Demitri caught the professional courtesy, she extended her hand as Demitri lightly grabbed her hand in the air, bringing it to his lips and planting a soft kiss before returning her hand back. Marcus kept his gaze on Ali, ignoring the professional greeting as Madam Touch snapped the mystic out of his trace when she addressed him. "You're on shift now Colonel Demos, the Commandant will be leaving. As ordered and instructed by my pupil, you will remain in this room. If you need anything, please call for me or Frost to grab the items you seek, Jason Talon will be dismissed from his post until the morning hours, or until the Commander is well to be moved back to her quarters. Is that understood?" Marcus merely nodded, Demitri understood something had happened, but he was too tired and exhausted from his mental message to think about it now, Demitri had other plans in mind for the evening before he would slumber. Madam touch left the room to start her rounds and wound care, both Marcus and Demitri stayed silent as they stared one another down. In their own minds, they could play out another fight between the two, using their strength and powers to out match one or the other, but for Ali's sake, their fight would have to wait. Demitri knew one thing though, to keep his promise to his wife, he would have to change, even if it hurt him inside slightly. Demitri licked his bottom lip slightly, feeling the moisture sink into his skin before he spoke. "Ho-how's Neos' training coming along?" Marcus merely stared, contemplating his own response to the question, but he was more calm and collective since their last argument. "It's progressing Commandant, thought a little unstable at times, progressing none the less" Marcus moved on his own as he made his way to the chair Demitri once sat in, taking his seat as he looked down at her body, still the same as before, but with a little more splotches on her sheets. "I'll have one of the nurses come and change the sheets, giver her a bed bath for the evening" Demitri nodded as he made his way to the door, turning his head slightly to look back, seeing Marcus in the same position, just staring with a sad look on his face now, it was the first time he had seen strong emotion come from his ally. Though they still fought, and fought over Ali, Demitri never considered the man a enemy, but the commandant was true to his protection for his wife. Demitri shook the thought as he turned his head back around. "Thank you..." Softly speaking before he shut the door behind himself, stretching a little in the med ward, his mother came up to the giant, smiling slightly. "You alright darling?" "Yes momma, what was with the high and mighty approach?" Demitri raised an eyebrow as he looked down at his mother. "We had a little chat, and I must say, the mystic can hold his own better than these rookies. He is not a man who can be swayed or compromised easily, but he is understanding to what we talked about. Other than that, a good man at heart. Go get some rest baby, you need it and the kids miss you" She smiled before leaving to complete her tasks, Demitri nodded before making his way to the hallways, he was now running to his intended destination, stopping in front of a steel door that read a single name that made his heart beat rapidly as the door opened once the giant stepped forward. Making his way inside, all the soldiers stood at attention as their lead commander entered, his hands behind his back as he looked at all the soldiers. "I hear that we've been having some communication problems with your commander, is this true?" Demitri spoke in a stern, angry voice, everyone froze in their place, not knowing what to say, but Demitri didn't give them the opportunity. "Let me find out that insubordination is happening under her watch, or mine as a matter of fact. Heads will roll, and I'll be taking names for every ass she or I kick, UNDERSTOOD??" He roared, his deep voice echoing in the room, everyone simply nodded as they held their place, Demitri turned and left without a word. The steel door closing as the name could be seen clearly: Commander Athens. It took a bit with his simple stride, but the giant finally made it to his living quarters, His daughter Lily grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen before noticing her father, she rushed over to him as the giant knelt and embraced her hug, squeezing tight to her little body. "What are you doing still up my Lily flower?" Demitri smiled. "I was finishing my homework, and going to bed daddy. How's mom?" Demitri grunted slightly as he kept his smile. "She's healing nicely, maybe tomorrow you can bring her some flowers to make her feel a little better. Would you like that?" Lily smiled and nodded, giving her father another hug. "Where's Neos and Dante?" "Neos is with grampa Pavlos, he just took him for a walk not too long ago because Neos was still awake. Tank is in the shower.." On that note, the muscular boy came out in his sweat pants, town around his shoulders as he smiled seeing his dad and Lily together, Demitri stood from his spot and waved at the boy. "Good girl, now go get some rest baby, I have to talk to Tank about something personal" Lily looked confused at the comment, so did Tank. "It's a boy thing" The man winked, Lily made a face of disgust as she ran off to her room, joking as Tank patted her on the head as she passed. Tank slowly made his way to his father as the two sat down in the living room. Tank lacing his hands together, elbow on knees as he looked at his father, who himself was exhausted and worn out. "Whats the matter daddy?" Demitri thought long and hard about Ali's words to him when they subject of their eldest son came up, it needed to be addressed, for Tank's sake. "Dante, how are you feeling lately? You know my little footba-" Quickly catching himself, he was calling him a "footballer" more than son these days. "My son...you know as your parents we're here for you if you need anything, so I wanna know how things are. School and what not, and ya know...about you" Dante was a bit surprised at the sudden show of attention, but still hesitant about their last mission, he was still a bit secluded. The boy felt a warm hand on his shoulder, looking over to his father, he smiled when he saw the hazel eyes of a caring soul. Dante smiled as he relaxed, leaning on the couch as he spoke more. "I know about the therapy Dante" The boy was a bit shocked, but of course, his father would find out sooner than later. "Whats wrong my boy? Dante took a couple of breaths before talking about his sessions and feelings.

Demitri roamed the halls while Ali spent time resting in the Med Ward,l going to his office to hears gasps and whispers of worried from his workers gave the man shivers, but he reassured them all he was in good condition to work. Going to his office, the giant was bombarded with paperwork for the funeral and the upcoming ball designs for the new year, it was a little much, but thanks to Circuit's expert organizational skills and detailed work, the giant was able to process and sign all the necessary work papers needed. The funeral was going to be short, unfortunately every had the ball that night, but Demitri was going to make sure that their fallen allies will be remembered as all the past ones have before them. Demitri stopped signing papers for a moment to stretch his arms in the air, still sore from their last mission, the giant grunted a little as his bones released the pressure around his joints with a series of pops. The phone on the solders desk rang a couple of times, surprising the man as he looked down, he hadn't even realized it was ringing in the first place, taking his hand the man grunted as he picked up the line, trying to clear his voice as he spoke. "This is Commandant Athens" "Good afternoon son!!!" Demitri groaned at the voice, hitting his head on the desk over and over again, wishing his father was the only person who wouldn't call him on a regular basis. "Hey dad, hows the Counsel?" Demitri sighed as he reclined in his chair, taking the time he had to relax before getting everything set up for the funeral later that afternoon and the ball that evening. "Oh I'm just great, we watched Neos and Lily while you two were out on your mission, spoiled those two rotten with new clothes, toys, you name it" Shield laughed through his phone, sitting in his own living room while Madam Touch looked over some paperwork she had in her hands, sipping on hot tea from a fancy looking tea cup. Smiling as her husband joked around with their son. "Dad, you can't spoil them all the time, I don't want my kids to turn out rotten and misbehave." "Well, look at you my boy, spoiled rotten but you never acted like that. Always hating that things were handed to you and so on and so forth. Yet you turned out to be a pretty decent kid after all, haha" Demitri sighed as he stood from his chair and looked out of his office window, seeing the soldiers down on the ground go about their day and carrying out their duties before the events start tonight. The commandant looked over at the clock, noticing the time, he knew he would have to hurry with his paperwork before attending the funeral service. His dad spoke again, catching the mans attention. "Anyways, I have something I need to show you son, and I must say, it's rather juicy if you know what I mean" Demitri raised and eyebrow at the comment. "Actually, no, I don't know what you mean..." He could hear his father laugh on the other end of the phone before he spoke again, Shield giving him the confirmation number of their private line, Demitri's eyes shot open when he heard the number, it was something important if his father needed to speak privately, that was for sure. Demitri only nodded before hanging up the phone and continuing his work, another hour passed and the Commandant was preparing the leave for the funeral. Heading to his own living quarters to change into his dress uniform for such occasion, the giant was surprise to walk in and see his wife on her knees, helping Lily with her dress. Ali looked over with a smile at her husband, Lily did the same. "Ali...you're alright!" The man smiled as he made his way towards his family members, extending his hand down to his wife, she took it and stood, her own lovely form fitting dress unwrinkling as she stood tall, Demitri marveled at her beauty. Only a couple hours in the Med Ward, yet she looked refreshed and alive again before they went on their mission with the vampires. Demitri wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing Ali in close to his chest, the giant leaned down and sniffed her hair, the scent always driving him wild with excitement and he leaned more and kissed her on her supple lips. Ali smiled as they kissed before pulling away, resting her hand on his broad chest as she looked into his hazel eyes, never changing like the first day they had met. "Demitri, we have to be leaving soon, I have your uniform pressed and ready on the bed. Go on and change love, a funeral is something we shouldn't be late for" Ali patted her husband on his butt to initiate his needed reminder of their time constraint, Demitri kissed Ali on her forehead before going to his room and changing. It took only but moments, but the Commandant was ready in his own uniform before the family headed out to the grounds outside of the base office sector and too the gardens, the land has grown thanks to the new renovations they received when the base was rebuilt and expanded a couple of years back, Lily spent more of her free time in the gardens adding to the scenery with her own flowers and carnations. Commandant Shield before Demitri thought it would be a respectful place to put those who have fallen in the line of duty, and Demitri hasn't changed the location ever since it was acted on. The family made their way past several soldiers and commanders, Demitri made his rounds comforting the team mates of the fallen captains, Ali did the same with their next of kind, mothers and blood line family members, thanking Ali for her hospitality and kind words. The procession began shortly afterwards, everyone took their place as members of Fox Squad carried the coffins of their former captains down the stairs and to the center of the gardens, a lovely spot right next to a single other who's name was shadowed as the vines grew over them. The commandant gave his speech to his fellow soldiers, tears were shed and hearts melted, but they all came together as a family to mourn the loss of their friends, family, and team. Demitri had indeed made a mark when he took the role as Commandant, unlike his father, he was more social, and wherever the Commandant went, others followed to build moral. The service finally ended, the caskets finally lowered to the earth as well as the dirt that covered their remains, Lily was chosen to cover the grounds with carnations and plant life, the girl did so as everyone clapped when she had finished. Soldiers started to leave one by one, then in groups to prepare for the evenings ball. Demitri sipped on a cup of coffee as he looked at the two graves of his friends, it still bothered the giant, the dark skinned man who took all of them with ease, the giant could feel another shorter person next to him, but he knew all too well who it was. "Something the matter Commandant?" "Seems unfair...but for a lack of words I could have used, I used unfair" Demitri replied to the mystic, his own ceremonial outfit was perfect for the occasion, Demitri gave a mental chuckle though when he noticed Marcus' flip flops. "You know, barefoot would have also been acceptable for this occasion" Demitri playfully snorted, Marcus only giving the slightest of smiles at the gesture. The mystic looked at the tombstone that was covered in vines and leaves, knowing well who was underneath the grounds that the two men stood on. Demitri took notice before he spoke again. "He too, didn't deserve what happened, and we both know that..." Demitri swirled his coffee slightly before taking another sip. "No, he didn't. i still can never understand why he did what he did, but it helped saved us all in the end. You, Ali, Me, our team, and everyone from Sybille's mad plot...and our son...." Marcus caught himself, both men grunted at the comment Demitri looked away at the graves slightly, Marcus doing the same as he turned to see Ali talking with a couple of soldiers. Demitri turned his head and caught the glaze Ali returned, smiling as she waved at the two men, but something was different about the smile she gave Marcus, the giant was a bit thrown off by it all together. "It still going to be a little rough getting use to all of this...I'm sure if our roles were switched you would understand more. I cannot deny that he is partly your son, but...but its still....weird, ya know?" Marcus didn't answer, but he thought in his head, Demitri reached into his pocket when he felt his phone vibrate, looking down at the number, it was the confirmation number his father had mentioned earlier to him in his office, Demitri knew he had to leave. Walking past the mystic, he said a quick goodbye before walking out of the gardens, stopping at his wife's side as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips before heading out. "I'll see you at the ball tonight" Ali nodded and waved her husband as he vanished from sight, Demitri took his key card and swiped it down, entering a restricted door in his office. The dark stair and dim lighting spirald downwards until the man reached a solid level, seeing his father at the end of a passageway. Striding forward, the two giants finally met up together, Shield smiling as he looked at a monitor on the screen paused at a point, it was in the training room, seeing Ali on top of Demitri as the image stayed still, the giant blushed as his father grew a wicked smiled. "My my Demitri, such a naughty was of asserting your role" His father snickered, getting a light punch on his arm from his son, Demitri blushed cherry red. "Dad, I thought this was going to be something important....and we didn't do anything then" Demitri felt heated, until the video played more and more, then it came to a point where Ali was training by herself, until someone show onto the cameras. It was Marcus, the giant was shocked for a moment,m hearing their conversation and seeing their sparing match, but something was off about all of it. The conversation about their sex life, the way she felt Demitri changed during the years, the shame she felt from being with the company, everything was exposed to a man Demitri didn't even know besides of being a team member, and yet his wife told him everything. That's when the words echoed on the screen: "[color="#0000FF"][i][b]I still love you. I dont think I can ever stop loving you[/b][/i][/color]". Those words sunk into the giant, he felt his world shift around him, he was breathless as he tried to yell, scream, cry, anything to voice his feelings, but he remained silent as she finally left the training room. Shield lowered his head for a moment, frowning in sadness as he looked over to his son, still looking at the screen, shocked. "I'm sorry my boy, to be honest, your other and I don't actually hate her. Sure she's a bit moody and bossy, but hey, at least someone has the balls to be around higher ranking officials." His father began to brush his bread as he looked at the screen. "I'm sure we've made some comments in the past about her upbringing and how we raised you to be proper, maybe we went a little overboard on some subject and..." The computer monitor suddenly exploded, the wind blast shot through with grat force, the wind actually tunneling into the wall until it lost power, Demitri stood, huffing as his muscled flexed, fighting against his own suit. The giant's watery eyes filled with anger and hurt as he began to exit the chamber of the High Counsel, before vanishing from sigh, the giant turned and spoke to his father. "Have momma, take Neos tonight, I want him to be around family...MY family for a night. My blood, my DNA, MINE!!!" Demitri roared as he turned and continued his walk, his father nodded as he sighed, he was only trying to protect his son and make sure he could trust the woman he loved. Shield had to go through something similar with his wife, but she chose him in the end. Hours later, Madam touch was sitting on the couch, holding Neos in her hand as she ignored the television playing 'Wheel of Fortune' and concentrated her thoughts on the paperwork in her hand. The detailed sketch of the dark skinned man gave the woman shivers as she rocked Neos in her free arm, the boy sleeping with his fox, back in plushy form as he held on tight. Madam touch set the sketching down on the table as she saw her husband in his uniform, fixing his tie before seeing his wife. "Are you not coming T?" Touch shook her head, she was dressed for the occasion, her lovely silk dress and hair were fixed for the night already, but she suddenly got a case of cold feet. "No darling, I wont be joining tonight, but I will be sleeping with a certain someone when they return" She smiled and giggled, Shield raised and eyebrow as he smiled. "Who, the kid?" He laughed before feeling a playful slap on his shoulder. "I'll send my wishes to everyone, be safe my dear" With that, Shield had left, touch went back on the couch with Neos, paying attention to the television now. Demitri roamed the halls, already dressed in his tuxedo as he made his way towards the ballroom, opening the grand doors, he could already see the party had started, dancers on the floor and soldiers alike talking amongst themselves and enjoying the little free time they had. Demitri loved the ball events, it was a way for lower and higher ranking soldiers and officials to come as one and mingle without the worries of rank or placement. The giant roamed around, looking for his intended date for the evening. He could already see Marcus and Jason talking amongst themselves, but Ali was nowhere to be seen. There was a small tap on the back on the giants shoulder, the man turned and looked down, seeing his date. "Well, this is a surprise Demitri, who would have thought you would invite me to a place like this....but, exactly, what is this place?" The young woman looked around, marveled at the scenery, the lavish decorations and the feeling of home. the woman wore a strapless dress of baby blue to match Demitri's tie, her dirty blond hair traveled down to her shoulder blades, and her makeup flawless, like usual as Demitri always remembered. "I've told you Rachel, this is the base I work at. Mostly government and military work, the usual" The woman smiled as she laced her arms around Demitri's left arm, holding close and standing tight to the man. "Wow, a lot has changed since high school, so, where's your wife you've told me so much about?" Demitri gave a wicked smile as he escorted the two to the dance floor where they began the waltz that was playing. "Oh, she'll be here soon enough, it should have been sooner she met you Rachel, I mean we did see each other since middle school, its such a shame our lives went different ways with the jobs we had." Demitri lied, he knew they could never be together due to Demitri's real work, and Rachel being a foreign diplomat. "I can't wait" Rachel smiled as the two danced more. ([color="#000080"][b][i]Nor can I....[/i][/b][b][i]so you feel out of place in my world that you have to run to another? Even though I told you none of that matters to me? Well...let's see how you react now....Alex Talon...[/i][/b][/color]) Demitri thought as he continued his evening dancing, his left eye turning white in small flashes, hardly aware to those around him unless they stared for a good while. The giant could see Tank and Gene in the distance admiring the Commandant's moves with the woman he was dancing wit, Shield came from behind the two, surprising them as they turned and saluted to the man, Shield waved it off and laughed. "This is a ball my boys, relax" Tank smiled at his grandfather before looking back at his father dancing with that woman, they were stealing the show as everyone looked at the two. "Who is that woman he's dancing with? Usually it's Ali" Gene commented, Tank nodded, but Shield felt a sickening urge course through his body, he had recognize that woman when Demitri was growing up. ([color="#FF8C00"][i][b]My boy...I hope you know the game you're playing. And I hope you realize that this game has no winners in the end...[/b][/i][/color]) Shield shook his head in disappointment as he looked on with the others.

Demitri stepped out into teh hallway for a fresh of air, there were signs of Ali's fever slowly decending as time passed, already the time on the clock showed 5am in the morning, the giant was more than exhausted from their mission in Russia. His father deserved a lot of praise for sending the rescue extraction team while Demitri and Marcus fought off that twisted man they had met, but the way he talked and mentioned a couple of spoken phrases to the commandant sent shivers down his spine now that Demitri remembered. (Son of the healer...what did he mean by that? Could he have been talking about momma?) The soldier stood in front of a instant coffee machine, waiting for his hot brew to some out as he pondered more and more about that man. There was another item bothering the commandant, the fact of that man keeping his attention on Mist and Marcus the whole time before the big fight, it was eerie. Demitri was snapped back to reality as he heard the small plastic cup dispense from the machine, the dark liquid poured quickly as the man looked down, it was his usual ritual before going tot he office and leaving the family. Make breakfast and pack the kids their lunch, have a nice hot pot ready for his wife to have when she awoke, and make sure all his personal belongings were gathered before heading down to the office. How he missed the times he would come home early to play with the kids before Ali got off of work, surprised to see her husband wresting with the kids while Neos slept in his cradle, the momentary thought brought a smile to Demitri's lips as he grabbed for his coffee and began to head back to the Med Ward. When Demitri had left the room earlier to talk with his father, he could offer little information about their somewhat failed mission and the man they encountered. It didn't please his father one bit, but a full report was made so it could be sent to the high commanders as soon as possible. Shield brought in Break to scan Demitri's memories, finally getting a clear face image of their enemy, Break drew a very detailed and accurate sketch to pass around to all the bases. Demitri too his copy and handed it to Circuit to fins some kind of information on the man, there was a possibility he made an encounter with some agents years ago, but Demitri thought that would be unlikely. Still...he was weary enough to send his assistant on the research assignment none the less. "Commandant Athens!" A voice rang from behind the giant, catching his attention as he turned and looked down at Mist, the man had bags under his eyes and looked like he was contemplating a lot. "You can be calm around me Mist, we've known each other far too long for formalities. What's wrong?" Demitri too a sip of his coffee, enjoying the hot liquid sting burn his tongue slightly as the rest traveled down his throat. Mist was hesitant before speaking, curling his hand into a fist as he looked directly in his superiors eyes. "That man we saw in Russia...I dunno, something seems off, yet familiar about him" "I got the same feeling as well, I can't personally say I know him or of him, but I'm doing some digging around myself for some information. He seemed intent on you and Colonel Demons though..." Demitri swirled his half cup of coffee in his hand, taking a deep breath as he thought. "That's just it Sir, I can't say I know or seen him before either. But it's just a funny feeling I get, well, more threatening than funny." Mist forced a smile and small chuckle, but they both know they all could have been taken down in an instant if they were alone with that monster. His powers seems demonic and dangerous to anyone, someone who can control the nightwalkers must be one badass man. Demitri nodded at the statement, finishing up his beverage before turning around and walking away from his friend. "We're protected here, and as long as all the agents are on high alert, I doubt someone like him would dare to come and challenge us" The commandant smiled as he vanished from sight, Mist simply stood firm and saluted his commander before vanishing in his own vapor mist to another location. Demitri turned the corner and went back into the Med ward, it was empty this time of the morning, Sasa still laid on her cot with Jason sleeping next to her, his light grunts in his sleep made the giant smile a little, slowly making his way back towards Ali's personal room. Slowly entering and closing the door behind himself, the man sat on the small chair next to her bed, Patch working on the IV lines attached to her arms as he looked over at the commandant. "Good morning Sir," "Morning to you Patch, starting you're shift now?" Demitri smiled. "Nope, still on, when there's a Commander or any other officer injured to this caliber, one medical lead is suppose to stay until they're good to go back to work or to their own personal quarters. A pain at times, but my powers have grown from a few years back." The man smiled as he looked over Ali's chart once again, the electronic computer screen flashed as Patch swiped his finger across the tablet, viewing her documentation. "The infection is at 5% now, she should be coming around anytime soon sir." "That's great, outstanding work my friend. Tell me, have you seen my mother lately?" Demitri cracked his neck when he turned his head, he was feeling tired now too, the adrenaline in his system slowly fading away. "Madam touch? She's not due to report in until later this evening sir. Shall I call her for you?" Patch handed the computer chart over to Demitri, the giant scanned his work before signing the release forms they would need when they were ready to leave. "No, I don't want to bother her, especially at this time of day" Demitri laughed a little, signing the documents as he handed the computer back to Patch. "Tell me, are all the members of Alpha Team at maximum?" "Sasa will need some rest, but the others are just fine, but I must report about your son Dante..." Demitri looked up at Patches sad expression when he mentioned Tank's real name. "We're going to start psychological therapy on the boy sir, I'm sorry but it's by order of the High Counsel, also by Dante's training coach Steel. He was easy to heal when you all returned, but the boy showed signs of mental stress. It's nothing to be too worried about, I'm sure he was just shaken up badly" Demitri frowned at the news, but after hearing what Ali had to say back in Russia, he knew it would probably be best for now. "On my verbal order, I'll allow this, but next time, I would like to be informed about my childs medical care, regardless of what the counsel orders. Is that understood Patch?" The medic nodded his head as he left the room quietly. Almost 6 in the morning, the base began to show life of soldiers and personnel going about their daily activities. Demitri held onto Ali's hand, hoping she would be alright, but he knew they needed to talk about their son sooner than later. The giant closed his eyes for some rest, the vision of that man's face appeared more than he would have like, even in his own thoughts.

Demitri could hear more yelling coming from down the hall, though not wanting to leave his team mates go venture into the shadow realm alone, he knew Marcus could protect Pocket without any aid. The giant raced until he turned a corner, a small gust of wind blew in the giants face with dust coming into his eyes, stopping for a moment, the commandant rubbed his face to clear his vision. Opening his eyes, the soldier could see Luwein on the ceiling, using his powers to keep the black puddle portal open as long as he could, Mist looked up to see the commandant stare questionably at the pair. Demitri slowly made his way to his allies as he stepped towards Mists side, Luwein expertly landed on his feet, keeping his hand extended too the black puddle portal. "Come with us sir, we have a way to get through to the other side of this puddle" Mist began to charge his powers, the door at the end of the hall flew open suddenly, more nightwalkers rushed through and caught the trip in their gaze, Luwein was brought to Demitri's side by the commandants muscular arm that brought him closer to the pair. "Do it now!" Demitri shouted, before the nightwalkers came within striking distance, Mist had already begun the transport method of his training, enshrouding all the members in a clear, smoke like fog as it slowly seeped down into the black puddle. The feeling was sickening, going through such darkness and despair, it was not something that normally happened when traveling with Mist, but this was a special occasion. Though the boy was now in a vapor form and going through the black portal, he was still enable to use his powers to keep their passage open safely, the clear smog finally made it to the otherside, the portal closing quickly as they fell from the ceiling one by one. Everyone landed on their feet roughly, but safely as they peered around the new room they were in. Darkness betrayed their eyesight, nothing was visible as all the members extended their hands, feeling around for the closest solid object. Demitri walked forward a little until his hands reached the stone wall, Luwein and Mist were able to find steady ground as well, there was some shuffling in the room that caught the trios attention. "We're not alone" Luwein stated, Demitri chargef a wind blast in his hand quickly, only to feel a familiar grasp hold onto his forearm, the giant could make out by the low breathing who it was. "Jeff!? Is that you" Jeff grunted in acknowledgement, Demitri brought the man in for a brief hug before placing his large hands on his team mates shoulders. "Stick with us, when we find the others, we're getting out of this palce..." More noises could be heard, the room slowly filled with nightwalkers left and right, Demitri thought quickly as he shot several wind blasts randomly until he heard the first groans from the creature of darkness. "THERE!!!" Jeff turned towards the direction of the moan, using his powers to grasp hold of the creature, he pushed it back towards the wall. Another after another came into the room, Mist fending them off with his own hand to hand skills, keeping close to his nephew, who in turn, defended the two his best with his staff. "We're sitting ducks in here without any light!" Mist gasped, rolling on the ground as he held onto his nephew to avoid a claw attack coming their way, the creature scrapped its claw on the wall, leaving a deep gash on the concrete before it looked around. Demitri finally realized what they needed, concentrating his powers, the man closed his eyes for a moment. Feeling new life course through his veins, the giant opened his eyes as they shinned white, with sparks flying from his eyes as well. The giant extended his palm facing up, as small sparks and flashed lit the room until it became a single ball of light, formed by his wind powers. The monsters shreeked in pain as the light flashed over and over, revealing them in the light, they backed away slowly to escape, only to press their massive bodies against the wall. Luwein used his abilities to age them fast, leaving them as dust as the one before, Jeff slammed some of the nightwalkers on the ceiling and back down onto the ground over and over until they stopped moving. Demitri joined in the fight, launching his electric wind ball at a couple of the targets, exploding with a large flash of light as the nightwalkers bodies vanished in thin air from impact. There was only a momentary darkness before the commandant charged another after another, until no more dared to enter the room, Jeff saw the door that lead to their exit path, all four men took hint and dashed out and to the hallway, hearing some growls and slashes coming from down the hall. Once they were close enough, Demitri fired more of his attacks down the hall to air and get a better view of what was happening. Once the balls of lightning exploded on its targets, the group could see Jason fending off the creatures with Sasa unconscious on his back. They all regrouped, Demitri charging another source of light, keeping the monsters at bay. "I found her when I sniffed her out, but she's pretty roughed up" Jason growled in anger, Jeff could see the bruises and cuts on her body, she put up a fight before she was taken earlier on the upper levels. Demitri cursed under his breath, his team was hurt and exhausted, no wonder Fox Squad was taken down so easily, now his wife and son were missing and probably in the same condition as Sasa was in, at that moment, Demitri's heart stopped beating. He could feel wave upon wave of pain and torment in his very soul, he knew it was a sign that his beloved was injured, or hurting....or worse. The giant looked around frantically before seeing a path that made his heart beat rapidly. "Come on, down this way, there isn't much time!" The giant sprinted down the hall with his team members following close behind, Demitri felt like he was running a marathon, but only this time, there was a time limit. After a couple of twists and turns, along with a few flight of descending stair cases, the group finally got to a level where the feeling was stronger now, there was a room at the end of the hall that shinned light brightly under the doors opening crack. "What is that??" Mist questioned. "Great power coming from a single being, but there is also another in there with something else...something darker" Luwein spoke, that was enough for Demitri as he ran down the hall, once close enough, the commandant launched the lightning ball as hard as he could until it connected with the door. In a loud band, the door flew open, revealing the light show to be Marcus, facing off against a tall, dark shaded man with snow white hair. The sudden intrusion didn't seem to bother the dark man as he saw past the rising dust as the group game in, Demitri saw Marcus charge his powers, his own personal light show was enough for the commandant to see Ali curled against the wall, her blood soaked her uniform as she gasped and coughed for air. Jason handed sasa over to Mist, who merely kept his eyes on the dark man, feeling his gaze look over the transporter as his smile grew wider as the seconds past. Not even paying attention to the wold man as he rushed past everyone and lifted Ali into his arms, she cried at the pain she felt, Demitri's heart raced, his eyes still white but now electricity sparked all over his body in rage. Conjuring up another electric wind ball, Demitri added to the light in the room, making out his enemy clearly as the man looked over at Demitri. He had a shocked expression for a moment as he looked over the commandant from head to toe. "Could this be....the spawn of the healer?? HAHAHA!!! My my, two down and I have a clue where to find the healer who sealed me away as well. After getting rid of the first two, this is becoming more easier by the second" Demitri was confused with the mans words, but Marcus was not effected, the man was in deep thinking and still raged over the pain Ali had to suffer by the hands of his mad man. Suddenly, the wall behind the dark man collapsed down as Tank appeared, but in his human form, the boy had gotten stronger, even without the aid of his steel powers. The child was still shaken, but Pocket held him up from underneath his shoulder, the two made their way towards Jason as he held Ali. Tears clouded tank's eyes as he placed his hand on his mother, she screamed in pain as more blood flowed out from her wounds. "This ends now" Demitri made a solid stance as Marcus mentally agreed, charging more of his rune powers. "Oh yes...yes it does" The dark skinned man laughed as he stood his ground as well.

The lights in the facility glimmered on and off like a strobe light would inside a night club, Alpha team had already spent an hour looking about for medical supplies, small bandaged and what not to stop cuts and cover bruises. Demitri walked back down the corridor from whence he came from with Jeff and Jason by his side, the wolf man was on high alert, sniffing all over the place for any sign of the enemy creatures. Jeff had managed to find a couple of first aid kits on his end of the search, along with a vending machine, Jason and Demitri held out the snacks as they came closer to the small glares Pocket laid on the ground, the group looked at the trio as they came from the shadows, overjoyed to see their friends safe and back with the rest of the groups. Ali smiled as she saw her husband come back to her side, the giant smiled down as he sat next to his beloved wife, handing her a bag of chips and some rubbing alcohol. "Quite the party huh?" Demitri smiled, trying to lighten the situation, Ali smiled as she shook her head. Opening her bag, she noticed Pocket handing Marcus a bottled water, he took it without feeling and simple sipped on his chilled beverage. She frowned slightly, turning away from Demitri, not noticing her husband already moved form his spot to plant himself right next to Tank, who was wincing at the pain of his bandage wrapping tight around his upper arm by Sasa. The cut he got from the nightwalkers had stopped bleeding, but now the boy dealt with the stinging pain alcohol cleaning his wound in the worst way possible. Demitri took a knee next to his son and gave the boy gentle pats on his back, smiling as Tank looked up at his father. "Thanks dad..." Tank grunted, feeling a bit helpless as he felt more stinging pain. "They will heal in time, you're not a real soldier until you earn your first battle scar" Demitri laughed a bit, Sasa smiled and rolled her eyes as she finished wrapping up the bandage. "So, were you able to find another route outside Jason" Sasa asked as she stood from her spot, stretching in the air, the wolf man tossed her a drink before he replied. "Several, but some are blocked off by snow that's higher than the door itself, we came across others that were wide open, but those....things, were just standing outside waiting for us. Thanks to the light inside, they wont dare to come in" The wolf man growled at the thought, he hated knowing there was something stronger, faster, and more vicious that he was. The group remained silent for a little bit, all members trying to think of a way to get out of their current situation, Demitri was on pins and needles to say the least, he was more than happy to have added assistance to their team, but with Mists untrained nephew with their team, he wasn't sure if they would be able to keep him protected and safe. If this were an easy mission from the start, the giant would have had no problem with the boy being here, but things were different. Demitri remembered back to the med ward, seeing the body of Captain Diamond covered in a thin white bed sheet, the giant shivered at the thought, imagining the bodies and faces of his own team members under that same sheet due to these creatures. He could feel the pain coming from the wounded soldiers that surrounded her body as they mourned, it was gut wrenching. The lights in their secluded hallway began to dim and flicker wildly now, almost two hours of running smoothly, now it seemed as if the power generator was on its last limbs. Sasa gasped as she dashed for the control room to adjust and compensate to give the group more time to rest, everyone stood from their spots and gathered their things together. Ali made her way towards Demitri and Tank, both parents helped their son to his feet before he was able to stand on his own. Everyone froze when they all heard Jason growl and snap his fangs in the air wildly, Marcus slowly approached his friend as he placed his hand on the wolf mans shoulder, seeing Jason snap his head towards the mystics direction. "What's wrong?" Marcus asked plainly as Jason growls became louder and more threatening, almost frightening. "Can't you hear it?? The noise!!!" Jason growled more as he freed himself from Marcus' grasp and stalked around their room, pacing and looking at all their exits., it was that same moment Luwein lifted his head up as he looked around as well, trying to find the source of the sound Jason was talking about. "I hear it as well, its kind of like a low, humming sound. Powerful vibrations through the earth and walls" The boy placed his hand on the closest wall, feeling the strong waves of sound bounce off and soak into his fingers and palms, something was happening alright, the nighwalkers were up to something that only members with heightened senses could detect. The group froze as they heard an ear piercing scream coming from the hall Sasa ran down, towards the main control room. Everyone was on their feet as they made their way, Pocket picked up a few of the flares before joining the rest of the group, half way down the hall, all the lights turned off in the facility. Everyone stopped in their place, the only light now came from the flares pocket held onto. Jeff and Tank grabbed a flare to expand their light, once again, Jason began to lose his mind. "They're coming to our spot quickly, get moving!!" Everyone was hot on their heels once again, the sound gunfire echoed in the halls, everyone sped up as fast as they could until they came upon the door to the control room, several bullet holes came through the door as Ali kicked the steel entrance, seeing nothing but darkness. "SASA?!?!" She yelled, the echo of her voice filled the room and hallway, more noises came from behind the group, everyone made it inside the room as Pocket closed and locked the door, when she looked up, she could see the white eyes of the nightwalkers staring through the bullet hole. The young girl screamed as she dropped her flare on the floor below, the door was torn open, but the light from the flare kept the beasts at the doorway. Tank grabbed onto Pocket, bringing her back to the group as they all looked at the doorway, more and more showed up, daring not to come withing touching distance of the flare. Ali noticed another door that lead towards a different hallway. "We-we have to keep moving and find Sasa, those things don't go near anything that's a bright light source, but that flare will burn out sometimes soon. Pocket, do you have any more with you?" "Y...yeah, here they are" Pocket manifested two more flares from her mind, Marcus and Ali grabbed one at the same time, their fingers nearly touching one another as they both stopped and looked at one another, but Marcus averted his gaze and took his before lighting it. Ali sighed as did the same, Mist opening the new entrance as he held onto his nephews hand, leading the way for the boy. Everyone began to make haste, but there was a large thump sound that filled the room right as Demitri and Ali were about to leave, looking back, they saw Tank on the ground, reaching for help as a black claw covered his mouth, the boy tried to grip whatever he could as the black shaded being sucked his body into a dark puddle on the ground. "TANK!!" Both parent screamed as they rushed over to their child, Demitri was able to grab his arm as Ali held onto Demitri "Let my son go" Demtiri yelled, extending his hand, sending several wind blast towards the black puddle, Jeff used his powers to concentrate on Tank's body and pull him from the grasp, but another black puddle manifested behind the man as it grabbed him and sucked Jeff inside without warning. Vanishing once the task was completed, Pocket screamed as she saw her friend vanish before her eyes. Jason now held onto Ali's body, trying to tug the trio away from the creature, without warning, a large claw extended, cutting all three who stood on their shoulder or chest area, everyone let go as they fell back onto the floor. Ali looked up quickly to see Tank slowly vanish. "MO-..... The voice went silent, the boy was gone, so was the puddle. Ali shook where she sat, tears falling from her eyes and down her cheek. "My...my baby...."Ali was scooped into Demitri's arms, he dared not show hi watery eyes, looking over to see Pocket cry in Marcus' arms, the two men exchanged looks, both were dumbfounded about what happened. "We gotta move quickly" Everyone nodded as they began to exit the room, Demitri and A;li both looked back, looking at the doorway as the nightwalkers still stood behind teh flare, their white eyes sent shivers through their bodies. Demitri heard sniffled coming from his wife, he held her tight before kissing her on the head. "We'll get him back baby, he wont go down without a fight. I taught him better than to do that" Demitri closed the door and followed the others with his wife holding his hand, running behind her husband as they caught up to the group.

Ali remained on top of her husband, both still a little shocked at the intrusion Marcus caused moments ago, but the tension seemed to die slowly when both Ali and Demitri just stayed in their original spots, even when the mystic left them alone. Ali felt somewhat ashamed at the way he saw the two, but she was determined to go on the choice she decided upon when leaving the shadow realm, that was for certain. Demitri felt a wave of pleasure and excitement rush through his veins, he had somewhat won the battle, he had his wife back with him and couldn't be any more happier about that single fact. Ali had chosen him, her words still rang through his ears, her sweet voice and lovely eyes assured him of that realization, the giant pulled his wife down to him as he kissed her deeply, growling in his throat for her need. Her smell, her touch, her very essence excited the giant as he rolled the two on the mat floor, now looking down at his lover, hair falling from his shoulders as Ali's scattered on the mat below her head. Demitri leaned down as he kissed his woman more passionately, hearing her groans as she gasped for air through his kissed, arching her back, trying to get closer and closer to her husband as he placed his hand on her back, bringing her closer to his sweaty body. They broke their kiss, Demitri closing his eyes as Ali looked up, her heart raced in a flutter as she panted for air. "Demitri, whats with this all of the sudden?" Ali gasped, brushing some strands of her own hear off from her forehead, feeling the sleek moisture from her body as she took a deep breath. "I just...you're...gods I love you Alex" Demitri kissed her more, placing his other hand behind her head to give it support, there was a noise that came from Demitri's pocket, he ignored the rings over and over until it went silent. But moments later, the noise continued, catching Ali's attention as she paused their steamy make-out session. "Lover, your phone is ringing" Demitri was too occupied to hear her, licking and nipping at her neck line slowly as he unstrapped one of her sports bra straps, sliding the fabric more towards the edge of her shoulder, until it hund loose on her arm. Demitri kissed more and more, Ali only groaned in delight, but was still concerned about the phone call coming through his pants. "Demitri..." The giant groaned as he obliged by his womans request, lifting himself up by his arms, he reached in his pocket and fumbled to find his mobile device. Never taking his gaze of his woman, Demitri found his phone and flipped it open. "This is Athens.....yes....yes, as I told you I would like to be-" Demitri stopped talking as the news came from the other end of his phone, his eyes widened slowly as he raised himself onto his knees and continued to listen on his phone. Ali looked worried as she got up from her spot to stand close to her husband, Demitri remained silent as his eyes dropped, Ali moved her head over to the earpiece to listen on what was happening, but what she heard shook the woman as well. "...Captain Diamond just passed away...." It was enough for Ali to gasp as she covered her mouth with one hand, standing up fully as she looked down at her husband. Demitri met her gaze and stood himself, looking down at his wife now as she walked and wrapped her arms around the mans waist. Losing two captains in the matter of hours, they both knew what needed to happen next, Alpha team would have to be called in to research the situation that took place on the last mission Fox squad went on. "I understand, send out the alert and by my order, issue a cod red for alpha team members to meet in the war room immediately. Also, have all the files ready in the war room, we're not going in blind, we'll research the different pieces of information from their squad before moving out onto the field. That will be all Circuit" Demitri closed his phone as he grabbed his jacket, Ali grabbed her items as well, both soldiers exiting at the same time, they both stopped in the darkness, knowing the signal would go off soon. "How soon can you be ready my love?" Demitri asked as he cracked his neck, turning his head slightly to feel the pressure release on his joints. "5 minutes tops, less than even. I'll make sure Lily and Neos are in bed before coming down to the war room." Ali replied as she rolled her foot on the ground. "Grab Tank too, I don't care if he's sleeping, she should already be on alert" Ali gasped as she looked up at her husband. "Are you sure he's ready? This seems like a dangerous mission babe...I don't want him to ..." Demitri placed his hand on her shoulder, looking down at Ali with a smile. "I would never let that happen. But we need him tonight" Before Demitri could finish, the red lights began to flare throughout the base, the alarm sounded calling for all Alpha Team members to meet in the War room, the two said nothing else as they both sprinted towards their destination. Ali went to their living quarters to make sure the family was safe and secured, she was sure to run into Marcus and someone else on the way. Running out into the courtyard, Jason laid against the tree his collar was tied to, the woman stopped and looked for a moment. "What in the world?? What did you get yourself into Jason Talon?" Ali put her hands on her hips, he looked at her blankly and replied without pause. "Long story short, dont piss off Madam Touch. She's stronger and smarter than she looks, end of discussion" Ali sighed as she shook he head. "I'll be back, just gonna tuck the kids in quickly" She dashed off, Jason gave a lazy wave as she vanished out of sigh. "Oh sure, leave me here like EVERYONE ELSE HAS!!!! This is so not my day". Demitri ran down the halls once more until he made it to the Med ward, the doors opens quickly, seeing all the wounded soldiers along with Patch and Madam touch standing around a body covered in white sheets. The soldiers lost themselves as the wept and mourned for their fallen captain, Demitri finally made it close enough to see the figure of the body, the left arm completely gone and blood splotches around different areas of the chest that leaked through the white sheet. Patch looked over at the commandant before speaking, reviewing the notes of the patient. "Sir. Alicia Lockheart. Codename: Diamond. Time of Death: 12:00 am this Sunday morning. I'm sorry to report sir, the loss of blood from her missing appendage mixed with the puncture wounds to her chest and lung was the main cause of her demise. Even Madam Touch couldn't perform any healing measure at this state and with not enough time on our hands." Demitri nodded as he placed his hand on Alicia's corpse, the other soldiers sniffed and wiped their eyes from oncoming tears that escaped freely from their bodies. Patch passed the clipboard over to the commandant who reviewed the medical notes, both signatures from Patch and Madam Touch confirmed the final overview. Demitri nodded. "I'll be taking this document to the briefing with Alpha team immediately, contact Diamonds next of kin and inform them of her passing and out deepest sympathies to a fine soldier. Explain they will be put onto our payroll for the year to help with finances. That is all" Demitri turned and began to make his way out of the med ward, seeing salutes and weak smiles as he left, he knew his team out need to act now. Exiting to the hallway, the red lights flashed more as Demitri began his jog once again to the War Room, Gene and Sasa came from around the corner and joined the Commandant as he jogged. "Must be important to have us called at midnight" Gene joked, but Demitri wasn't in the mood as they entered the war room, as requested, Circuit filled the round table with all the paperwork from Fox Squads latest mission. Gene and Sasa took a seat as Demitri passed out some folders to them. "We're not going in blind, we have 12 reports to review before we head out, lets try to find some connection as to why we now have two deceased captains and dead soldiers. We're pressed for time and we should head out as soon as the others get here and review the information as well." Sasa and Gene nodded as they opened their folders and began to scan through the information, Demitri picked up a manilla folder and did the same, waiting on the others to arrive.

"Commandant, there are still files you need to review for the latest mission Fox squad went on with the swamp monsters in Texas. They are of the upmost importance..." "The upmost importance for me right now is my wife, who happens to be unconscious and possibly fighting for her life. Colonel Marcus is assisting in what way he can, but while he does his duties to help her..." Demitri stopped walking as his mind raced with bad thoughts, knowing Ali could still be tempted by his team mate, but if Marcus was the honorable man that Demitri respected him for, he would honor the truce they agreed to. "...I will do mine here, next to her and at her side. Collect all the reports you can and send them to the med ward when you're finished. You can contact me on my personal line in need be, is that understood Circuit?" Demitri looked over his shoulder and down at his assistant, her disappointment with the idea was not one to be hidden so well by the young woman, but she had been a faithful aid to Demitri ever since he was a commander. She was even courteous enough to send flowers and gifts to Demitri and Ali when Neos was born, Ali did warm up to her little by little, but she still kept it on a profession level with Circuit. The young girl saluted, accepting her orders as she about faced and began to power walk down the hall to get the last bits of information. demitri sighed as he continued his way towards the Med Ward to see his wife, the thought of the two returning over and over again made the man chuckle in his mind, he was also thankful for the insurance their organization paid for the soldiers who worked there. The doors opened quickly, it was fairly slow in the med ward, some soldiers going in for their check-up's while others rested due to exhaustion or healing wounds that havent been tended to yet by Patch or Madam touch, or any of the other doctors on shift. Patch looked over and smiled as Demitri walked up to the man, Demitri returned the gesture as Patch lead the commandant to a private room, the one that Ali rested in. "I'm glad you came, we were able to heal her wounds the best we can, but the cuts on her wrist are still visible. Not by a lot, but still in plain sight if you look closely" The doctor stated as they both entered teh room, Demitri grabbed a fold out chair and placed it next to Ali's cot, looking down at his wife as he frowned. She seemed lifeless, still and unresponsive to anything, not even air itself. "What can you tell me about her condition?" "We can report nothing, everything is normal on our end. All the blood work and scans show normal functions, even brain wave patters, its like she's just not here when she, in fact, is" Demitri nodded before taking a seat, he knew now that Marcus was the only man around that could bring Ali back to normal, if nothing was wrong medically with his wife, then it had to be something more than conventional means of healing. Marcus was a magic user, the similarities were uncanny to their son Neos, he would be a perfect teacher. Demitri couldn't deny that, but he hopped the mystic would be able to fix the problem with his wife soon. Demitri grabbed onto Ali's frail hand and squeezed tightly, holding onto her left hand and looking down at the wedding ring he gave her years ago, it still shinned and sparkled in the light. Patch heard some commotion coming from out of the room, soldiers from the latest mission came in one by one, others aided with some help by the med team who were on the field at the time. "If you'll excuse me Commandant, I must attend to these men and women" Demitri nodded as patch left the room, Demitri's phone rang about the same time. Looking through his pockets, the giant found his phone as he flipped it opened and answered the call. "This is Athens" "Dad!" Tank and Lily spoke simultaneously, Demitri was a bit worried at their tone until he looked at the clock inside the room and sighed to himself, turning his voice from worried to fatherly stern. "It's almost 11:30, what are you two still doing up? Especially you Lily..." Demitri smiled at the thought, he had to step things up while Ali was out of commission, there was somewrestling through the kids end before anyone spoke. Tanks deeps voice filtered through the other end. "Dad, Uncle Marcus came and now he and Neos are gone! Have you seen them?" Demitri thought quickly in his mind, Marcus was a mystic and there's a possibility he needed Neos for someting important, especially to help out Ali. The giant smiled to himself and gave a small huff before speaking. "You uncle is watching him tonight, don't be worried. But thank you for calling. Tank, make sure Lily has her clothes ready for school in the morning, and you still need to get some sleep my boy. Is that understood?" "Yes Dad, goodnight and we'll see you later" The line went dead, Demiri closed his phone and tossed it to the table at the end of the room, watching it land on the counter top a little roughly before staying stationary. The door to their room busted open as Circuit rushed in with a stack of papers, Demitri groaned and shook his head. "I'm guessing those are the files from the mission?" "Yes sir, every report by all the team members and operatives, everyone gave a report of different accounts of what happened" The girl set the stack of papers on counter top, moving the commandants phone beofore she set down the papers. "Different accounts? All reports are suppose to be made by the team leader or the highest ranking member beyond him or her. Why am I getting reports form every single team member, even from the new recruits?" Demitri raised an eyebrow as he reached over and grabbed a single manilla folder and began to read the documents. "All that the team leader said in his last transmission was their sightings and intell was...how did he put it....fishy. it was the last we heard from him, that's why everyone gave their own report." Demitri didn't like the answer given to him as he closed the folder and looked over at Circuit. "Where is Captain Razor and Captain Diamond of fox squad??" Demitri raised his voice a little, still holding his hand on Ali's, squeezing a little tighter as he spoke. Circute remained silent for a moment as she stood at attention, saluting in the air, Demitri raised an eyebrow as he looked over at the door to see Patch standing, a sad expression crossed his face as he looked down at the commandant. "Patch?...." "Captain Razor was decapitated sir, a clean cut through and through." Demitri gasped at the information, Captain Razor was one of the most tactile operatives they've had in years, ever since his promotion after Commander Anthony was detailed for his betrayal to HDF 4 years ago. But there was something missing. "Where...where is Captain Diamond?" Patch have a heavy sigh as he began to answer. "She's hanging on for life right now sir, her armor was cut just like Captain Razor, one swipe through, it went through her body's diamond armor like it was water. I can't explain it. She's missing her left arm and we're treating her for puncture wounds to her chest sir. I...I don't have any high expectations she'll live through the night" Demitr's eyes widened to their maximum as Patch left the room, the commandant snapped his head towards his assistant who gazed down at him instantly. "Assemble all the members of Alpha Squad immediately. Go to my quarters and wake my son Tank, I feel like he's ready for a mission by now. Contact Jeff and Pocket, grab Sasa from the Southern base as well. She should be done installing their new computer monitors by now. Oh...and untie Jason from the tree in the courtyard. We can use the mutt's strength for this one." Demitri laughed in his mind, his mother was pretty awesome at times, especially when Demitri himself wasn't in trouble. Circuit nodded and left the room in a rush, closing the door behind herself as she left, the commandant looked back down at his wife and smiled. "Come back to me love, I miss you, and I want you home" Demitri smiled as he squeezed tight on her frail hand, moments later, he felt her hand move slightly as her fingers curled slightly to give a weak squeeze back.

Demitri slowly made his way to his office, sulking in the halls as his once happy exerier vanished with each step, thinking over and over about the DNA results made the man more depressed that he would have liked to show to his fellow operatives. He was more phased by the fact Ali wasn't upset or angry at the fact that Neos now had two fathers when it should only be one. Demitri. It angered the man to no end, but the giant knew he played a roll in the story, not being able to protect his loved one during the imprisonment with Sybille. He could understand why, but still to betray his trust and love...no, she was right to find something, or someone to make her happy during those times. Demitri truly has forgiven his lovely wife for the affair she had, his counseling taught him that a times lovers act upon need rather than rational thoughts. Seen the connection now between Neos' powers and Marcus own abilities, there was no more second guessing about the whole subject. The commandant reached his office, thriving with personnel keeping busy with their own paperwork and files, everyone looked at the giant and cheered him on, hearing about his showdown with the colonel and suspecting he had won after returning that evening for some late night work. Demitri simply gave a weak smile and waved here and there as the man made it to his office, closing the door behind himself before leading against the door itself. Marcus' words still rang in his head, and he was right to say those words, now that there was solid proof of the legitimacy that Marcus was partially his other father. Demitri walked towards his desk and looked down at the pile of paperwork, the work he dreaded, knowing it came with the promotion. A daily task of reports, sightings and personnel files seemed never ending, even after three years of being the commandant. Demitri shook his head slightly as he sat down, beginning to go through the papers one by one to keep his mind occupied. But nothing seemed to help, flashes of memories flooded his mind, Demitri could see his lovely boy Neos as a infant, sleeping in the giants arms while he rocked the boy on a summer's afternoon. Changing his first diaper, his first walk after being a year old, the powers that showed later that same year. Coming home after a long day to see his beloved softly singing to their baby, the memories brought a smile to the mans face as he signed his signature on a couple of papers before moving the the next pile for more. There was a slight knock on the door that caught the commandants attention, the doorknob turned slightly as the door opened, a feminine figure entered the room swiftly, as if she was gliding on air air itself before standing in front of the commandants desk, smiling down at the man. Demitri looked up at the woman and smiled back. "Demitri, how is work today" Madam Touch smiled, holding a small brown back, full of food she had cooked for her son. Demitri stood at attention to her mother, but she waved he hand in the air and dismissed the respectful greeting. The giant moved from around his desk and embraced his mother with a loving hug, hearing her gigle slightly as she returned the affection. "Better now that you're here momma. How have you been lately?" Demitri was handed the brown bag, placing it on the table as he leaned against his desk. "Can't say I've been too busy, your father and I have been preparing for our vacation to Hawaii to celebrate our 40th anniversary.. So, just making sure the final days are spent organizing and packing the things we need" She smiled, looking at her sons uniform, nearly pressed and professional, just like her husband Pavlos had his while in command. "I did, however, heard some interesting news through the grapevine earlier this afternoon. Care to explain a certain fight between you and Colonel Demos my boy?" She smiled, raising an eyebrows while she crossed her slender arms at her chest, Demitri smiled as he scratched the back of his head, hoping the news wouldn't have spread so quickly, but of course, he was involved with it...like usual. "Just a friendly sparring match momma, no one was hurt and I thought it to be a good lesson to the new soldiers. They could see the different fighting styles and tactics people use to do harm to their opponents. Also, how different powers work against one another" Demitri turned his back to go to his desk, finally making it to his chair to rest, the giant greedily rummaged through his brown bag and found some noodles in a tupperwear container. He had forgotten that during dinner, he didn't get to have a bite of Tank's cooking, trying to out whit Marcus in the process while feeding Neos. Then, it hit the giant again about Marcus being the second father to his child. The giant frowned as he opened his soup container, Madam touch caught the attitude change without even trying. "Is there something wrong baby?" Touch planted herself down on a chair that sat in front of Demitri's desk, her son sighed for a moment and began to eat his late night dinner, telling his mother of the whole affair that took place when Colonel Demon returned, and the new DNA test results that Patch ran for Ali. Madam touch merely nodded during the whole conversation, she was not too happy to know the rumors were true about her daughter in law, but that was in the past, she was more unhappy at the choices she was making. She knew Ali was playing a dangerous game of affection, and if it involved Touch's son, it was even more dangerous. Demitri finished his dinner, along with his story, taking a drink of milk his mother had packed for him before setting the empty bottle on his desk, suddenly, there was some commotion that rang through the office outside of his, then the door busted open as Jason peered inside, sniffing the air looking for someone, Demitri knew already who he sought out. Madam Touch merely peered over her shoulder, looking slightly at the wolf man as he growled. "Jason, you know you can come in here without making such a ruckus." Demitri stood from his desk and packed the empty tupper were containers together to return to his mother. Jason made his way forward to the desk, slamming his hands down as he cracked the wood upon impact. Demitri raised an eyebrow at his rage, but was in no mood for any kind of arguing at the moment. "What is it mutt? I have company and lots to do if I want to get home for a good nights sleep." "Up your Commandant" There was a loud gasp as the soldiers outside Demitri's office could hear everything, but they dared not to correct or scold the wolf man, fearing his rage and connection with Commander Athens. Demitri stood tall and poised as he looked down at Jason, this disrespect had to be coming from somewhere. "What is this that you're not watching Ali's back with all these rumors, it's been years now and still people talk behind her back." "My wife, your sister, is a strong woman. I've let things slide because I've made my own peace with everything thats happened, she hasn't come to me about her complaints. I thought she was past all of it as well" "Well she's not! Shes just as hurt and upset about them now as she was then, how about grow some backbone and use your position to scare them from talking and actually protect your wife" Jason growled, finally seeing Madam Touch sitting on the chair, he gave her a slight bow, but Madam Touch's rage built more and more inside, even though her outside expressions showed calm and collective. "You don't gain any respect from fear Jason, you should know that. It's why you've been shot down for the Captains promotion this year. If Ali has a concern, she'll let me know her own way, not like things lately have been any better with what she's told me" Demitri thought back to the med ward and talking with Patch, finding out about the DNA results. Jason growled and snapped, but he was silenced when a slender arm wrapped around his throat and the other grabbed Jason's right wrist, holding his arm behind his back in a strong, solid hold. Madam Touch simply stood there, slick and poised as she held the wolf man in his hold. "That will be quite enough out of You Jason Talon" She said nothing more as she guided the wolf man outside of Demitri's office and out of the floor as well. Demitri was stunned at the show of power from his mother, but she was more than a healer, Demitri just keeps forgetting that part. It scared the giant to no end as he remembered when she would discipline her son when he was growing up. Demitri sat back down and thought about his next course of action, thinking about his son and his growing abilities, he knew he and Ali couldn't help the child master his abilities. Even keeping them under control was not their specialty, Demitri finally came to the realization, not wanting to admit it, but he was fearful for his son. "He'll need a teacher...and unfortunately...I know who it is" Demitri was beat, he knew his answer. But, it was for the protection of his son and making sure he was able to control his powers. Demitri suddenly felt something on his lap, small and somewhat....fluffy. Looking down, the giant saw Sly, Neos' pet Fox he animated to life from a stuffed animal. It was sleeping on his lap without a care in the world. "How did you get in here...?" The giant wondered. Outside of the office compound, in the courtyard area stood a mighty weeping willow tree, planted years ago to symbolize the lost ones during the past couple of years with HDF. The branches hung and swayed lazily in the breeze when the wind blew, but tonight something else was blowing hot air. Jason roared and fought against the collar that was placed around his neck, the tight rope made of an unknown material held the wolf man tight in his wolf form as he struggled to chew, claw and rip it apart. Jason planted his feet on the strong tree, trying with all his strength to undo the knot that held onto it, finally falling onto his back, the wolfman looked at Madam Touch with murderous eyes, she returned the gaze ten told, making the wolf cringe a little bit. "Whats this for???" Jason yelled as he tried to charge for Touch, stopped by his leash mere inches away. "I don't know who you think you are, but you need to learn some respect for those who you work for. This isn't the wild and your back at HDF, and I can personally assure you what I saw in that office will not happen again in my presence" She did the final knot on his leash before leaving and walking away, Jason growled more as he tried to free himself. "Hey!!! where are you going woman?!?!" The wolf man howled, Touch continued to walk as she answered him, knowing the mutt could hear her reply. "I'm going to have a little talk with my daughter-in-law. A girl thing, you wouldn't understand, and to see my grand babies, I miss him so" Touch smiled as she reached the door to return inside the compound. She looked over her shoulder once more, her raven hair following the motion of her head as the lady peered back at Jason. "Dogs stay outside" With that, Madam touch entered the facility, hearing more howls and curses as she walked down the hall towards Demitri and Ali's living quarters.

Demitri cursed under his breath as he finally sat on his bottom breathing for what seemed for dear life, though he was the master of wind, that little exhibition of strength and skill took a more out of the giant than any training with the recruits ever could. The training room now filled with soldiers of both high and low ranks, talking amongst themselves in whispers as they watched the battle progress until the end. Marcus finally made it to his feet, staggering slightly as he tried to find a common ground to steady himself, the fight was indeed one to remember, magic versus the elements. Many of the new recruits and even commanders marveled at the raw power the Commandant held back for training, seeing his hand-to-hand skills and powers pushed to their limit was somewhat historic, even after all these years of tranquility with the new base. Marcus also received admiration for his magical skills and combat efficiency, no one saw his fighting abilities much at the northern base, but the base where he was stationed at, no one could surpass the mystic unless death was on their mind. But even then, the warden man kept his cool though times of battle, with friends and for. This battle, was proof of it. Demitri finally made it to his feet as well, placing his hands on his knees as the giant continued to sweat heavily, feeling the salty liquid pout from his body as droplets fell from his shinny, slick skin. Marcus stood tall and poised, his arms hung at his side, too worn out and heavy to even move as he continued his stare at his superior. Demitri still had the comment Marcus made ring in his mind, playing over and over as it echoed in his ears, the giants blood boiled at the sheer thought: "...[color="#48D1CC"][i][b]I'm not so sure he's your son[/b][/i][/color]..." It enraged the giant to no end, the talk amongst the HDF members grew louder and louder, almost above normal room level conversation. "The Commandant is looking good, there's no way this freak could ever trump him" "Why is it that Commander Athens is always starting trouble within the base? She's so unprofessional, and isn't she suppose to be a powerful psychic or something like that?" "Man, the Colonel is looking good. I think he might have a chance against our Commandant. Maybe he should be the head of operations here at the Northern base" "Wasn't the Commandant the one who murdered the late Captain Blues a couple years back...?" "I hears Commander Athens slept with Colonel Demon, while she was sleeping with the Commandant" More whispers filled the room, both men listening to the comments as thoughts passed through their minds about their current situation. They weren't acting like model soldiers in front of the personnel, in fact, they were acting like civilian children to see who could get the last piece of cake at a birthday party. But, the cake they both sought was worth the fight, Demitri stood tall now as he looked around and rotated his shoulders to stretch some, this was not the way a Commandant should act in front of his subordinates. Marcus felt somewhat the same, he would have loved to continue the battle over their personal feelings and claim Ali and the children once and for all, but at the moment, the stakes were already too high for both combatants. To top it off...both men were done with fighting, even if they wanted to continue, it would put more stress onto their own bodies already. The commandant finally broke the silence between the two, and got everyone's attention immediately when he spoke up. "This had been a lovely match Colonel, but I'm afraid we should call it a truce for now. Neither you or I can continue this battle, but I do thank you for the warm up" Demitri smirked, feeling the hatred run through Marcus' eyes from the comment, he knew the Commandant was bluffing about it being a simple warm up, but he was in no position to disagree or argue. "You're right on that part" Marcus smiled as he gathered his things and began to dress himself with his robe, Ali laced her hands together at her chest, resting them as she looked on, hearing more talk between the soldiers as they whispered low to one another. "For now, we will postpone this friendly game" Marcus narrowed his eyes as he stared down the commandant, knowing he fully understood the hidden message his his words without fault. Friendly? I kind gesture to mock the man who could easily strip him of his rank and send him to the bridge, but he knew Demitri to be a good leader and not someone like Hank use to be. The commandant began to exit the training room, stopping at the doorway where all the recruits and soldiers stood out of his way as they saluted their leader, Demitri looked back at Ali and Marcus for a moment. "Dinner is ready, and in our family, we don't waste food" With that, Demitri nodded at Ali who took the hint, gathering her things, she looked at Marcus, unsure of what emotion to give to him after being called by her husband. Simply, she followed shortly after, Marcus grunting as he too followed close behind, walking directly next to Ali as they made their way. Back at their suit, the food had already been made and served, Demitri was the first to enter as he was greeted by his children, then Ali and Marcus came at the same time. Demitri washed his hands in the kitchen before joining everyone at the table, Ali doing the same as she took a seat, but not next to Demitri or Marcus, she sat in the middle of Tank and Lily. Marcus sat opposite from Demitri, both men glared at one another still, their anger burned in their hearts as Neos simply stared back and forth between the two, curious at the feeling he was getting from his family members. Tank served everyone their meals like usual, Ali trying to make small chit chat between the children. Demitri started to feed Neos, his right side sore from the battle, grunting under his breath as the giant lifted a small spoon to fee his offspring. Marcus thought it would be an ample time to strike while he was wounded. "Having issues with a spoon Commandant?" The marked man began to enjoy his supper, smiling as he inhailed the aroma from the soup and tasted it, marveling at Tank's new found cooking techniques. Demitri hissed hard as he held his elbow in the air, trying to feed Neos who was being a bit difficult, with his food. "Neos! Behave yourself or you wont get to sleep with Sly tonight" Ali snapped as her son took the warning and began to eat the food his father was trying to serve, his "sly" was the stuffed fox he always kept with him every night and around the suit. Demitri couldn't help but notice Marcus and Ali exchanged glances more than a couple times during the meal, it drove the man over the edge, but he remained calm for the children's sake. Neos broke the silence in the nick of time. "Daddy, can I have some bread please?" Demitri thought of a perfect way to get under Marcus' skin, and with the help of his own child too. Demitri gave a grim smile at his thoughts. "Why yes son, you can. Tell me Neos...who's your father?" The comment shot through Marcus as he snapped his head towards the Commandant, seeing his smug smile as he spoke to the toddler. "Daddy, you are" He smiled as the took another spoonful of soup in his mouth, enjoying the taste as Tank smiled slightly, trying to figure out what was going on at the table. "That's right, for three years of your life, I've nursed you, tucked you in, made sure there were no werewolves...besides uncle Jason, underneath your bed. Bathe you, clothed you and even fed you. That's what a good father is suppose to do, not like a godfather could ever achieve what I've done" It broke the straw on the camel's back, Marcus stood from his chair, gripping onto the glass table hard, making the dish wear and cups shake violently as he gripped the glass. The mystic was about to show more power than he ever could in his life, Ali shot an angry look towards her husband, who payed no attention to her as the hand underneath the table charged a silent wind ball when no one was looking. "Daddy, of course you did. But Uncle Marcus is just as capable as you are" Everyone froze in that instant, Demitri slowly looked over to his son Neos after his comment, jaw dropped and wide eyes, Marcus too, but he grew a wicked smile from the boys boost of confidence. "You're right Neos, maybe even more" Marcus grinned, Ali finally rose from her seat and grabbed Marcus by his shoulder, slowly showing his to the door, Demitir simply lowered his head as he stared down at the table, he had lost the battle for that evening, but he was far from throwing in the towel all together. Neos spoke once again, his voice soft, almost at a whisper so his mother wouldn't hear. "I love you daddy" Demitri smiled as he continued to feed their son, there was a small orange and white creature that hopped onto the kitchen table, Neos recognized it immediately. "It's Sly!!!" He shouted as the tiny fox moved freely as it took an actual animal form, curling up to Neos as the boy hugged it tight, feeling the warm licks from the tiny fox on his cheek. Demitri picked up his child and the fox as he made his way towards Neos' room to send him off to bed. Demitri stopped before closing the door to Neos' room. "Are you staying here tonight Alex?" He questioned, but no answer as Ali already escorted Marcus outside of the suit, probably talking to him in private. Demitri sighed as he closed the door and placed Neos in the bathtub for his nightly wash. Tank noticed that his father didn't have a taste of his soup, something was wrong and the teenager knew it was between his parents and Uncle now.

One by one, new recruits fell to the hard mats of the practicing arena, all different sizes of body build, strengths and gender fell one by one as Commandant Athens continued his lessons on self defense and take downs to the aspiring soldiers. The last one to hit the ground hard was a young woman, with rire red hair extending to her shoulders, her hair dripped in sweat as it stuck to the mat and her body, the young girl panting for air as she groaned from the sores she felt fro combating such a large target. She was headstrong thought, and determined to land a single punch, struggling to get up, the young woman managed to get on her feet again, gaining cheers and support from her fellow recruits. The commandant smiled, taunting the woman with his grin as he crossed his arms, not one bead of sweat dared to leave his body from all the movements and technique he showed flawlessly. "Come on now, you can get up over and over again, but you still lack the skill to ever take someone like me on. Concentrate on your subjects movements and style of thei attack. Whether it be quick and fast, or slow and steady, you can never underestimate someone just by their physical build." The commandant shook his index finger in the air as if to tell the young girl no, a motion Demitri has had to use on Lily and Neos during the years as his form of scolding. The young woman growled as she charged for the commandant with full force, yelling at the top of her lungs as she got closer and closer, Demitri closed his eyes and shook her head, turning his body to the side quickly as she came, the giant swatted the girls feet right from underneath her body. Her momentum and speed sent her rolling onto the mat floor until she collided with the wall, the other soldiers wincing as she made impact hard. Demitri finally opened his eyes and looked at the stunned young girl. "Kind of like that" He chuckled a bit. Some of the soldiers laughing as well, the girl struggled as she held herself up by her arms, tears formed in her eyes as she dared not to look up at anyone, the feeling of shame and defeat shook her very core. A large hand finally caught her attention as she looked to the side, seeing the commandants smile as she peered up, blushing, she took his hand as the giant assisted her onto her feet once again, patting the young girl on the back. She smiled as she limped towards the other new soldiers, all of them standing in a single file line as they stood at attention to the commandant. "I think that's enough pain for today, you're dismissed" The commandant smiled, the room filled with groans and complaints of their training for the day, making the man laugh as they filed out of the training room. Demitri grabbed his pistols and attacked them back onto his belt, wrapping his hair in a ponytail once again before he exited the room, walking down the halls, the giant smiled and chit chatted with some of his fellow operatives, becoming more of a social butterfly as he always had been. Even with his new position, the Commandant thought to outdo his father with appearing more to boost moral withing the base and even outside when they obtained leave time. Turning the corner quickly, Demitri could make out his oldest son Tank grabbing a drink of water, the muscular boy has grown up so much in the time they've spent as a family. Demitri sometimes forget he's even adopted, the boy has learned to open more about himself and become comfortable with Ali and the commandant, even more protective of his younger siblings. The commandant smiled at the thought as he came from behind the boy. "There's my footballer" Demitri patted Tank on the shoulder, the boy turned and smiled when he saw his father. "Hey dad!" the boy hugged Demitri tight, making the man release some air during their embrace before letting go. "Dante, where's Lily and Neos?" "I put Neos down for his afternoon nap, and Lily is is the garden" "Did Neos cooperate?" Demitri smiled, knowing the answer. "He did after I promised to make his favorite soup for dinner tonight" Demitri was surprised, but to be truthful, he loved Tank's cooking. Potato Soup was his specialty along with beef stew. "How was training?" "Boring, but they're learning quick, especially with me around haha." Both men laughed as they walked down the hall together. "Uncle Marcus is here dad" Tank spoke, the thought almost slipped his mind during training, tha'ts the main reason why Demitri wanted to train for so long, he still considered Marcus to be a close friend, but with everything that happened years ago, he wasn't sure if he could forgive the Warded Man yet. It was selfish, but honest to his heart about his ally and his loved one's former fling they had. The giant rubbed his eyes for a moment, he was feeling a bit faint for some reason, placing a hand on the wall for support as he concentrated on his path, Tank placed his hand on Demitri's broad shoulder, shocked at the sudden onset of vertigo. "Dad?..." "I'm fine...just a bit dizzy all of the sudden" The commandant lied, he wasn't feeling too well, but nothing a small nap couldn't fix, which was the plan the giant loved as he thought about it more and more. "Tell your mother I'll be seeing her later this afternoon...and Tank...." Demitri paused for a moment continuing. "Ask your uncle if he's like to join us for dinner, you are cooking your favorite" Demitri winked, Tank merely nodded as the commandant continued his walk, making his way to their living quarters. Looking at the clock on the wall, it read 2:30 in the afternoon, Demitri stretched and yawned as he made his way to his bedroom. Entering, the commandant kicked off his boots when he sat on his bed and flopped back onto the crisp, cool sheets, finally pushing his whole body onto the bed until he reached his pillows. Closing his eyes, the man felt like it had beeen eternity since he's slept, it was weird but the giant ignored his headache as he tried to slumber. Small steps could be heard on the wooden floor outside of his room, with the door cracked open slightly, Neos popped his head through the crack to see his father's bare feet. Walking in quietly, the toddler padded his way slowly to the side of the bed, holding onto a stuffed fox plushy by its tail as he approached the Japanese styled bed, hovering low to the ground, but high enough at Neos' waist to be considered by the boy as a large bed. Demitri rolled over to his side as his eyes fluttered for a moment as he made out his boy's image slowly. The giant groaned as he opened his eyes fully, his head swam as he lifted himself up on his side, seeing his son's eyes filling with tears. The image shocked the giant for a moment as he leaded closer to his son, practically hovering over without even standing. "Neos? Whats the matter my little man? "Daddy, are you alright?" the tears flowed slowly down the boys cheeks as he huffed and sniffled, Demitri was confused, he was only feeling a little bit ail, but he hasn't informed anyone but Tank of it. "Yes baby, I'm o.k, just a small headache a nap can fix. Are you ok?" Demitri extended his arms and picked up his crying son, cradling the boy as Neos dug his face into his fathers chest, grabbing onto his shirt for dear life. "I had a bad dream and-and you were hurt and when I came you were just lying here" The boy cried now into his fathers chest, Demitri slowly patted the child on his back as he lifted the sheets and tucked Neos next to his body. "There there my boy, I'm alright, that was just a nightmare. I thought you would be old enough to not have those" Demitri lightly smiled as his eyes dropped, feeling his little boy calm down slowly as he too began to rest. "It was scary daddy..." Neos whispered as he slowly drifted to sleep, Demitri soon followed after planting a kiss on top of his sons light brown hair. "It was only a dream Neos, dreams cant hurt you" Demitri whispered as he surrendered to his own selfish desires of slumber, with his little boy still holding onto his shirt and plush fox, smiling now.

Demitri was finished with the examination he got from his mother, there were still runes inside his body that Sybille implanted with a uniwue writing power, but they were slowly fading away like the sand blew in the desert. Demitri marveled at the image of his child growing inside of his beloved Alex, but the man was too broken inside and out to be with her at a time like this, though happy and overwhelmed he was about his child safe and sound, he felt his heart break more and more after the discussion he has with Ali and Marcus. The giant sulked down the hall for a moment, passing the same room Ali and Marcus had resided in, he could hear some talking coming from inside, Ali's voice echoed as she gasped for air and sniffled, Demitri could tell she had been crying while she spoke to the mystic. It didn't matter anymore to the giant, he continued on his way towards another room, a single cot, dresser and small bathroom that seemed cramped. Someone the size of pocket could live here comfortable, but not someone with Demitri or Tank's build. The giant sighed sadly as he flopped down onto the cot, it didn't feel the same but the soldier needed a place to rest his thoughts and body while he thought of his next course of action. He thought back to happier times, or what little he could remember, the thought of the mystic and his beloved being together always pooped back into his train of thought, taunting the soldier. The man tossed and turned as he rested, the night went by quickly, but rest did not come easy as the giant felt sick and disoriented. Still, something wasn't all right with him, Madam Touch informed the soldier that her son would still hear voices and become confused with his emotions, but slowly it would die down. Demitri stayed in that room for several days, sticking to small meals and meditating to reduce the stress on his body, impure thoughts would cross his mind once in a while, but Demitri was slowly gaining his mental ground as he fought the bad thoughts away from his mind. Another couple of days past, and word of Marcus vanishing caught Demitri's attention, the mysic was the acting team leader, but Commandant shield gave him a solo mission from which no one would know of his return to HDF. It was only stated to be classified, which got a high disapproval from Ali, but that was no hard guess to why. Demitri entered the chow hall and made some small chit chat with the woman when she appeared, she seemed alone and distraught, but mostly shameful on her actions. Her tears meant nothing to Demitri, he simply nodded and continued his food before leaving, not intending to play the hurt victim, but in all reality...he was. There would be times when Ali would sit outside of Demitri's room at night, crying silently for the giant to say something to her, to fill the void the reopened when Marcus left, this happened for several nights. Some nights, Demitri would cross by his old room during the day, hearing more crying come from inside, it tore at his heart to know his lover was hurting so, but the man was uneasy at the facts laid out for him. But, he missed her to the core of his heart.. "Alex..." He whispered, shaking his head sadly as he continued on. Later that week, Demitri was eating in the chow hall when Tank sat across the table from his father figure, Demitri didn't need to look and see who it was, he knew this boy was like his new shadow and friend, for someone as young as he was. Demitri continued his chewing as he spoke. "What is it my boy?" Laughing a bit, Demitri started to sound like his father. "Talk to momma..." He spoke quickly, Demitri finally met the boys gaze, it was sad and hinted fear. Was he still afraid of Demitri after the beach accident that occured? So many thoughts popped into his head on his emotions. Demitri put his utensil down as he swallowed the rest of his meal. "In time..." "No. Now. Please Daddy...." Tank narrowed his eyes, he too seemed tired and exhausted. Tank had often visited Ali when he was feeling ill from the baby growing, or depressed about not having her lover next to her. "She needs you dad...please?" It sometimes bothered Demitri to hear someone else claim his as their parental figure, this wasn't something he was good at adjusting to, but for Tank and Lily, it seemed natural. Demitri threw in the towel happily as he stood from his chair looking down at the boy. "Alright, but promise me you'll get some rest. Got it?" Tank grew a big smile as he nodded, watching his father figure. Demitri went back to his room that afternoon and washed up, trimming his facial hair that grew wildly and making sure he smelled nice. The soldier went out into the gardens during sunset and picked a couple of red Tulips before he entered the base when the night sky took over. Making his way towards Ali's room, the giant practiced his speech to his loved one, explaining his rationality and second guesses, but one truth stood out more than the others. No matter what, he loved her, and was going to love her until the day she died. The giant was hesitant as he held his fist to her door, taking a large swallow of saliva, Demitri finally tapped lightly on the door to their room. Waiting for a response, the man paced in a small circle, hoping she would have the courage and show Demitri forgiveness for his distant attitude towards the mother of his unborn child. In truth, the man simply wanted to lay next to her like they had before, and finally get a good nights rest with noting to trouble his mind.

Demitri's inner thoughts haunted him, some events while he was enslaved sprang in his mind, his sneaking around and the lives that he took while under the control of that mad man. It haunted the giant more and more as he thought about Blues, the new recruits he murdered while under the mans control, the way he harmed his mother while infiltrating their personal living space to search for the Book of Set. Demitri rubbed his weary eyes as the three continued to walk to Demitri's room, or what he still thought was his room when he and Ali shared a moment together in the shower before the raid. He could feel tension in the air rise more and more as they continued down the hall. No one said a word, it felt like no one wanted to take a breath of air as they made their way, Ali was fearful as they walked, knowing Demitri was not going to like what he saw. "Demitri, wait" Breaking the silence as the three paused, standing in front of the door that lead to the room Marcus and Ali resided in together. Demitri said nothing as he slid his key card through the small control panel, the metal doors slid open as Demitri stepped inside, speechless at what he saw. Ali's personal effects laid along side with Marcus' scrolls and book, Demitri recognized them when he peered inside of the mystics room once to call for his aid. But he recognized some of the scrolls that hung on the wall, along with various clothing that obviously didn't belong to Ali, mixed with the collection of books and sandals on the floor. Demitri slowly made his way forward as he approached the large bed, the sheets still had Ali's blood on them from the attack Demitri dealt her while he was under Sybille's control, it pained the giant to see that as his vision blurred for a moment, making him hold onto the wall for support. Ali rushed forward as she placed her hands on the mans back, only to feel his muscles tense when Demtiri grunted in anger, she backed away slowly, Marcus stayed silent. He knew the man was more that paining from his battle, he was feeling it all in his heart and spirit. Demitri finally stood up right as he turned and leaned his back against the same wall he held for support, looking down at the carpet below, refusing the see Ali's glare or even look at Marcus. The giant felt more shame and guilt for all the events that took place while he was gone for three months, but still, he hated what took place while he was not himself. He tried to understand their reasons why they committed such an act behind Demitri's back, but the giant refused to just let things slide. "So..." He spoke. "...this has happened more than once, hasn't it?" "Yes, it has" Marcus spoke quickly, he knew letting the answer linger was not the best for now especially with Demitri's fragile mental state of thinking. The man sighed as he leaned his head against the wall, brushing his hand behind his ears to let his hair move away from his face. "This all happened when I was gone, correct?" Demitri asked, still keeping his eyes closed, he only saw red as his blood boiled slowly, but he kept calm. "Yes Demitri.." Ali gave a sad sigh, her own emotions fluttered in her mind, she had wished she could take everything back, but even that was a lie to her own self. "What about when I was locked up...I remember, I remember you saw me a couple times...you spoke to me. I heard you" Ali was shocked, she had thought his primal state wouldn't remember much since he was under Sybille's control. "You told me you loved me, and never stopped. Did you also mate with another during that time?" "Demitri you have to understand, we were both...alone" Marcus finally spoke, admitting the truth about his own feelings on the situation. He was alone, for a long time until he made the connection with Ali, their bond seemed to surpass Demitri's bond with her on another level, but Ali still had her own personal connection with the former commander. "It wasn't right, we acted out on pure emotion, ones we couldn't even control." Marcus bit his lower lip a little, seeing no change in Demtiri face or movements as he leaned on the wall. Ali thought it best to express everything mentally towards her love, concentrating hard as she closed her eyes, but at that instant, Demitri snapped his head towards her direction and roared with a mighty voice. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!" Snapping Ali out of her thinking as she stepped back, his eyes sparked white electricity as Marcus now stepped in front of Ali to protect her. The move made Demtiri more angry, but the giant calmed himself as he took a couple of breaths, his hazel eyes returning as he unclenched his tight fist, letting his fingers course blood back to his body. He saw the two staring at the giant, like he was still under Sybille's control as Ali shook slightly as she held onto Marcus' clothes. "I'm....I'm sorry Ali for shouting. Just please...not right now, I've had one too many voices in my head....not now" Demitri scratched the back of his head for a moment, seeing Marcus and Ali calm down for a bit. "We know things were difficult for you Demitir, they were for all of us. But, we cant take back what we did...and I'm not sure if we would want to" Ali moved from behind Marcus and walked towards her lover, both men were shocked at her statement, but under the circumstances, Marcus had to agree. Ali faced the giant as she looked up, seeing his sad face, she knew the man was hurting, but she also knew it was her fault as well. Slowly, Ali raised her hand and placed it on Demitri's chest, right over his heart, feeling his organ pump faster and faster. It pained her as well. Demitri softly grabbed her hand and bent down, kissing his love on top of her knuckles before speaking again. "It's just gonna take some time..." Without saying anything, Demitri brushed past Ali as he stood in front of Marcus, looking down at him with stern eyes. "Outside, now" Pushing past the mystic, he moved towards teh door as they opened and closed in an instant. Marcus gave a stare towards Ali, unsure of his next plan of action, he got fearful stare from the young woman as she shook her head. Demitri said nothing as he walked out of the room, Demitri directly on his left, as the doors closed as Demitri punched in his lock code. Trapping Ali inside the rune, the action caused the mystic to quickly face the giant as he looked down upon the mystic, eyes glowing madly now. "I just want to say this, I'm not sure if I can ever forgive you for having what is mine. Not matter what the circumstance, I would have thought you out of everyone would have had better control over yourself" "The feeling is mutual Demitri, I meant no harm, but in fact it did cause harm to a lot, and to you most of all. Have I told you why things progressed the way they did? The mystic seemed calm in his words, but Demitri raised a hand and haulted the man from continuing. "No, and frankly, I don't care to know." Marcus nodded and sighed, but the moment he did, a hard punch was delivered to this left cheek, sending the mystic flying to the ground, shaking a bit as he quickly stood up, only to be grabbed around his arms. But it wasn't a sparring grab, it was almost like a hug, Marcus fully focused now as he noticed he was being hugged by the giant, tight yet determined. "Demitri...?" He questioned, now feeling his cheek swell from the blow he received. "I can't forgive you now...but I can at least thank you for protecting her" The giant released his hug and towered over his ally once again, Marcus was caught off guard slightly at the token of thanks...and token of hatred that came before. The giant began to walk away, taunting the mystic to speak. "Where are you going?" "To see my mother, and to put myself in the med ward for lockdown" Demitri stopped as he looked behind his shoulder. "I still have thoughts of killing you...so, I'm pretty sure that's a sign there are some after effects from Sybille's powers. Although, maybe they're my own..." With that, the giant went on his way, Marcus giving him the slightest of nods

[b]Name: [/b]Demitri Athens [b]Age: [/b]33 years old[b] Appearance: [url="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oUd0eKSUIR8/TJjewLZhv-I/AAAAAAAAE-A/-gEODrnK8vw/s400/alex-do-street-fighter-9.jpg"]Demitri[/url] Personality: [/b]Demitri was always knwon for being carefree and free spirited, but he was also one hell of a team member when he was in the field a lot with his team mates, now that Demitri has obtained the position of Commandant like his father before him, he's grow to be a little but more serious. The man is well respected by all of his peers at HDF, and he's earned their respect from countless missions and high success outcomes. Though his betrayal years ago still linger in people's mind, they have all nearly forgotten about those dark times for the man. Now being a father of three, two who are too young to join HDF and one who's been a team member since he was 13, Demitri has grown protective over them. His adopted children love hanging out with their father and mother together or one at a time, and his natural born son always looks up to his father as his hero. Demitri would do anything for his family first, the same goes for his team members he's fought along side with through the countless years. But he man would give everything up for the love of his life, the woman who never gave up on him, no matter what the circumstance was. Unlike his father, Demitri likes to make himself public as the Commandant and help out everywhere in the base, training new recruits, more social gatherings for his soldiers and make sure that everyone is as close to one another as he was with Alpha Team. [b] Powers: [/b]Demitri is now a master of the wind element, before he was limited to one attack at a time, but with training over the last three years and extensive combat rituals, his powers have evolved faster than normal soldiers would. Able to produce shotgun like wind blasts, barriers, cutting attacks and even suck the air out of another person when the time calls for it. Not only mastery of his own powers, but Demitri is somewhat vulnerable to lightning/electrical attacks thrown at him. Demitri has also adapted his powers in a new way, able to teleport himself by moving like the air around him, enabling the man to vanish in a second to reappear in another area of his choosing. It is limited for now, but the soldier has been practicing more and more as the years passed, extending his distance in the process. [b] Weapon: [/b]Demitri's skills with his pistols is matched by none other, keeping two at his thighs with leg holsters and two attached to the back of his pants belt. Spare ammo clips on either side of his lips, four in all. Demitri is also well skilled in hand-to-hand combat and now teaches new recruits techniques and combos whenever he gets the chance.

Demitri huffed air quickly into his lungs, the gash from Sybilleâ??s blade went deeper into the man than eh originally thought, coughing up blood from their fight, the soldier sunk to one knee to regain some energy. Marcus seemed ready to take on his duties, to finish whatever debt he had with this mad man, both glaring at one another, Sybille with victory on his mind, Marcus with revenge for all the things the man has put him, and his new allies through. He was esponsible for so much death,m destruction and chaos in the mystics world, using Demitri to kill Blues, his only friend left from years passed by was now dead at the hands of Sybilleâ??s dirty work of using others. Still, he hated Demitri still for knowing it was him alone, at least his body, that dealt the killing blow to his friend. The swords left behind for his memory, wishing Blues was more direct about his final words, it fueled the mystic to no bounds to finish off the twisted man. Demitri finally gathered the strength to stand as he clenched both of his fists, Sybille glanced over at the giant, still wearing his sick smile he donned many a times theyâ??ve met in person. It brought hatred to the giant as he spat blood to his side before cleaning the smere on his lips. â??This isnâ??t over, not by a long shot Sybilleâ? Demitri dashed towards the man, Sybille was surprised he had any fight in him still, but it dindâ??t damper the mans phesad as we welcomed the futile effort to stop his master plans. Demitri was a raging bull, pumping his legs to speed his body into full momentum as he came closer and closer to Sybille, before they could reach arms distance, the soldier flipped over the mans body, turning his torso to face the confused enemy as Demitri roundhoused kicked the man. Sybille grunted as he spun several times, only to land on his feet once again. â??Fooling Wind Wizard, you think I will not heal from physical damaâ?¦.â? Sybille was cut off when a stone fist extended from the wall behind Marcus, trailing like a snake in the air until it collided with his body. Marcus whispered a couple of spells while Demitri made his dash, the stone fist carried Sybille into the air and turned downwards, colliding his body to the ground. The impact was enough to shake both Demitri and Marcus, but both men held their ground as the tremors stopped. â??You obviously suck at teamwork punkâ? Demitri smiled, he knew the fight was far from over, but they had an advantage over the man, a slight one at that, but it was enough to deal as much damage as they could. Their main objective was the get the book away from his grasp. Marcus began to chant another spell, but a stone collum rose from beheath the mystic, striking him in the stomach, much like hanks attack in the ballroom. Marcus grunted as he was sent into the air, blood leaving his lips as he floated for a moment, Demitri made a dash to come underneath his ally and catch him, but he was shot with flash of lightning that rose from the ground, sending him sliding and rolling as the giant shook in pain. Sybilleâ??s laugh filled the room as the stone that held him exploded, the twisted being walked out casually as he appeared in the light once again. â??Now now, thatâ??s no way to insult someone. After all, I will be one of many Gods you will bow down to, if I let you live that isâ? Laughing once again as he blasted Demitri again with a shot of lightning, stronger this time as it sent the to the wall. The giant bounced hard off the wall as he landed face first, the same time, Marcus finally landed on the ground as he too skidded before stopping. The mystic groaned in pain, he could tell something broke inside of his body, the swelling presented itself quickly as Marcus held his side. Stinging pain coursed through that area, it was getting tougher to move as the man stood slowly, shaking and almost falling right back down. Demitri stopped his convulsing as he groaned, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he thought about their current situation. They were indeed in a losing battle, even if they had all their members facing off against the man, it would do the group no different. One by one, they would have fallen like Demitri and Marcus have already. Demitrit thought about all his wrongs heâ??s done in the past, a sense of guilt washed over the man as he remembered promises heâ??s made to Ali: Never to harm her, to always love her, to make her part of her familyâ?¦but it seemed like it wouldnâ??t happen if Sybille got his way. To all who were involved with the case, it seemed like dark times were about to come to fruition. â??Marcusâ?¦â? Demitri gasped as he focused his vision, everything was a blur, blinking didnâ??t seem to change anything, it slowly dazed or went away, leaving the man to whine as he sat up slowly, ringing in his ears made it hard to focus. The mystic finally rose to his feet, hunching over as he stared at Sybille who slowly made his way towards Demitri. â??Is that really my child sheâ??s carrying?....have you two been together while I was not myself?â? The truth was the only thing the man wanted at his point, if it was going to be his time to die, he would rather know every. But no matter what, he would always love Ali, and always will till his dieing breath. Marcus narrowed his eyes, his actions were just as shameful and greedy when the situation arose itself, but he owed it that much to his ally to tell the truth. â??Yes and yes he mated with your loved one Wind Wizardâ? Sybille interrupted before Marcus could speak, standing over the giant on the ground as he conjured a ball of lightning in his palm. Demitri could see the stare Sybille gave to him as he looked down upon the giant, the light from the energy ball flickered wildly as if it were a strobe light. But Demitri could only concentrate on the truth. The love he felt for Ali was more than heâ??s had for anyone else, not admitting to her that she wa his first love, and his ideas of her being there forever entrapped the man in a happy dream that he would hope would last forever. The pain she went through losing her memories, the suffering he felt not having her scent, her body or her voice close by, the mental connection theyâ??ve made over the time period. The sheer pleasure of havnig her to himself while they relaxed on the island, over and over they made love and it was as if the heavens themselves approved of their match. The pain he put her through when he was a slave to a mad man, the physical and mental worry heâ??s dealt when the giants mind was not his ownâ?¦there was no way to every take any of those pains back. But, Demitri knew that he still loved herâ?¦and his promise to have a family with her seemed to be coming true, even during this moment of defeat at the hands of Sybille. Suddenly, his heart pumped loudly in the mans body, everything froze for a moment, time and space itself stopped as the giant heard a voice familiar to him. It was but a whisper, but loud enough for the giant to make out clearly in his ears: â??[color="#4169E1"][i][b]Help will come when you least expect itâ?¦[/b][/i][/color]â? Demitri was dumbfounded at the fact he couldnâ??t remember who it was from, or where he heard it from in the first place, but some strength slowly pumped into his veins as he felt time slowly come back to life, the light flickering from Sybilleâ??s lightning ball flashed wildly once again. â??This is the end for you Wind Wizardâ? Sybille laughed as he raised his hand, prepared to bring the lightning blast down onto the soldier, forcing his arm down, he succeeded in his goal, the blast collided and brought up gravel and dirt. Marcus stood shocked, he couldnâ??t believe it came so quickly, Sybille used his own wind powers to clear the mist, but when the mist cleared, Demitriâ??s body was not on the ground in a bloody mess. â??How can this be-â?? Before the man could protest, Demitri appeared behind Sybille, locking his massive arms under Sybilles and arms and lacing his fingers behind the mans neck. Sybille squirmed as Demitri held tightly, feet planted as his eyes glowed white, shooting off small sparks of white lightning here and there as he held the mad man in his spot. The book of set dropped from Sybille's hands and down onto the floor below, the mad man cursed as he tried to free himself from the muscular mans headlock. â??Iâ??m not dying by your hands punkâ? Demitri turned his body as the two faced Marcus, still stunned to see his ally alive, but now they had an opening. â??Take the shot or I take you Marcusâ? Demitri roared as he could feel electricity from his enemy course through his body, the pain was breathtaking as the man wanted to scream in pain. But the giants eyes glowed brighter as white sparks of lightning increased in intensity, suddenly the pain went away with each second that passed. Sybille was amazed Demitri was still able to have a solid hold of the man, even when being shocked. Marcus whispered a spell, longer than the other ones a Sybille returned his gaze to the mystic, he knew what incantation he was speaking of as his eyes opened open in fear. There was a sudden noise that echoed in the room, all three men looked around for a moment before shuffling could be heard, it was coming closer and closer to their location. Sybille struggled, but Demitri held his place grappling the mad man.

The small town of Ammond Terrance began to settle in for the night, the markets and shops all around unpacked their items to rest for the evening, the street lights illuminated the quiet streets as the townspeople made their way to their respective houses with family awaiting them. It began to rain, lightly for a while until the wind picked up, blowing violently in the night sky, swaying trees and street lights with no mercy for their struggles to stay grounded. A little boy ran as fast as he could,, soaked clothes hugged his body and flesh, his hair, tied in a pony tail, equally drench"ed by the elements as the onslaught of water poured down. But more than water fell that evening, boy boy produced his own water that streamed from his eyes as he raced with all his might to get home, worried about his safety. But, something else seemed to be on his mind as he thought more and more about the recent storms that passed in their town lately. He knew, it wasn't natural. Without noticing, the boys sneakers missed a hole in the ground, causing the boy the fall forward and roll as his ankle slowly swelled up, hissing at the pain, he slowly stood up again and hobbled to his house. He only hated it when they lived in the woods, a log cabin house like no other in the area, surrounded by the woods and forest life. Finally reaching the door, the boy opened and dove in, kicking the door shut. A woman with long, raven colored hair came to his side as the boy cried, his eyes now completely white. Hugging the woman he sobbed more as a muscular figure came from the stairs to check the commotion. "Whats the matter Demitri? Are you ok?" His mother asked with her husband kneeling to pick up the boy in his harms and take him to the couch. "Go fetch him some clean clothes honey, he's soaked." The father ordered, she nodded and went off, the man placed his son on the couch, seeing his skin turn blue as he shook all over, but he noticed the eyes more than anything. Trying to play it off, the man started the fire in the living room fireplace. "No need to cry over wet clothes son" His father gave a small laugh, but looking behind his shoulder, he could see one of Demitri's little feet turn slightly off than the other, the boy remained silent and cried more as his mother returned. "T. Have a look at his leg will you" The man gave her a worried look as he brushed his head towards Demitri's direction, coding for her expertise. She took the hint and nodded, kneeling down and examining her son, seeing where his twisted ankle began to swell up, the boy trying to escape the pain when she touched it, but his mother was stronger than that to just let go. Within seconds, the pain vanished, still sore, but gone completely as the boy finally opened his eyes and saw his leg wiggling around with his other half. Demitri wiped his eyes and smiled slightly, his eyes still white as the storm lessened little by little outside. "Pavlos...I think we know now why the wind blows so harshly" Touch began to undress her child from his wet clothes and place the warm, clean ones on, taking the drenched pieces to the launrdy. She came back from the kitchen with a cup of cocoa for her son, who smiled and began to drink. "Dad, whats momma talking about?" Demitri stared while his father stared off into the distance, in deep thought. He came to his own conclusion before standing up and taking a seat next to his son, with his mother on the other side as they sat together, watching the fire. "Son...you know the different stories of things going bump at night?..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Demitri walked down the halls in full Marine Corps uniform, having finished the yearly Marine Corps Ball, he smiled as he passed his fellow enlisted and officers, taking off his cap, the man smiled as he looked at the night sky. So crisp and clear, seems so surreal to be back in the states after being overseas for so long. His personal space though was taken away when his father showed from the shadows with a man covered in a dark blue cape around his body, his hood covered his eyes and most of his facial features, a person Demitri has never seen before. But, unlike Demitri, the cloaked figure has been watching and protecting the boy from harms way. Just in the shadows of the night along with his fellow operatives. "I'm so proud to have you safe and back" Pavlos went over to hug his child, who returned the affection by his father. "Thanks Dad, where's momma?" Demitri questioned. "She's where we're going now. It's time my boy" Pavlos smiled and laughed patting his son roughly on the shoulder. Demitri was puzzled until the cloaked man stepped towards the two, then, it suddenly turned pitch black. Within seconds, they were in the middle of a thriving base, soldiers of different ages and sexes roamed the facility, but their military emblem was something Demitri has never seen before. "Dad, where are we?" "Welcome to the Human Defense Force my boy! Happy 24th Birthday!!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Demitri filed some paperwork in his quarters, his usual busy task at the end of a long work day, some of his body already earned scars from battles with the undead and monsters of the night alike, his recent scar on his chest, large and diagonal to his body. It burned and throbbed in pain, but the man was just happy to be alive and able to complete his mission with the rest of the squad. Demitri peered at his watch and cursed to himself. "****, I'm late. What a way to join a new team" The man rushed from his seat to his door, making it to the hallway the man dashed as fast as he could, securing his key card and tucking in his undershirt as he passed fellow operatives in the hall. Finally making it to his destination, the doors slid to the side as everyone peered at the large man, there was a girl facing all of them as they stood at attention in front of her, two other people who looked younger than Demitri. The girl with long lair turned to the man, looking up at the massive giant, but not feeling scared or intimidated like everyone else usually has. "YOURE LATE!" She roared, placing her hands on her hips as her gaze grew more vicious, Demitri on chuckled a little bit as he stood at attention as well. "Apologies, paperwork kept me" Demitri continued his gaze on this young girl, what balls she had to yell at the newly appointed Commandant's son like this. But, that was to be kept a family secret as they all agreed upon since Demitri's grandfather was now the High Counsel leader, another promotion in the same year for his family. "I don't accept apologies, you may be a decorated soldier, but I wont have slacking in my unit. Understood?" The girl sure was a fire cracker, Demitri closed his eyes to roll them without her noticing. "And don't roll your eyes at me" The comment brought the man to snap open his eyes in surprise, but he smiled as played it off. "My name is Ali Talon, your new Team Leader, so get use to it muscles..." "Demmy" Demitri interrupted, making the girl turn to her side as she talked away, dismissing the group. "Bark bark to you too" The smallest girl in the room giggled a little before turning her head towards the man. "I'm Calypso, but people call me Pocket. This is Jeff, he's not much of a talker but..." Jeff, who stood next to the girl, grunted before leaving the room as well, making the small girl frown a little. Demitri smiled as he replied back. "Name is Demitri, you can call me Demmy if you'd like...." ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Demitri Athens, 30 years of age...... [i][b][color="#FF00FF"]"[/color][color="#FF00FF"]What are you doing here already?"[/color] "[color="#0000FF"]I was going through some old files. You look like ****, whats going on?[/color] "[color="#FF8C00"]I hear we have a mission, I haven't had one in a while.[/color]" "[color="#0000FF"]Speak for yourself[/color]" "[color="#0000FF"]Why is it you call Calypso by her nickname and not me?[/color]" "[color="#FF00FF"]Because personally, I like you real name better than your nickname[/color]" "[color="#FF00FF"]Jeff, I'm not asking you to take the pistol, I'm telling you to take the damn pistol. I don't want any of those things getting close to us.[/color]" "[color="#FF0000"]Well now. This is the infamous HDF. Interesting indeed.[/color]" "[color="#FF00FF"]Jeff, take the damn shot![/color]" "[color="#FF8C00"]ALI!!!!!!!![/color]" "[color="#0000FF"]Damn, your a SIREN!!!![/color]" "[color="#FF00FF"]You were careless, how could you have let your guard down for such a low level threat creature like that?[/color]" "[color="#0000FF"]SCATTER NOW!!![/color]" "[color="#FF00FF"]I don't know Hank, we were compromised...[/color]" "[color="#0000FF"]Are you feeding me now too?......Yeah, it grazed my spine[/color]" "[color="#FF00FF"]Demitri....wake up! You're safe and sound at home with me...us.[/color]" "[color="#FF00FF"]Don't be so childish Pocket[/color]" "[color="#006400"]We...we were all scared, then some man appeared and was talking all crazy and what not. Saying some squad was on the way to eliminate everything that moved, but for some reason...he let us go without warning. It was like he wanted us to leave, he was scary looking and looked like he had no soul, and he was commanding th-those things to kill our friends. We took the only option we could.[/color]" "[color="#0000FF"]COMMANDER! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS??[/color]" "[color="#2F4F4F"]You're over stepping Talon...[/color]" "[color="#0000FF"]Does anyone know about the boy who cried wolf?"......it gets better, here's the HDF version...[/color]" "[color="#0000FF"]Wolf...[/color]" "[color="#FF00FF"]Get...off[/color]" "[color="#483D8B"]This is the Warded Man. What is going on HQ?[/color]" "[color="#2F4F4F"]We believe Sybille is following them...[/color]." "[color="#0000FF"]So...Sybille is his name. I'll remember that punk[/color]" "[color="#00FF00"]You mean he's vital to you...[/color]" "[color="#483D8B"]Aye, indeed it is. I would have to draw every single rune I know for my power...[/color]" "[color="#8B0000"]FOUND YOU!!![/color]" "[color="#483D8B"]He summoned the Gods...[/color]" "[color="#2F4F4F"]HOW DARE YOU!! GUARDS, DETAIN DEMITRI ATHENS FOR INSUBORDINATION IMMEDIATELY[/color]" "[color="#483D8B"]Yes sir, I am aware of what transpired when Ali was taken...[/color]" "[color="#808000"]Demitri my boy, what's the matter? I'm sorry I'm harsh but honestly I'm surprised by your actions then...and now. What's going on son?[/color]" "[color="#FF00FF"]...cause he ordered me to stay "pure"...[/color]" "[color="#FFA500"]Mortal, you have asked me so much with so few questions. The answer will only come with my return..[/color]" "[color="#0000FF"]Don't you give in Alex, now without a fight....[/color]" "[color="#FF00FF"]T-that's my brother Jason![/color]" "[color="#800080"]I thought I heard whispers in here[/color]....[color="#0000FF"]you did chump![/color]" "[color="#0000FF"]We have Jason Talon in my team, our mystic is keeping his wolf transformation under control for now...[/color]" "[color="#00FFFF"]My name is Lily. This is my big brother Tank...[/color]" "[color="#4169E1"]My name is Gene, where you you hiding at?[/color]" "[color="#FF00FF"]I love you Demitri....[/color]" "[color="#0000FF"]I love you Alex....I want you to be part of my family, family, family....family....[/color]"[/b][/i] The words echoed over and over inside the man's head. Wave upon wave of memories for the past year forced itself out of the secured regions of Demitri's bent mind, the control finally released as the man shook in Alex's arms a little as she rocked his body with hers, Demitri could feel all of his rune powers fading him, the sketches and markings vanishing off his body like water evaporating into the air. The man scars on his body re-opening as he bleed while the woman he loved held onto him, wondering what caused his gashes and cuts to show as if he just got them all now. "Demitri..." Ali cried as Jeff and Jason went to the two while the others held off Sybille, who had the Book of Set in his hands. He was not too pleased on his powers left his body, he couldn't even understand how it happened. Marcus was a bit shocked as well, but that would be a research project for another time. Demitri's body winced in pain as he groaned through his teeth, slowly opening his eyes, he sniffed and spoke softly in pain. "Alex...I sure could use an orange right about now..." He smiled weakly as Jason scooped the damaged man onto his back, fully transformed into his wolf form, he had plenty of space and strength. Jason have a sad look to Ali as Jeff helped her stand, he realized now it wasn't Demitri acting brashly, he was being controlled. Ali only gave a slight nod to her brother when she met his gaze, finally on her feet again, they all turned their attention towards Sybille and Cloak. Fire raged in each members eyes as they faced their opponent and trapped friend. "New assignment, apprehend Cloak..." Ali shouted, taking out one of her throwing knives she kept on her all the time, she was exhausted and fragile, but her rage gave her fighting spirit all the boosts it needed. Pocket projected her sniper rifle while Sasa aimed her gun towards Sybille. Jeff cracked his knuckles as Tank ordered Lily to move to safety, which she did without question. Marcus' runes lit to their full intensity as Gene enclosed his body in a sleek layer of ice, every part except for his head, blood on his shirt from checking on his deceased friend tempest. Jason growled and stood ready, surprisingly, Demitri held one eye open as his hanging arm on Jason's side gathered wind, the giant was losing blood fast, but this was more important. His family, his friends, his loved one...and his unborn child. "What about Sybille?" Sasa asked, but they all knew the answer, it was game over for the monster as he laughed at their stances. "Hold on tight boys and girls, this is gonna hurt" Demitri whispered, Jason being the only one who heard, smiled at the comment. (That's the old man I know) The wolf howled in excitement. [b] OOC: MAN THAT TOOK FOREVER!! Sorry for the delay, but lets get this going![/b]

Emptiness was Demitri's world while he stayed a prisoner at his home base, not an ally anymore, but a prisoner with blood on his hands. Blood from fellow allies, younger soldiers and the shame of disgracing his father the Commandant. Inside of Shields protected cell, Demitri roared with burning rage, his communication cut off with his master threw the man into fits and tantrums, thrashing about as he tried desperately to free himself and return to his cruel owner. The living black armor suit that aided Demitri in the killing of Blues was located in a secret location, the powers of the high counsel kept its powers from activating and running back to Demitri or Sybille. It simply laid on the cold floor of the cell room, folded up like clothing, the guards on duty were high ranking officials who have previously fought against enemies who wore such an item, but they were all based in Egypt when they encountered the item It too, felt emptiness. Demitri's writs and calfs bruised from his many struggles of becoming free from his captors, the hours passed along with days without the giant noticing, after his tirade of yelling and thrashing about, he would simply fall unconscious at a moments notice, giving his body little time to heal up. He did enjoy the security of knowing paid would not wake him, his master was never that kind, always finding a new way to torture the soldier day in and day out. There was something that brought life back to the caged animal, a scent, a simple scent that brought a wave of peace inside of the angry beast, and then the woman who always came to him three times a day. Fed him, bathed him, gave him fresh clothes, even just to stay and talk with him when he was feral. Time passed where the slave enjoyed her company, and slowly, more memories of her held in his mind, a deep affection for the woman who had shown him kindness. The afternoon was long, Demitri calmed his thrashing as the woman named Alex left once again, the beast inside grew angry as he continued to use his powers to his aid, but nothing seemed to work in the cell he was entrapped in. There was however, an echo....and familiar voice that echoed around Demitri's head. It was distant at first, but as the hour passed, it grew in magnitude and tone. The giant shook in his spot a little, scared and angry at the intruder inside of his thoughts, he had hoped it would never happen again, but he was too hopeful to know better. ([color="#8B0000"][i][b]There's my slave[/b][/i][/color]) A whicked laughed followed, Demitri tensed his body as he stood straight up in his spot, a devilish smile danced across his face as tears slowly fell from his eyes, his master had found him. The slave was relieved, yet terrified at the same time. (Did you find the item that I seek my pet?) ([i][b][color="#008080"]Yes Master, I have found the Book of Set, the spell book you sought after my master. Have I done good, master?[/color][/b][/i]) Demitri concentrated hard in his words, it was difficult to speak even in his mind, the protection measure they took on the cell he was trapped in was more than he would ever had anticipated. ([i][b][color="#8B0000"]You have slave, and I shall reward you with your freedom. The distraction you caused allowed me to enter and enfultrate the facility without a second glace, I have taken the form of a person here. I will be obtaining the second piece I need very soon. The book is now in my possession...[/color][/b][/i]) Demitri smiled more at his masters words. ([color="#8B0000"][i][b]...I shall free you now my pet, cause a little commotion for me while obtain my prize, I shall bring you once I have it[/b][/i][/color]). Like that, the voice dropped, making the giant whine in sadness. But his mood changed when the cuffs that held his arms and legs broke off in a snap, the feeling around the cell was different as Demitri felt a surge of power course through his veins, the runes it up all over his body as the beast smiled and aimed his hand for the door. The guard looked back for a moment, but a moment too late as the door flew open, crushing the solider on the wall he stood opposite from when guarding the cell. Demitri slowly stepped out as he cracked his knuckles, making his way out of the brig in a haste the man had no intention on being silent. Using his many powers to destroy everything in his path and cripple soldiers that stood in his way. Then, the alarms sounded... "[b]ATTENTION ALL HDF MEMBERS. PRISONER 342 HAS ESCAPED. CAPTURE AT ALL COSTS!![/b]!" "Master..." Demitri grunted in triumph, completing another task in such a haste usually rewarded the giant an extra hour to rest. Demitri made it down the hall, only to trip while running and fall face first on the steel floor, looking behind himself, the man could see his feet here now encased in a block of ice. Frost and Jason, now in full wolf form, approached slowly towards the broken commander. "Stay right where you are Demitri" Frost held his arm out still, ready for some more action. Jason growled when Demitri easily phased his legs through the ice black and stood up in a hunched stance, much like Jason when he hunched. Both animals stared one another down, Jeff and Tank came from the corner, Tank now fully in steel mode as he gasped when seeing his father figure. "If we can't stop him, at least keep him busy" Jason howled as he charged the beast, Demitri returning the favor as both men clashed mid air before rolling on the ground, punching, clawing and going all out while the alarms still sounded. Jason was thrown off to the wall when Demitri landed a harsh kick to his abdomine, before the beast could get up, Jeff levitated his former commander in mid air. Tank took the hint as he rushed towards Demitri, connecting his steel shoulder to the mans ribs, bones cracked upon impact, sending the man rolling down the hallway. ([color="#708090"][b][i]I'm sorry Dad...[/i][/b][/color]) Tank thought as he frowned underneath his steel skin, but he needed to do his part to protect his friends. Demitri struggled to get up as he looked at the four men, smiling as blood ran down the side of his mouth. "This one shall not fail his MASTER!!!" Charging his wind powers, the beast charged at the four, they in turn, doing the same to hold off as long as they could. [size="3"][color="#000000"][/color][/size]