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  The flight back to the Nexus was peculiar. For roughly the past 24 hours, Eli's life had deteriorated from a state of monotonous suppression and anxiety, to breakneck action and having his life constantly in danger. Helena had nearly killed him several times over. In fact, Helena had nearly killed them all. There was hardly a moment's rest to be found since their helicopter had taken a nose dive straight into the concrete streets of the outer slums. And yet, on this helicopter ride back to the Nexus where Overwatch was waiting to throw them straight into solitary confinement, where the weight of their decision was on standby ready to haunt them. But in spite of that, Eli felt strangely... calm.

  Flanking the osprey, a golden sun rose above the horizon while the osprey flew through the passing storm clouds. When the clouds had scattered enough to see the ground, they were already quite a while away from Helena. So far that the concrete towers of Renewal only appeared as faint black dots shimmering on the periphery of mountains far away. As the clouds continued to grow thinner, there was enough light that pierced through where Eli could see the ground once more, and all the peninsula for its glory. The rising sun made the vibrant jungle of the Kiote Peninsula glow, basking it in the golden light of a new dawn. Drying the water from the fields and forests below. The helicopter rocked back gently as they flew, the engines of the aircraft provided a faint rumble from outside. Everything seemed so serene... Eli's eyelids grew heavier with each passing moment, and the realization that he hadn't slept properly in over a seemed to dawn on him.

  In front of him, Dutch was still holding his broken arm in a desperate attempt to nurse the injury. The Headhunters had given him a few bandages to help hold the bone in place and prevent further dislocation, but Dutch still needed to remain still. His eyes had been squeezed shut for most of the ride, until he opened them, scanning across the osprey's interior and landing on Eli. Dutch offered him a weary smile, "Oh my god Eli... you look like hammered shit."

  "Hm?"

  Dutch used his good arm to point to his forehead, "It's the bandages man, you're covered in blood... what happened to your helmet?"

  "Broke it."

  "You look like you just survived a zombie apocalypse."

  Eli chortled, "We all did. Sorta."

  Dutch's smile widened a bit further, though it was soon followed by a wince as he went to hold his arm in place once more, "Yeah... we all did. Free-Man."

  "You guys are never gonna let me live my name down, are you?"

  "Would you rather if we called you Soldier Boy all the time?" Badger elbowed him.

  Eli rolled his eyes, "You could just call me 'Eli', you know?"

  "I like Soldier Boy better. More fitting."

  "Whatever," Eli sighed, once again turning to the window.

  Cloudy skies above. Rolling hills, arid mountains, and dry Mediterranean-esque grasslands whisked by below. Only interrupted by the snow capped mountains which split the Peninsula in half. The storm let up as they approached the border, and so too did the dry climate. Past a dividing line of mountains near the Kiote border, came the familiar sight of wetlands, jungles, and thick green vegetation sprawling across rolling mountains and coasts. It was “Friendly” airspace, so they were told. Not too long after, Canau’s sprawling seaside core jutted out from the lush green forests. And The Nexus – looming in the hills above Canau like a dark fortress – had become a sight to behold.

  It had only been a day since they left, yet The Nexus seemed even larger than ever before. He’d likened it to a cancerous tumor growing in the jungle before when he’d made this eerily familiar trip back from Raritan. But now, the cancer analogy was proving frighteningly accurate.

  Scattered throughout the jungle were new constructions. Smokestacks, large complexes, construction sites and freshly paved roads. Earth’s industry was flooding the area around both The Nexus and Canau, perhaps just as Kovic wished. Large swathes of the forest had been blazed and flattened to make room for the growing presence of The Coalition. And like a cancer spreading across an afflicted body, The Coalition was poisoning the world around them. The smokestacks churned out clouds of ash and toxic chemicals, finally unrestricted by the environmental regulations of Earth perhaps. Industrial plants were given a sandbox to play inside, and with the no-doubt infinitely valuable resources of Narva to exploit, they weren’t going to waste a single iota of efficiency.

  It felt wrong watching it, Eli thought. Eli was technically still fighting for The Coalition. He was the one who’d made the Warrior Elves a firm ally. He was the one who’d fetched them Sparrow. He helped Kovic get this foothold in the first place. Was Eli not to blame then for the cancer?

  Or was he just following orders? It made Rafael’s calls for revolution seem even more obvious than ever before. It was one thing to be a willing slave, but one who’d assisted in committing this level of destruction in the new world? One with dirt on their hands?

  He'd glanced at Rafael several times in fact. Mostly whenever he erupted into the coughing fits he was prone to. It was still heart wrenching listening to him. The medics aboard the Osprey were hellbent on ensuring that he was whisked away to triage as quickly as possible. So, when the Osprey finally crossed over the massive walls surrounding the base, and landed within the concrete compound, Eli almost felt a sense of relief wash over him.

  Almost. But not quite.

  Within the military fortifications and among the prison complexes of The Nexus, there was a new development. Tents. People crowded into the hot tarmac. Hapless Nexus staff running from person to person in a vain attempt to administer aid to the poor. The refugees had arrived into the Nexus. Saved from the wrath of the Avonian Empire, but now caught in the clutches of the Coalition. Were they truly safer here?

  He felt a nudge on his shoulder from Dutch, who looked him in the eye with a reassuring nod, “We did the right thing, Eli,” He said, reading his mind, “No matter what, they would’ve died if Sparrow kept them in the base. They aren’t dead now. That’s all that matters…”

  It was some mild reassurance, but not enough to put him at ease. He knew what was to come next.

  The Osprey landed over hot black tarmac, and immediately the helicopter was swarmed by a squad of security units with their weapons out and ready to kill the prisoners at even the slightest hint of disobedience. When the Osprey touched onto the ground, the headhunters stood them all up in a line leading them out into the increasing daylight. He was still somewhat wet from all the rain in Helena, not having a chance to dry off even during the quite lengthy helicopter ride. But the moment he stepped out into the scorching heat of the Kiote sun, it was as if his clothes had dried immediately. The holes in his tattered penal uniform provided ample opportunity for the sun to burn scattered spots across his body, and it hurt to look up after he’d been so accustomed to the relative darkness of Helena’s stormy night.

  Just as they were forced out of the Osprey and lined up on the far side of the tarmac, he could see a still wounded Archer flying close and spreading his wings to land – with both Temetet and Otaes in tow. The regulars seemed poised to shoot at them, but were ordered to stand down. Still though, they kept a nervous eye on the massive creature as he haphazardly came to touch the tarmac with his claws. He was hardly able to stand for long before he collapsed from exhaustion. Even with Otaes’ healing, it was obvious that the griffon was hurting bad.

  The regulars meanwhile preoccupied themselves with handling Sparrow and the rebels. Eli and Sparrow shared eye contact, briefly, before Sparrow was intercepted by a regular and told to follow. He offered only a knowing glance towards Eli’s direction, for what exactly – Eli wasn’t sure. The man still proved a mystery to him. Like everything about this world.

  And then like that, Misfit was alone again. Left to dry by the regulars as they scattered to deal with the rebels and the refugees. Left alone in the brutal heat of the sun in a far-away corner of the airfield where they couldn’t bother anyone and could have an eye kept on them until Overwatch figured out what exactly to do with them. Even Rafael was left here with them with his condition appearing to worsen with the heat. With no Matteo to aid him, and with Misfit’s hands literally tied thanks to the cuffs, he had everyone’s concern as they tried to keep him alive and breathing through any means available to them.

  “Come on buddy, just a bit longer,” Badger said to him, “You’ve still got a revolution to start. If you croak on us, whose gonna get us out of here?”

  Rafael through his labored breathing smiled, nodded at Eli before descending into yet another painful coughing fit, “H-he’ll do fine.”

  “You think too much of me,” Eli said, returning the smile, “I’m just trying to go back home.”

  “Me too, Eli… me too,” Rafael whispered.

  It wasn’t until Otaes came around that Misfit was put at ease. Temetet remained back with Archer, caressing the griffon’s feathers as he recovered his strength while lying on the hot asphalt. Otaes seemed tired herself by the sluggish way she moved compared to her normally graceful and calculated movements. Everyone was equally exhausted, not helped at all by the unrelenting brutality of the sun which seemed intent on burning the Phantoms alive. Hell, if Eli didn’t know better, he’d think he was still back on Earth with how hot it was…

  “Misfit! Sorry I couldn’t come sooner, I just had to deal with Archer for a moment,” Otaes hailed them as she approached the disgruntled squad.

  “Is he alright?” Asked Omar.

  “He’ll live. But he’ll be out of it until I can get him back for Raritan. As for Temetet, really both of us,” Otaes seemed to take a huge breath in, looking over the squad of Phantoms from behind her mask, “Thank you… for everything really.”

  “What are you thanking us for? You’re the one that saved us,” Dutch told her, “Hell, if it weren’t for you three we would’ve been minced meat.”

  “Well, maybe true,” Otaes gleamed, “But I think Eli knows what I’m talking about. Don’t you?”

  Eli nodded, smiling again, “I couldn’t ever forget.”

  They engaged in a little more friendly back-and-forth before the squad turned their attention back to Rafael. Otaes performed another small spell with what little energy she had left to keep him alive until the regulars could finally turn their attention back to the Phantoms. Rafael’s coughing eased up but failed to go away. While the squad conversed among themselves, Eli only watched them from afar. He felt, strange. Everything about this moment was so surreal, like he was living through it for a second time. Truthfully, he was. This was the second time that they’d been flown back to the Nexus after narrowly being saved by Overwatch after doing something irredeemably stupid – yet, perhaps morally correct. Getting lost in Raritan and entangled with the elves after embarking on a suicide mission to save the Rafael, Badger, and Cato. Only to end up with Cato dying. And here they were again, with Matteo also dead and Rafael’s fate uncertain. Solitary was bad enough the first time, and Eli had only spent a few days in that cell. How long would it be this time? A month? A year? Indefinitely?

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Otaes noticed the way Eli was staring at the rest of the squad from afar, and she walked up to him, “Long day?” She asked him, taking a seat on the floor against the chain-linked fence that separated the airfield from the rest of the base. The two watched the Coalition’s helicopters ascend as they scrambled to contain the situation brewing across Helena, cleaning up Misfit’s mess no doubt.

  “That doesn’t even come close to describing it,” Eli said with a shrug.

  “I know how you feel… I’ll be rooting for you, you know?”

  He smiled as he observed the base spring into motion with Otaes seated next to him. The rising sun started to fade away into the back of his mind, smelling the strange combination of engine fumes and the surrounding rainforest’s essence, “I still owe you for saving me. All of us really. Again.”

  “I told you, we’re friends. Friends don’t owe each other. We just... do. If anything, I'd be indebted to you for getting me out of the gas attack,” she shrugged as she trailed off, " You know what I mean?”

  “I think so. I’ll be sure to keep you in mind when I’m getting my ass beat in solitary,” Eli chuckled, though his heart sunk when he realized that his joke was dangerously close to reality.

  Otaes herself giggled from behind her mask, “You’re gonna miss me, aren’t you?”

  "Yeah. It isn’t everyday you get to fight side-by-side with a warrior elf, you know? At least not back home.”

  “I bet there's no Avonians on Earth though."

  Eli shrugged, "Well, there's no giant walking robot death machines. Or dragons. Or the NSE-"

  "Alright, you've sold me, take me back through the portal when you get the chance. I could probably deal with the rest of the bad stuff."

  "Oh you've got no idea," Eli's voice sounded strangely wistful. Just talking about Earth at this point was enough to make his heart wrench. He knew he wasn't going back across the portal any time soon, especially not after Helena. But he was back in the Nexus, and from where they were near the airstrip he could just make out the concrete dome Overwatch had constructed to shield the opening. The door back to his familiar world was right there... and yet, it was impossible to reach. Eli could try and just storm his way through, but he would obviously get caught and then he'd definitely get put on death's row, if he wasn't gunned down trying to reach the portal in the first place. Besides, something told him that Glassface wouldn't quite appreciate it if he tried to run now. He wasn't sure what exactly it was capable of... or what it really was at all... but it seemed like Glassface was giving him an unusual amount of generosity. He had enough enemies, Kovic, Juma, practically all of Overwatch Command and the Coalition, the Avonian Empire, and possibly even Sparrow and his ULA - though that remained to be seen. He didn't need to start burning bridges with supernatural computer gods too.

  Suddenly, from his side, Otaes leaned in. Her voice was low and her tone had grown much more serious. Her blue eyes burned a hole straight into his own, like staring into his soul, "Listen Eli," she started, "You know it isn't too late to get out of here. I could take you and anyone from Misfit who wants to go with me. Really. I could try and hide you."

  There was a startle somewhere in his soul when he considered the idea. But he knew it was a pipe dream at best. The rest of the squad would never agree, he knew that much. As for himself, the offer was tempting...

  But there was too much work to be done here. It would never work, "I'm sorry Otaes, but this is the only way I can get back to Earth, if that's ever gonna happen now."

  "We could always try and figure something out..."

  "I can't run from Overwatch forever. They own the portal, and they're the only way I'm getting back through it... everything I know or once knew, it's all behind that damn portal. And there's a job that needs to be done here too, I uh..." He was about to mention Glassface's name, but for fear of outing himself as clinically insane in what should've been his final farewell, he held his tongue, "I don't know what I need to do. Yet. But I'm figuring it out. I can't leave."

  "You're gonna fight back?" Otaes' voice sounded somewhat excited.

  "I can't now. And if I do I don't think I'll win. But I can't run from all of... this," he gestured to the Nexus around them. The new constructions that dominated the once verdant jungle were like the growths of an alien hive. Toxic smoke billowed out from the chimneys of the new plants and manufactories that had flooded the Nexus' interior since Kovic's rule had been solidified. It was a hostile takeover of a world that wasn't theirs to begin with. Utopia perhaps for some shareholders living in high luxury offices billions of miles away. A Utopia for the colonists wealthy enough to secure a position here as new sections of forest were flattened to make room for what appeared to be new residential homes and apartment complexes. And perhaps, Utopia was even real for the Phantoms who had agreed to collaborate with Kovic's rule and align themselves with Overwatch's vision. But Eli was not one of them. Eli was not wealthy enough to bid for a spot to relocate here when Earth became too insecure. Eli was not fortunate enough to own empires of cash so large that he could guarantee his survival on another world while the one he'd been born on collapsed because of his own greed. Eli was a Phantom. He always was and always would be. The Nexus was not for him, and neither was the glimmering dream of Utopia. Whatever that might look like.

  "Narva isn't my planet and you told me that before. But this is still my responsibility. Outside of the Avonians, nobody is going to stop this. And I don't think you want to go begging the Imperials for help either? So... I have to stay."

  Otaes looked down, "I understand. Just do me a favor, don't let them break you. You can be pretty dangerous when you want to be, so keep at it. And stay strong, Free-Man."

  "Likewise, Mirage."

  “I hope we can meet again. Just under better circumstances, maybe.”

  “I’d love that,” Eli almost instinctively said, perhaps sounding a bit too eager.

  “Send Misfit my regards. See you soon, if I’m lucky,” And with that, she peeled away, headed back to Temetet and her Griffon who were both baking under the rising sun.

  “Yeah…” he said, giving her a brief nod before watching as she embarked on the back of Archer once more, only to vanish once again. This time perhaps, forever, “Take care…”

  And not before long, the regulars drew near. Security units. Their electric batons were ready to strike the Phantoms down before even a hint of rebellion could arise. They swarmed Misfit, standing them up against the fence and forcing them together. They were taken away from the airfield, and far away from the impressive chaos that Misfit alone was responsible for. In the eyes of the Security Units, clear as day, Misfit was guilty. All of them. Guilty beyond saving.

  They were taken back into the mouth of the penal-unit wing of the Nexus. The 24/7 Propaganda reels blaring from speakers across The Nexus were audible now that they were further away from the airstrip. Eli half expected to hear Kovic’s voice spinning some sort of twisted lie about what Utopia meant – at least according to The Coalition’s goals. But Kovic wasn’t the one speaking. Instead, there were only alarms and the monotone voice of a automated machine repeating lines over and over again.

  “EMERGENCY ORDER ‘PRECINCT’ IS NOW IN EFFECT. ALL PHANTOMS ARE TO BE PLACED UNDER LOCK-DOWN STATUS IMMEDIATELY. ALL AVAILABLE SECURITY UNITS ARE INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW THE ORDERS ISSUED TO THEIR ARM MONITORS. REPORT TO SQUAD LEADERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. RESPONSE CODE: LOCKDOWN, STABILIZE, SUPPRESS…”

  "Overwatch is locking the Nexus down. Juma admitted it herself, they don't have enough resources and security units to keep a check on a hundred extra people," Badger noted.

  "What will they do? They can't just send them back, right? I mean, if the Nexus is supposed to be a secret on Planet Narva, there's no way in hell they can let any of them leave," Omar asked, "What if Overwatch just kills them all?"

  "They can't just do that, that wouldn't make any sense," Dutch shook his head.

  "But they're powerful, a group of people wind up here in the Nexus and all Kovic has to do is snap his finger - just like that, they're gone. Overwatch is the definition of power-" Omar's rambling was soon cut off but a loud cough from Rafael who shook his head.

  Rafael shook his head, "Power doesn't panic. We just handed them a defeat that they can't lash out for. The refugees know who saved them, and once they start forcing Phantoms to assist - the rest of the Penal-Unit will know who saved them too. Guess who it was..." Rafael looked at Eli, "Us. Misfit. Before this, everyone used to be anonymous. Every year you were reassigned into a different squad, sometimes multiple times a year. You never knew where you were, or where you were going, you didn't know anybody. But in the Nexus, they don't have the resources to keep a infinitely changing pool of prisoners swapping around forever. Everyone knows each other, and now they know that Misfit won against Overwatch. And that, more than anything else, is making them afraid. We won, and the Penal-Unit knows it..." Rafael's voice was still shaking, but he managed to get through his final sentence before having yet another coughing fit.

  "The Penal Unit can never win against Overwatch. And if they do, none of the others can know about it. Once the possibility of victory by challenging Overwatch's orders is introduced, the illusion of power crumbles. Suddenly there is an alternative to either accepting abuse or being a collaborator. Now, you can fight the bastards."

  "We're talking about revolution again?" Badger asked, "It isn't possible."

  "Not yet. But trust me on this, it will be if Overwatch isn't careful."

  Eli harped on his words. He hadn’t considered it as a possibility before…

  Overwatch… afraid? Had Misfit – a fledgling gang of prisoners who’d narrowly escaped Helena – forced Overwatch to blink?

  A smile crept onto Eli’s face at the thought but vanished soon after. If Overwatch was afraid, Misfit would suddenly become the center of attention. There was no chance in hell that they would simply be left alone in solitary or even executed. No. Not at all.

  Forced inside of the bunker-like facility meant to process prisoners into Solitary confinement. Once again, cameras captured a headshot of each of their faces. They were stripped nude, too exhausted to resist, and delivered clean solitary uniforms once again. Just before they were separated to be delivered their sentences, they were left alone once again while the regulars sorted things out.

  Misfit’s faces were all nothing short of depressing. Somehow, it was even more heart wrenching for Eli to watch them than before. They had done so much together, survived so much together, all for it to come down to this.

  “This is the end,” Said Badger with a broken sigh.

  Dutch shook his head, “I doubt it.”

  “I wish I could share some of your optimism. I always kind of admired that about you, at least when it wasn’t trying to get us all killed,” Badger leaned against the concrete walls of the bunker as she spoke, her eyes closed, her white strands of hair falling to her shoulders while her head was tilted up to the blaring white LEDs lining the ceiling.

  “Well… if nothing else, I was glad that we did what we did,” Piped up a smaller voice from out of the blue, Omar. The kid wasn’t crying like he was last time, though he still sounded pained deep, deep inside, “We did the right thing. I think. No I mean… I know. I know we did the right thing. We saved people. Right? And through everything, all of the chaos, I’m kind of happy that it happened. Especially knowing that it was with you all.”

  Eli thought his tears had dried completely from watching Matteo die, but it was clear that he still had some left. He felt them dribble at the lids of his eyes, stinging before they crawled their way down his cheek. Quickly he wiped a hand across his face to catch the tear with the sleeve of his new uniform before the others could see, though it was likely that they noticed him pawing at his eyes…

  “We fought the Coalition and won on our own terms,” Eli managed to break through the tight feeling his throat. He had so much to say, but his brain was too scrambled and there was too little time to say all of it, “That’s what matters. No matter what they do to us, our hearts will always remain free. There’s no chain strong enough to break that.”

  “Now you’re starting to live up to your name Free-man,” Dutch smiled. Eli smiled. They all did. Joking together like old friends…

  Perhaps for the last time…

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