Star Darlings; The Soldier

Greyson gives a Speech!

The snow smacked against the sides of the snowmobiles as it sped through the storm. 2 others followed behind.

"Beckett!" Jonathan yelled at the lead snowmobile, where Beckett was. "How much longer till we get there?"

"About an hour or two!" He yelled back. "It depends on how bad the terrain is!"

They were headed for the Assassin Stronghold, where they think they'll find Nicholas. Because they needed to get there fast, they ditched the snow vehicle and decided to just bite the bullet and take the snowmobiles.

Greyson wrapped his arms around himself, pulling the parka even more tightly around him. He and Ethan decided to share one, because why not?

"How did Nicholas get through all this?" He shivered. "It's so cold."

"He was practically made of ice." Ethan answered. "Perhaps he retained some qualities."

"But still..." Greyson leaned his head against Ethan's back. "Brrr..."

"How's his condition?" A woman's voice awoke Dream from his slumber. Barely conscious, he turned his head slightly on the soft bed he was provided with.

"He is still unconscious as of now." A male voice responded. "From what our scans show, his brain is void of any memories, long-term and short-term."

"Why?"

"It isn't amnesia." The male voice said again. "We would see some damage to his brain at some point. No, it's either a hormone or--more likely-- a virus that's attached to his amygdala, the hippocampus, the cerebellum, and the prefrontal cortex, and has effectively disabled those parts of the brain. It's not natural, so I suspect it was made externally and injected into his body."

"Who can do that?" The woman asked. "You don't think that..."

"Yes, I suspect the Skylars did capture him." The male voice said. "Only they could have done something like this. The virus found in the scans also shows relations to the ones we found in captured or killed Myrmidons, except twenty times stronger."

"He was captured?" the woman asked. "Our Stronghold is so isolated for so long, I don't think we'll know if the Resistance has won or lost..."

"True, as the Aurora blocks most transmissions, but there are still windows of opportunity for something to get through." a different voice said. "Two days ago, we got a message from the nearest village about something like this, and that a couple of people-- friends of Nicholas-- are coming to visit. They said they'll explain everything."

"Good. Maybe Nicholas will remember something." The woman's voice said. "How long until I can see him?"

"You can't." The first male voice said. "Him seeing anyone from his past will result in a blackout, and the chemicals rapidly attacking his mind. His brain is already severely damaged, and any more blackouts will result in his..." he trailed off. "Y'know."

"Great." The woman said. "We'll send one of the newer recruits to take care of him. In the meantime, is there anything we can do to get rid of the chemicals?"

"No." The male voice said. "It's up to him to remember everything; the virus, once disturbed, will kill themselves and their host along with them. The virus will slowly die off, but it'll take some time. Time that we don't exactly have."

"Why?"

"The Resistance has signaled us that it's time to move out." The third voice said. "They said that they're attacking Fort Gorgon, and they'll need all the help they can get."