Brant inhaled a deep breath and braced himself. His fingertips touched a bronze doorknob. Clenching his teeth together, he twisted it and opened the door. 

He found himself entering an insulated meditation chamber, which Aaron was using to contain the noise from his hammering. Wendy and Sila stood nearby, ready to help however they could. 

All three glanced up at Brant when he entered, and they silently stared. He cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. He struggled to ignore his racing heart. 

"Hey, Aaron," he said slowly, "I have an apology to make." 

Aaron's expression remained unchanged. "I'm listening." 

"I messed up terribly back at the Iron Skeleton. You begged me to come and help prevent Keira's capture, but I refused, and she suffered. You also, by extension. And for that, I'm terribly sorry. I can't imagine what it would be like to go around, thinking you've lost someone as dear as a sister." 

Aaron nodded. "Last time someone selfishly gave up my sister's life for their own pleasure, I wrung his neck." 

"It was justified." Sila interjected. 

"You're tellin' me." Aaron said with a slight chuckle, "He was something else." 

"Well," Brant began, "I can't deny that I deserve much the same. But I want to make amends, and I suppose rescuing her was a step toward that. Giving you a proper apology is a second." 

Aaron sighed and stared at Wendy for a long moment. Then he met Brant's gaze and shrugged. "I can say I forgive you all I want, but can I be real honest with you?" 

"Of course." 

"I have a really hard time forgiving people sometimes. I mean, if you've proven yourself heartless enough to sacrifice another person just for your pleasure, who's to say you won't do it again if it suits you? I can't help but be suspicious." 

Brant nodded. "It's not completely unjustified. But I know you have the capacity for forgiveness. After all, Hannah tells me Baird was a very different man when you first met him, yet you forgave him for his wrongs and now value him highly. I can only hope for a smidgen of the same." 

"See, but Baird, for all his faults, didn't even come close to doing what you did. Yeah, he was annoying, and a bit selfish in the beginning, but he really turned around. He gave himself up for us." 

"I know." Brant said, "My blunder was far more costly, and trust must be regained." 

"Yeah." 

A moment of silence lingered between the two. Then Brant took a step forward and laid a hand on Aaron's shoulder. "Well, just know, I'm truly sorry for everything I've done that's hurt you. It was foolish and self-centered of me, and I intend not to act that way ever again. And if I do...you have every right to wring my neck." 

Aaron's brow furrowed. He fumbled over his words in visible uncertainty. "Sure...you have my forgiveness, I guess. But not yet my trust." 

The two men shook hands. Then Brant turned to Wendy. "And I extend the same apology to you as well. I'm sure it was rough for you to go through, too." 

Wendy shrugged, a nonchalant gesture that reeked of fakery. "I'm just not giving you my bloody trust until you deserve it." 

"I can't reasonably expect anything more." Brant said, a slight smile on his lips. 

With that, he spun on his heel and exited the room. A wave of relief washed over him, and a mental burden peeled away. He could almost swear he'd grown lighter, and could walk with greater ease. 

******************* 

At almost noon, Brant followed Hannah into a square room that currently served as an improvised briefing room. Along two of the walls, a number of Innutukians jostled against each other, struggling to fit in the space. Members of the Kemarian Insurgence lined a third wall, with plenty of room to spare. The fourth remained mostly clear, so as to allow the door to swing freely. 

In the center of the room, a smaller number stood around a large paper draped across an altar. Among them stood General Trackenkaken, Ace, Aaron, and Keira. Others, Innutukian and Kemarian alike, lingered nearby, unfamiliar to Brant. 

The general regarded Brant as he approached. "As I hoped, we were able to identify two possible locations for the Alcontean gathering." 

Brant nodded as he gently parted a path between two soldiers for himself and Hannah to squeeze through. He stared down at the paper on the altar, a map. Two red triangles had been scribbled over Jasmidian's position on the map. 

"Okay, so tell me more. Because this doesn't say much." Brant remarked. 

"Well, we consider this location more likely." the general said, tapping the triangle in the northwestern-most corner of Jasmidian. In reality, the crudely-drawn shape edged over the borders into Grovenia and Elwenium. 

"And why do you find that more likely?" Brant asked. 

"Well, it is a good intersection between three Alcontean-occupied territories, and if for some reason, they intend to consolidate their forces, such a location is quite efficient for that purpose." 

"Okay," Ace chimed in, "so why's the other triangle there, then?" 

"I do admit, that location more closely matches the geographical details our spies were able to gather. However, I find it slightly less likely, as the jungle there is thick and more conducive to stealth in travel than speed." 

Brant's eyes rose from the paper to meet the general's. "And you think they're less likely to use stealth?" 

"Certainly. For such large numbers, discovery is hardly an issue, and who would attack them, anyway?" 

Ace smirked. "Insurgents?" 

Trackenkaken opened his mouth to speak, then closed it for a second. Finally, he said, "No offense, but both you and Jasmidian have severely crippled Insurgence forces at the moment. The likelihood of a rebel attack making any impact on so massive a gathering is quite miniscule." 

Ace shrugged. "Fair enough." 

"But as I said, I still consider it a potential location, if only for the closer match to the geographical description we gathered." 

Brant straightened his posture and crossed his arms. "So, what do we do with this information? Investigate one spot and then the other?" 

Trackenkaken shook his head. "No, we need to make haste to ensure we are present when they are. Otherwise, we run the risk of missing them entirely, and losing our chance to gather the intel." 

"So you're suggesting we send one group to each location?" Aaron asked. 

The general nodded. "Exactly. We'll want to keep them small for the sake of maneuverability and concealment, but yes. We should formulate two teams." 

"Why be stealthy?" challenged an Innutukian officer standing opposite his general. "We could send our entire corleggion down and take them all down at once!" 

"Corleggion?" Keira questioned. 

"Four of our legions put together." Trackenkaken answered quickly before turning to the man, "Our purpose is not to engage, Captain. We'd risk losing our chance to gather the facts. Victory could be possible, but hollow." 

The captain refrained from replying, but he affirmed his superior's words with a nod. 

"I'll personally head to Spot A." the general declared, tapping his finger on the northwestern triangle. "Five of our armored cars sounds like a good number to take a decent number of men along, while still small enough to sneak around unnoticed." 

Brant coughed. "I'd like to tag along, if you have room." 

"I'll make room." Trackenkaken turned to Ace. "Your prowess in undetectability would also be invaluable." 

"I'll go." Ace replied, slipping a cigarette from his half-empty box. 

After clearing his throat, Aaron took a step forward. "I can take charge of investigating that second spot. The Stingray has cloaking capabilities that would make our stealthy approach a piece of cake." 

The general's eyes widened as he nodded. "That would indeed be useful. Thank you." 

"No problem, man." Aaron glanced around. "Alright, who's with me, then?" 

"Big bloody surprise, I know." Wendy said as she stepped up to him. 

"I serve master." Sila declared, robotically patting his shoulder. 

Keira's mouth tightened when her brother's eyes landed on hers. She glanced between Brant, Ace, and Trackenkaken on her left and Aaron on her right. She bit her bottom lip. 

"You guys could use some eyes from up high, couldn't you?" she finally asked the Innutukian general. 

When Trackenkaken's brow furrowed into visible confusion, Brant tapped his shoulder. "She's a sniper." he explained. 

Ace gave Keira a grimace and removed the smoking cigarette from his mouth. "Last time you climbed a tree..." 

She shrugged. "Last time you shaved, you missed a spot." 

The dark-skinned man narrowed his eyes, parted his lips, and rubbed his fingertips over a spot on his jaw. "How's that relevant?" 

"All I'm saying is, they've already got a ship, so they can easily get a birds' eye view. But you guys have only got cars and stuff, so you don't really have that." 

Trackenkaken glanced at Ace out of the corner of his eye. "I can see the uses of that. His objections make no sense to me." 

"Me either." she remarked, taking a step closer. 

Aaron sighed melodramatically. "What's a guy to do when his sister forsakes him?" 

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Stop making a bloody fool of yourself. You make me look bad." 

The brawny inventer chuckled. Then he noticed Keira giving him a regretful look. "I'm just kidding, sis. Go ahead." 

Brant shifted his gaze from Aaron down to Hannah, who was staring up at him with a silent question in her brown eyes. Instantly, he understood. 

"If you wanna go with Aaron," he said with a smile, "there's nobody stopping you. Just stay safe." 

Hannah grinned. "Will do, darlin'. 

Trackenkaken cleared his throat. "Captain, I'll be taking sixteen men from your legion, then. And you'll be in charge of the corleggion until I return." 

The Innutukian saluted. "Yes sir!" 

"Let preparations begin!" the general shouted, loud in volume, but not harsh in tone, "I expect to depart tomorrow at this time, at the very latest." 

Innutukians and Kemarians mingled together as they scattered out of the room. Brant felt shoulders aplenty collide with him as he squeezed through the throng. He placed his arm around Hannah's shoulder to shield her as he made a path for them to reach the door. Once they'd passed through, he made his way down a hallway to see if he could be of assistance anywhere.

******************** 

A/N: Progress has been made! Brant's just done his part to mend his connection to Aaron, and now our heroes are being proactive and making their own move! Is anybody else excited to see what's in store? 

(If you are, don't forget to vote and comment!) 

Now here's a funny question: If these characters existed in real life, which one do you think you'd most enjoy hanging out with? 

(For me, it'd have to be between Hannah or Aaron. More likely Aaron, because no offense to Hannah and her fans, but he's got a certain coolness about him I'd probably appreciate. But honestly, most of them would be AWESOME to be around.) 

And now for a random question. What furniture item do you use the most? 

(Probably my bed, honestly. I spend 8 hours [ideally] on it a night, plus I sit there with my laptop way more than I should. My desk gets lonely sometimes.) 

And with that, I depart! Have an awesome day, and seriously, stay safe. These are weird times. God bless, and I hope to see you in the next update! 😁