Success of the Broken Banner

Chapter 25: Visions

"Easy, easy, you can't hit the ground running yet," I cautioned, looping my arm around Echo's waist to steady him as we emerged from the medical building. Since his eyes had flickered open, a spark of restlessness had burned within them, a stubborn determination to push beyond his limits. I knew that look, that fire. It was a mirror to my own. For both our sakes, a dose of fresh air and sunshine was in order.

"I'm fine, Amelia," Echo rasped, his voice laced with the lie of casual nonchalance. His arm curled over my shoulders, his weight bearing down on me as he favored his injured side. A flicker of pain crossed his features, and my smirk came easy.

"You're not fine, you're stubborn," I shot back, arching an eyebrow at him. A low chuckle rumbled through his chest, vibrating against my side.

"Look who's talking."

Kilo's voice cut through our banter, his boots crunching on the gravel behind us. I turned to find him approaching, Liv padding along beside him with her silent grace. A smile tugged at my lips as she offered me a small wave. Kilo effortlessly slid in on Echo's other side, taking some of his weight as he guided him towards a picnic table outside the mess hall. The four of us collapsed onto the benches, Echo and I on one side, Kilo and Liv on the other.

Echo's gaze darted to Liv, his expression unreadable before snapping back to Kilo. "You get a pet?" The question had my foot shooting out to nip at his leg under the table. Echo hissed, his jaw clenched against the jab of pain.

"An unwanted pet," Kilo tossed back, a smirk still playing on his lips. This time, it was his leg that got kicked. "Ow, damn it."

"Knock it off," I warned, leveling a glare between the two of them. My attention shifted to Liv, a soft smile on her face as she twirled the rings on her fingers. "They don't mean it, Liv. They're just naturally assholes."

A melancholy smile tugged at the corners of Liv's mouth. "It's okay, they remind me of my brothers." Her voice trembled, barely above a whisper. "We went to the safe haven together, but guards dragged them away just days before you three stormed the building. They didn't make it." She paused, collecting herself. "So the teasing is a cruel comfort right now."

Kilo's gaze fell to his clenched fists, a mirrored expression of guilt and regret crossing Echo's face. If only we'd been a few days earlier...we could have saved them too.

Liv's uncertain voice cut through the heavy silence. "Did I make it awkward?" Her eyes darted between the three of us, seeking reassurance. I gave a quick shake of my head, hoping to convey that she was okay, that we understood.

"We can't afford to sit here twiddling our thumbs much longer." I pressed my palms against the cool tabletop, my mind racing. "There are people counting on us, a whole group of survivors who need our help."

Kilo's distant agreement seemed to come from far away. "We'll figure it out..." His voice trailed off, and suddenly the room around me dissolved into a vivid daydream.

I was standing in the heart of our base, but it was different. Towering armored walls surrounded the compound, reinforced with thick steel beams. Gardens bursting with life filled the empty lots around the mess hall, and the lowing of livestock carried from a bustling barn. Small houses dotted the landscape alongside the barracks, and an older Kilo – a full beard framing his face – sat grinning outside one, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.

"Lia, we have more survivors incoming," Liv's voice called from behind me. I spun to face her, questions on my lips, but they remained frozen in place, as if my mouth was glued shut.

She handed me a stack of folders, her smile radiant. "I told them I'd bring them to your office once they're cleared by medical. You can get them settled with housing and jobs before you, Echo, and Kilo give them the tour."