Unlikely Alliances

'Understanding'?

Braun stormed into his room as the door behind him slid closed. He saw the bed and threw his helmet, hitting the wall behind it as it fell onto the bed with a thud.

"This is ridiculous!" He said as he slammed the button on the adjacent wall.

The machine then spiraled its claw like arms off the ceiling as it came down around him as he stood beneath it. It started to take off his armor and put it away piece by piece into the case that was built into the wall to hold his armor.

"First off this Burke for brains gets us to come here and then he has the nerve to bring her here without even telling us- then she has the nerve to even show her face after she disappears?!"

"I wouldn't be too upset with Dr. Burke Sir." A voice interrupted...

Braun turned his head to see where this infiltrating voice came from that dared to interrupt him from his raging self fit.

He saw a slender figure standing in the doorway; features blocked by the shadow being cast from the bright lights from behind him in the hallway.

"What?" He responded ferociously; ready to bite this person's head off.

"I said I wouldn't be to upset with-"

"Yeah I heard you the first time." Braun spat back, stepping forward towards the figure.

"Oh, then why did you reply back in a questioning manner with the phrase what?" The figure said, stepping forward into the room coming into the light.

It was Sheldon. Otherwise known as Dr. Burke's assistant, and in Braun's eyes, Burke's sucking up teachers pet. Sheldon's much smaller and lab coated figure in full view now with his thick black glasses. One hand in his right pocket and the other out, palm upward in a questioning manner, going along with his question earlier.

"Cause it wasn't a what questioning what you were saying. It was a what as in what are you doing eves dropping, and more importantly, what are you doing in my room without asking permission?" Braun said lowly, as he stepped up to Sheldon. Towering over him and his much smaller figure.

"Ah- well your door was open and I just so happen to be passing by and heard you causing a ruckus so I thought I'd just-"

"You thought what? You'd just come in uninvited and lurk around into my room?"

"Well I was just-"

"Just leaving." Braun said, cutting the conversation.

"Ah yes- that's what I was doing!" Sheldon turned around quickly and made his way out the sliding doors of Braun's room.

Braun then noticed Dedrick passing by his door way as he watched Sheldon leave.

"And where have you been?!" He shouted.

Dedrick stepped back into view of the doorway. Holding his helmet in his hands still facing down the hallway with his body, but his head turned into Braun's room.

"I was eating dinner." He replied plainly.

"With who?"

"With Cricket and the girls."

"What girls?"

"You know. The girls. Desi and Kata." Dedrick said back mockingly.

"You were with that traitor!"

"Hey! She's not a traitor Braun! If anybody's the traitor here it's you!"

"Me?!"

"You haven't even given her a chance to explain herself or tell her side of the story!"

"I did! I asked her on the platform the first day we got here, and you know what her reply was? 'I don't have to explain myself to anyone'. That gives me a reason to see that she doesn't want to fess up to abandoning her team!"

Dedrick huffed in disbelief with a smirk.

Braun scrunched up his eyebrows in response to this and tilted his head slightly in a questioning look.

"Is that all that we are to you? A team?" Dedrick asked.

Braun took a second and shook is head with a dragged hand down his face.

"You know what I mean De-"

"-No actually I don't Braun. Look I don't understand it either, and am mixed about the subject just as much as you are, but you need to remember something, that's Catastrophis back there... The same Kata that we grew up with, trained with, fought with, shed blood and sweat with, took countless beatings and experiments with... and more. I'm not saying what she did was right because truth be told- we don't even know what happened! Or if it's what we think it is... But there's one thing you need to remember, Kata never did anything for no reason..." He said in Braun's face; after stepping closer.

"And right now we've got enough to deal with on this situation with Burke. Non of us are feeling completely easy about this... so lets just focus on getting this over with, and this new possible threat with these... new creatures... All I'm saying Braun, is give it a rest for now, and when the time is right, bring it up then, but right now is not the time. You'll get your answers. All of us will."

Dedrick said this with an earnest heart, but also with a silent warning; still being protective of one lost long comrade, from another that was hot headed and had a reputation for rushing into things to easily due to there anger, and eagerness to fight and defend from everything and anything all the time; he couldn't blame him for that. That part of the needing to fight and defend was instilled in all of them.

With that, Dedrick shook Braun's shoulder lightly, and looked at him with a serious look.

Braun took a deep breath before replying.

Sigh

"Okay. Alright... I get where your coming from, but I'm not giving her no special treatment either!"

With that, Dedrick gave a soft nod, and patted him on the shoulder before leaving Braun's room.

Dedrick knew that deep down, Braun was just hurt and confused by Kata's disappearance; way deep down. They all were to some degree. He wanted answers too, but so did the rest of the them; timing was everything when it came to sensitive subjects as these. Especially Catastrophis...

Meanwhile

...

"No! Please-"

She saw the strike... The sound of his screams...

"No!"

She jolted awake, gasping for air and covered in cold sweats.

He awoke along side her and grabbed her up quickly in his arms as she panted for air, shaking... He knew she had another nightmare...

He held onto her tightly, as he started to feel her ease into his embrace; he purred into her ear...

"I'm here... I have you..."

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To be Continued...