Gone

33.

In the end, only Granger and his Captains get on a plane to Canada. Stone sketches out the layout of the compound and the housing building. "The forest is full of traps so be careful and keep an eye out for everything. The roads may be ridged too but I've never walked through them so I'm not sure where exactly the traps are."

"General we land in five," A flight attendant walks in, "alright everyone stay in pairs, and keep an eye on everything. Stone you take the lead." Stone nods and stares out the window, she'll give the S.I.D.O Alzack but he won't be breathing when she hands him over.

They land and Amoura quickly leads the way, "Stone what's with your walking?" Row asks, "I'm avoiding the traps." Just as Amoura finishes speaking a metal cage springs forward and catches them. "I don't know how to release you from here but I know where the release hatch is. Just try not to set anything else off."

Just as Amoura approaches the compound silver chains pull her back, "what are you all doing here?" Stone asks as she recognizes the scents, "tying you to a tree, Alzack has done us all wrong but if you kill him you'll get something far worse than what could happen to us." Amoura watches with horror as the old Shadow Unit walks out the woods, "that's not true. You all need to get out of here! Don't do this! Jural come on, be reasonable this isn't something you all should do! Just go!" They all look to Amoura, "We can't, Levy told us you made a deal with them. We won't let you sacrifice anymore for us." Luna speaks up and Amoura fights the chains, "if you do this my sacrifice will be in vain! They don't care what happens to you all! And this won't change that, they'll still make me hold up my end. So GO! All of you stop this! This is insanity! Let me go!" She watches as they walk inside.

"Hold on Stone." The chains loosen around her and she bolts to the compound only to get stopped by Williams, "Stop Stone, they knew, they knew they wouldn't pass up a chance to end Alzack."

"Neither will I!" Stone shoves Williams off of her and runs to the door. Just as she opens it the building explodes and Amoura goes flying. "No!" she coughs up dirt as she gets up, "Rai. Luna. Jural!" Amoura runs inside and finds her squad laying brokenly around the hall and torture rooms. "Luna, come on get up, Luna."

She pulls Luna into her arms and cries, "you didn't honestly believe they were going to let sixteen perfectly built weapons run free," Alzack asks from down the hall, "they're not weapons!" Banging on the doors goes unnoticed by Stone as Alzack walks up to her. His clothes tattered and dried blood on exposed skin.

He slides a metal briefcase to her, "what's that?" Stone stares at the briefcase, "enhancers, we both you the only reason you survived childhood is thanks to your extraordinary mate." She looks at Alzack.

"You threatening the son of Alpha Blackhart?" Amoura asks, "I'm not but someone is. Just covering all your bases." He tosses a flash drive and she catches it. "In there are the reasons why the S.I.D.O wants me dead or in their custody. Well go on," he on purposely move his eyes to the weapon near Stone, "we both know you didn't come here to talk."

Amoura puts Luna down and grabs the weapon Alzack was eyeing, she runs over to him and drags the ax through his body. "Go to hell Alzack." Alzack hits the floor in two pieces, she drops the ax seconds before General Granger's Captains walk in. She picks up the case and walks out. "Stone-" She cuts Williams off, "don't. Stay the hell away from me," Amoura walks out with the case and flash drive.

Stone walks around the compound and finds Roy's smartphone, she turns it on and scrolls through the notes and finds one at the very end. 'Possible things to get Stone for her birthday: new phone, better earphones, cooking classes Jural swears she needs, new frequency fryer I made (give anyway),' Amoura starts to smile, "Roy," she walks up to the housing building, "give her a minute." General Granger has the housing complex cleared so Stone makes her way inside her old apartment.

She sees Jurals' apron hanging on the hooks by the balcony door and she walks over to them, "I'm sorry." She sits on the steps by the apron and stares out the balcony door.

She walks into Jurals' room to see if there's anything he might have valued. She finds a gift under the bed, on the sticker it read 'in honor of Stone's twenty-fifth birthday.' She puts it in the box and heads to Luna and Lee's apartment, she already had Luna's gift, and behind the dining table chairs was Lee's gift.

She grabs it and puts in the box that was sitting in the hallway. She searches and finds gifts for her from Roy, Wisokey, and Cullen in their apartment. She takes them with her before grabbing all their favorite things, she returns to her apartment and grabs Jural's aprons.

Stone walks back out with a full box, "you can have it torn down now sir." She walks past him, "you going to miss this place?" General Granger asks her, "I hate this place," He nods, "alright tear it down." Stone sits on the roof of the truck, smoking as the builds crumble down.

"Stone we have a meeting with the Generals first thing tomorrow morning." He turns to look at her on the truck roof, "yes, sir." Amoura showers before going to bed only to wake up wondering what Alzack meant about Blackhart. She eventually caves and calls home. Her father answers, "this isn't a social call, I'm only calling to let you know Heminsworth is in danger. I think has to do with some of Blackharts associates." She hangs up and stares at the phone before returning to bed.

Early the next morning she gets dressed in proper uniform before checking out the meeting room she and Granger are supposed to meet the Generals in. Inside a decorative chest, she finds eight gas masks. She takes them and throws them away before joining General Granger outside the command center thirty minutes later.

Stone and General Granger sit across from the Generals as they speak about Stone's conduct. "I've only been here two days, I have no conduct." Stone says plainly, "you speak to rudely to your General's, you do as you please during a mission! We were right you are not fit for normal combat!" The older female General berates, "and who's fault is that? You all gave Alzack free rein over his own service. Don't blame me for being a product of your inability to keep a General in check."

"You and General Granger have gotten away with a lot! No more!" The old General speaks up, "and how are you going to do that?  Fire us? No that's to many questions especially since General Granger is the one who caught Alzack. That being said force retirement is out too. So is transferring or demoting us. So that leaves accidental death. Is that what the gas masks were for? If so I hope you Generals are immune to the poison you plan to use."

They stare at each other as a small shift in the air fills the room, they start choking and rush over to the box, "on no those are gone." Stone breaks the window with a chair. "Time to get you out of here, General." Stone helps Granger up and out the window.

She bites her wrist and puts it to his lips, "my blood will help neutralize the poison in your system." He grabs her wrist and drinks her burning blood.

"Yeah if it burns its the silver that's still in my bloodstream." Granger lets her wrist go and Amoura watches it heal as he coughs up white liquid. "What is that?" He asks, "that's what was killing you."

"Why did you save me?" Granger asks, "because I was in your debt. Consider us even." Stone mutters as she get's up, "that's not why I did it stone." She looks at him, "it is why I did." Stone and General Granger both get cleared by the medic on call at the hospital. Stone makes her way around the base to find a place to smoke in peace.

Her solo retreat is ruined when McAllister joins her, "can't I just be left alone?" She asks as she takes a long drag of the cigarette, "no," he quickly replies, annoyed she asks why not.

"Because I won't let you drown, I can see it Stone, you're giving up and I won't let you." She looks at him, "you don't know anything about me." He holds her gaze, "I know plenty, I know your pain." She huffs, "you don't know anything. Just leave me be."

"No. I won't lose you." Stone gets up, and looks down at him, "you already lost me." She walks off, "the horrors don't defy you." She pauses at the bottom to look back at him, "you'd be naïve if you believed that."