The Program [COMPLETED]

Chapter Forty-Eight

Aiden's eyes flew open upon hearing a loud pounding on his door.

"Aiden!" Jace's muffled voice called to him. "It's Jace. Got some news for you."

Aiden groaned, crawling out of his warm bed and unlocking the sliding metal door for Jace to enter.

"What's wrong?" Aiden looked around, his body tensing up for a fight.

"Nothing's wrong," Jace replied hastily. "Zariah just asked me to tell you that Roman's here, in Debriefing Room Six. He arrived at oh-seven-hundred hours this morning."

"Oh-seven-hundred hours?" Aiden frowned. "What time is it now?"

"Oh-nine-hundred hours and thirty-eight minutes," Jace replied, checking his watch. "I know we probably should have informed you earlier, but Farley insisted I give you some more time to sleep. He tried to convince Zariah to do the same, but she refused. She's a tough one, that's for sure."

"Oh, trust me, I know," Aiden smiled. "Let them know I'll be right there."

"Sir, yes, sir," Jace saluted before walking away just as Aiden closed the door. Once Jace had left, Aiden immediately hopped in the shower and changed into fresh clothes from his drawer, grabbing his watch and any other important resources he might need for the day as he walked out into the hall.

The Unit was bustling with business, every soldier doing their part in making sure patrols were being organized and meals were still being served in the dining hall. It seemed that Farley and Kerian had been doing good work while Aiden was asleep. He was thankful for their help, especially now that Aiden was filling some big shoes in regards to the extent of his authority. As he made his way down the hallway and towards the Debriefing Rooms, he heard the occasional greeting or witnessed a few nods of approval as he passed by. Every soldier in Second Unit appeared to support his leadership, and as much as Aiden felt relieved to have the Units behind him, the idea intimidated him as well. The Program was strong, but if the people refused to join forces with the Units, neither of them stood a chance at defeating Eskium.

Aiden approached Debriefing Room Six and nodded his head towards the two soldiers posted outside of it. They dipped their heads respectfully, allowing him to pass through and open the door to where Roman and Zariah were sitting inside.

Farley and Zariah sat on one side of the table, while Roman and the rebel Aiden had met in Oslua, Caspar, sat on the opposite side. They were accompanied by another rebel that Aiden hadn't seen yet. The three men looked visibly cleaner and well-kempt than they had been in the city when Aiden last saw them, presumably because they had taken up residence in Second Unit's bunks and had taken the time to shower and change into nicer clothing.

"It's about time you came to join us, Aiden," Roman flashed him a wry smile. "You Programmers really enjoy taking your time with things. I heard the news, by the way. Congratulations on becoming acting General."

"Thank you," Aiden nodded, returning Roman's gesture. "I see you've reunited with Lieutenant Blanche and Lieutenant Nikolaos."

"We've been catching up," Farley admitted. "Although, I don't think there's much use for formalities anymore. We're all in this fight together now."

"Not yet," Roman reminded him. Uneasiness crept into Aiden's stomach after processing his words.

"We've been comparing perspectives and filling him in on what happened during the live broadcast and intervals of communication that Roman and the other Phantom rebels might not have seen," Zariah explained. "Xylem was doing his best to censor information from both ends, unsurprisingly, but things are starting to make sense now."